Tributary Tomcat Tandem Inflatable Kayak

We rented two of these pigs recently so family members could join us on a flatwater, fast water trip in New Hampshire. Big, heavy. Think of it as a floating refrigerator. We had relatively srong guys paddling them so there was no drama but these things are a waste of money if you expect anything more than floating. I don't know who wrote those other reviews, maybe somebody selling them.

We rented two of these recently for a flatwater trip so visiting family could go. If you think "floating refrigerator" you get the right idea. They are big, heavy and ponderous even with fairly strong men paddling. By comparison a conventional, two-person kayak seems like a sports car. This thing is truly awful.

This boat seems like a great deal for the money. It folds up to a fairly small size for easy transport. Inflating it my first time probably took me around 10 minutes with a hand pump, but it could be done faster. I didn't like the valve system much, but got used to it. It was difficult to remove the pump from the valve and replace it with the valve cap without losing a bunch of air. I floated this boat on a lake, which was fun although not what it was designed for. It required a lot of correction from the person in back to keep it tracking in a straight line. It was very easy to get back in after jumping out. At the end of the day, probably took less than 5 minutes to deflate and fold it.

I ran this boat solo this past weekend on the Snake River's Alpine section at about 5500 cfs. It was a snap to remove the 2nd seat and center-mount the remaining one to a middle location in the kayak. Despite being a kayak built for 2, this boat still performed beautifully in the big wave trains and swirly waters. I was very impressed with how maneuverable it was. I'd definitely recommend this boat to any whitewater paddler(s) looking for some easy fun on the river.

For the price, you can't go wrong. I've used this boat for single and multi day trips and pretty soon a self support ducky trip. It has been amazing every time I have taken it out. It is quite durable and stable. I've been over several Class III/IV rapids that I thought for sure I would flip in, but was fine. I'm not saying it's impossible to flip this because I have definitely swam in this, but mainly because we weren't facing the right direction when going over the rapid. There is plenty of space and loops behind the back seat for all your own gear when doing a self support trip or if you just want to take a day bag. Both seats have a zippered pouch behind them for easy access. They are not dry bags, though, so they are mainly for stuff that can get wet (drinks, etc) or to put a small dry bag in. There is also a cup holder behind each chair. The only issue I had with this IK is the chair backs aren't high enough. They would be a lot more comfortable if they were higher. Otherwise, an all around great boat for the money.

We took this out for some causal floating. We used it on a lake (not its intended purpose) and it did pretty well. It was hard to get it to track, especially if there was any wind at all it would blow you off course. But again not what it was meant for, Still fun. It was constructed very well and i would feel more than comfortable in white water on this boat.