Tripper-S

I ordered a fiberglass Tripper S early 2021, it being the Hight of the pandemic shortage the lead time was around 4-5 months. I was hoping for a good tandem canoe usable for both day tripping but also something like the Barwon lakes. I Idea of being able to paddle around protected waters solo was also appealing but I thought it would be a bit big for me (5'9" 150lbs) to handle in anything but short trips in ideal conditions. I ordered fiberglass with a gelcoat due to my only storage option being outside. I optimistically ordered the upgraded yoke in the hopes It would be light enough to portage (much of my paddling has been in old fiberglass pigs, the only boat with a yoke I had tried to carry was my 14' clipper prospector which is not exactly difficult)

The boat was built a few weeks earlier than expected, they do not have enough space to have all there molds out at once, I think what happened is there was another 'S that was due for delivery (turns out it was an acquaintance of mine) and mine got made while the mold was out. Visually the gel coat was clear and smooth, but one of the end caps is poorly fitted and collects rain and junk when flipped upside down. the interior is clippers standard for fiberglass, it is kind of beige?/gray? with some dribbles of pigment for visual interest. The inside of the hull looks rough, the glass cloth is asymmetrically uneven and clearly visible, you can see raged ends of the cloth, it doesn't actually affect the feel inside, but someone with a bit of ocd, or someone who really values looks might be put off. The fiberglass layup comes with ribs instead of the vacuum bagged foam floor shown in the websites picture (picture is one of the Kevlar layups). The contoured Yoke I ordered looks great and is well finished.

As far as my first impressions paddling, with 2 <160lb paddlers it is probably the fastest and best tracking boat I have paddled. Despite its tracking it still has good turning response, and I believe If I had better paddling habit's It would turn well when leaned. Solo it works much so better than I imagined, in anything but a dead calm I use at least 40kg (80ish lbs) of water ballast, milk jugs work fine, but a good dri-bag can be filled with water and used as well. from the kneeling thwart (standard) with good foam padding, you can quite easily accelerate the boat with minimal wasted effort, once up to speed it is relatively easy to maintain momentum, I think a taller and stronger paddler would love it as a solo boat, but even at my size its a great boat. It is a bit unwieldy in tight solo maneuvering, but it has enough rocker to make turning possible.

Stability wise, solo it is solid at all points, it is narrow and long enough that if you pulled the bow out of the water on a beach and tried to get in it could get hairy, but as long as its sitting properly in the water you will have no issues. Tandem, especially with a novice paddler its not as great. when launching, if your bow paddler attempts to stand up and turn around, you gotta be quick with the brace if you don't want to swim, and I would be uncomfortable taking a larger (200lb+?) uncoordinated paddler with out some assistance launching and beaching. For tandem, canoeing bigger novice paddlers should avoid this boat, two smaller novice paddlers ie. smaller women, will have no issues. I have not taken it out into bad weather (yet its only a matter of time) but I am confident it will preform well, it has relatively low freeboard which is great in the wind, but so far the bow has stayed dry in ocean swells and lighter chop, if I can ever justify it I will get a spray deck and that should be the best of both worlds.

As far as details and customizations, I with the contoured yoke, I can carry the canoe 500+ meters comfortably, only issue it gets painful before I get tired, more yoke experimentation needed (or maby I will just get a canoe cart like everyone else). I don't regret the fiberglass, but if I had indoor storage space, I probably would have forked out the cash for the Kevlar duriflex, the flush floor, lighter weight and stronger hull would be nice. My acquaintance, a petite woman, bought hers in the ultralight layup and can comfortably carry it alone. the black gunnel kit looks nice, but does highlight the scratches from my roof racks.

Pros

fast with 2 people

comfortable to solo

tracks well

lower freeboard in the wind

decent final stability

large enough for tripping

Cons

novices will find it tender or "tippy"

a bit smaller than most true tripping canoes

not as high and stable as something like a prospector (not really a whitewater boat)

the fiberglass layup's ribs make kneeling tricky (still working out exactly what foam goes were)

fit and finish is a bit disappointing up close

RECMENDATION

Bigger paddler: this will be a great solo boat, and once your are comfortable you can do tandem day paddling.

Midsize paddler: it will solo well, but might be a tiny bit bigger than perfection, tandem tripping is totally possible, and day tripping with 3 adults or even 2 adults + 2 kids is totally doable. as far as one boat does all this is as close as you will find.

Small paddler (petite women/bigger kids): solo will be a bit of a handful, but with technique, ballast and in ok weather, should be fine. This will be a perfect size boat for you and a similar sized friend to do serious tripping, 2-4 kids could have a great time paddling on there own.

Families : If you want to paddle with your spouse, this will do for up to 2 smaller children day tripping but your kids will eventually outgrow it. consider stepping up to a regular tripper

for family paddling with 2 boats: I think a great paring would be a tripper and a tripper 'S. it would allow all sorts of options the kids grow, as well as the option of leaving the kids and having a peaceful afternoon solo on the water

Fleet (youth group/camp/rental): Probably not quite the right boat for this. bit expensive, not quite as stable, might want some extra layers of fiberglass before giving to a kid to ram into a rock. [having 1 or 2 for a camp might work]

Novice paddlers: totally a boat you could grow to enjoy, but initial learning may feel uncomfortable, would NOT recommend if you are a bigger paddler, or have flexibility issues. (gotta stay low when your moving around the boat) consider picking up a used boat for your first season, learn, than decide were to go from there (used boats hold value quite well)

White water: I do not paddle whitewater so take this with a grain of salt: probably fine in class 1 maybe 2, anything past get something with more free board, rocker and fuller bow. not totally convinced any composite boat will survive a wrap.

Every boat is a compromise, to get something your going to lose something else but this is as close to a prefect boat I have paddled. I will likely continue to explore other boats and options, but even if I never find anything better I will still be happy.

owned 1 full year, no actual issues beyond some minor cosmetic gripes and some cosmetic scrapes (like all canoes)

We bought this canoe 2nd hand and loved it from the test drive (paddle). I have another solo that I have paddled for years and my partner had never really paddled a canoe much before. We bought to do the Bowron circut, thinking if we didn't like it, we could probably sell it after the trip for a similar price. Well, that is never going to happen. We have since taken it on several trips and it is great when you want the versatility of having a tandem, but ability to paddle solo. Often when we are camped and one of us wants to do a short solo, we are able to take it out with ease. My partner loves it now as well, and has become quiet a proficient paddler in both the bow and stern positions. The canoe tracks well and the Kevlar material allows us to feel almost indestructible. Loading, unloading, moving are all easy due to its light weight. It tracks great, and holds more than all the gear we would ever need. I would recommend this to anyone who might want the versatility of a tandem and solo.

The Tripper S is a great canoe for me -- 90% of my paddling is solo. It is light, loads and portages easily. It is fast through the water, tracks well and handles waves. Somewhat slower turning is the compromise for tracking, so better for flat water than whitewater. Kneeling to paddle solo is a fantastically stable – pad your knees.

In tandem paddling, both paddlers should have experience or at least coordination. The Tripper S is not forgiving of a large, inexperienced and uncoordinated paddler. If all my paddling was tandem, I think I would still want my Tripper S. If all my paddling was tandem tripping, I would go for the Tripper.

So why 10/10? It seems like this canoe was custom built for me.