Ultra-light hulls are stiff and incredibly light. Estimated capacity: 580 lbs. I have one of the first dozen Royalex Spirit IIs, so I've had plenty of time to gather my thoughts on the boat. It was a major blow to the canoeing community and kicked off a canoe material soap opera. 54lbs. For small rivers and streams this solo is hard to beat. Solo Plus 16' 6" More Details. Flex Core 54 lbs Kev. Not a white-water boat, but can do streams, rivers very well. My second Wenonah canoe. And last but not least, its very quiet on the water. It was a Spirit II which was just under 50 # and a delight to canoe and transport on my little wagon. I finally got my Spirit II in royalex out on the Buffalo river in NW Arkansas this weekend for a 10-mile float after some heavy rains. Seneca 19' 4" More Details. We've owned our Royalex Spirit II for about one year now. Paddles a little better with some weight in it. Good fishing platform as well. Needless to say, at just under $3,000. Great for day trips and good for extended trips. Stay tuned next week for more sacred . Its carefully contoured hull paddles easily and performs reliably in wind and waves. 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?. Still, I have to say, it can back up all of its claims. It has aluminum instead of vinyl gunnels and only one thwart to shave off some weight. Adirondack 16' 0" Escapade 16' 6" . I dont have a problem loading the spirit II by myself onto the truck. - Longer trip? After two years of building the Spirit in fiberglass and Kevlar, Wenonah found the process of removing it from the mould was too cumbersome and made a modification to the nose. Empty, its still stable enough for casual paddling. With three Tuf-weave canoes offer improved impact resistance and are a great compromise between light weight, performance, and price. In five days it seemed to have the full spectrum tossed at it from big swirling waves on Snowbank Lake with no oilcanning that I noticed. Though Royalex will scratch, it will slide over rocks I am very happy with it. It paddles and handles very well. Bill and Gail O'Neal paddling in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Northern Minnesota. Now for the down side. After moving to Alaska three years ago. The Spirit II tracks beautifully, and manages to be steady and stablewithout being sluggish. I bought a used kevlar Spirit II about two years ago. The Wenonah Spirit II is a sleek all-purpose canoe that can travel for multiple days. It oilcans a bit in chop, but that's an acceptable price to pay for the Become a member of the bwca.com community to subscribe to thread and get email updates when new posts are added. the only time we wished we had a Kevlar canoe was the tough portage around the Williamsport dam. Last Visit: 03/23/2023 09:26AM Sort by. An excellent boat that will do many things very well. The Wenonah Spirit II, a sleek all-purpose canoe, can be used on a daily basis. I have a Kevlar hull with red gel coat and wood trim. And I owned both composite and royalex Wenonah Adirondacks and they behaved differently . The reason is simple: If it performs, dont mess with it. We now bought our 2nd We-no-nah canoe. [ Read more: Esquif Canoes T-Formex Is Real ]. It's stable and efficient and can handle a wide range of boating conditions. It is a dream come true for those who canoe lakes and moderate rivers and who need light weight, 42#. Rolyex has a lot less drag than HDPE (including PolyLink3), but cant compare with the polished finish you can adorn composites with. But, after they got in they went out and fully loaded tried to find something that would challenge them and didn't get a drop. 17.4 X 3.5 = 60.9 / 15 = 4. I love it for camping trips on moving water. I am 6' 215lbs and have been kayaking for the last 9 years. I've gone as far as 850 pounds and the canoe was a little slower, but behaved the same. Luckily, I remember Ely, Minnesota, Paragis had a good supply and would transport them at a reasonable fee. . We do lots of portage and lake tripping, the canoe is great fit for all our needs. The Roylex holds up well. After 2 years with my Spirit 2 (RX) I would have to say I agree with choire_dog. While we felt pretty special paddling our pre-production model of the Spirit II in T-Formex, we know well be seeing many more of them shortly. Basically I'm happy enough with it for what I use it for, but wouldn't buy one again. It's big enough for . I'd trade weight for a stiffer hull. The rail seat allowed the canoe to be trimmed easily. plenty of room for extra gear. Sure, its not as fast as the Wenonah Escape (176) or the Minnesota II (186), but it feels snappy and accelerates easily, even with a weeks supply of equipage. I guess you could consider this a long term review of the Spirit II from Wenonah. We purchased a Mitchell paddle for my son. Wenonah 17 . Very light yet strong, holds a ton of gear and a breeze to paddle. Wenonah's most versatile, all-around canoe, the Spirit II finds that balance between tracking across lakes and maneuvering through whitewater. We had at least 12 inches of freeboard and were drawing about 5 inches (not bad considering how much weight we had on board!). Great for the beginners and more experienced paddlers alike. Bow chair is adjustable for balance. I've Handles well solo from bow seat. Family verdict is that the seats are not very comfortable though, plan on buying some Cripple Creek seat backs. Because the local shop had a 15% sale, we upgraded to the Tuf-weave and longer boat. Weight: 64 pounds. So if you are looking for an incredible canoe, with attributes listed above, get a Spirit II, or another Ultralight of suitable size. Even in whitewater chop, the boat was so stable. First, it doesn't feel like a Royalex boat. One that would go and do the few things the Venom Racer wasnt capable of. CANOE RATINGS. It is definitely a two-person canoe because of its size and seat configuration (tractor type). Wenonah Canoe is the worlds largest maker of canoes using Aramid. It performs good/great in all types of paddling. As efficient as a long-hulled canoe and as maneuverable as a short one, the Spirit II strikes a balance between all good things. We-No-Nah Spirit II in flexcore layup (fiberglass reinforced hand laid). I have owned a fiberglass layup Spirit II since 2001. So if you want a boat that is efficient, can hold a lot of gear, is fun to paddle and maneuver with or without a load, but still has reasonable stability for fishing when empty as long as you don't need to stand up, the Spirit II is definitely worth considering. Thought I would check out a Bell Yellowstone Tandem. After decades in ocean kayaks, I added a canoe to the fleet. 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. I recently epoxy coated the thwarts and yoke as the original sealant was wearing. The store person said they've had it for about a month, and that the jury is still out. All include a closed-cell, rigid foam core providing structure and buoyancy. . called and ordered the front rack for the truck -- it can't come too soon! A very competent lake and river boat up to Class II. My girlfriend and my sister took on a very stiff northwest wind on Bailey Bay of Basswood lake comming off the Burke Lake portage heading for Prairie Portage. Maybe that's why we sell more Spirit II's than any other model. I find the Spirit II to be ideal for my purposes. Over 10,000 Spirit IIs have been built since 1988. This is my tenth canoe so I can compare it with plenty of others. Posted by . Thank you Wenonah for your Ultralight Spirit II. currently, i have the regular cvca clamp on yoke pads but i'm gonna buy the extra thick pads, if they still make them. Weight Capacity: 915 pounds. The Spirit is also a great solo as long as your not in a hurry. Minnesota II 18' 6" More Details. The local dealer has a Sundowner 17, Aurora, and a Spirit II all in roylax, all about the same price. The canoe holds a tremendous amount of gear and is stable. The Penobscot 15' is an Old Town Royalex solo canoe that can hold up to 625 pounds with a weight of only 49 pounds. I've just finished a 130 kilometer paddling trip three days ago, spent a week on flat water, around one of the biggest islands in Finland. Mine came from a bwca Outfitters. When it's loaded with gear or kids, it's fine, but when unloaded it has no rocker at all. Kayaking the Mouth of the Columbia River's Tidal Influences, When Cities Meet The Water: Americas Top Urban Paddling Destinations, Paddling At Night - Tips and Safety Recommendations. The RX is holding up very well though. It just isn't the same canoe beyond the 6 inch waterline. I have a Spirit II Tuf-weave (64 pounds) Its a bit heavy but I like the boat and Its not so heavy that I feel the need to replace it any time too soon. It has taken a few significant hits and though we have dents to show for them, the canoe was never compromised. Have owned this canoe for two years and love it. i'm still paying my dues bannock for not being able to afford kevlar. If the seats are mounted low enough We put in near Shawville, PA, after loading up with about 175 pounds of gear. We-no-nah Spirit II in Royalex. It has minimal rocker, and tracks wonderfully and has a nice glide. and be less prone to catastrophic (i.e. While it is not light at around 75 pounds (we installed a third seat and some other customizations), it is lighter than my old aluminum battleship and I was able to portage it without difficulty. It's capable on rapids, and open water, too. My fishing buddy had a different model We-no-nah canoe, and he likes the Spirit II better. The Spirit II bridged the gap between whitewater tripping boats andthe abundance of 32 to 33-inch waterline canoes deemed too tippy by toomany consumers. Learn more, We use cookies to enhance your experience, for analytics, and to support 3rd party content and advertising providers. Privacy Policy. The canoe is just barely light enough for me to load it on the top of my full-sized truck by myself. I have the Tufweave X-Rib model. We sport a family of 6. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. After 30 years of paddling I decided I was too old to continue lifting heavy boats on to a roof rack. performed great fully loaded.This boat is fast,tracks well and maneuvers well enough to catch eddies even fully loaded.the best tandem river canoe ever.This is the boat of choice. I am pretty tough on my boats and this one has come through just fine. This canoe does everything and that's exactly what I need. A Wenonah Spirit II Roylex with a center portage thwart. My limit is 60 pounds too - for whatever reason, lifting 58 vs 65 was noticeable to me. Easy to portage, extremely high quality fit, finish, and design, and it paddles effortlessly. This includes an incredible 60 mile+ trip and portage in the back country waters of British Columbia. I love my Spirit II - Tufweave 17' 67 Lbs, its paddle well, handles well on flat water and the class 1 rivers near by. My only experience being in alum. On our last camping trip to lake Sonoma CA, led the 4 of us paddled it (with an old Town detachable plastic mid-seat) to the boat only campgrounds 3 miles from the launch in an Hour, fending of some serious mid-afternoon winds. The handling with my 3 small kids and my inexperienced wife is better than expected. Lately I have gotten an Epic surf ski (v10s) as well and love it very much. I took the seats out of this boat and moved the center thwart, I then installed a center seat to make it a solo. Mine is a royalex model and has proved to be very durable while not overly heavy. It was a great boat, but at over 70lbs was a little heavier than I like. In other words, you feel it firm up about 3" or 4" from the inboard gunwale, but lean just a little more to 2" and secondary disappears instantly then you're in the water. weight: 57 lbs. paddle. Anything thoughts, I had wanted something under 60lbs. However, I will probably install some Kevlar stem guards since speed isnt an issue. We have rocky streams in pennsylvania and My wife and I have been married over 18 years, and I introduced her to serious paddling when we were still dating (if you want to see if a relationship will last, go paddling ;-). Once cresting a wave side-to in a heavy wake, a 20 to 30 mph cross wind gust lifted the entire canoe out of the water (weve never flown a canoe before). I have owned my Wenonah royalex Argosy for several years now. ; wenonah.com. I think that the Spirit II is the best tandem canoe made. No need to say I could not find what I was looking for. Spirit II 17' More Details. For a 17' canoe in RX it is light, but this must be due to the royalex being so thin. and our Width: 38 inches. . [ Paddling Buyers Guide: See all Lakewater & Touring Canoes ]. Bay area. tripping capabilities after that trip, but I am expecting to be just as pleased Still paddles great and is as tough as the day we bought it. Other than that, a very able and satisfactory boat for family touring. With a centre seat in the balance point for quick and efficient high-volume solo tripping, and with tandem canoe seats for trips . We found it in the California Canoe and Kayak shop in Sacramento while returning from a canoe trip near Lake Tahoe. Mar 5, 2018. I sold it after that trip and picked up a used kevlar version of the same model. Just locally, not in the BWCA. Weight 42-69 pounds (18.9-31.05 kg), depending on materials: $4695.00 - $4795.00 CAD. We got the Spirit II in Tuf-weave Flexcore. My wife and I only recently purchased the Spirit II, Tuf-weave with all-wood trim and web seats. Aluminum plates are strategically laminated into the hull. You must earn your speed with a discounted cadence. On the Spirit II, I just shove off and jump in. If you only have space or the budget for one canoe, then this is your boat. This seems to be a good height for me. Review: The Spirit II is beautiful, ultralight canoe for lake country explorations. I would really like to own the fast Minnesota 2 but I think that when the kids grow up a bit I might just move to the Champlain or Itasca. I give it a rating of 15 out of 10, and recommend it for experienced paddlers only. The canoe they dreamed up was 17-feet-long, had a 34-inch waterline, a 36-inch maximum beam, one-and-a-half to two inches of rocker and clean entry and exit lines. The Penobscot features Old Town's unique adjustable center seat/carry system. Wenonah Canoe is currently in the pre-production phase of their Spirit II in T-Formex, and has plans to produce seven models in Esquif's long-awaited Royalex replacement in 2017. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. The Wilderness is lighter than any kayak of . I've matched it with a classic composite Old Town Canadien, and the Spirit II was faster and less twitchy, but turned just as well. Compared to my Jensen 18 this boat has more initial stability, a bit more readable secondary stability and quite frankly glides and paddles very nearly as efficiently -- that latter point was a huge surprise to me. Although the boat was quite scraped up it survived with a few ugly scrapes in the gel coat and a snapped rail which was easily repaired. Most of mine were in that weight range. I also like to be able to paddle solo, so I removed the thwart behind the front seat and added a rear-facing solo seat. I may just keep looking. Penobscot. I find it very easy to paddle(I do all of the paddling, my wife just comes along for the ride)and maneuver. The 50-year-old canoe company has plans to produce seven of its models in T-Formex in 2017. , and he likes the Spirit is also a great compromise between light weight, 42.., I just shove off and jump in on materials: $ 4695.00 - $ CAD. In Northern Minnesota and advertising providers company has plans to produce seven its... We put in near Shawville, PA, after loading up with about pounds! Lakewater & Touring canoes ] we sell More Spirit II from Wenonah empty, its very on. Waters canoe Area Wilderness in Northern Minnesota a fiberglass layup Spirit II, a very competent lake and boat... Than that, a sleek all-purpose canoe, then this is my tenth canoe so I can it. Have space or the budget for one canoe, and it paddles effortlessly the tough portage the... 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