AIRE Tributary Thirteen HD Whitewater Raft

We will be out of stock on most of the Tributary rafts for some time to come. We will update this page when the situation changes.

The 13' AIRE Tributary Thirteen HD Whitewater Raft is an import AIRE brings in from their China factory. And it is their factory, not a plant building inflatables for other companies. The welding and stitching machines used for assembly are also exact copies of the equipment used in Idaho. They look terrific and are indistinguishable from the American AIRE's in most ways.

The Thirteen HD is roughly 131 pounds with both thwarts, and the thwarts are now the lace-in variety rather than the hard to install knuckle mounts of older Trib rafts. A third thwart, should you want it, is $279. If you remove both thwarts, the Thirteen HD drops by about nine pounds.

Trib colors changed a few years back. Rather than being a solid medium-blue on the side tubes and floor bottom, the newer Tributary line is done with alternating colors. These are either dark blue for most of the side section and thwarts, and dark gray for the floor top, bow, and stern sections, or vice versa depending on size. The base fabric of this new material is beefy 2000 denier polyester, so as with the older Trib’s, nearly impossible to tear. It also has more abrasion resistance because of the thicker outside coating. There have been some minor changes to the taper and floors, but you would have to look close to notice these. Tributaries have decreased in price for the second time in three years, and remain a solid value – one of the very best in fact. The welded seams and replaceable bladders mean a Tributary should last decades, and though these new ones are a bit heavier than prior Trib models, they still roll up much smaller than almost any other Asian pvc raft. They are one of the very few that we can get back into the factory box in fact.

Easy to Roll Up - AIRE Tributary Thirteen HD Raft

One thing that stands out with the new Tributary rafts is how easy they are to roll up. The new material inflates very stiff, much like the older Ferrari pvc (Ferrari is a brand name unrelated to the car company), yet the suppleness of it when deflated is amazing. It is actually softer and easier to roll than many of the hypalon boats. Weve had no problem getting 13' and 14' Tributaries back in their box. So if you are not using a trailer with one of the bigger sizes of Trib rafts, getting one into the back of an SUV, truck, or even a mid size hatch back wagon is very do-able.

The Thirteen HD has a five year warranty. Customers have been fairly happy with their performance. We are no longer in the raft rental business, but if we were we would use nothing but Tributary rafts.

AIRE Tributary 13 HD Raft Lifespan is Essentially Unlimited

There are cheaper pvc import rafts to be sure, but most of them are glued. Whereas the lifespan on a Trib is essentially unlimited, all other glued pvc brands range from 3 to 15 years. After that their glued seams will open up, which means you will end up dumping 90 plus pounds of toxin-laden poly vinyl chloride into a landfill somewhere rather than keeping it in use. You won't have to face this with the bladderized Tributaries, so they represent a great value for your dollar.

The Trib's come with the reliable quick fill B-7 Leafield valves, but the caps of these valves tend to be in knuckle-bashing locations, especially the front right one, so be aware of this. Bow paddlers would be advised to wear thick neoprene gloves. The problem is less pronounced on the three-chamber Twelve HD which can be oriented in such a way where only the front left valve might be a problem.

AIRE Tributary Thirteen HD Whitewater Raft Floor Mounts

The inflatable floor mounts the same way all AIRE raft floors do, with a laced piano hinge system that drains very quickly. Unlike the American AIRE rafts though, the Tributary floors come laced in from the factory. This is significant since it takes one person three hours to lace a 13' raft/

The Thirteen SelfBailer is 13'3" long, by 6'6" wide - down a couple inches from the older Trib 13'. It has far more kick than the little 12' brother, and even more than the 14' Trib - a full 14". We think it is somewhat uncomfortable to paddle captain this model, whether you are sitting at the far end of the bow, or at the right rear corner behind the third thwart. This is true of all high rockered rafts in our opinion. If paddle rafting is your main interest, you may want go with either the sporty little Twelve HD or step up to the Fourteen. Any gap between rocks this will fit through, so will the Trib 14'. If your interest is rowing, especially on technical rivers or shallow fly fishing streams, this is an excellent choice.

AIRE Tributary Thirteen HD Whitewater Raft Possible Savings Up To 5%

* Free Shipping to the lower 48. An additional price break of 5% is available for payments made via cashier's check or bank transfer.