I have gone up and down with my feelings about this boat, initially resenting how easy is punctures on rocky rivers. The company rep told me that it has been successfully used on class III rivers. The rating should NOT be what you CAN be successful running, it should be what you expect to run multiple times without failure. After all, many people are successful running pool floats down class V's at the Gauley Fest.
With all that said, I almost-by-accident discovered that it is the most stable boat I have ever used on whitewater. I misgaged a river that was supposed to max at class III, and it was a very solid class IV with dozens of dodgy rapids. I didn't tip, get knocked out, or otherwise swim after 10 miles of this. There's a secret that this kayak has that I don't think is well known: the narrowness of it means that when you hit a rock or a rapid sideways, the water getting underneath the boat trying to tip it does not have much surface area to work with.
With most inflatable kayaks of a higher quality, they make them wider for supposed stability. This works, but is counter-productive when water is trying to sneak under the boat to flip it.
Additionally--and especially when paddled solo--its length means that you are bridging holes and wave trains, and part of your boat is more likely to be in stable water during a rapid. Kind of like having 4WD and gripping gravel with the back wheels while the front are on snow.
Lastly, the lower pressure actually helps with many types of rapids. It bends when it needs to. E.g., you aren't spearing yourself into a rapid with a rigid boat, but rather flexing significantly with the contour of the water. Sitting low means even more stability.
I really, really want one of these made out of better quality PVC and with seams that aren't so flimsy for rocky rivers. And no, the 380 model and performance whitewater kayaks Sea Eagle sells do not have the aforementioned attributes.
Sea Eagle is sitting on kayak that, with better materials and seams, become a uniquely ultra-stable whitewater boat. For now, I'll use it to run a few miles of class II - III at a time with my secondary boat deflated and sitting in the front of the Sea Eagle ready to take over if I get a tear.
