The Wilderness does all of these nicely and has a nice glide on flatwater. I took the canoe to the BWCAW in late September. However it never really tracked well and the primary stability was poor. Wenonah uses five different blends of composite materials, varying in strength, weight and price. It's a great tripping boat and tracks even better when loaded. You can also source epoxy or gelcoat from marine suppliers, and there are many good articles explaining these fixes online. I had to work a bit harder to make her go straight, but I expected that. Taking waves broadside makes it feel a bit skittish. Carl Yost DY's son designs for Ted Bell. It just does not have the volume to bring gear for a weeklong trip. I did face a day-long gale on Middle Saranac Lake and I was OK into the wind. The prism is incredibly stable in all the conditions that I have paddled. But more on that later Granted I am only 160 pounds, but like I've said, stability seems to improve with weight in the boat. Due to its light weight I was very careful to tie in to a tree every night, something I never felt necessary with my Grumman canoe! They build their canoes exclusively with three-layer polyethylene, which explains the boats affordability and durability. I plan to sell her only because I have a fear of commitment (or so they say) and just want to try out a different design. Bigsilver could you take pictures of your two boats from the end at ground level? I know I can lean it and get it to turn better, but doing so with a 60# dog will probably end with one or both of us swimming. So I bought another one last season, in kevler/ultralite/wood. Wenonah Prism: 1: 16-6 . It tracks very well but with an outside lean will carve a nice although not very sharp curve. I actually find my tandem canoes much easier to portage than the prism. Seats, footbraces, and all hardware is then riveted into these plates. A layer of closed-cell foam in the centre gives the canoe stiffness and buoyancy. Initial stability is diminished and I can only describe secondary stability as being different. Innegra is a polypropylene-based fiber mixed with other materials like aramid or fiberglass to add strength without compromising weight. . Wenonah canoes are made with T-Formex plastic or composite woven materials. Or a Wilderness. These are solid canoes for recreational paddling, but much heavier than Wenonahs composites. I raised the back of the tractor seat about an inch to make it easier to kneel in, which helps the lower back. Composite canoes are finished with a gelcoat or a clearcoat to protect the resin and cloth. I recommend this boat for any intermediate paddler and above who wants to go solo! This gives a very secure connection and eliminates rivet heads on the exterior. If you want to turn on a dime or do whitewater forget the Prism. Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, The Great Canadian Kayak Challenge & Festival, Best Canoe Brands For Tripping, Whitewater, Fishing & More, Wenonah Canoe Review: Wee Lassie Solo Canoe, The Perfect DIY First Aid Kit For Paddlers. The Prism is our most popular composite solo canoe. Canoes are not used, unless stated otherwise. The sliding seat makes that quicker and easier than without. This Prism is a dream for me to portage. T-Formex or older Royalex canoes can withstand repeated impacts without much damage. Wenonah breaks down their canoe models by the activities theyre used for: General Touring, Performance Touring, Sports & Leisure, Downriver, Expedition, and Racing. Wenonahs Sports & Leisure canoes are the most stable of their models. Sign up. The Prism is more strongly Swede form but even my Merlin II did lousy with a dog 60 lbs and camping gear. A Spirit II 17-foot canoe in Tuf-Weave Flex Core weighs 58 pounds. While I've only actually flipped a couple or three times, I find that I've got very little leaning leeway, and have never gotten past the point of feeling like I have to be cautious. Stability, wind resistance, and tracking even seem to improve with the extra weight. ESCAPE PERFORMANCE 17`6 . Wenonah Minnesota 3: 3: 20-0 . These canoes are much lighter than polyethylene or aluminum canoes and can be built in nearly limitless designs. These canoes are longer and slimmer than canoes categorized under General Touring. This cuts down on the number of places where I feel I want to use my otherwise fun little canoe. Large roll top dry bag filled with water at the put-in is the best I've found so far. Carried a weeks worth of supplies no problemo. I bought a prism (Foam core Kevlar) after canoeing for years and looking for a solo for about a year. I do not like the tractor seats so I ordered the canoe with cane and wood seats and wood gunwales. For people who want both the freedom of a solo canoe and the companionability of a tandem, We-No-Nah designed the Solo Plus. Knowing which type of material the canoe is made from is important, as they wear differently. You should probably not take her in any real whitewater, and she is stable enough seated, so why would you ever want to kneel? I just picked up a Prism in Kevlar ultralight. If it wasn't for that I would rate the Prism a 10. Today, you'll find a variety of canoe designs available in different materials. Most beginner paddlers will find a model in this category that matches their paddling style. The Jensen was fast and I really liked it for that. pblanc February 5, 2013, 1:07am #4. We have an old tandem Wenonah ultralight Kevlar canoe which we use frequently, the ultralight Kevlar has lasted us two decades by taking care around rocks and gravel bars and storing it in the garage after use. I was looking for a Royalex solo and after reading the reviews and seeing what was still available out there, I picked the Wilderness. I've fished in it extensively. Since the seat is in the midpoint of the canoe, it is rather difficult to hold over your head unless you purchase the optional carrying yolk system. The gunwales are stronger; its better to rest the canoes weight on them. As I paddled into a 30 mile an hour wind on Lake Sakakawea with the waves building to over 3 feet, I realized just how well my Wenonah Prism (kevlar) was handling. Good boat otherwise, very stable and a joy to lug around and throw up on top of a car. Choose to sort the canoes and narrow your selections by type, size, or material. Wilderness 15' 4" Solo Plus 16' 6" Prism 16' 6" Compare All General Touring; Performance Touring. Maneuverability is decent for a boat this long - not exceptionally quick, but smooth and predictable, and much better than I expected after reading other reviews. More weight might help with the wind problem but I haven't tried that yet. Other than Factory Demo's, these are brand-new canoes. I think it's the perfect boat for an easy weeks worth of gear. I'm a late starter, having waited until my early 60's to buy the canoe that I'd put off for 30 years, so I use it all I can. But is best on the lake. Graphite transfers energy better than any of our other materials, which makes these the most crisp paddling canoes. We also add extra fabric layers to strengthen specific targeted areas. Ultra-light hulls are stiff and incredibly light. The solo canoe Wenonah Prism in ultralight Kevlar weighs just 34-lb. T-Formex is a stiff, durable material consisting of distinct layers. However, last week I found myself in big water with a 25MPH wind and two-foot waves (not recommended for any paddlecraft!) I like the tractor seat, and the only mods I've made is to improve the slide system with a rope, bungee, and a cam cleat. Great boat! I can tell you that I took some advice from every review below. The Prism is a great boat but it's limited to open water and larger rivers. Aramid, the fiber used for aerospace, body armor and bulletproof vests, is amazingly light and strong. Follow the "Live Social Media" Feed from I love the Wenonah company. I've had it out twice now, and am not disappointed! I have seen others comment how easy it is to portage. No. They have a combination of primary and secondary stability, so the canoeist will feel reasonably comfortable no matter if the hull is flat or on edge. I bird watch with binoculars and make videos while parked and have found that a 2lb round fishing weight makes a great anchor and takes up little space. She insisted on standing in the bow.. She went from side to side in the stern and I did not like that. $ 3,899.00 $ 2,799.00. Faster then any tandem boat i have paddled and will take a LOT of gear. They have deep, high-sided walls, adding volume to the canoe for a dry ride through rapids. All include a closed-cell, rigid foam core providing structure and buoyancy. For exclusively solo downriver paddling, the Argosy is a solo boat capable of running up to class III rapids with an experienced paddler at the helm. Interestingly, initial stability actually seems to improve when I've got gear in the boat. The Prism has a lake canoe design, tracks straight, but handles well on rivers and streams. You simply use a sweep stroke. At first I was somewhat nervous about this but the canoe handled the waves without any problems at all. I can handle that without a sweat. Lovely boat, fairly fast, good stability, performs well loaded. Sports and Leisure canoes would be called recreational canoes by other companies. These canoes are maneuverable, being all less than 17 feet long. The workmanship is not high-performance but very good for an industrial crafted boat, especially in big waves (Rhine River). You also can pay more to upgrade to a sleek black aluminum trim or a wooden trim. For more tips on what to look for when selecting a used canoe, read our article How To Buy A Used Canoe. Paddling for 8 or more hours a day still found me feeling ready to go every morning. It's only when you compare it to a 14' hull with rocker that you realize what you're giving up in maneuverability, but of course a 14' hull with rocker will generally not track as straight. Aramid, the fiber used for aerospace, body armor and bulletproof vests, is amazingly light and strong. I was with two other tandem canoes and was able to keep pace with them reasonably well. center height with a good amount of tumble home makes for comfortable paddling. If you're on the fence about buying one, buy it. If you're looking for a smooth ride this is it. A 17-foot Spirit II canoe made with T-Formex weighs 78 pounds. I bought one earlier this year in Royalex, 47lbs. For most general canoeing needs, theres a Wenonah canoe to match. Enter the Wenonah Prism. All the gear for 2 weeks in this boat? The justification for this is that a number cannot adequately account for the weight distribution or conditions the canoe will be paddling in. Racing canoes are highly specialized boats. This baby moves. So often, reviews are just written by groupies of a particular brand that will only view a product through rose colored glasses. The foot braces work excellent, they're very well designed, just replace the wing nuts they give you with self locking nuts or they will come loose and fall off, possibly while on your roof going down the highway which is not good. and found the boat to be extremely steady and seaworthy. Find our answers to common questions about Wenonah canoes below. I noted other reviewers concern for the wind. In general I don't think the We-no-nah canoes are quite as well finished as the Bell canoes but they are satisfactory. Wenonah 's tripping models quickly became popular in the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, beginning with Circhanowski's original designthe Wenonah 17. My favorite mode of travel is with a clamp-on rowing rig on big open water - about half the effort of paddling and easily keeping up with fast tandems. You can't drop into a kneel quickly, but once you are down, you have a very solid paddling position. The boat handle pretty well. I found the boat to track fairly well. and it's handled the wakes of most of the boats that pass very well (gotta watch the massive wakes thrown by the car ferries though!) It's stable enough to fish out of. In this process I change between straight shaft and bent shaft paddles. Any prominent creases might indicate that the canoe was wrapped or suffered a more significant impact. I'm sure a Prism would work too. It's not a work horse, so do not expect to pile it over the gunwales with gear, but I can take about 100 to 125 lbs of gear and not adversely affect the handling. I went shopping for a solo canoe suitable for BWCAW tripping and after looking for a couple of years settled on the Prism in ultralight kevlar. and it has not failed me in any way. The following Wenonah canoes have received the highest star ratings by reviewers in our Paddling Buyers Guide. As for speed, my Etrex indicates that it does about 3 mph. Tuf-weave canoes offer improved impact resistance and are a great compromise between light weight, performance, and price. Blending efficiency . It's greatest charm is it's versatility paddles well empty or loaded, great flatwater tripper, OK in mild whitewater and very fast! This boat was fast, larger, but still lacked the boat ability for fishing and big water. Any canoe will seem tippy to a novice, but anyone even remotely familiar with performance canoes will appreciate the stability of the Prism. Aramid is one of the most commonly used ultralight composites. The footbrace is solid, and, when combined with the bucket seat, keeps you from shifting around so that you get get maximum efficiency out of each stroke. I am very impressed with the boat and excited to get her on bigger water after paddling her on the St. Croix River today in 2-3 ft pleasure craft swells. These canoes have flat keel lines, with almost no rocker, and extremely pointed entry lines for speed and efficiency. Come up and try them out, or our kayaks and paddle boards, for $20/ 4 hours (Poplar Lake only). It is a trickier affair than getting in or out of my wider canoes. Especially if you use a kayak paddle you can scoot right along in a straight line without having to make any corrections. Also, I often have a 60lb dog with me. Read reviews for the Wilderness by Wenonah Canoe, Inc. as submitted by your fellow paddlers. Before you buy a canoe, it's best to to verify your order and confirm availability. Read reviews for the Prism by Wenonah Canoe, Inc. as submitted by your fellow paddlers. I am a large person at 240# and an experienced canoeist. Wenonah Canoe Canak 16' Canak (Retired) With a hull shape similar to that of our most popular solo canoe the Prism, the Wenonah Canak is great for solo lake camping when the capacity and portability of a canoe is needed, and the touring ability of a kayak is desired. Inspiring paddlesports participation through quality coverage of the people, places, adventures, boats and gear, trends and events that make paddling something you'll do for the rest of your life. Both techniques have their place. 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