At $150 and $200, the Intex Explorer K2 and the Sea Eagle 330 are two budget kayaks. They are both gateway kayaks designed to provide an affordable way for people to get into kayaking. On the surface they look very similar, but how much difference does an extra $50 actually make? Let’s see in this unbiased, in-depth, cheap kayak comparison of the Intex Explorer K2 vs Sea Eagle 330!
Intex Explorer K2 Specifications
Price: $150 (USD)
Length: 10’ 3”
Width: 36”
Weight: <30 LBS (<13 KG)
Capacity: 400 LBS (181 KG)
Best Use: Calm Water
Sea Eagle 330 Specifications
Price: $200 (USD)
Length: 11’ 1”
Width: 34”
Weight: 26 LBS (12 KG)
Capacity: 500 LBS (227 KG)
Best Use: All conditions
Intex Explorer K2 and Sea Eagle 330 Features
Both budget kayaks feature:
- Three chambers of floor and two side tubes
- Skegs. The Explorer has a removable skeg while the Sea Eagle has two integrated skegs
- Skirts over the bow and stern
Both inflatable kayaks include:
- Two paddles
- Two seats
- A pump
- A repair kit
- A carry bag
These kayaks look very similar to each other and are both sold as tandem inflatable kayaks. In reality, they are more suitable for an adult and child tandem as there is not a lot of space in either of them. The weight capacity is low, even in the Sea Eagle which has a slightly larger capacity.
Build Quality
When you compare the build quality of the Intex Explorer K2 and the Sea Eagle 330 some things stand out.
Valves
The side tubes on the Intex Explorer have Boston valves which are basic but good for blowing the kayak up. However, the floor, skirts, and seats use pool toy-style valves. This shows us that the Intex Explorer is less of a serious kayak and more like a pool toy.
In comparison, the Sea Eagle 330 uses higher-quality Boston valves on all three chambers, the two skirts, and the seats.
While testing the Intex Explorer K2, I discovered that there is a seam on the top of the side tube exactly where your hands hit when you paddle. This is incredibly annoying. The Sea Eagle 330, in comparison, doesn’t have any seams.
The Bow Skirt
On the Sea Eagle 330, the entire front skirt is inflatable whereas on the Intex Explorer, only one band on the skirt is inflatable. This means that the bow of the Sea Eagle 330 looks better, is sturdier, and has more structural integrity.
Around the bow, lines hold the skirts down and provide something for you to grab onto. The line on the Intex Explorer is a hollow, cheap line with two anchor points, whereas the Sea Eagle 330 has a real rope with many anchor points.
The Warranty
Overall the Sea Eagle 330 feels more robust. The quality difference is illustrated very clearly by the difference in warranty. The Intex Explorer K2 has a 90-day warranty for factory defects while the Sea Eagle 330 comes with a three-year warranty for manufacture defects. That is a really big difference for the $50 price difference.
On top of that, the Sea Eagle 330 is designed to be used in up to class 3 whitewater whereas the Explorer is designed for calm water only. That tells you straight away the confidence that each company has in their product.
So in terms of build quality, the Sea Eagle performs significantly better.
Performance
When it comes to performance the Intex Explorer and the Sea Eagle 300 don’t differ very much. However, there are a few small differences.
Both kayaks blow up to only 1 psi. This is very soft and therefore affects their performance. Despite this, the Sea Eagle 330 felt firmer and therefore performed better. This is due to the bigger I-beams on the floor of the kayak that provide more rigidity to it.
The Intex Explorer has a very soft floor. What this means is that when you sit in the kayak, your weight actually bends the kayak and pushes the center down. This will slow you down. It also makes paddling less comfortable because you will be sitting with your legs higher than your butt.
The Sea Eagle offers a seat upgrade that provides a little more height and rigidity to avoid sinking the kayak in the middle. Even without this, the extra rigidity on the floor of the Sea Eagle keeps your feet below your butt making the whole experience more comfortable.
The other big difference is that the Sea Eagle 330 can handle up to class 3 whitewater while the Intex Explorer can only be used in calm water. Beyond this, the speed and maneuverability of both kayaks are very similar.
The Accessories
The Paddle
Both budget kayaks come with paddles that have very basic, aluminum shafts and plastic blades. These work when initially getting into the sport but are not as lightweight, durable, and efficient as higher-quality paddles. They are however sufficient to help introduce you to the sport.
The Sea Eagle paddle is about 238 cm whereas the Intex paddle is 218 cm (paddles are measured in centimeters, not inches). For a wide, sit-on-top style kayak 218 cm is not ideal because you will have to reach further over the side tubes to get the blade in the water. The Sea Eagle paddle, which is slightly longer, is much easier to use in these wide kayaks.
Another key difference between the two paddles is the blades themselves. The blade on the Intex paddle is completely flat. This means that the paddle blade bends when you put any pressure on it in the water. So instead of gaining power, the blade will cause you to lose power.
The blade on the Sea Eagle paddle has a rib down the center. This prevents the blade from bending at all. This slight design difference gives you significantly more paddling efficiency when using the Sea Eagle paddles.
The Pump
Intex provides you with an adequate pump. It has nozzles for both the pool toy and Boston valves. It is, however, very short and requires you to bend over to use it. This makes it very uncomfortable to use.
The Sea Eagle 330 comes with a foot pump and all the necessary connections. These screw onto the valve so that the pump does not pop off when you are pumping. You do not have to bend over to use it which makes it much more comfortable. The Sea Eagle pump is an upgrade from the Intex pump.
Value
The Intex Explorer sells for $150 from Amazon and the equivalent Sea Eagle 330 package sells for $200 directly from Sea Eagle. So is the extra $50 worth it, what kayak is the best cheap kayak to purchase?
There are a lot of advantages with the Sea Eagle; you get a better paddle, a more durable kayak, more upgrade options, and a much better warranty. So I would absolutely pay the extra $50 for the upgrade.
However, that does not mean that the Intex Explorer is the wrong kayak to purchase. Both these inflatable kayaks do a great job of letting people get on the water and try out kayaking for an affordable price.
If you enjoy kayaking, you will very quickly outgrow the Intex Explorer K2. You will likely take a little longer to outgrow the Sea Eagle 330 because it is more durable and can be used in a variety of conditions.
The reality is that you get so much value out of both of these budget kayaks. It is amazing to be able to pay $200 or less and get an inflatable kayak, paddles, seats, a pump, and a carry bag. There is no right or wrong decision to make when choosing which kayak to buy. But there are some very good reasons to pay the very little upgrade and purchase the Sea Eagle 330.
Kayaks: Sea Eagle 330, Intex Explorer K2
PFD: NRS Odyssey PFD (Touring and Rec)
Clothing: NRS Short Sleeved Guide Shirt
Sunglasses: Wiley X
