AIRE Tributary Twelve HD Raft

Tributary Twelve HD Raft - Tributary 12 HD Raft

The AIRE Tributary Twelve HD Raft self bailer is an import from AIRE's Asian factory, a production facility set up by and solely for them. Tributary rafts are built with the same urethane bladders as the American AIRE's. We don't always hear back from customers post-sale, but those we have talked with have been delighted as they have put the miles on their Tributaries. We are no longer in the raft rental business, but if we were we would use nothing but Tributary's.

A few years back there were some changes to AIRE’s imported Tributary whitewater raft line. Measurements on the current Twelve HD, which replaced the Tributary "12.0 SB", will remain the same but the weight has increased somewhat. This is due to a new hull material with a thicker coating on the outside. The new Twelve HD is roughly 118 pounds with both thwarts, and the thwarts are another area where a change has been made. Up to now all the Tributary river rafts 12’ and up came with knuckle-mounted thwarts. The thing was, many people remove their thwarts for a rowing frame anyway. Therefore the new edition comes with repositionable lace-in style like the American AIRE rafts. A third thwart, should you want it, is $279. If you remove both thwarts, the Twelve HD drops to 107 pounds.

Please note that the Trib rafts now come with solid blue or solid green main tubes, and dark gray floors & thwarts in all sizes, not the two tone shown. The base fabric of the Trib raft material is beefy 2000 denier polyester, so nearly impossible to tear. And should it happen, like all AIRE and Tributary boats, these are much easier to do field repairs on, since you can get inside the hull via the zippers.

Strong yet supple material - AIRE Tributary Twelve HD Raft

The new material inflates very stiff, much like the older Ferrari pvc AIRE had used for these in the past (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 hypalon boats. The Twelve, even with just one person taking their time, can be rolled to about 19" in diameter by less than 3-12' long. So if you are not using a trailer with your Trib rafts, getting one into the back of an SUV, truck, or even a mid size hatch back wagon is very do-able for transport.

AIRE Tributary Twelve HD Raft Lifespan - A LONG TIME

There are cheaper pvc import rafts to be sure, but lifespans are almost unlimited with the bladderized construction technique. Making a Trib last well over 25 years is well within reason.  These days, since all rafts brands are overbuilt in terms of toughness, what you are really buying is handling and lifespan. The Trib's stand as an obvious first choice for veterans and first time boat owners alike.

Leafield Valves in AIRE Tributary 12 HD Raft

All Trib inflatable rafts come with the reliable C-7 Leafield valves. It is worth noting that AIRE does not really have an equivalent to this model in their American made line. The closest comparison is the Super Puma or maybe the 126DD, but the Superpuma is much narrower and a foot longer, and both it and the "Double-D" 126 have way more rocker on the ends. The AIRE Tributary Twelve HD is 12'3" (AIRE says 12' but our tape measure says it's a bit more) by 6'1" wide, with a fairly ample 37" inside width. It has 18" tubes. Unlike the larger models, the tubes do not taper at the ends on the 12'. This boat works equally well for rowers or paddle crews. You can jam six smaller folks in the Twelve, but it paddles best as a four or five person vehicle.

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 2-1/2 hours to lace a 12' raft.

AIRE Tributary Twelve HD Raft Warranty

The Tributary warranty is five years but it is not a "no-fault" warranty like the U.S made AIREs have. In other words AIRE still fixes anything that is their fault, but if you damage the boat, that won't be covered. If you don't want to deal with a repair yourself you can still ship the boat off to Idaho where AIRE is located, but many repairs can be effected on a Tributary in less time than it will take you to box up your raft and drive to UPS. Remember too that five years is the same warranty you get on many other high quality brands like Hyside, Achilles, and Incept, all of which are far more expensive that the Trib's.

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