seago

naiad · 27 March 2014, 09:02

Anybody got experience with the seago 2700 inflatable with slat floor?Is it easy to move on sand what would I need?What size engine for inshore fishing on a calm day?

Regards

Landlockedpirate · 27 March 2014, 09:13

Standard generic inflatable, but the brand has been around longer than most.Older ones have smaller tubes (wet bum, lots of splashing), but new versions are much better.

Slat floor is probably the most compromised of the floor options (although the cheapest), suited best for low power engines and calm days. They are difficult to stand up in and dont track very well. There is nothing wrong with them as such, but hard and air floors are better if more expensive.

naiad · 28 March 2014, 08:38

Thank you for your advice looks like the slat floor maybe ok for what I require
Thanks again

Locozodiac · 28 March 2014, 22:33

Seabo is the brand you should stay away from, their quality glue is lousy. Seago is just another Asian standard pvc made inflatable.

Happy Boating

Nos4r2 · 29 March 2014, 08:32

Agreed-if you want to go inshore fishing like that, you'd be better off with an Avon Redcrest and a 2 to 4hp outboard if you're fishing harbours etc-assuming you dont have a massive tide run to cope with.

The Gurnard · 30 March 2014, 13:05

Hi Naiad

This seago 270 slat floor is well over ten years old.. probably nearer fifteen years ?

It cost my old father just a tad of £300 new back then. He used it regularly every year before he passed away and since then I have used it regularly. I have been in most the sea lochs of the west of Scotland in it and it has never once let me down.

It has no patches and will still hold air forever. Its been dragged across rocks and stony beaches .. so has a few barnacle scars underneath but nothing has gone right through to require repair.

Its shoved in its bag after a days use and stays there till the next time I use it..unwashed and uncared for. End of season .. its hosed off and shoved in the shed.

The seams are welded..as with all these bottom end of the market PVC boats. The transom glue and glue at the rowlock points is still as sound as the day she was bought. However I don’t overpower it and only travel at displacement speeds. However, I often carry two engines on its transom so it has not had too easy a life

It is Cat D boat so only useful in sheltered water. As soon as the white tops appear.. I head for land. Its also a wet boat in a wave so be prepared to bail water..but that is not surprising because of its size.

Without doubt ..it a budget inflatable and there are better models available .. but at a price...

As for value for money.. £300 plus over 10 years plus works out around £30 a year. I have painted the wooden transom a couple of times and no other money has ever been spent on her. Im sure I can get that cost down to around £15 for every year of its service. Cant get better value than that if on a tight budget ?

I don’t work for seago or any marine company..but as I have been very happy with this boat, I though I would post my experience with it.

BettySwallocks · 30 March 2014, 13:40

Those are some cracking pictures Gunard, with the added bonus of "I've caught some fish" aswell.

The Gurnard · 30 March 2014, 14:30

Many thanks for your kind comments on my photos Bettyswallocks.

For me..that is what boating is about.. puttering around exploring places that can only be easy accessed by boat, photographing the scenery and eating the fish. For info to Naiad..I use a 2hp a 2.5hp and sometimes a 3.3hp engine..mostly at tickover. I also enjoy rowing it..which is why I dumped the seago aluminium oars and use the wooden ones of my Avon Redcrest..
Here are some more photos of the seago in scenic places

I mentioned in another post that I also go to see whales and dolphins in this little boat as I do go to open sea in it.. but this whale was only a few hundred yards from the Mainland on Baroco Island. Of course the weather has to be kind to use it on the open sea.

I have had not bad entertainment for £30 squid a year in the seago.. just wish the engines and fuel were as cheap

naiad · 30 March 2014, 14:55

Thanks for your in depth response gurnard for the kind of usage I am considering it will fit the bill I'm sure.
Thanks again

The Gurnard · 30 March 2014, 15:35

No problem Naiad.. and its an honest opinion based on owning one for over 10 years.
You asked about moving over sand etc ... I don’t need transom wheels for mine although it could make life a little easier ?
Im a healthy sixty year old and quite happy to carry the empty boat from car to waters edge..even down bankings from laybys etc. The empty boat weights 35kg..that is with the slats in as they don’t come out. I inflate it first then carry it on my back almost like a bent over tortoice..if you can imagine that ? Its held by the lower slat to stop it falling off my back. Its how my ancestors carried their coracles to the sea from the crofts
Here is the wake from the 2.5hp engine..so it moves at a reasonable displacement speed with me in the boat..and Im 200lb. It is in the Firth of Forth here and can get a bit exposed.. so I keep an eye on the weather.

I also keep an eye out for these chaps as they wont see me and their wake would ruin my day.

The 3.3 moves it at fast displacement speeds..not sure if it would plane with a bigger engine anyhoo ?

I will be honest and say..if your budged would stretch to the one with the keel (inflatable floor?) it might be a bit drier.. as the waves may separate rather than splash over. ? I have often thought of trying it once this one eventually packs in.
But as mentioned..there is not a thing wrong with the slat floor... in fact it has the benefit..it rolls up quickly and doesn’t need high pressure. I blow mine up with a cheap lilo battery powered pump then just top off with the hand pump. I have a few boats but this is the one that I travel with for a day,s fishing if there is no slipway in the area Im visiting and the wind is kind.
Enjoy your boat whatever one you go for..no boat is perfect for every situation..so compromise is the answer . Play safe with it too and you will have years of fun on the water.

The Gurnard · 30 March 2014, 15:56

Just noticed my local chandler is advertising seago boats and there is now a seago ECO.. "new with lighter PVC material. Mine is the standard one.. I know nothing about the thinner ECO PVC..so perhaps keep away from it ?

naiad · 30 March 2014, 16:56

I've also seen and really like the seapro 2700 Airdeck now I'm in a quandry not sure which to go for!I'm in my 60,s too gurnard your guidance would be welcomed.I too would second your superb photos especially the sunset.
Thanks again

The Gurnard · 30 March 2014, 18:14

Hi again Naiad..I don’t know much about seapro boats but I think one manufacturer is much the same as the next ?

The main thing that would make me decide on which small boat to go for.. .. would be how well it handles the sea.

Even small inflatable tenders should have an indication of how much chop they can stand under normal use. I know the seago slat floor is a category D which is the least seaworthy. I know the Honwave airfloors around the same size are category C. Therefore I would not hesitate getting a category C inflatable rather than a category D. If the Seapro you like is a Category C..then don’t even consider the slat floor Seago. I have it only because of price..but I have other category C boats and with bigger engines too..cos Im thrifty with my money

Here are the definitions of the categories for small boats ..look in the specs of the boats in the adverts or on the stamped plate on the transom and you should see what the boat you are interested in is.

Category C - Inshore: Designed for voyages in coastal waters, large bays, estuaries, lakes and rivers where conditions up to, and including, wind force 6 and significant wave heights up to, and including, 2m may be experienced.

Category D - Sheltered: Designed for voyages on sheltered coastal waters, small bays, small lakes, rivers and canals where conditions up to, and including, wind force 4 and significant wave heights up to, and including, 0.3mmay be experienced, with occasional waves of 0.5m maximum height, for example from passing vessels.

Here is another lovely sunset. It is my Avon Redcrest. Its a roundtail..so has no fixed wooden transom.. I would not recommend a roundtail. IMO they are purely tenders for larger boats and designed to fold up very small to fit in boat lockers when the mothership is underway. I love mine to bits and use it on freshwater lochs if I have to carry it in over the moors.

I have no problem fishing from an inflatable..even an airfloor. The fish and hooks are immediately dropped into a plastic pail.. so no harm can come. If I have yougsters fishing in my larger inflatable..I drape a couple of cheap plastic car floor mats over the tubes to save them from stray hooks.

Hope all that info helps some..I cant give much more at the mo..but Im sure others can

Landlockedpirate · 30 March 2014, 18:32

I dont think you can really use the RCD catogories in such a simplistic manner (although thats obviously the way they are intended to be used)

The problem is that the higher the catagory, the more expensive it is for the manufacturer to get it type approved. As a result really good sea worthy boats may have a lower catagory than a less seaworthy boat simply because the manufacturer may not have had the money for the higher testing.

A slat floor honwave is basically the same boat as a slat floor Seago, with very similar handling characteristics.

The Gurnard · 30 March 2014, 18:48

I go in agreeance with you that ... one slat floor boat is similar to the next..however I stick by what I wrote..the airfloor Honwave ..or any airfloor..is a more seaworthy boat that the slatfloors.

I guess by seaworthy..I mean drier. I know my seago can stuff its nose under the water when the white crest appear and Im surfing with the waves. It doesn't alarm me cos I just bail it out and I know it wont sink.

Im certain the airfloors will not stuff their nose so easily unless you tell me otherwise ?

Of course the categories are only indications .. but I have never seen a 2.7 meter slat floor advertised as a Cat C ..have you ? That must tell something ?

Landlockedpirate · 30 March 2014, 19:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Gurnard

Of course the categories are only indications .. but I have never seen a 2.7 meter slat floor advertised as a Cat C ..have you ? That must tell something ?

Yep, it tells you that the cost of getting a Cat C is not worth it for a small tender.

I agree that the airfloors are better, especially the V ones, they are by far the driest sibs I have ever owned.The point I was trying to make is that just because a Honwave 2.7 is a cat C, doesnt mean you would ever want to be out in 2m waves, regardless of the RCD.

The Gurnard · 30 March 2014, 19:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Landlockedpirate

The point I was trying to make is that just because a Honwave 2.7 is a cat C, doesnt mean you would ever want to be out in 2m waves, regardless of the RCD.

I sure agree with you on that one ..

What I was trying to say was ... if Naiad gets a Cat C boat then it can surely safely handle reasonable calm conditions. I know he mentioned inshore fishing in calm conditions. We all know though that the wind is as unpreductable as the category ratings..so if he gets a cat C boat (in my opinion) ..it is more seaworthy that the multitude of similar slat floor cat D boats.

Of course .. I may be wrong on that..but thats why I took so much time reviewing my seago. It gives Naiad more to go on and he can make his own decission

To summarise..

I simply recommend the seago slat floor purely on price alone..and I hope I have made that very clear.. I also mentioned that mine is well over ten years old and is very suitable for journeys and fishing in its category D capability ..in other words..waves up to 1 foot in height. It has not fallen apart at the seams ..and it hasnt sunk .. you pays your money and you get what you pay for

naiad · 30 March 2014, 20:29

Thank you all for your informed comments I am very grateful.I will take all your comments on board when purchasing the inflatable.

Oh and the photos were superb thanks for sharing them

jep49 · 03 April 2014, 16:35

Hi. Recently got a Seago TSR270 and 2.3 honda, mainly for the river. But hope to get on some estuaries and maybe up where gurnard goes because it looks good. This weekend is the first go in it. anything longer and more power is a ridiculous price to put on the rivers Anyway, heres to my first go in a rubber boat.

naiad · 04 April 2014, 09:08

Hello all
Just an update!I've purchased a new Seapro 2700 A airdeck inflatable also a 2nd hand Johnson 4hp motor now I cant wait to try the combination out!All the safety gear is ready and waiting just want a nice calm day to play!Thanks for all your assistance Im sure I will be in contact as the months progress

Naiad