The Sea Eagle 385 FastTrack inflatable fishing kayak is designed to be a fishing kayak machine. “Inflatable” and “fishing kayak” don’t often go together but with this kayak they do. It is intended to paddle well and be the perfect fishing kayak at the same time. Does it achieve that goal? Well, let’s find out with an in-depth, non-biased review!
Sea Eagle 385 FastTrack Angler (FTA) Specifications
Price: $1199 (USD) with the deluxe seat. Upgrade options are available!
Length: 12’ 6”
Width: 36”
Weight: 44 LBS (20 KG)
Capacity: 635 LBS (290 KG)
Best Use: Kayak Fishing
The 385 FastTrack Angler is made of a more durable and 29% thicker hull material than the non-angler version of the 385. It has:
- Customized front and rear spray skirts with built-in rod tool hooks and lure holders
- Non-slip EVA padding built into the floor for added protection
- A fish ruler
- Four carry handles
- Two drain valves
- A drop stitch floor for rigidity
- A large removable fin
- A drop stitch keel for tracking purposes.
- 18 D rings to secure seats and gear.
The 385 FTA comes with a nylon carry bag, a repair kit, and seats and paddles depending on the package you purchase.
Portability
This is a 44 LBS kayak, which is a little heavier than other inflatable kayaks, but much lighter than the vast majority of fishing kayaks. Some fishing kayaks even weigh as much as 140 LBS and require trailers. So, for a fishing kayak, this gets top marks.
When folded into the bag it is substantial. You cannot carry this a long way alone, but it is fairly easy to carry a short distance by yourself. One of the great things about the bag is that it has a lot of extra space and folds around the kayak. That means you can easily get the kayak back into the bag without doing a perfect folding job.
Comfort
The side tubes are not drop stitch, so only pump up to around 3 psi, making them feel soft and comfortable. There is a nice EVA deck pad on the floor which adds comfort too.
I used the deluxe seat that comes with it. This is a raised platform that keeps your butt off the ground and nice and dry. It is also nicely cushioned and was comfortable to sit on for the entire five or six hours of fishing I did when testing the kayak.
The only drawback to the 385 FTA is that it doesn’t have any sort of foot pegs or footrest system, so when you are doing a lot of paddling it is less comfortable. But this is designed to be used for fishing and not paddling so it isn’t too much of a problem.
The Sea Eagle 385 FTA comes with a range of different options. You can choose to order a 360 swivel seat. This is a $200 (USD) upgrade and provides a comfortable, padded swivel seat that sits much higher out of the water. It also comes with rod mount holders that let you hold your rods right beside you. The swivel seat puts you in a better fishing position, but the deluxe seat is a better paddling seat.
Stability
Stability is a key characteristic of a fishing kayak. Feeling unstable can be a real problem when fishing. And, more importantly, if you were to flip a fishing kayak you could potentially lose a lot of expensive fishing gear. So fishing kayaks are designed to be as stable as possible.
The Sea Eagle 385 Fast Track Angler is very stable. It is 36” wide which is fairly wide, so this boat is as stable as you would imagine it. You are more likely to fall off the kayak than to actually flip it!
The 385 FTA is stable enough to stand and fish in too. Standing is a great position for fishing. The only downside is that due to the size of the inflatable tubes, you only have a narrow space to stand in so your feet need to be fairly close together. The closer your feet together the less stable you are. So it can feel less stable to stand in than an equivalent hard-shell fishing kayak.
Performance
Performance is where the Sea Eagle 385 FTA gets interesting. It is a 36” wide and 12’ 6” wide kayak, so it is not designed for speed. It is designed for stability.
The bottom of the 385 FTA is flat which makes it harder for the kayak to track in the water, and much easier for the kayak to spin. But to combat this problem Sea Eagle has done two things. The first is that they added the fin at the stern as this helps the kayak to go straight. They have also created an inflatable bow keel to turn the flat inflatable hull into a carving and tracking hull. And this has a significant impact on the paddling performance, helping it track better than an equivalent inflatable kayak.
So whilst it may not be a high performance kayak, the Sea Eagle 385 FastTrack Angler is definitely a significant upgrade from other, equivalent, inflatable kayaks without the inflatable keel.
Features
Fishing kayaks are often rich in features. But the biggest feature that they often have is the ability to customize and add whatever features you want. And the Sea Eagle 385 FastTrack Angler is designed to do that quite well.
It has unique, integrated rod holders. They are not as quick or convenient as other rod holders I have tried, but they still work well. There are cutouts for lures and bungees on the bow and stern to attach gear.
The EVA pad on the floor is a nice touch for comfort, but also to protect the kayak against hooks. I didn’t have any concerns about having lures hanging about in the kayak, despite it being an inflatable kayak. The different options for seats, for example, the swivel seat, are really nice features that allow you to choose the level to which you want the seat to be set up for fishing.
The number of D rings, handles, and attachment points is very useful. You might not use all the D rings but it lets you attach and customize the kayak to make it suit your needs completely.
Value
Is the Sea Eagle 385 FastTrack Angler worth it? Well, this kayak retails for about $1200 (USD) in a set that comes with everything you need to hit the water including the kayak, a deluxe seat, a repair kit, a carry bag, a paddle, and a pump. That is a good deal.
You can get cheaper fishing kayaks. But are fishing kayaks this portable and durable? I don’t know of one. The 385 FTA is designed for fishing. It is reinforced, super durable, and very portable. You are unlikely to find something of this quality or caliber as cheap as this.
So the question really comes down to you. Is a portable fishing kayak of this quality something that you really want?
Who is The Sea Eagle 385 FastTrack Angler for?
There is a slightly cheaper Sea Eagle 385 FastTrack inflatable kayak that is not designed for fishing which is slightly cheaper. It is something I would still fish from but would have to be more careful.
But, if you are an angler, having rod holders, extra durable side tubes, extra expanse, and weight is definitely a worthwhile upgrade. So this kayak is specifically for anglers. If you are not an angler, you would be better off going for the non-angler version. But this inflatable fishing kayak is an excellent deal for any anglers out there who want an inflatable kayak that is portable and easy to store.
I recently took this kayak for an adventure as well. Check out Kayak Fishing on Watts Bar Lake.
Kayak: Sea Eagle 385 FastTrack
Paddles: Aqua Bound Manta Ray Hybrid
PFD: NRS Odyssey PFD (Touring and Rec)
Clothing: NRS Short Sleeved Guide Shirt
Sunglasses: Wiley X
