The Boat People Inflatable Kayak & Raft Specialists

03/11/2024

Save now on select colors!

We currently have some very good pricing with free lower-48 shipping on 14' Rocky Mountain "RMR" (drop-stitch floors & I-beam floors) and Tributary rafts, 16' blue RMR rafts, teal AIRE Puma & Superpumas with thwarts, 12' RMRs, one RMR Peak series in orange, lime & blue RMR Storms, and multi-colors on the RMR Thunderclouds. Shipping on the larger RMR rafts involves motor freight since they aren't UPS-able, so those have to go to either a business address or freight terminal to get the free shipping.

We have some overstocked Tributary, AIRE, and Rocky Mtn inflatable kayaks & river tubes in select colors at great pricing. These include teal Tributary Tomcat tandems, a few teal Tomcat solos and red Tomcat Max's, lime Spuds, red Taters, lime Strike solos, and Lynx and Outfitters series models in limited colors. We also have Rocky Mtn / RMR Taylor solo and tandem kayaks in several colors at discounted pricing, and a few Animas series RMR kayaks as well. With the exception of the tandem AIRE and tandem RMR Animas kayaks, which are just over 50 pounds in the box, 95% of these are also free UPS to the lower 48. UPS hits shippers with a $39 upcharge when you go from 50 to 51 pounds, so that portion would have to be paid by the customer on those particular models.

In the river tubes, we have all five of the Rocky Mtn versions (44" and 48" diameters; regular round and diminished-tube styles, and a very few yellow double-tubes) and both of AIRE's tubes (44" and 52" diameters). These are discounted for two or more, with bigger breaks & free shipping for quantities of four+.
Single lime color 48" diminished Rocky tubes with older serial numbers are $215 for one tube, or $205 per tube for two or more. Contact us at 925-820-BOAT (2628) for more info or with any questions.

07/06/2020

05/01/2019

Inflatable SUP for $999, what could go wrong?

03/11/2019

This is a little off topic for the whitewater crowd (or perhaps not, since a few of you are also climbers), but for anyone who hasn't already viewed it at home or in a theater, don't miss the Jimmy Chin / Elizabeth Vasarhelyi climbing documentary Free Solo. For a bit longer it is available for free on Nat Geo basic cable, and Amazon and Sony also seem to have it on their platforms - though depending on your service that may be pay-per-view.

After watching it at home last evening, I wish I had gone to an Imax, but any decent big screen tv will still provide a jaw dropping experience. Free Solo follows rock climber Alex Honnold and several long time associates as Alex plans a solo ascent of El Capitan, bottom to top, in one day. With no ropes, and no protection other than his superhuman skill.

I did not think my palms were capable of losing as much sweat as they did last night, and I cannot overstate the visceral impact this movie had on my nervous system.
I was never a real climber myself though I partook a few times in Yosemite in my early 20's with my sis and brother in law. But I thought I had at least a vague understanding of what constituted a foothold or grip. There is a moment on a difficult section where the camera was zoomed close enough to clearly see Alex's left foot. Gripping something. But I swear whatever was under his climbing shoe was no bigger than a pimple, and this on one of many, many horrifically exposed pitches. Spiderman, bow down. You've met your match.
Seriously, if this has escaped your notice, see it soon. You will thank me later.

11/27/2018

09/14/2018

Share your river story SWEEPSTAKES by/at 5000miles. win an Alpacka Raft® Scout Raft. ends at September 30, 2018. this has nothing to do with TBP.

08/14/2018

We (TBP) have not paddled the new version of the Safari yet, so here's a review from a recent buyer - Joel "Took the Safari out for the first time, a 45 minute, mid-morning paddle in a protected, saltwater bay. Light wind, 64 degrees F, mostly flat conditions. I’m a 60 year old, male paddler, 5’11”, 150 pounds. I’ve paddled sea kayaks and surfskis for 30 years, and used to do a fair amount of open-water racing.

I purchased the Safari as an affordable, lightweight, fun, easy to transport boat I could take out on saltwater, lake, and flatwater river day trips; especially with less-fit paddlers in recreation type kayaks. I also wanted a small boat for playing in surf. I didn’t want a PVC boat, so opted for the Safari over the lighter Swing and Twist, because of the more durable Nitrolon hull material, its self-bailing scuppers, and open cockpit. This is my first inflatable kayak.

On opening the box, I could tell this wasn’t your typical pool-toy kayak. Gumotex (the Czech Republic manufacturer) has been making boats for many years, and the quality of the material and construction is immediately apparent.

Inflation with a Bravo 7 foot pump was a breeze at a bit over 5 minutes. The 3 PSI chambers provide a good amount of rigidity and I was pleasantly surprised that with the tube width, the cockpit area wasn’t too expansive.

The kayak is easy to shoulder carry; finding the balance point is quick. With the seat, foot rest, thigh straps, and skeg, the Safari weighed 27 pounds 6 ounces on my bathroom scale.

The boat has rock solid, primary stability. Previous generations of the Safari had a reputation for being tippy, not so with the longer and wider 330 model. I wouldn’t hesitate to put a beginner in this boat. I had the seat pad fully inflated; there was no need to deflate it to lower my center of gravity. At my weight with no gear, I wasn’t displacing much water; there’s definitely more hull exposed out of the water compared to a hardshell or folding kayak. As there was minimal wind, there was no way to get a feel for the impact of increased surface area. Paddlers weighing over 200 pounds have mentioned getting their bottoms wet in prior Safari models, but I noticed no water accumulation inside the boat aside from paddle drips.

I used a 220 cm European touring paddle with a high angle stroke and had no trouble clearing the tubes. According to my GPS, I was able to cruise at 3 to 3.5 MPH; using a high angle stroke. Low angle, more recreational touring pace, was in the 2.5 to 3 MPH range. Hull speed seems to somewhere between 4 MPH and 4.5 MPH.

With the skeg, the boat tracks remarkably well for being so short. It is very responsive and turns on a dime, even with the skeg installed.

The inflatable seat has a low back that is perfect for a proper, torso-engaged forward stroke; the inflatable footrest also supports a good forward stroke, leg drive. Paddlers used to slouching and leaning back may not find the seat comfortable. However, I found a Crazy Creek folding chair fits perfectly on top of the inflatable seat, providing more back support if desired.

Rinsing and drying the boat afterwards was a snap. The hull design makes it quick to towel out any pooled water. Best yet, the folded up Safari easily went back into its dry bag, backpack with no struggle or cursing.

For the first time out, I was impressed with this little boat and have to say it surpassed my expectations. Obviously, it needs more water under its keel for me to have a better sense of how it does under different conditions. But with its light weight, cost, and performance, the Safari 330 is certainly a strong alternative to conventional plastic recreational kayaks."

08/21/2017

AIRE Tributary Strike IKs on sale for August only, limited QTY so hurry before the sun disappears!