For the price of the Tomcat its are to go wrong

Have you look at the RMR Animas Tandem ? I have heard good things but have never used one

I think any of these will do the job

I my self am not a big fan of the drop stitch on IK .....but thats just me

 

What don't you like about the drop stich floor in an IK? I was leaning towards the NRS outlaw at first but I read that it takes forever to drain. While I obvisously dont care about getting wet it seems waiting 2 minutes for the boat to drain seems excessive. I had not looked into RMR IK, I will check it out.

How is the Tomcat when it comes to drainage and if you have 2 people are you sitting in the water?

 

for me on the drop stich floor, it just seems to move a lot and being it's so flat seem it doesn't maneuver as well like sitting on top of the water...again just my thoughts

Tomcat seems to drain fine
As for sitting in water - I think with any IK at some point you will lol

 

Thanks for the info I appreciate the help.

 

A throw cushion seems to do a nice job of getting yer but out of the water in an IK.

How about a pac cat or fat cat from JPW as an option? Look pretty sweet for a boat in that category. Never used one, but love my Culebra.

 

I have a tomcat solo and my friend has the tandem. Mine is fairly new and his is old, more than 5 yrs at least. Wrt two of the points you raised, his is quite heavy and he drags it everywhere. Amazingly, its held up remarkably well, no major abrasions or leaks. So the Tomcat durability is up there. As far as drainage neither his nor mine have shown any puddling even though we sit directly on the floor. You really cannot go too wrong with any of the 3 you mention.

 

Since you seem open to other options Aire Outfitter II. Large tubes, wide, and low center of gravity equals very stable. Built in internal loops are very nice
Aire also very easy to field repair, minutes in most cases. And awesome warranty.
The Outfitters also float you high enough that you aren't sitting in water.

 

I urge you to find a Aire lynx. The tomcat bladders fail at the seam and can't be repaired effectively. Saturn are inferior in all aspects. I haven't used a RMR, but it seems strange that they are everywhere used for sale only a couple years old. I hear they are heavy. If you are patient you will find a Lynx 2 lightly used for $850 or less. Money in the bank like all white water gear if you buy quality it last for a very long time.

 

I urge you to find a Aire lynx 2.

Hi Mcguire, curious if you have paddled an Aire Outfitter 2? I am still deciding between these two. The Lynx 2 is my favorite that I have rented. I can't find an Outfitter 2 to rent.

BTW JDSamsonite, I would stay away from the NRS outlaw II. I just rented one two weekends ago. This boat drains very poorly. There plenty of drainage holes, but the floor covers them completely. This is a huge design flaw, and I am surprised NRS doesn't fix it. I wonder if the Maverik2 has the same problem (it seems to in the photos). (Maverik2 is way overpriced and I would not even consider it, compared to Aire Lynx2 or Outfitter 2. Theboatpeople.com say the same thing).

This was also the first time I used thwart seats. They are comfortable enough, but they take up a huge amount of room in the boat, compared to the Aire seats. The Outlaw 2 we rented measured exactly 12 feet long (2 inches shorter than their spec). With those huge thwarts in there, there was very little room behind my seat for gear, and I am only talking an afternoon trip on the Snake; pump and a couple drybags. Also the front paddler had to sit too far forward for optimal performance, driving the nose of the boat down a bit. This boat was also less stable than I would have expected from the width and tube size.

If you want to stay under a grand = Tributary Tomcat 2.
If you want the best 2 person IK you can find, need to compare to Aire Lynx 2 and Outfitter 2. I would not buy something I can't see and sit in first, or better, paddle first.

 

Mcguire- I have been trying to find one used for awhile now and they just don't seem to come up very often in Arizona. You seem opposed to the Saturn any reason why. From everything I can tell they are made of the exact same thing as the outlaw and Tomcat II. None of them are welded PVC. The RMR I looked like it was actually welded PVC instead which I have heard makes a difference. It however doesn't seem to have the dropstitch floor but an Ibeam. Seems there is a little question on which is better in a kayak though.

Willie- What makes the Aire Outfitter easier to patch? Seems it would be similar on most boats. I can see how the wider tubes would be helpful though and they seem to be welded boats as well. If anyone has one for sale I'm interested.

Mattman- I had a friend who let me use his Cat and I wasn't to fond of it. It was to high up and it felt to easy and I stayed to dry using it. It didn't feel as intense to me, I really like my 9' and I think that the kayak will be the same where you feel everything a bit more.

 

The RMR has their boats 15% off so they are about the same price and they are welded. I might go with that.

 

IF you do make sure to post back on what you think of it....would like to know

Thanks

 

Bladder system, most punctures only make it through the first layer. I have simply gorilla taped it and finished the trip.

 

Quick note on the 2016 - 2017 Tomcats

Hi!

I just wanted to post a quick note on the 2016-2017 Tomcats. We changed the Tomcat Fabric to a 1000 Denier 650g fabric for better tear strength. The new Tomcats also have welded seams instead of stitched. We also adjusted the shape of the Tomcat for better maneuverability. (It has more of a Lynx shape now) We improved the bow and stern so the dodgers don't get misaligned. We added more comfortable handles and little bow/stern d-rings for strapping the boat down to cars/trailers. They still have vinyl AIREcells and a 1 year warranty.

You can certainly load more than 450 lbs. in the Tomcat Tandem, just be aware that you will start losing performance.

Have fun boat shopping!

Cheers,
Sheena Coles
AIRE Marketing

 

Thanks for the info I must have been looking at an older model when I looked at their website. Now I need to think about this a little more. I'm sure any of the boats will be fine but it's good to have all the info possible.

 

I think I have eliminated the Outlaw as an option. I have heard from several places that it has a draining problem.

THe Tomcat the only thing that seems to make me a little nervous is that the Vinylo Bladders dont seem to be that reliable and if you get a hole in that on the river on a multi day trip that could be a problem.

The Saturn has the drop stitch floor which is what I have in the rafts so I think this is a possibility but they dont seem to be welded.

RMR Animas is welded and seems like a pretty good boat but I have never been on an I beam floor before. Anyone ever floated on one and if so what did you think?

 

I have never been on an I beam floor before. Anyone ever floated on one and if so what did you think?

I have a couple nrs bandit singles with the I beam floor, and I am a big fan. I like the I beam floor because it allows the floor to curve with the shape of the boat, rather than being flat and stiff. I have used the bandits quite a bit in class 3/4, and some class v and I am very happy with the performance. They "updated" the design of the bandit when the urethane fabric became too expensive, and the result is the outlaw, a boat that is worse in every way.
Also, the maverIK is an awesome boat. It doesn't have any drainage issues, and is in my opinion one of the best designs out there for high performance and versatility. They are also tough.
My local college uses tomcats for the outdoor program, and they seem to hold up to the serious abuse they are put thru without many problem.

 

Animas Tandem Inflatable Kayak (IK)
My two cents on RMR: how long is this boat? How wide? How wide are the tubes? What does it weigh?
When a company can't put a decent set of specs on their website, its a big red flag for me. How good can their quality control be? Same thing with Terran (another smaller, made in China company).
Cheers,
Bill

 

I checked their webiste and it does have statistics. They are 12' long 38" wide weighs 35lbs. 11" tube diamater. They also have a 5 year warranty which seems to be longer than the 1 year on the Tomcat and the 2 year on the saturn. It also says it has a 12" kick

So they do have some specs on it. They dont give a capacity though. I'm not sure where it is made but I would imagine as with most companies this day I am sure China could be involved in some way.

Anybody with experience with the Ibeam floors?

 

I checked their webiste and it does have statistics. They are 12' long 38" wide weighs 35lbs. 11" tube diamater. They also have a 5 year warranty which seems to be longer than the 1 year on the Tomcat and the 2 year on the saturn. It also says it has a 12" kick

So they do have some specs on it. They dont give a capacity though. I'm not sure where it is made but I would imagine as with most companies this day I am sure China could be involved in some way.

Oh nice, I stand corrected. I see now that you have to get out of the "shop" website to get specs. I am used to having all the specs there where you shop (like Amazon, backcountry.com, rei.com etc).
Aire (not Tributary) are made in the USA, with a 10 year warranty.
I believe the expensive NRS are also made in USA, with 10 year warranty.
5 years is a good warranty; it would be nice if the Tributary would go longer than a year.
So those specs are pretty decent; 5 to 9" shorter than the Aires; so easier to turn, but less capacity; width and tube size between Strike 2 (crossover design for lakes and whitewater), and Tomcat/Lynx. Outfitter is quite a bit bigger on all counts (width, tube size, kick).
The Animas sounds like a decent class 3/3+ boat, I would like to try one but i have never seen one around here (UT/ID/WY).

 

It is a little different that they have the 2 seperate areas on the website. The Outfitter does seem like it would be a better kayak but they run around $1600 dollars. I have a couple rafts that I use so I don't really want to go with the more expensive options. It looks decent to me I just haven't ever sat on or used a Ibeam floor before. I have heard in the past that they used to go soft.

 

I hear ya; backcountry.com and others have the Outfitter 2 for 10% off right now, and free shipping; but its still a lot. $1394.10, twice what I've paid for late model hardshell kayaks . The used market just doesn't seem to be there for these.
Aire Outfitter II Tandem Inflatable Kayak | Backcountry.com

Aire has a Lynx 2 for 10% off here:
http://www.aire.com/content/2016-demo-closeout-sale.asp

 

I have been looking for a few months and haven't seen any. I was hoping a commercial company would be clearing out some of there old gear after the season but no luck.

 

I looked for a while for used, and couldn't find anything good. I bought a 2016 Tomcat at DRE, and it is a pretty slick setup for the money. I've only paddled it on lakes so far, but will run II to III- in it, and I think it will be great for that and float trips and such.

 

I picked up a pair of used Padillacs (outfitter boats with metal valves) for $775 this past spring. Watch CL and the classifieds here, lots of good deals to be had.

 

I have been for a couple months now. On CL I saw a single tomcat and they were asking the same as a new one. Right now there is a tandem outlaw but they are asking $700 which is almost new price and those who have tried them don't seem that fond of them.

 

To help sweeten the deal if you can wait, REI carries Tomcats and Outlaws, which means that if you are a member, you can get one 20% off in the spring, if they don't offer a coupon sooner, and you can use your dividend.

As for the vinyl, I bought a used tomcat several years ago, and used it a good bit for a year or two before I found a killer deal on a lynx which is now my go to ducky. The tomcat is now my loaner ducky, but it is still going strong, so that would not deter me.

I also just picked up a solo outlaw for my 12 year old to grow into, and am impressed so far. I like the way it handles with the very limited time I have been in it. I think the issue about draining with them comes from having 2 adults in a tandem, with only a 4 inch floor, that doesn't offer much between your rear and the water. I think the solo can float a single adult better than the tandem can float two, and that the tandem would probably do better with a 6 inch floor. I have some heavier friends that are in the market, and for that reason, I am steering them towards the tomcat.

As a side note, the tandems are a bit barge like compared to a solo, but they do carry more people and stuff. Compared to a raft it will probably feel sporty, compared to a kayak or solo ducky, it will feel sluggish and have less maneuverability.

 

Glad to hear that on the Tomcat. Has anyone had 2 people in the Tandem Tomcat. Say 2 guys 200lbs each how did it do in that situation?

I think I looked at the Maverick as well but it's one of the pricier models and this is a secondary boat for me after my rafts. So I am trying to get one thats decent (not a Sea Eagle) and not the more expensive side (like the Outfitter) Maybe if I get more into the kayaking side I will upgrade to a higher end model.

 

I see that for some reason the Aire Tributary Strike 2 is the only one to list a Load Capacity: 450 lbs.
Strike II Inflatable Kayak | Tributary
The Tributary Tomcat Tandem is 4 inches longer, 1.5 inches wider, tubes 20% larger, its a substantially bigger boat. I am sure it would be fine with 500-550 lbs. We had about 400 lbs of 2 people + gear, the issue of load capacity never occurred to me. We were sitting completely out of the water by at least an inch in the flatwater sections.