Sea Eagle Travel Canoe 16 Review (TC16)

Sea Eagle Travel Canoe 16

The innovative Sea Eagle Travel Canoe 16 combines the enjoyment of traditional canoeing with the convenience of an inflatable watercraft. Its breakthrough design features patented all high-pressure drop stitch construction, and the TC16 is both durable and rigid.

The Sea Eagle TC16 gives you the best of both worlds: an incredibly durable canoe that boasts high-performance handling, high top speeds, a huge carry-capacity, and an almost unsinkable hull, together with the true Sea Eagle convenience of being able to pack it into a bag and carry it around in the trunk of your car. And because the TC16 can carry three people, you can share the fun you get from this great travel canoe with friends and family.

Sea Eagle Travel Canoe 16 Rating
  • Construction
  • Stability
  • Features
  • Versatility
  • Speed
  • Warranty
5.0
User Rating 2.72 (155 votes)
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Sea Eagle TC16 Review: Canoe Overview

Sea Eagle TC16

When you look at it, the TC16 hardly looks like an inflatable at all. The ultra-thin walls and sleek, streamlined design are more reminiscent of a hard-shelled boat than an inflatable, and the speed and maneuverability of the TC16 will also leave you wondering.

The secret of the Travel Canoe 16’s success lies in the patented construction of the hull, which inflates in three separate high-pressure (10 psi) drop stitch chambers: two side walls and a rigid floor. While most inflatables rely on large-diameter tubes for buoyancy, Sea Eagle has reversed this tradition and opted instead for much thinner, high-pressure walls that are not only incredibly buoyant, but are also nearly as rigid as the hull of a traditional hard-shelled canoe.

Sea Eagle TC16 Rapids

Because the walls are so thin, the TC16 mimics the shape of a hard-hull canoe much more closely than most inflatables, making for a much more stable paddling platform in terms of both primary and secondary stability. At the same time, the thin walls have allowed Sea Eagle to toughen up the hull and add some features that catapult this inflatable canoe into a league of its own.

The hull is made of 1100 Decitex reinforced material, Sea Eagle’s most trusted fabric when it comes to making their high-performance inflatable boats. Although this material is tough enough to handle just about any eventuality, Sea Eagle has increased the TC16’s durability by adding a second layer of the material around the hull. In their own words, this is the most durable inflatable hull that Sea Eagle have ever made.

TC16

The double wall of protection makes the Sea Eagle TC16 impact- and abrasion-resistant, while the nature of the hull means it can bounce off rocks or other obstacles that would break a rigid hull, making this an almost unsinkable inflatable canoe. The strength and stability of the hull make the TC16 perfect for all kinds of paddling: it’s just as comfortable on white water as on open lakes and rivers, being rated for up to class IV rapids.

When it comes to speed, the Sea Eagle Travel Canoe 16 performs far better than any other inflatable in its class. This is thanks to a host of design features which Sea Eagle has added to make this one of their best inflatables ever.

Sea Eagle Inflatable Canoe

To begin with, there’s the dimensions of the TC16: a streamlined exterior hull (16′ x 38″) ensure both maximum waterline contact and a relatively narrow beam. This efficient design is improved by rubber moldings at both prow and stern that let the TC16 cut effortlessly through the water at the front, while reducing drag at the stern. The double chine design of the hull also plays an important part in letting the TC16 reach higher speed: with a more stable paddling platform, more effort can be expended on forward motion, rather than being wasted keeping a true course or resisting instability.

The naturally buoyant and rigid walls of the TC16 also offer another benefit: a superior carrying capacity. Although this travel canoe is optimally designed for two, it’s no problem to lash down another seat and turn it into a three-person paddler. Alternatively, you can load it down with up to 915 lbs. of gear – more than you should ever need for a comfortable cruise or even a weekend away.

Top Features

TC16 Drop Stitch

Although the innovative design of the TC16’s hull is the most obvious attribute, there are a host of complementary features that make this such an outstanding inflatable.

A large, swept-back removable skeg is provided with the TC16. Because of its size (13″ x 7″), the skeg is an extremely effective way of improving the canoe’s tracking on open water or if the wind really picks up, and it can be removed in seconds if you need an obstruction-free hull for white water. When fitted, the skeg actively increases the TC16’s forward motion through the use of reflex technology, and the improvement it adds to the canoe’s tracking means that you can devote more energy to speed and less to stability.

TC16 Skeg

The TC16 can be paddled wet or dry, and four open/close floor drains ensure that any water coming in won’t stay there for long. To ensure that you don’t get too wet, the TC16 includes front and rear spray skirts, while the floor of the canoe is covered with a layer of non-slip EVA foam.

Carrying the TC16 is also not a problem. Apart from carry handles at the prow and rear, the canoe is also fitted with two center carry handles. This makes the TC16 incredibly easy to transport, whether by one person or two.

The TC16’s high-pressure drop stitch seats can be inflated to lower or higher pressures depending on your preference, meaning maximum comfort for you. At the same time, the twelve stainless-steel D-rings set around the inside of the cockpit make positioning the seats easy and convenient – whether you choose to install one, two, or three seats.

Optional TC16 Configurations

Sea Eagle Travel Canoe 16 Basic

Sea Eagle has been making inflatables since 1968, and they have a knack for putting together interesting configurations that bring out the most in their inflatables. Currently, Sea Eagle offers the following TC16 packages:

  • True to its name, the Sea Eagle Travel Canoe 16 Basic Package is Sea Eagle’s entry-level travel canoe package. The kit consists of a hull, two inflatable canoe seats, a hand pump, the skeg, and a repair kit, together with a sturdy Sea Eagle bag. This package doesn’t include paddles, and has actually been designed for more experienced paddlers who already own at least a bare minimum of equipment.
  • If this truly is your first canoe, then the Sea Eagle Travel Canoe 16 2-Person Start-Up Package is exactly what you’re looking for. The start-up offers you everything you’ll get in the basic package, but also includes two adjustable aluminum canoe paddles. These ultra-light (1.7 lbs.) paddles dismantle into two parts for easy storage, and are fully adjustable from four to five feet in length.
  • To make inflation easier, the Sea Eagle Travel Canoe 16 Electric Pump Package upgrades the 2-person start-up package by including a BP12 single-stage pump.
  • If you’re looking for the ultimate TC16 setup, we recommend the Sea Eagle Travel Canoe 16 3-Person Electric Pump Package. This includes an extra inflatable canoe seat and an extra paddle, meaning more paddlers and more fun for everyone.

Final Thoughts

Travel Canoe 16

Sea Eagle’s TC16 is a tough and versatile travel canoe with a real ‘can-do’ attitude. Because it’s so versatile, you can use it for just about anything: fishing, cruising, camping, and even whitewater paddling. Thanks to its extra-strong hull, it won’t let you down, and at the end of the day it packs neatly away into an unbelievable 40″ x 24″ x 16″ package that fits into your car’s trunk with room to spare.

Sea Eagle’s 180-day return policy and 3-year warranty should give you all the confidence you need in regards to the quality of the TC16, and the fact that it’s NMMA certified is just another feature that makes it more appealing. Although the Travel Canoe 16 is not the cheapest inflatable canoe on the market, there’s little doubt that it’s one of the best.

At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a high-performance, high-quality boat that combines the best features of a rigid-hull canoe with the convenience of America’s best inflatables, the Sea Eagle TC16 Travel Canoe should definitely be your first option.

Click Here to Buy the Sea Eagle Travel Canoe 16

5 Comments

  1. Quint Waning December 1, 2018
    • Mark December 2, 2018
  2. Michael Handy January 23, 2021
    • Inflatable Paddler March 10, 2021
    • Mark May 3, 2021

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