Tripper 16.5

My partner and I have been very happy with the 3 canoes Stu at Silvercreek has built for us over 20 years. Mainly we've used them on 2 to 3 week trips in Algonquin Park and on the French River but also paddled Kingston to Ottawa on the Rideau Waterway and the Bowron Lakes. The boats are light and strong; 2 were Kevlar and 1 is carbon fibre. I'm not very knowledgeable about boat design and terminology; I appreciate that Stu helped us to select the designs that best met our needs over the years. The keeled ones were good for family tripping and worked great in big waves on larger lakes. The non-keeled one (Tripper) is very responsive and turns easily in winding marshes and class 1 water. Very fun to paddle! I think the prices have been good and service has also been good when little things needed fixing from wear and tear over the years.

We recently bought a new Tripper 16.5 in Infused Tufglas with a striking blue colour for a fantastic price. Stu (the owner and manufacturer based in Acton, ON) was fantastic to deal with and has years of experience; he really showed pride in his work. We took it to Killarney Provincial Park and it proved right away to be the perfect fit for us. It was big enough to fit the two of us and our packs but it didn't feel like a big, bulky boat. There were even whitecaps in the lake we were on at first, but it seemed like we were gliding right through the waves. It tracked really well with its shallow v-hull but I felt comfortable maneuvering it where I wanted to with little effort. Portaging went well - it's not kevlar, but at 58lbs it was easily manageable. We have no complaints, but I gave it a 9 only because it seems like the bright blue colour made the scratches that much more noticeable. Maybe they'll fade over time... Very happy with our purchase and would highly recommend Silvercreek, and especially the Tripper 16.5.