Question on Clipper Canoe

[Keeled Over]

Hi folks,

The final canoe (hah) in my canoe quiver has been on the back-burner for a while now, and I am starting to think about this a bit more.

As Chick and I return to Michigan I want a canoe for the big water, primarily Lake Superior, (but other state, national and provincial parks will come into play) so we can haul all of our comfort gear and whomever shows up to replace Storm the Canoe dog.

We had tried a few bigger boats, (Wenonah, Bell) and liked the Champlain. We rented one twice to make sure and settled on that. Figured I would get the CCS cover from Dan and be done with it.

And while it's pretty rare for me to even see a Clipper canoe I am intrigued by them. I see the spec's line up well with what I need, and the list of accessories is kind of nice as well.

So, for a big water/load tripper, what can you tell me about these canoes? Any comparison/contrast to a Champlain would be great.

Thank you!

 

[Mason]

I have what I think is the Sea Clipper. Although not named that, it is a Jensen-designed Clipper called the Whitewater III with the same specs I bought in the early 90s. I've never seen reference to the WWIII. I like the boat, but haven't used it in bad conditions (10 days on Green River in Utah, a week at Bowron Lakes on mirror conditions, lots of shorter trips). In fiberglass and cross-rib stiffening, it's 72 pounds. Clipper's canoes always seemed heavy compared to the competition--coarser cloth, etc. Looking at the specs, the Champlain is a bit wider at waterline (35 vs 32). They've used a number of Jensen designs over the years (currently offering a WWII, which should be a sleeker version of what I have).

 

[Rubbaboo]

Clippers are everywhere in western Canada, probably the most common brand of boat.
Unfortunately I can’t make any comparisons to the Champlain but heres what I know about the littler Big Mac. I’ve got the 18’6 MacKenzie and have put lots of miles on it paddling mostly rivers in shield country. It’s a tank. My 3 kids, dog, partner and myself can comfortably fit in it with gear for a week trip. I built a removable seat that goes in just ahead of the yoke and two of the crew sit there with the third in front of the bow person or hanging with the dog on the packs, not too many years left travelling this way. We don’t set any speed records with this load, but it sure is fun having everyone together. I’ve had it in some super dicey situations, big rollers in open water, lots of whitewater and it handled it like a champ. I‘d take this boat anywhere. I also have an 18’ NC prospector, and the Mac gets the nod 90%of the time. It has pretty good speed and walks all over the big prospector on the flats. I hate to think of selling it, but when that time does come, a Clipper Tripper will be its replacement.
Clippers layups are pretty bulletproof, but heavier than comparable boats. On the other hand, their prices wipe the floor of most other companies and any I’ve seen, the quality is top notch. My Mac is an ultralite, 62lbs, so not so bad for a boat that takes the above load and its super tough. My solo tripper is a duraflex and it’s doing really well considering what it’s been through, it’s super tough x2!

 

[Skinny Moose]

Clippers are well designed, no-nonsense, quality boats. Our family canoe was a clipper tripper in FG that went everywhere with us. I "inherited" it when I moved out and kept it until I sold it many years later. Super fast, efficient boat that could still run down rivers up to class II with ease. I sold it to a coworker who still uses it regularly at the cabin with his family (35 year old boat). My folks have a clipper prospector 16 in Kevlar duraflex which has been abused on long hard river trips all over western Canada for 20 years. I've added a Clipper Sea Clipper (Kevlar) to my quiver recently as my family boat (two small kids and dog) and that boat is absolutely fantastic for big lake stability and load capacity. It paddles with similar speed and tracking to the Tripper but is more seaworthy and has larger capacity. We've had it on big reservoirs and large northern lakes here and it is a fantastic big-wave, big lake boat that inspires confidence.
As my main tandem I replaced the Clipper Tripper with a fancy Swift Dumoine with infused gunnels, etc, which is a lot prettier, etc. I do like the Swift but miss the simplicity and honesty of the Clipper and get upset at the creaking and flex in the Swift seats and gunnels. It will certainly not last as long as the Clipper has. The Dumoine met our tripping needs better and didn't have storage space for both of those at the time. As Rubbaboo said they are, by far, the most common canoe in western Canada, owned by outdoorsmen, families, folks who trip, etc. Fiberglass boats are at an attainable entry level for most and the kevlar layups are still affordable compared to other brands. I'd recommend it to anyone and have not paddled a model I do not like the performance of for it's intended use. FYI the bucket seats are amazing!

Mason, the WWII is actually a separate design from Jensen and is not the Sea Clipper. It is (or was) a fairly popular citizen racing boat here (as is the Tripper). If you go on their website they have both listed.

 

[Mason]

Mason, the WWII is actually a separate design from Jensen and is not the Sea Clipper. It is (or was) a fairly popular citizen racing boat here (as is the Tripper). If you go on their website they have both listed.

I have the WW3, not the WW2. I'm well familiar with the WW2.

 

[Rubbaboo]

The Sea Clipper sounds like it would be a great fit for the OP. I missed out on a used one a little while ago because I hummed and hawed a little too long about the price. Big mistake. There’s lots of good reviews and trip reports by paddlers using the Sea Clipper. A good one that comes to mind is the A Cross Canada Canoe Odyssey video. Lots of big water on that trip.

 

[Keeled Over]

Thank you for the replies everyone.

Between those and a bunch of searching I have ramped up my interest even more. I already have an email into Clipper.

No real dealers here in Western NY. I could go to Toronto, but he border is an issue. It looks like distribution for the US is handled out of St. Louis. I could make that drive if need be.

I recall a fishing guide I used saying something about duties/taxes etc not being applicable to boats brought to the states from Canada. He would make the trip for this reason. Any truth to this or am I remembering incorrectly?

 

[Rubbaboo]

I recall a fishing guide I used saying something about duties/taxes etc not being applicable to boats brought to the states from Canada. He would make the trip for this reason. Any truth to this or am I remembering incorrectly?

I don’t think the border would be an issue. Im not 100% sure of the particulars but the Free Trade agreement between our countries gets rid of the duties on products made in our countries, not sure how GST and PST works though. Between this and a favourable American exchange rate it’s a great bargain! Think of the possibilities after you picked up your boat from Toronto - you’d only be a short drive to some amazing canoe country with a brand new boat begging to be used!
I’d call Clipper and see if/when they have a truck delivering across the country, if you are in Michigan maybe they could meet you in the Sault and do a parking lot drop off?
I highly recommend the vinyl gunnel covers.

 

[Bothwell Voyageur]

Usually if you stay a couple of nights the duties (if applicable) and taxes are waived. Americans have a higher threshold for duty as well.

 

[pblanc]

Thank you for the replies everyone.

Between those and a bunch of searching I have ramped up my interest even more. I already have an email into Clipper.

No real dealers here in Western NY. I could go to Toronto, but he border is an issue. It looks like distribution for the US is handled out of St. Louis. I could make that drive if need be.

I recall a fishing guide I used saying something about duties/taxes etc not being applicable to boats brought to the states from Canada. He would make the trip for this reason. Any truth to this or am I remembering incorrectly?

It has been around 13 years ago now or thereabouts but I ordered a canoe built for me at the Clipper factory in Abbotsford British Columbia and made a day trip there from the Seattle area to tour the factory and pick up the canoe. The factory is very close to the border. The arrangement they had was that someone drove from the factory with me to Canadian Customs at the border. Yes, because of NAFTA there were no duties applicable upon bringing a new canoe into the US.

 

[yellowcanoe]

No duty but you will not get your PST/HST back
Got a Souris River in 2011 or so and brought it back
Depending on your state you nay have to pay State tax if you have to register

 

[Keeled Over]

Two messages in and no response.

It appears I am back to my original plan.

Thanks everyone.

 

[carpenter]

Don't despair - I am sure they are in full on production mode. Maker and business person roles sometimes do not come together at the same time. A phone call might work. I had good, thoughtful responses from them when I was looking into boats.
Still looking to put a Caribou S into the water one of these days.

 

[Bothwell Voyageur]

The dealer in Winnipeg is Heartland Archery. Maybe they would bring it across the border to Minnesota for you or there are several good shipping companies in Manitoba that would do it. They could drop it at one of the parcel pick up depots. A lot of folk in Manitoba buy large stuff from the USA so the parcel places are used to handling and storing big items.