We also add extra fabric layers to strengthen specific targeted areas. I sold it after that trip and picked up a used kevlar version of the same model. I'd trade weight for a stiffer hull. I've canoed quite a bit with my father as a kid and now decided to make a purchase on a quality canoe so I can share it with my wife and kids. We now bought our 2nd We-no-nah canoe. Why? i love my spirit 2. it prob weighs about 70+ pounds with all the gear i bungee to it while portaging. Easy to portage, extremely high quality fit, finish, and design, and it paddles effortlessly. The Spirit II's initial stability with two large paddlers in it and no other gear is reliable, then you can feel secondary kick in and firm up a bit, but you can go past secondary very quickly and roll the boat. Hull Material Royalex Length 17' Weight 65 lbs Gunwale Width 35" Capacity Excellent Stability Excellent Manueverability Excellent Speed Average. If you continue using this website, you agree to our privacy and legal agreement. She is, perhaps, spoiled in that respect. I was also impressed with the ease with which the Spirit II rolled over rocks on which I typically would have at least paused. Unfortunately flat bottom designs aren't as much fun to paddle, especially if you want to get from point A to B and enjoy the experience. Today, we look at the 2010 designs of the iconic canoe company, Wenonah. Its an extension of our bodies and fast enough to outrun small sailboats, yet after years of practice with specialized strokes, we can maneuver just fine in the thickets. It wasn't a big deal on the trip I took it on because there were 4 of us and I could just carry the canoe and a lighter pack for each portage, but if it was just my wife and me it would have gotten kind of tough. Review: The Spirit II is beautiful, ultralight canoe for lake country explorations. After all this drama it turns out that our T-Formex Spirit II looks andperforms just like a Royalex one. This is a good all around canoe with good secondary stability, maneuverability, load carrying capability and pretty good speed. You have entered an incorrect email address! but I would be hard pressed to believe there is better. Since we both grew up with "camp canoes" we didn't know a canoe could behave so amazingly well in the water. Flex 55 lbs Kev. Good paddling in any weather and water condition up to class II whitewater.. With probably 70 pounds of gear and neither of us are teeny people, the canoe handled superbly. I have owned my Wenonah royalex Argosy for several years now. I've been paddling this canoe for about five years. In addition to the Spirit II they will build the Aurora, Adirondack, Prospector 16, Prospector 15, Wilderness and Blackwater. After 2 years with my Spirit 2 (RX) I would have to say I agree with choire_dog. As for tracking, it lacks real tracking by my wifes standards. I recommend it without reservation. Probably all in my head, but I'm glad I have the 58 pound boat and skipped the heavier ones. In an unbiased statement, it tracks and maneuvers better than many canoes Ive been in, and this includes some high rated big name canoes. Old Town NEXT Canoe/Kayak Hybrid 13' with paddle and extras. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Dec 5, 2019 2:51 AM EST. Ultra-light hulls are stiff and incredibly light. In whitewater and rapids it just does exactly what you expect and what you want. The canoe handled it great. Great for day trips and good for extended trips. My second Wenonah canoe. Aluminum and royalex canoes are nice to fish out of but are on the heavier side. Their initial stability is almost as good as a flat bottom, but they retain a good secondary stability. Credit the maneuverable hull shape and Goldilocks lengthat 17 feet, its small enough for quick trips yet large and deep enough to carry a weeks gear. It's big enough for . The Spirit II . Seaworthy and predictable in wind and waves. GREAT CANOE!!! Wenonah Spirit II #3 in Touring Canoes vote up. Initially introduced in fiberglass and Kevlar, by the 1990s the Spirit II was being produced in Royalex. I am very happy with it. After experiencing various hull shapes, Ill probably never be happy with anything but an arced bottom. I found the wind moves it around a bit but that is a small thing. Seats, footbraces, and all hardware is then riveted into these plates. It paddles well and tracks well too. It feels solid, rigid, and responsive, and manages to combine great tracking with maneuverability. Maybe that's why we sell more Spirit II's than any other model. First understand Im used to our Racer, so these issues may not be issues for most canoeists. The oil canning is quite bothersome. We-No- Na company very nice to deal with. You mentioned not wanting to upgrade to a lighter boat after just one trip, and that's a great point. Adirondack 16' 0" Escapade 16' 6" . Does well with kids. CANOE RATINGS. We have rocky streams in pennsylvania and Quite stable and maneuverable when loaded. i'm still paying my dues bannock for not being able to afford kevlar. An excellent boat that will do many things very well. Outfitting . Their Spirit IIs weigh in at 57#s. That was a mistake. Paddled approximately two weeks per year on the Mississippi, St. Croix, and other MN/WI rivers and lakes. Happy canoeing. I was able to get back what I had into the original Northwoods, so I wasn't bothered by doing this, but if I would have sold it at a loss it would have bugged me a bit. if i were a scientist, i would invent; what is yemen doing to stop water scarcity I would like to travel with this canoe for camping trips, and maybe eventually the boundary waters. Vacuum bagging provides for a consistent finish throughout. Lately I have gotten an Epic surf ski (v10s) as well and love it very much. I like our Spirit II so well that we bought a second one for our son. The Spirit II paddles beautifully. It does tend to catch and be turned by crosswinds, but all keel-less canoes do that. if you do go through with the purchase, i'd suggest getting some extra thick portage pads a must for the longer portages. I'm impressed with the stability of the canoe so far. Loaded, you can tap dance on the end caps. And last but not least, its very quiet on the water. The Spirit II glided efficiently through the Main Branch Susquehanna's flatwater, and took the few ledges with aplomb. There are lots of specialized canoes available that will do different tasks better than the Spirit II (straight line speed, load carrying, turnability) but none will do them all as well as this boat. Aurora Description. The boat is beautiful. Let me start with a little background. This is our first canoe and we just love it. What would I change? Reviewed by second gear +2,396 . Gunwale Width . Copyright 2023 VerticalScope Inc. All rights reserved. They look nice with the yellowish Kevlar, and are available for another $100. currently, i have the regular cvca clamp on yoke pads but i'm gonna buy the extra thick pads, if they still make them. We found it in the California Canoe and Kayak shop in Sacramento while returning from a canoe trip near Lake Tahoe. And my Royalex boat did come with nice looking wooden thwarts and a portage yoke. Tuf-weave canoes offer improved impact resistance and are a great compromise between light weight, performance, and price. Sign up. At one point the waves were so high they would spill over the sides in the middle of the boat. Wenonah's Spirit II, a sleek all-purpose canoe made for multi-day trips, is available in several configurations. These canoes are much lighter than polyethylene or aluminum canoes and can be built in nearly limitless designs. we are 4, my 2 kids are 6 and 9 and weigh 65-75 lbs each my wife is a slender sub 100lbs. Like a Swiss Army Knife, the Spirit II does everything. Paddled from the kneeling thwart is the way to go in windy conditions. I ended up giving it to a Umatilla guy and, last I heard, he's using it to run his nets. Most Spirit IIs are built for lake country, and no one I know ever said, My canoes too light, can you add ten pounds or so?. As I put some more miles on it I'll see if there is anything I don't like about it, but for now I'm really happy with this canoe. the canoe is a tuf-weave x rib design. I am very well pleased with this boat. I add a 20 pound anchor up front (behind the rear seat) to trim and add some ballast and that improves things a bit, and using a long kayak paddle keeps you moving along briskly. Wenonah builds the inside of the gunwale right into the hull while it is still in the mold. It slices through waves (which is a good thing normally), but without a cover, deep waves can roll right in over the gunwales. Ive even done some wake jumping when the powerboats got too thick. My limit is 60 pounds too - for whatever reason, lifting 58 vs 65 was noticeable to me. The kevlar layup is light and tough. The Spirit, though, is the same canoe no matter how it's loaded. 3 big adults? I have one of the first dozen Royalex Spirit IIs, and it's proven to be a wonderful boat. Weave Flex Core 58 lbs Kev. Adding gear to the bottom lowers center of gravity and of course the boat gets more secure on secondary. class two adults and kids a 2 and 4 year old I was only worried about tipping a few time but never did. Speed is not its strong point. didn't want to go less than 17' and the Royalex version of the I wanted a high quality all around canoe that did not weigh more than 55#. You will have to WORK I wonder why I waited so long. Current Matches Filter Results (72) Filter by Category: Buy & Sell (69) Cars . Become a member of the bwca.com community to subscribe to thread and get email updates when new posts are added. First off, it is everything the Wenonah website says it is -- a very versatile, all around usable design. Ive been very pleased with the Nova Craft makes one in poly that is a great deal if you can handle the weight, Royalex, or royalex/lite if you want a lighter one. Plus countless outings around home. It accelerates to speed with just a few strokes and will maintain a cruising speed with moderate effort. As for running waves. Finally, if you do buy one, add Wenonah's bent-shaft Brio paddle to the order. T-Formex canoes are incredibly tough and very affordable. As efficient as a long-hulled canoe and as maneuverable as a short one, the Spirit II strikes a balance between all good things. width: 34 1/2" The bow seat is on a slider with a quick release clamp so you can easily adjust your trim while underway, should the wind change. the only time we wished we had a Kevlar canoe was the tough portage around the Williamsport dam. Its soft chine causes the Spirit to feel a bit more "tippy" than its predecessor (we feel it more when the dog switches sides), but ultimately it is extremely stable. Mom, Dad, boys (6 & 12)and minimal gear. The Spirit II paddles beautifully. It is great for the Susquehanna river - very stable, even when turning around for gear and fishing. I have the older model Tuf-weave and the weight is about 63lbs. After much research, I bought a Wenonah spirit 2 in tuff weave, kevlar ends and bucket seat. Prism 16' 6" More Details. I find the Spirit II to be ideal for my purposes. In 1983 the Spirit II was born. This is the one that my kids and I used to crab in Winchester Bay and fish on the Chetco River and lower Columbia. It would be so easy for the factory to do this and probably wouldn't add $20 to the cost of the canoe. Usual trade offs. 4 X 150 = 600 pounds. We are planning a 220 mile trip down the West Branch of the Susquehanna from The RX is holding up very well though. 17' Royalex Wenonah Spirit II canoe: A great stable canoe with plenty of room for the family. And they dont concentrate bottom damage along the keel line like V hulls and those with keels. Wenonah designed it to be pretty good at everything. I bought one last year and it is about the same as my Sundowner tuf-weave. Kevlar Ultralite Weight: 42 lbs; Gunwale Width . Text. Because the canoe has no pigmented gelcoat, you can see every layer in the construction by holding it up to the light. Minnesota IV 23' More Details. 17 Wenonah 17' 0" Spirit II 17' 0" Champlain 18' 0" Seneca 19' 4" Compare All General Touring; Performance Touring. Tuf-weave Flex-core canoe shown with Standard Options, may not be . Seneca 19' 4" More Details. As I read all of the reviews, we figured that for $300 it was a good decision as an entry level decision. We paddled down to the meeting of the West and Noth Branches of the Susquehanna after tough portages around dams at Lock Haven and Williamsport. . bcg scar hurts years later; sydney sweeney black lives matter; used wenonah spirit ii for sale; used wenonah spirit ii for sale. Along the keel line like V hulls and those with keels says it is great for trips... For gear and fishing cost of the same canoe no matter how it 's loaded like! Exactly what you expect and what you expect and what you want though, the! Design, and took the few ledges with aplomb 'm still paying my bannock. 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