I bought two of these rafts and am very impressed after our first summer using them. When I began researching different rafts I was concerned about quality and durability. The first time I inflated this raft I was surprised at how thick the material is and how rigid it becomes when fully inflated. I was expecting something more like a pool toy or something. On the lakes we have in each raft 1 adult and 3 kids and they hold up perfectly. (see picture above)
The raft includes 2 collapsible oars (they screw together), two inflatable seats, a manual air pump (which is useless on a raft this size), a small gear bag, some rope, and two fishing pole holders that mount on opposite ends of the raft. Overall a very nice package.
Initially I was debating getting a heavier-duty raft, one called the SeaHawk II which is more expensive and is classified by Intex as a "marine boat". After looking on the Intex website I found the Seahawk 400 is made from 30 gauge material and the SeaHawk II is made from 26 gauge material. In addition the Seahawk 400 has more room and holds more weight. Given those facts and the lower price I decided on the Seahawk 400 set and I am very happy with the decision. Intex Sehawk 4 Boat Set
We just got back from a three-hour Truckee River rafting trip in this boat. All in all, we're very satisfied with this purchase, and we think you'll do as fine as we did with it on a Class I river.
We're a family of five: two adults, two youngsters ages 7 and 5, and a 14-month old toddler. We ordered an inner tube from Amazon along with the Seahawk to make sure there would be room for us all. Once it all arrived, it was clear that we'd all fit inside the boat along with a jug of water and a bag of snacks, so we left the tube at home. The 4-person rating is reasonable, though if you were thinking of taking four adults on a fishing trip with tackle boxes and a cooler, I wouldn't recommend it; it would soon get uncomfortable.
The river this morning was mostly Class A (requiring us to paddle a bit) or Class I, with a few sections of very easy whitewater that might barely qualify as Class II. At those points, we dragged ourselves over rocks once or twice, but I didn't feel that the vinyl threatened to rip open. Along the way, we encountered many rental rafts, which were closer in style to the RST Marine Navigator II 500 available on Amazon. I felt that we were well-prepared, and their rafts were overkill, for the class of river we were on. In other words, on a Class I river you won't feel embarrassed to be seen in this boat.
The oars are adequate. It is fortunate that they float. They're short, and the leverage isn't right for river rafting when they're in the oar locks. We ended up combining the two into a kayak-style paddle, which worked well enough. The gear pouch will stop splashes from the oars, but it's nowhere near watertight. Put your cell phone in a Ziploc bag, preferably with a chunk of styrofoam so it'll float. The boat comes with two inflatable cushions that look ridiculously inadequate, but they were actually nice to sit on.
On disembarking, the Boston valves made it easy to deflate the main two chambers, but as many other reviewers have noted, the floor has a pool-floatie-style valve that's cumbersome to deflate. We strongly recommend taking along a Coleman rechargeable QuickPump (again, with a suitable Ziploc bag enclosing it) to flatten the floor at your destination. Once all three chambers are emptied, you'll find that you can easily roll the boat into a 16-inch diameter, 25-inch length sleeping bag shape. Consider buying a duffel bag, too; unlike some Intex models, the Seahawk 400 doesn't include a bag. The deflated boat is light enough for an adult to carry a short distance.
One worry was that the Amazon pictures show the green 2008 model (880-pound capacity with motor mount support), but the description is of the blue 2007 814-pound model. We ordered directly from Amazon, not from a third-party seller, and did receive the newer model as expected.
All in all, a great value. Next mission: attaching a trolling motor and cruising along Lake Tahoe's west shore. :)
This boat is great! It says it's a four person boat which normally means it will fit two adults comfortably. We had two adults, two children, lots of stuff, and still had room to spread out. Very sturdy and good quality as well.
I just purchased this inflatable boat and took it for a ride last week. I bought it from amazon and it arrived 3 days earlier than expected, over the weekend when i wasn't home, but even know they left it in front of my apartment nobody stole it.
The boat is large enough for 3 people to fish from it, although if you have fishing gear and a cooler, two people would be the best scenario.
The material looks good and tick and I hope that I will not have any problems with it in the future.
Now the not so good stuff.
1. The first problem encountered is the inflatable floor which doesn't have the big valve but the small one. When you have to deflate it you have to squeeze the valve with you hand the whole time. It is a big pain and I do not understand why they were so chip and didn't put the same valve as the other two. You can't even fold the boat because there is always some air left in the floor compartment.
2. The biggest problem is that the boat is hard to steer with the oars. It does not have swivel oarlocks (the kind that keep your oar fixed and they rotate). You have to keep the oar fixed with your hand and it is a pain. The oars themselves are solid. Please don't venture too far from the shore if you are on a lake, because you will not get back if there is any kind of wind. Also make sure you have an anchor so that if there is wind you can at least stay in the same place and don't go away from the shore. I started on one shore, and because of the wind (2 people in the boat) I was not able to bring the boat back to the same shore, I had to go with the wind on the other side and than walk back. I guess if you plan to put a motor (which i don't) on the boat, then you will be fine.
The boat is kind of heavy and hard to pack, but that is not necessarily a bad thing because it means is made of thick material.
Overall I am pleased with the boat, keeping in mind that I paid little over $100 and it came with all the things necessary. It is kind of hard to fish from the boat with more than one fishing road, because you can't stand up in the boat and the boat moves all the time because of the waves (even with a big anchor). Sevylor for 6 person (in reality for 3) is another option that has the swivel oarlocks, the problem is you have to purchase your own oars which can be another $30-$40 at the minimum. - Water Recreation - Inflatable Boats - River Rafting'
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