I am considering buying an EXCELLENT condition but 17 year old tripper xl but I don’t have a feel for the fair value range. Is there much of a market for these boats these days? I have a feel for the 17’ Tripper - but not the 20’ tripper as far as value. This one is almost like new condition.
Even if it’s in cosmetically great condition, it’s still a 17 year old plastic boat, one that weighs over 100 lbs, which necessarily limits the market appeal.
New they were going for about $1300-1400 back then, if I remember right; $500-700 would seem to be in the range of fair market value now for one in B+ grade.
My “go to” shuttle guy in the Maine Northwoods tells me that the tripper xl is like gold up there. The canoe is unique that is true. But there is a niche market and with numbers low and dwindling I think there is a strong market in certain areas.
If I really wanted it and the local market supported the price (you suggest it’s actually quite in demand), I might go 2/3rds of the original price, but half would be better. I don’t wholly agree with the detracting statements of the previous poster, because of course it’s heavier than a regular Royalex canoe at that length, and it may be a “17-year-old plastic boat”, but who ever heard of a Royalex canoe being too degraded to be reasonably durable at that age if it has been stored inside? Not me, and I assume you aren’t planning to bash rocks with the thing (that’s really the only thing to worry about with older Royalex). My brother has 37-year-old Royalex canoe that seems as good as new by any practical standard of consideration (and he’s not using it to bash rocks either, though it can still take the kind of hit that would cripple the average composite hull).