Tomahawk Air-K - Review 2026

The Tomahawk Air-K 375 Goes the Distance

The Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 is almost unique among inflatable kayak we’ve tested. Most inflatables on the market are built for recreation only, but the Tomahawk is built with speed and performance in mind. For long-distance paddlers looking for an easy-to-store, lightweight kayak that won’t cost the earth, the Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 is a fantastic option.

Thankfully the setup time of the Tomahawk Air-K is negligible. Pumping the three chambers to 10 PSI each took less than 30 seconds, and only two major parts of the kayak required installation: the seat and the footrest. The seat was straightforward to install with velcro and mini carabiners.

On the other hand, installing the footrest was a little more complicated because you need to thread the webbing around the D-rings and then re-thread it through the plastic buckle to secure it.

Because this kayak is designed to be more of a streamlined performance kayak, the deck has no bungee cords to attach gear to and there is limited dry storage space for other equipment.

You could still store gear under the splash-proof cover of the front deck and behind the seat, but you can tell this kayak was designed for speed and distance rather than touring as there are limited anchor points to attach your gear to.

There are some nifty features on the Tomahawk Air-K 12’4, like the safety grab ropes on the bow and stern of the kayak and the two fins, which not only improve tracking, especially in windy conditions but also add to the stability of the Tomahawk Air-K 375.

Features

• Three robust chambers made from Drop Stitch Technology for added rigidity and safety
• Rigidity is comparable to a hardshell kayak
• Built for speed and performance
• Molded V-shaped keel on bow and stern for better tracking
• Comfortable, adjustable spongy seat with a high adjustable backrest and multiple storage pockets
• Double fin creates better tracking in windy conditions and added stability
• Splash guard on bow and stern
• Adjustable footrest
• HF (High Frequency) Welding creates solid and airtight seals in the PVC, which means air can’t get in or out
• It uses Heat Fusion Technology to join the PVC for extra durability

Although this kayak is stable, it’s still one of the narrowest inflatable kayaks we’ve tested at 28″ in width, which is why it glides so easily through the water.

If you’re looking for a family-friendly kayak or an inflatable boat to fish from or chill out in with a few beverages, the Tomahawk may not be our first pick. But if you’re looking for greater performance, want to paddle longer distances and experience the rigidity of a hard shell kayak with the convenience of an inflatable, the Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 is a ideal choice.

What’s it Made of?

Using High-Frequency Molding and Heat Fusion Technology, the Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 is made from durable PVC, with the three air chambers constructed using Drop Stitch Technology. This highly advanced technology makes for a high pressure and extremely durable inflatable kayak that perfectly cuts through the water.

This is one of the first kayaks we’ve ever tested that is completely constructed using Drop Stitch Technology. Similar to Bote’s Deus Aero uses, this makes the kayak incredibly rigid like a hardshell, but also adds to the weight. Compared to the Razor Kayak R1 which weighs 18 lbs before any accessories are attached, the Tomahawk weighs 36.6 lbs. Granted, the Tomahawk is 3 feet longer, but it’s the quality of the Drop Stitch construction that creates this weight difference.

PVC is designed to withstand wear and tear from regular use, and PVC is also relatively UV-resistant, which helps to prevent fading and damage from sun exposure. But you should always keep the Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 out of direct sunlight and in a dry location to increase the longevity of your craft.

Setting Up the Tomahawk Air-K

The easy setup of the Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 is one of its best features. The three air chambers can be filled in under 30 seconds each as the air pressure is set to a manageable 10 PSI. Although this pressure is a little higher than inflatables like the Aquaglide Cirrus Ultralight 110, you should not require an electrical pump or considerable muscle power to inflate this kayak.

The seat velcros to the kayak floor and clips easily to the four D-rings positioned in front and behind the seat for easy adjustment.

The footrest is a little more demanding. The straps need to wrap around the D-ring that the seat is already clipped to, and you need to feed the webbing through the plastic buckles to secure the footrest and make it adjustable. Adding mini carabiners to the end of the webbing, like the seat, would make installation a lot easier.

The two fins slide into the hull of the kayak after flipping the boat upside down. We often find the fins of inflatable kayaks need a little muscle power to slide and secure into place, and the Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 is no exception. Although it can be difficult to slide the fins into position the entire way, it’s advisable as this will enable the locking system to also slide into place.

Performance Stability

The Tomahawk has a width of 28″ compared to the Razor Kayak R1’s 33″. The narrow hull is designed for speed and improved tracking and delivers well on performance.

With the two fins in place, the Tomahawk is stable, but if you decide to paddle without the fins in shallow water or to reduce drag, you will notice the difference. Like some ocean kayaks and those that are more maneuverable, it has better secondary stability than first, it’s tippier in the beginning and more stable once leaning over.

We believe the Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 is designed for intermediate to expert paddlers for this reason. A paddler completely new to the sport may find this kayak a little tippy, especially without the fins. In contrast, a more experienced paddler would welcome the fact that you can edge the Tomahawk easily on its side for even greater maneuverability.

The Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 would not be the first kayak I would recommend for beginner kayakers or families who are looking for a more relaxed day on the water with gear and pets. Having said that, there is no reason why you couldn’t use this kayak with your family or travel with your pets. It’s more that the Tomahawk is built for performance, and any performance kayak is going to compromise on stability to some extent.

The Best Performance Inflatable

Performance is where the Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 blows every other inflatable kayak out of the water. This kayak performs as well as a hard shell kayak with its superior rigidity, streamlined design, and V-shaped molded keels that keep the boat tracking beautifully, even without the fins. While testing this kayak, we often forgot we were paddling an inflatable boat.

The narrow hull helps the Tomahawk cut through the water with ease, while the Double Stitched air chambers create a stiffness to the body of the kayak that could easily be mistaken for a hardshell. The lightweight nature of this kayak also contributes to its speed and agility.

The Tomahawk is one of the most maneuverable inflatable kayaks on the market because of the V-shape of the bow and stern, but also because you can tip this kayak on edge for quicker turning. The double fin in the rear and center of the Tomahawk also provides superior tracking even in the most windy conditions.

If you’re wanting to increase the maneuverability of the Tomahawk, we suggest removing the center fin and only using the one at the rear. This will affect its tracking, but will allow you to make sharper and faster turns if this is a priority.

Drainage

The Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 has two drain plugs in the rear of the hull designed to drain out water from the cockpit of the kayak. The plugs are on the base of the hull so you can only open the valves when on dry land. If you try to open them while on the water your kayak will begin to fill with water.

When testing this kayak we found that most of the water drains off the floor of the cockpit into a catchment area between this air chamber and the hull of the kayak. This is convenient because it draws water away from the cockpit when you’re paddling. The challenging part is emptying this water out of the kayak, even when you’re on dry land.

Most inflatable kayaks have a drainage hole at the stern of the kayak like a whitewater boat where you can tip the kayak up vertically to empty out the water. This is not the case with the Tomahawk Air-K 12’4. We weren’t able to drain out the water completely without deflating the air chamber on the floor of the cockpit.

Weight Capacity

The max load weight of the Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 12’4″ is 282 lbs, which means it can only safely carry one passenger with gear. The Tomahawk comes in a 14’5″ version for two paddlers and also an Air-C canoe version that can seat up to three passengers.

The weight capacity for this craft is sufficient for one paddler and as much gear as you could safely fit in the kayak. The Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 could also carry your favorite K9. However, this kayak is not as stable as most other inflatable kayaks, so we would advise considering this if kayaking with your pets.

Length

Compared to the Razor Kayak R1, which is 9’4″, the Tomahawk Air-K 375 is three feet longer at 12’4″. This additional length is one reason why the Tomahawk is so much faster. Longer kayaks are more efficient at displacing the water at the bow of the kayak, and because the Tomahawk is also a lot narrower, the wetted surface area of the kayak, which slows the boat down, is less.

The additional length of the Tomahawk also means there is more space to store gear either under the front deck or in the rear of the boat.

Deck and Storage

The Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 has a small covered space under the front deck and an even smaller covered area at the stern of the kayak to store your gear. Even though these areas are splashproof, they are not watertight, so your gear should be stored in dry bags. There is also a healthy amount of uncovered space you can store equipment behind the seat of the kayak that wouldn’t impede your paddling.

Although there are two pairs of D-rings on the inside of the cockpit where the chair and footrest connect, there are no other anchor points to attach your gear. There are also no bungee cords on the front or rear deck, reinforcing that this inflatable kayak is designed for performance and speed rather than overnight or multi-day touring. The needs of kayak camping might go beyond this boat.

The front deck is quite large, so it would be possible to carry gear on there if you could use the grab handles to attach your own bungee cords to. The back deck is smaller but could still fit a small drybag if you could rig up some bungees or straps to keep your gear secured.

The safety grab handles on the deck are a great feature and one we don’t often see on inflatable kayaks. Grab handles allow you to hold onto the kayak if you’re out of the boat and in the water. Unlike carry handles, the grab handles are designed for either the paddler of the kayak to hold onto if they’re in the water or for other paddlers to hold onto when rafting up or holding someone’s boat steady while they reenter.

Carry Handles

The Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 has a robust and comfortable carry handle at the bow and stern of the kayak for holding with two people. These handles are non-slip and mold to your hand for added comfort if you’re carrying your kayak long distances.

The Tomahawk also has two carry handles in the center of the kayak for when you need to carry the kayak on your own. This is one of our favorite features on inflatable kayaks because it provides an easy way to transport the kayak when you’re by yourself.

You could also potentially attach gear to these two center handles when paddling. But if you’re on your own, it would be advisable to keep these handles clear for when you need to carry your boat into the water or onto the shore without dragging it up the beach.

Backpack and Storage Bag

We really like the storage bag of the Tomahawk Air-K 12’4. It’s one of the better-made and more functional carry/storage bags we’ve seen with backpack straps, a suitcase-style carry handle so you can carry the bag with one hand on its side, and it even has velcro straps on the side of your bag to attach the pump and your collapsed paddle to.

What we also love about the carry bag is the suitcase-style zipper which makes it very easy to extract the kayak and store it away again when dry. The Razor Kayak R1 has a backpack-style carry bag with a drawstring at the top. This makes getting the deflated kayak in and out of the bag very difficult because the opening is relatively narrow. The suitcase-style zipper of the Tomahawk means you don’t have to squeeze the PVC through a small space to get it in and out of the bag.

Seat

The cushioned seat has a high backrest and connects to the floor of the kayak using velcro. The velcro ensures the seat doesn’t slide around and keeps it firmly secured to the floor of the kayak. The seat also comes with four adjustable straps, two that clip to the D-rings in front of the paddler and two that attach behind. These straps enable the paddler to determine how upright they want to sit and how much support they want from the back of the chair.

Comparable to the Razor Kayak R1 inflatable, I liked the cushioning and sturdy attachment of the chair to the floor of the kayak. We did find, however, as we do with many inflatable kayaks on the market, that if you’re moving a lot in your chair and using your legs to drive your paddle strokes, the back of the chair will often warp a little under pressure. This is something that’s hard to avoid with detachable chairs on inflatable kayaks.

The other feature we enjoy about the seat is the two water bottle-style holders on the back of the chair on each side of the paddler and the Velcro-lined storage pocket for your personal items or snacks. This pocket is splash proof but not waterproof, so I would be sure to store your items in a dry bag. If your items are quite heavy, they could fall out of the storage pocket because it’s only secured with velcro.

Footrest

The footrest of the Tomahawk Air-K 375 is robust and well constructed, but doesn’t have clips to attach the webbing to the D-rings. This means you need to thread the webbing back through the buckle to attach and create the adjustable system.

Threading the webbing through the buckle may be very straightforward for some, but the user manual doesn’t provide instructions for attaching the footrest at all, which could be confusing for first-time users. The photos below show how the webbing needs to be re-threaded through the buckle once passed through the D-rings.

Two Kayak Fins

We were impressed that the Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 has two fins, which is unusual for most inflatable kayaks, especially single kayaks. The additional fin in the center of the hull provides better tracking in very windy conditions as well as extra stability.

You can choose whether to paddle with one, two, or no fins when paddling the Tomahawk Air-K 375. Paddling with two fins creates greater drag and resistance in the water, which will slow your speed. The advantage of two fins, however, as mentioned above, is they provide greater tracking, especially when it’s windy. This is because the center fin reduces the effect of the wind moving the bow of the boat.

You can also choose to paddle the Tomahawk without either of the fins if you’re paddling in very shallow water or if there is very little wind. The Tomahawk tracks incredibly well in calm conditions without either of the fins but is also a little more tippy without the additional stability.

You could also find a nice balance between the two options and only paddle with either the rear or center fin. Using the rear fin only will allow for easier turns, and the center fin on its own will provide slightly better overall tracking if it’s windy.

Maintaining the Tomahawk Air-K

The Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 comes with a repair kit that includes a valve wrench to tighten or replace the kayak’s valves and a few pieces of PVC material to patch any punctures.

To avoid damage from the sun’s UV rays and prevent air expansion, it’s important not to leave inflatable kayaks in direct sunlight. You can release air from the valves by pressing the white button in the center of the valve. If you launch into cold water, the air in the kayak can contract, so you may need to pump up the chambers a little bit before paddling.

It’s advisable always to pump up the chambers to 10 PSI. Overinflating the kayak will put the chambers at greater risk of punctures, put unnecessary pressure on the seams of the kayak, and if over inflated significantly, could burst the chamber. If you underinflate the chambers, the kayak will lose its rigidity and will feel less stable to paddle.

After each use, it’s always advisable to rinse the kayak with fresh water and remove any debris that may have accumulated. Before deflating and rolling it up for storage, make sure that the kayak is completely dry. Moisture can promote mold growth, which can be an unpleasant surprise the next time you want to use your kayak.

Using strong solvents on the fabric when cleaning the kayak is not recommended. Freshwater alone should suffice for cleaning, but you can use a mild soap if necessary.

Do we recommend it?

The Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 inflatable kayak is a unique and beautifully crafted boat built for high speed and performance. This is the type of inflatable kayak you might choose to purchase if you’re used to paddling a hardshell kayak but are looking for the convenience and lower cost of an inflatable kayak.

The Tomahawk may also be an upgrade to your current inflatable kayak if you want to paddle longer distances or keep up with your friends paddling hard shell kayaks.

The Tomahawk is designed for intermediate-plus paddlers who are more comfortable in a less stable kayak. The Tomahawk has excellent stability, especially when using both fins. But comparatively, the Tomahawk is much narrower than most inflatable kayaks we’ve tested. If you’re looking to paddle with your pets and your kids, this would not be the first inflatable kayak we would recommend.

The Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 is a very straightforward kayak to set up because it doesn’t come with a lot of moving parts. The seat is incredibly easy to attach, and the footrest is the only other accessory that needs to be fitted to the kayak once the three chambers are inflated.

This kayak is not designed to carry tons of gear or be used for overnight or multi-day expeditions. The Tomahawk is a performance inflatable kayak that is built for speed and distance. The lack of bungee cords or places to attach gear on the deck is designed to keep the kayak as streamlined as possible.

We would absolutely recommend the Tomahawk Air-K 12’4 to hardshell kayak paddlers looking for an inflatable kayak with comparable performance or for inflatable kayak paddlers looking to upgrade their kayak to paddle long distances at greater speeds.