Tempo

I can't say I like this boat. The handles are nowhere near the centre of balance, making it awkward to carry or load onto a vehicle roof.

The legroom is poor. I am 6'4" and my knees are way too high, I feel crammed into the seat, which is uncomfortable and digs into my back.

The claimed 24kg weight seems optimistic. I have an Ocean Kayak prowler 13 which claims 26kg and has had a few extras added on but it still feels lighter than the tempo. The prowler is easy enough to chuck on a pickup roof, whereas the tempo is an absolute pig to load. The side handles are worse than useless. It has been dropped at least twice.

The claimed max load of 170kg seems extremely unrealistic for this boat. Again, the Ocean Kayak Prowler 13 has a similar claimed max load, but in practice is vastly superior. The distribution of volume throughout the Prowler is also much more even, making for a much more level ride.

The shape of the hull underneath is quite lumpy on my Tempo. It is definitely faster than the Prowler, but does not track nearly as well, possibly due to the hull being uneven.

My 14 year old son uses the boat because I could not get on with it at all, but it already looks like he will be too big for it soon. He likes the Tempo, but rarely gets to use it because it is such a beast to handle off the water. I chuck an ancient Ocean Kayak Yak Board on instead. It also has more legroom room and it also is more comfortable than the Tempo and yes it is also much slower than the Tempo. I have literally had days where I have had everything ready to go and then given up halfway through trying to get the tempo loaded on the roof and just not gone kayaking.

I would say this about the Tempo, it is solidly made, quite fast, fairly stable, pretty safe due to the foam kit inside the hull. It's an OK boat if you can ever get it to the water. If you are less than 5'10" and skinny and don't mind the truly hateful shape of the seat-well, then you may get on OK with this boat.

Personally, I deeply regret buying this boat, I would gladly trade it for just about any other SOT. On paper it looked like a really good kayak, but in practice I would say that it is entirely overrated. Unless you badly need the extra mile per hour it gives you, I would recommend you don't bother with this and buy something a bit more comfortable and a bit more user friendly. There are several better boats out there for the same or less money. Literally the only thing going for this kayak is that it is significantly faster than most other sit on top kayaks.

Certainly the Pro/Tempo is one of the all time great designs, completely seaworthy, surfworthy, great capacity, reasonably fast - you can do no better for the price.

However one note: those who tell you there is no issue in a quartering wind are simply wrong. There is enough rocker that the bow does tend to catch the wind. Of course any experienced paddler can use the techniques of
1. shifting weight (to lee side)
2. gripping paddle to the lee and
3. adding a slight sweep to the lee side - all of which will compensate for the windage.

This is actually a minor issue, but let's be clear about this. Still - perhaps the best all-around kayak on the market.

On the water, it is fast, straight, and quiet. It was a pleasure rowing this kayak. Needless to say, it is now my preferred ride. On the downside, albeit ignorable, water filled the foot wells while drifting. However, the water problem should be eliminated by using a pair of scupper plugs which came with the kayak. The kayak is great value for your money, and fun to ride. I highly recommend this boat.

The kayak has a nice large front hatch, room in the center of the cockpit for a small hatch, rod holder or GPS. The rear of the kayak has a descent sized tank well with cargo net cover to secure your items. The seat area sits deep into the kayak and provides great lumbar support. On the water, the Tempo tracks very nice compared to my OK Scrambler XT and my Perception Sanibel. The kayak takes little effort to get moving and glides very well for a SOT. The hull has just enough rocker that is turns very easily for a long yak, very characteristic of the Scupper Pro. Paddling into the wind or cross wind affects the kayak very little.

I was able to pick up the yak brand new for $600 including high-back padded seat and paddle. For the price, there are few kayaks that would compare. RTM offers a 3 year warranty on the yak, which is pretty good. Based on the build quality, I don't foresee needing to use it. Anyone who has paddled a Scupper Pro, should be quite comfy in the Tempo. I have read that some paddlers thought the boat was a bit tippy, but I'm not professional paddler, but I was right at home in this yak. Being 6' tall, my center of gravity is higher then most, so those shorter should feel even more comfortable. The nice thing about this yak is that compared to there boats in this class, WS Tarpon 140, Emotion Grand Slam and the Red Fish, this boat is about 15lbs lighter. Did I mention all of the deck loops, paddle holder, built in rod holders, and perimeter deck line. For the price of this boat, why buy a used one?

On a side note, RTM is a french company who used to make boats for Ocean Kayak before they were bought by Johnson Marine. The same high quality plastics and rotomolds are used.
I will post an updated review once I get more time in the yak, but first impression on the lake have me very excited for more time in this yak.