Test paddled lots of canoes before I purchased and the Tripper was by far the best performer for our type of paddling, mostly long flat water trips. Build and finish are top notch, we have taken huge hits in our finer glass Tripper and it stands up really well.
This boat is really fast, none of my friends can keep up in their canoes. Will probably trade mine in for a Ultra-Lite Kevlar model in the next couple years.
I bought this canoe to use in the Yukon 1000 canoe race from Whitehorse Yukon to the Dalton Hwy in Alaska. The race organizer suggested the Jensen model for the race but I wanted something more versatile. I found several reviews that said the Tripper was fast, and one that gave an actual speed. I couldn't find anything like that for the Jensen. Now that I've seen the Jensen in action, the Tripper doesn't hold a candle to it's speed. So if your looking for a racing canoe go for the Jensen.
Now for the Trippers good points. It seems fairly maneuverable to me, once you know how to paddle. It goes a lot faster than my Old Town Guide 14'7 and is much more comfortable in rough water. During the race we had to cross Lake Labarge and we had a tail wind and 3 to 4 foot waves. The Tripper handled it great. A couple waves splashed over the gunnels but we had a spray skirt that kept most of the water out. The Jensen that was traveling with us looked like they would have been swamped if they didn't have a spray skirt. Don't get me wrong, the Tripper is still a canoe and if your headed into the waves, it doesn't take much to take on water. A spray skirt is wise to have in anything over 2 feet unless you know for certain its not gonna get any bigger.
The Tripper handles weight great as well. My Old Town is rated for 900 lbs but has very little free board with 500 lbs. The Tripper is rated at 1000 lbs. and barely looks like it has anything in it with 600 lbs. If you're looking for a good versatile Canoe that you can hold a 3 to 4 mph pace for long periods of time, and carry its rated weight comfortably, and maneuver fairly easily, I suggest the Clipper Tripper.
Fiberglass - family owned for 25 plus years.
Great tandem canoe in this sportsmen family. Our top speed using GPS was 9km/hr. 7km is very comfortable for us later thirty-somethings. So speed is decent.
We have transported big game animals in it, even towed a moose shot in the water across the lake - but that was a workout! so decent load capacity
It has excellent secondary stability even for less experienced folks we have lent it too in challenging wind-whitecap conditions.
It's been a big part of the family.
Only reason I give it an 8 is it's terrible for Solo, and on real windy days on our large northern boreal forest lakes (yes one of them is Grey Owl's lake :))the bow catches the wind and if you have a weak partner in front, it will require more zig-zags to get where you want to go.
I bought a brand new Clipper Tripper about 2 months ago in Kevlar. Red with Black trim. It came with a deep dish yoke that is very large and extremely comfortable. The yoke is stained black and matches very nicely with the boat. The tractor seats are incredibly comfortable. The bow seat slides to help not only to properly trim the boat but to assist the bow paddler to help wedge their feet up agains the flotation tank. The stern paddler can do the same with the foot brace. Why would anyone not want a foot brace?? The combination of the foot brace, the tractor seats and the thigh pads makes you feel like the canoe is a part of you. You could paddle this thing in complete darkness, in rough water and still keep it upright!! (as long as you didn't run into the rocks!) It's all about feeling the canoe's movement.
What a beautiful craft. Fit and finish is excellent. On the water this canoe moves very well. My wife and I were imediately impressed. With bent shaft paddles there is little effort to make this thing go and keep it going. It's very fast. We have paddled the Tripper in calm and rough conditions and have never once felt nervous. Wind does affect it's tracking (tends to turn perpendicular) if it's not loaded but I believe it will do better with a few hundred extra pounds. Initial stability is less than the "prospector" canoes that I've paddled in the past, but I would still rate it as "good". After a few outings it was no longer an issue. Final stability is excellent. On one choppy outing, my wife and I let the canoe drift with the 2'+ waves (perpendicular) and as mentioned before never felt nervous. Very stable!
I tried paddling this thing solo without much luck. The slightest amount of a breeze will have you frustrated in seconds. There's simply too much boat out of the water for that sort of application. The only way I could get any real control was to sit in the centre like in a kayak. But the reach to the water with the paddle is too much.
So now I'm in need of a solo canoe too!
All and all, we are very satisfied. I believe anyone looking for a tandem family / interior expidition / touring canoe would be a fool to not seriously consider this wonderful craft.