Been paddling the Trinadad since last summer. very pleased with the kayak as a multi-day boat. I used it all winter... where ever there was open water. Living in Montana, it handled the winter well, including trips up semi frozen rivers and lakes. Very rugged although heavy and awkward to portage.
Packs well for touring and carries weight evenly though out its length. Although strong paddling is required to truly enjoy the Trinidad on multi-day trips. Especially in windy or rough waters. I've happily taken it on 10-20 mile (per day) weekend trips and never had a real complaint. Its stability is impressive and its 'not likely to tip' unless careless behavior is involved - such as standing up in the kayak in open water.
Because of its size, weight and width it may be quite difficult to "tandem roll" back up after a tip in sea waves or white-water. I've taken it down class I, II and short III's. In such conditions, "wet exits" would be the standard in this kayak. But with practice, the skill of performing the "tandem eskimo roll" is possible for strong experienced paddlers to acquire.
Overall, a great kayak. Even if I buy another lightweight tandem in the future, I'll hang on to this one as my bombproof multi-day'er . I'm planning on buying a wind sail for longer expedition type trips. 100+ milers.
Decent low cost tandem kayak. Depending on what you are looking for the length and weight may be an issue, as it was for me: it is 18' and 92 lbs. With RA and a bit of an anterior deltoid issue this just wasn't right for me and my young daughter. I had to move/load the kayak by myself which is not easy. Because of the distance between the cockpits, if my daughter was having trouble up in the front cockpit, like opening a snack or water, I'd have to head for shore and get out to help her.
My review score isn't reflective of the above problems but I wish I had thought of all that beforehand. For healthy adults and/or older kids the kayak would work just fine (especially if you have a larger vehicle too). In fact the long distance between the cockpits pretty much makes it impossible to hit paddles like in shorter tandems. Plus ours had a rudder which should be required for ALL tandems from the factory. The material is very thick and solid, and ours was old and obviously stored outside for a while and the hatch covers and all were still in great condition, and there was no leakage anywhere nor between the bulkheads.
For the price even new this is a lot of boat for the money. Paddled surprisingly smooth but was nearly impossible to turn without the rudder the way I was using it (again, should be required!).
I just got back from racing my Trinidad in a canal race in NJ where the water was dead still, and we averaged just over four mph over a distance of 10.6 miles. Tough, stable, roomy, well designed (recessed deck rigging) and fairly fast for such a wide stable boat. Considering the storage capacity and the ability of this boat to crash through some hefty whitewater, I'd have to say the boat is versitle and watertight and tracks surprisingly well. Stability is great, even in chop.Lots of leg room even for larger paddlers. Only drawback is that the plastic version is pretty heavy. Buy a cart or take a strong partner. Portage is a dreaded word if this boat is full of touring gear.Of the tandems I've seen and paddled, this is the best for secure tandem kayaking where evil rocks, chop, or standing waves may appear.It's very tough and the rudder is very effective. The boat is now marketed as the Perception Carolina II with no discernable changes except seats.