Reviews written by kross

The RTM Tempo is supposed to be the latest version of the older Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro. Not!

I have owned mine since April of 2013. I use it only in saltwater as a fishing kayak, mostly launching off the beach into the ocean. It has become my go-to fishing kayak when the surf is big enough to make launching my expensive fiberglass kayaks risky.

The boat has very little rocker and a long hull. This equates to turning very, very slowly. In fact, it is the slowest turning of any kayak I have ever used. Tracking is good. I would definitely like a rudder on this boat, however, adding one would be very difficult because RTM removed the features on the old Scupper Pro that made a rudder easy to add. A mistake!

This kayak is quite fast owing to the narrow width and above average length. I have run this with a GPS on a flat calm lake, and the numbers I come up with are impressive. The average cruising speed that can be easily maintained is about 4.1 mph. A fast cruise that you could keep up running down a blitz for a few hundred yards is 4.8 mph. The top speed I could push it to, even for a paddle stroke, was 6.0 mph. This is a pleasure to paddle! Stability is excellent. The sides are shallow enough that it can be a wet ride in rough water. Other than that, it is a dry boat. Sitting sidesaddle is quite comfortable. The front hatch is the easiest to access of any kayak I have been around, and the hatch is huge. No problem at all getting into it, and it holds a ton of gear. I secure my rods in there for surf launching and landing.

This is one of the quieter kayaks I’ve used. The actual weight (58 lbs.) was well over the listed weight of 54. It seems quite sturdy. My hull was slightly misshapen. I have a feeling RTM quality control is not the best. Take the time if you are buying one to look the hull over closely for any defects.

Like most longer, more slender kayaks, if you hold this boat straight coming in on wave faces bigger than 3-foot or so, the nose tends to bury (perl). It’s a bit better than average because a lot of the hull volume is in the bow. It also tends to turn broadside if caught by waves from the rear, but it braces well. And it is fast enough to squeak in between waves most of the time. Launching in bigger surf, it has popped over larger waves than I thought it could handle, probably because of the high bow volume. A very solid surf kayak.

The tankwell is rounded, which can make mounting a crate difficult. I use a surf bag (Seattle Sports Kayak Catch Cooler) strapped down in there and this works well. It is almost waterproof and very low profile. As noted, for surf launches I stow my 2-piece rods in the front hatch. I cover the butt portion of the rods and the reels with a dry bag, and set up a bungee in that hull area to keep them in place. You could probably fit ten rods in there.



The handles on the sides of the kayak are well placed, and it’s easy to carry in the reverse position with the center console resting on your shoulders.

Overall, the Tempo is a fast, lighter weight, stable fishing kayak. The list of kayaks that offer decent speed and stability at less than 60 pounds is extremely small. If you are looking for something inexpensive, easy to tote off the water, efficient on the water, with good surf-handling, this is a great boat. With a rudder option and more rocker, it would be even better. Unfortunately, the USA dealer network is extremely small.

I owned one of these kayaks for a short while. It wasn't for me.

First, it was about the slowest kayaks I have ever owned. The Mirage drive is nice for the hands-free aspect, but not great for efficiency. Also, the Revo 13 is a heavy boat, and there have been many problems with hull cracks.

I did hear that it handled poorly without the rudder and paddled terribly. I did not see this. Handling with the rudder up was OK, and it paddled about as well as I would expect for a boat with these dimensions.

Stability is fine. Surf handling is mediocre.

My rating overall would be good, but not great, at least for the way I fish.

Se my other review. Great boats but they do have problems.

I have owned a Fisha 470 for several years. This is certainly among the fastest fishing SOTs made, bar none. In my experience, even faster than the Kaskazi Dorado II, although that is probably splitting hairs. When trolling, or paddling alongside typical plastic kayaks you have to remember to slow down to get the right pace. The hull tends to skim along the surface and really rips. It has an extremely low profile, which helps in wind. Average cruising speed for me at an easy paddling pace for me is around 4.3 mph. That’s fast!

This kayak turns slowly. I would say the rudder is barely adequate. The only way to turn quickly when stopped is to kick the rudder all the way over while backing up. When cruising forward it’s going to be a wide circle. The rudder pedals are easily adjustable for length.


Due to the way the hull skims over the water, and because the nose is blunt and the hull is flattened just behind the bow, you get lots of hull slap heading into chop. The front of the kayak is lifted by the chop then slaps down like a hand slapping the water. Not a problem going across the wind or away from it. This was only a real nuisance maybe one in ten times out. But when it happens, it is VERY annoying, at least to me. Surprisingly, I never saw mention of this in any other review.

The actual weight was well over the listed weight. The rudder is fiberglass and the edge is prone to chipping. Stealth suggested I add a bead of mixed fiberglass resin and silica sand to the rudder edge. That helps, but it chips away quickly. The tape seam around the perimeter of the kayak is also prone to chips. I haven’t babied this thing at all and after dragging it over the beach and running it through the surf dozens of times there are 4 or 5 scratches in the hull deep enough that I may want to fill them, and a few small chips in that gelcoat seam. That’s it. The lighter scratches buff out nicely. The gelcoat seems robust.

For surf launching, the biggest problem is the rudder. It is permanently deployed and sits below the rear skeg. If you lift the kayak by the bow handle on the beach, the rudder drags in the sand like an anchor. To launch, you need to lift the kayak by a handle placed about 2/3 up the left side, lifting the rudder clear of the sand by tilting the kayak. Unfortunately, you are then holding the kayak by the side, not the bow. Because of this, when launching in waves it is easy for the rear of the kayak to get dragged around to the right by outgoing surf, toward the water, and the kayak to get positioned so it is between you and the waves. Very dangerous! I can’t stress that enough – be VERY careful. I recently had that happen and a wave slammed the kayak into my legs before I could get out of the way. I have since shaved the rudder down so it doesn’t project below the line of the skeg, and I launch the kayak using the bow handle. It is still a bit difficult, but safer. It did make an inadequate rudder even smaller.