Port Jefferson Boat Dealer Makes New Strides in Affordable Inflatable Kayaks

In 1958, Cecil Hoge Sr. became an overnight success in the fishing lure business by accident.

Founder of advertising agency Harrison Hoge, Hoge was already accomplished in the mail-order sales industry. At the incessant urging of his accountant, Hoge began to sell fishing lures in his catalogue.

“He finally agreed to run an ad on this product, and to his horror sold a million dollars the first year,” said Cecil Hoge Jr., Cecil Sr.’s son. “And that’s how we got into the fishing lure business.”

A sudden success in an industry he had no experience in, Cecil Sr. pursued another industry: inflatable boats. Cecil Sr. met the owner of a floundering inflatable boat company, became a partner, and eventually bought the company.

That company is now known as Sea Eagle.

Sea Eagle is a family-owned and operated boat dealer based in Port Jefferson that specializes in inflatable kayaks, motormount boats, and transom boats. Selling over 10,000 products each year, Sea Eagle has been introducing new models worldwide since 1968.

“We wanted to, first of all, make the best inflatables of their kind in the world,” said Cecil Jr., president of Sea Eagle. “We wanted to have differences in all our products from what might be on the market, and we wanted to have improved performance and improved durability and improved function. And really, we wanted to sell as widely as possible.”

With designs small enough — when deflated —  to fit inside a standard Fed-Ex or USPS box, Sea Eagle sells their products far and wide at low shipping costs. Inflatables also take up less storage space than traditional kayaks or boats and require less maintenance, according to Cecil Jr.

“Most people were suspicious of [inflatable boats] in the United States at that time, and it was quite a long period of trying to convince people that they don’t pop or puncture easily,” said Cecil Jr. “Unless you’re attacked by a samurai swordsman, you are unlikely to sink under any circumstance.”

The dedication to his father’s mail-order expertise is still kept alive. Cecil Jr. said that Sea Eagle distributes 90,000 catalogues every year, profiting from catalogue orders along with their website and Amazon sales.

Sea Eagle’s first product was a two-person kayak called the Pyrawa that was produced in France. Sea Eagle began to produce their own designs such as the SE370 Sport Kayak, weighing just 32 pounds.

“We try to stay up on design.,” said Tonya Ferrara, advertising and warehouse employee at Sea Eagle. “Cecil [Jr.] designs everything. He comes out with new designs every year.”

With no formal engineering degree, Cecil Jr. learned to design inflatables by practical experience — talking to experts in his travels and meeting with collaborators in France and Italy at the beginning of his Sea Eagle career.

Now, Cecil Jr. is involved with the designing process for all 29 of Sea Eagle’s current products.

“I didn’t really intend to be part of the inflatable boat business or part of my father’s business, but I kind of fell in love with it after a while because I got very interested in inflatables,” said Cecil Jr. “I was surprised and amazed at how durable and useful they were.”

The latest model Cecil Jr. conjured up debuted in April 2024: the EZLite10, aimed at casual kayakers of all ages.

“[EZLite10] can be easily picked up even by an 8-year-old or an 80-year-old, such as myself,” said Cecil Jr. “And it’s easy to paddle.”

Outfitted with a v-shaped bottom, the 10-foot-long hull easily cuts through water and travels in straight lines, enabling both seasoned kayakers and rookies to paddle with confidence. The improved version released three weeks ago is even lighter and easier to manage, weighing in at 25 pounds.

As Sea Eagles best selling model this year, the EZLite10 combines the convenience of an inflatable with uncompromising durability.

The EZLite10 is a testament to Cecil Hoge Sr.’s eye-catching advertisements, touting that Sea Eagle are experts in the business of “the canoe that can’t crash.”

19 N. Columbia St., Port Jefferson, seaeagle.com