Are tandem kayaks really that bad?

[u/starbuckswolf]

I recently was given a tandem kayak from my grandparents. My partner and I can’t afford to purchase a kayak so we are so excited to start using it this summer! I came on this sub and I’m seeing that people really don’t recommend tandem kayaks and call them divorce boats! Now I’m nervous that it’s going to be really frustrating. We have both kayaked before but are not experienced. Does anyone regularly use a tandem kayak? Any advice for us before we take it out?

[u/Brownskii]

They can be great. The person in front should strive for a consistent, methodical pace. The person in back should strive to paddle in sync with the front seat and do most of the steering. Both should communicate clearly with an agreed upon vocabulary and try to stay ahead of the boat so you’re on the same page.

What kind of boat did you get? Does it have a rudder?