Old Town "tripper 172" Royalex Canoe, 17'

Offered for sale is an Old Town "Tripper 172" with a Royalex hull. This canoe is no longer available from Old Town, but when last listed in their catalog it retailed for $1995. The Tripper is just over 17' in length; 37" wide, midship; 15" deep; and is rated to carry up to 1,500 lb. The hull has no keel, and the wide, slightly curved hull is very stable. The 15" hull depth and slightly flared sides provide for a dry ride.

Because of its exceptional carrying capacity, the Tripper is frequently seen in areas like the Boundary Waters (BWCA), in Minnesota, and Maine's Allagash Wilderness Waterway. The Tripper's Royalex hull material is noteworthy for several reasons: first, it provides its own flotation, so there is no need for foam cells or flotation chambers in the ends of the hull, as in a fiberglass canoe. Second, the Royalex material is very flexible and it has "memory". If the hull is dented, the dings or depressions can be "lifted" with careful use of a hot air gun or hair-dryer. The hull has a small amount of rocker, making the Tripper a great boat for downriver canoeing, handling up to class III rapids with ease.

Its easy turning ability provides surprising agility, and the flexibility inherent in Royalex allows the hull to flex, easily riding over "sleepers". Originally, this boat was sold with molded plastic seats. I removed those and remade the frames in ash, then wove the seat bottoms with splint. The resulting seats are much more comfortable and faster drying. I also added a second thwart, just forward if the stern seat, to provide a brace while kneeling and to stiffen the hull.

Several of the photos show two light-colored rectangular areas on the interior of the hull. As we frequently used this canoe for downriver tripping, we installed ensolite foam kneeling pads (like yoga mats) for comfort. When removed, the protected area under the foam pads retained the factory-new finish and contrasted with rest of the hull. Overall, the Tripper is a great all-around family canoe. Lightly loaded, it is a fun boat for running rapids; for extended canoe camping, it will carry an enormous amount of gear; for fishing on a pond or lake it is a comfortable, stable casting platform.

Please refer to the favorable reviews of the Old Town "Tripper 172" on paddling.net to see how highly other owners think of this canoe. This sale is for local pick up, in Glastonbury, CT. Thank you for looking!