AIRE Tributary 14 HD Self-Bailing Raft AIRE

Updated for 2023, the AIRE Tributary 14 HD Self-Bailing Raft is the boat of choice for thousands of private boaters. This boat is packed with outfitter-grade features offered at a reasonable price point. Appropriate for both paddle rafting and oar-rig boating, the Tributary 14 is ready for whatever your next adventure throws at it.

14 feet seems to be the magic boat size to serve the majority of needs for most private boaters. It’s a large enough boat that it can take on big water and long overnight trips, but small enough that it can still hang with the small boats on technical river sections.

Why Tributary?

Tributary boats are of similar quality to AIRE and are designed by AIRE, they just aren’t USA-built and do not have the same 10-year warranty as AIRE boats. They are built with near-identical materials and seam welding techniques. AIRE and AIRE Tributary boats are designed based on a component system with urethane chambers (“AIREcells”) that are separate from the rest of the boat, rather than chambers that are formed by the welded seams of the outer material of the raft. While this makes the boat a bit heavier, there are superior advantages to this system:

1. Field repairs are much easier and more effective since you can access the air chamber by unzipping the PVC outer skin.
2. You can patch holes in the outer skin from the inside, making a more effective watertight seal and a less noticeable patch.
3. Leaks are extremely uncommon since wear and tear on the outside of the boat doesn’t directly affect its ability to hold air.
4. In the event that you really cause some damage to the inner air chamber, you can pull it out and replace it; you’re not stuck with a patch that is responsible for holding air for the rest of the boat’s life.

Well taken care of, these boats last longer than any other PVC boat out there! They are a great investment for a private boater looking for a quality setup at non-Hypalon prices.