canoe

Advice
#1

hellow to everyone. i am new to this forum and paddling. not exactaly new, we have always had an old canoe around that we play with. i have been wanting to get a nice canoe for paddling on the lake hear and mostly for some slow moving rive doing some overnight camping with the family. i have been looking at an oldtown tripper '17 at a local shop. its made of roylex. any of you have one of these. or have any other ideas.

#2

My fav
http://www.sourisriver.com/quetico_17.html

#3

comparable prices with used composites

– Last Updated: Jun-05-10 9:26 PM EST –

b-dog,
Yep the tripper_17 and P17 are pretty good tandems(my $.01), however one can often find a deal or two on a composite tandem, which are a lot of fun....however I know what it is to be without a boat...sometimes you have to grab what you can grab at the time.
http://www.mountainmanoutdoors.com is one place you can check every now & then.
http://www.piragis.com/usedcanoeandkayak.html is another. Go all the way to bottom listing usually has a few good deals(for composite..).

$.01

#4

Sometimes its a long hunt in SC
If you wont be running week long whitewater trips (thats what the Tripper was designed for) I have no idea why you want to lug 85 lbs for a spin on the lake.



You dont need Souris River or any specific type. Just look for a used boat in the 16 foot range. 15 if just daytripping.



Mad River has a royalex boat (its a little lighter than OT) in Pendleton for six bills.


#5

mad river reflection
any thoughts on the mad river reflection.

#6

how much weight?
How big is your family, and how much do you pack for these overnight camping trips? I’m inclined to think the Tripper is too big, but maybe not, depending on how much you want it to carry.



Mark

#7

Tripper
The Tripper is designed for extended camping trips. It might be overkill for your planned uses.



What about the Mad River Explorer? A very versatile boat.

#8

Reflection
This was originally a Dagger canoe, but thru corporate acquisitions became a Mad River model.

It is a good all around canoe, that is better paddling than the Tripper, and a bit lighter. Stable enough to fish from and seaworthy enough to paddle on an open lake with waves.

It was made in 3 lengths, a 15, 16, and a 17’. You did not mention a length. The carrying capacity is directly related to the length, and none will carry what the Old Town Tripper will tote, but all are better paddling canoes on flatwater and even the 17’ is almost 20# lighter than the Tripper.

Bill

#9

I looked at a OT Tripper, but…
ended up with a Wenonah, Spirit II


  1. it was lighter -67 lb.


  2. it came with the web seats, tripper has plastic bucket seats that you can’t add a backed canoe seat to.



    Go for a 17’r
#10

We like Royalex or poly for kids.
Even older kids forget and step into the boat when it’s on shore. Light composite boats tend to resent that. Also, we like to partially load the boats on shore so we don’t clog up the put in. With a larger group, it takes a while to get going so plastic boats are more forgiving for what we do.On the other hand,if you will be paddling with 2 people and a light load most of the time, go for a light boat. In any case, 17’ is a good length for bigger lakes and loads. We have a Prospector 16, which is a good all round boat and performs as well as our 17’ did.

#11

I owned a Tripper, and used it mostly
for tandem whitewater or for solo poling. It is a great hull design if you are not in a hurry. But it is HEAVY, so much so that it deters not only portaging, but loading and unloading from vehicles.



I would recommend the Wenonah Spirit II in Royalex or Tuffweave. The Tuffweave is stiffer and a little lighter, and quite durable except for hammering in whitewater. Spirit IIs are decently fast on lakes, and they turn well enough on rivers. They have good capacity and they are reasonably light.

#12

tripper
i am going to paddle a tripper on a demo next week. they have one there that is a couple of years old and still new. it is about $900. i am also going to paddle a mad river reflection 17. they don’t have a spiritII but i have looked at that one on the web site. they seem to be what i am looking for too. i know that the tripper is bigger and heavier but i did not think it was a big differance. i thought that the high side on the tripper would be nice but i guess it all adds weight. i am all for light, but would like to try one first

#13

@ $500 less…
then the Spirit II, take the Tripper and everytime your on a carry and you wished you got a lighter boat just think how you saved $500 bucks.



That’s a good canoe vacation right there in savings and still have money to upgrade the seats.