The first time you lay your eyes on the Sea Eagle 393rl RazorLite Sit-On-Top Inflatable Kayak, you’re forgiven for wondering if it’s an inflatable kayak at all. Its wonderfully sleek design and incredibly rigid hull are more reminiscent of a hardshell kayak than any inflatable, and the speed and performance are almost unprecedented in the world of inflatable kayaks.
If you are familiar with the Sea Eagle inflatable kayak line, you will realize soon how different the 393rl is from their more traditional models, as exemplified by the Explorer, FastTrack, and Sports Kayak ranges. Long and thin, and with world-class construction and design techniques, the 393rl is obviously in its own class.
And it’s just as obvious that this incredible inflatable kayak isn’t especially suitable for beginners, in fact, Sea Eagle recommends it for intermediate and over-level paddlers. That being said, if you’re up to the challenge, 393rl promises a whole new world of inflatable kayaking. It is fast, responsive, and captivating.
Sea Eagle 393rl Kayak Overview
We recommend that before you jump in and go over the details of the RazorLite Sea Eagle 393rl, you should take a look at its awesome specifications so you can get a general idea of how it compares to other inflatable kayaks and if it’s suitable for you.
Like the larger capacity Sea Eagle 473rl kayak, the RazorLite 393rl strives to provide the best quality and comfort. This model weighs just 28 pounds and packs up to just 22 “x 22” x 12 “- small enough to fit in the Sea Eagle’s backpack and light enough to be carried by one person without any help. When inflated, the 393rl RazorLite Sit-On-Top Inflatable Kayak measures a respectable 12’10 “and is rated to carry a single person plus gear or 500 lbs. 393rl Razor Lite Sit-On-Top Kayak inflates in seven minutes, is suitable for either calm ocean water or freshwater, and is NMMA certified.
State-of-the-art design
The secret of 393rl’s success lies in the unique construction of the ship’s hull. If more traditional inflatable kayaks consist of empty chambers that are inflated at low pressures, the RazorLite range is based on completely different design philosophy.
The three chambers comprising the 393rl hull are built – for the first time in the world of inflatable kayaks – using drip seam technology worldwide. In simple terms, down seam technology simply means that the upper and lower walls of the chambers are connected by thousands of high-strength wires. Because these wires are so strong, they prevent the walls of the chambers from expanding, allowing the chambers to swell at pressures that exceed what is normal for inflatable kayaks. The 393rl cameras, for example, inflate to an astonishing 10 psi pressure – almost completely unheard of in an inflatable kayak (the other Sea Eagle inflatable kayaks inflate to a maximum of 3.2 psi).
What results from this combination of DS technology and extremely high inflation pressure is immediately obvious: an amazingly rigid hull that occupies only a fraction of the space of traditional pontoon-type walls of most inflatable kayaks. The sidewalls of the Sea Eagle 393rl Razorlite Sit-On-Top Kayak are only 4 “thick – by comparison, SE330 tubes from Sea Eagle have a diameter of about 10”!
Because of this reason, the Sea Eagle 393rl is obviously much narrower than a traditional inflatable kayak (with a radius of 27 “, as opposed to 34” from the SE330) and stiff enough to support the unique design of the RazorLite’s straight case. This means that the 393rl achieves a superior length-to-width ratio, resulting in a long, elegant, and sexy hull.
In addition, the streamlined hull is further enhanced for speed and performance by another unique feature for the RazorLite range: the bow and stern models that include Sea Eagle’s special super-clean double-concave inlet and outlet system. As the 393rl accelerates, the air is forced into these double concavities at the bow. This has the effect of raising the spring, reducing water resistance, and increasing the maximum speed of 393rl. At the same time, the concavities at the stern of this kayak ensure that the water flowing past the helmet comes out clean, creating almost no awakening behind the 393rl and reducing the resistance that would otherwise tend to slow down the kayak.
With such an unprecedented design, the RazorLite 393rl obviously displays very different handling characteristics compared to most other inflatable kayaks. When it comes to 393rl, this is simply not the case, as the kayak is visibly less stable than most other inflatables. For this reason, 393rl is not recommended for less-skilled kayaks.
Sea Eagle’s Attention to Detail
But it’s not just the revolutionary body design that makes this kayak so remarkable. Sea Eagle has paid close attention to detail – the little things that might otherwise tend to lower the overall quality of the 393rl.
The first of these is the material of the body itself. Like most of Sea Eagle’s high-performance kayaks, the 393rl is built from 1100 armed Decitex. This is one of the few materials strong enough to withstand the extraordinary pressure to which the hull will be subjected, but still light enough to qualify as suitable for an inflatable kayak. With overlapping seams for extra strength, the body is quite indestructible, being resistant to both piercing and abrasion.
A new and extremely useful feature of the 393rl is the tube-type footrest that comes with this kayak. It attaches securely to the stainless steel D-rings attached to the body (there are six of them in total) and can be adjusted to fit both your own physique and the level of resistance you prefer. The footrest works as a weapon to improve your balance and strength and is useful if you really want to make the most of 393rl.
The bow and stern spray skirts do an admirable job of preventing too much water from entering the cabin, and the body is fitted with two open/closed drain valves to prevent the 393rl water from blocking. The spray skirts are also equipped with carrying handles that make the 393rl model easy to carry.
Then there are one-way air valves. There are a total of three (each room swells separately) and they have the safe and convenient recessed design of the Sea Eagle, which prevents them from getting stuck and possibly opening at awkward moments.
393rl RazorLite Package
393rl is dedicated to speed and performance and because of this, you will not find the wide range of packages that many people associate with the Sea Eagle kayak.
The Sea Eagle 393rl RazorLite Pro package is the basic kit and consists of a hull, a high rear seat, an AB40 paddle (8 ′, 4 parts, 2.92 lbs.), A built-in skeg, a manual pump, a kit repairs, a footrest, and a backpack. For those who are truly dedicated, the Sea Eagle 393rl RazorLite Pro Carbon package replaces the palette with AB50 (8 ′, 2 parts, 2.41 lbs.).
Final thoughts
As mentioned earlier, the Sea Eagle 393rl RazorLite kayak is not for everyone. This is a high-performance, high-quality inflatable kayak designed for use by skilled kayakers rather than amateurs. 393rl is not designed for white water, but rather for speed and performance. More so, this kayak is great for vigorous activities, such as training or racing.
At the end of the day, if you know what you are doing on the water and are looking for impressive speed and performance, the 393rl is an exceptional kayak that you should consider. If you might have thought about purchasing a Sea Eagle 393rl RazorLite Sit-On-Top Kayak we highly recommend you go on Amazon.com for the guaranteed best price offers on the market.
