Hard to tell condition just from those pics but since you've seen it personally and you believe it's in very good condition , then it probably is .
You might consider checking the ser.# with Old Town to confirm manuf. yr. , but probably not nessasary , it does have the sculpted butt pan molded into the seats ... much better (way more comfortable) than the former (earlier) flat top seats .
Thwarts should be removed and inspected , but even if they are in need of replacement , definately not a deal breaker .
700. sounds fair to me , and the 172 Tripper is a fine canoe , also makes you feel good and safe when things start to get a bit rough ... I like high volume canoes myself , and the 172 Tripper is one of them .
I believe it weighs about 80 lbs. , not bad at all in my book for what a 172 Tripper is and can do . I consider it an excellent peidmont/mountain river canoe .
It don't have a deep V bottom (don't think I've ever heard of that in a canoe) ... it should be a nice noticable arch bottom and looks like it does from the pics .
Market price Market price is defined as the price a willing buyer will pay a willing seller. How bad do you want the canoe?
Why is it so shiny? That worries me a little.
The boat probably has a lot of life left in it. If you just gotta have a Tripper, that one is a lot cheaper than a new one. OTOH, when that seller bought the Tripper, it cost less than $1000. I usually figure my used boats should go somewhere around 50% to 70% of what I paid for them, but I’m also not out to make money.
I feel most sellers over value their boats.
If you monitor the market for a while you can get a feel for what the boats are going for. Then adjust up or down for the condition of the boat.
That’s a lot of typing to say very little. If it is a mistake to pay $700, it’s not a big mistake.
The Tripper is a fine canoe if it meets your needs. It is a pretty big boat and rather heavy at 80+ lbs. It will carry a big load and has been used in significant whitewater. It might not be the best choice of boat if you plan on doing primarily flat water day trips unloaded.
The description of the boat in the ad is taken from the REI site where the boat is sold. Many boats (Mad Rivers particularly) have hulls with a shallow V cross section, but the Tripper has a shallow arch hull as noted. Old Town describes the hull as having "a deep V entry".
Some people feel Royalex degrades over time and becomes brittle. Maybe it does sometimes, but I have quite a few Royalex canoes this old and older and have not observed this problem. You might ask the seller how the canoe has been stored.
Some folks find the Old Town molded plastic seats to be uncomfortable. They are heavy relative to ash framed seats. Replacing the thwarts (if necessary) and seats would not be a terribly expensive proposition if you choose to.
When comparing the price of a used boat with a comparable new one you also need to factor in sales tax and often a delivery fee charged on new hulls. Seven hundred dollars is probably more than I would pay for this boat, but if it meets your needs I don't consider it an outrageous price.
Make an offer… that you are comfy with (e.g. $500) and be sure to leave contact info and obtain her E address by asking a few E-questions about the boat. She may want to let it go if there are no responses. If you are willing to watch the ad for a few weeks, send another E.
I sold our Tripper for $350, but it was older in years and more banged up. (cracked gunwale, stems repaired with glass skid plates, many shallow dents) I think I should have insisted on $450.
Trippers used to have heavier, stronger Royalex than a lot of canoes today. On the brittleness issue, an 18 year old boat might need a massive hit to the nose to demonstrate it. It’s not relevant unless you would be using the boat in serious whitewater.
Wiat was worth it I found another tripper. Not even seven years old, kept in heated garage, sparsely used and only with minor scratches. Very very good condition. Almost the same price: $ 750. That’s the one!
Me Tripper be 35 years old now… Bought it back in ‘78 fer $525 brandy-new. It’s made wit de “good” (pre-‘90) Uniroyal Royalex. Still drivin’ it on occasion. One o’ de all time great canoos.
Bought my old one in 1980. Actually its a Ranger model - a tripper with wood trim. Classic turquoise interior. Has a few scars, a bit of rot here and there. Lots of replaced parts. Still floats pretty good.