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The used canoe market has been challenging since the pandemic, with decent boats selling in minutes. Sometimes it's just easier to bite the bullet and buy new just to avoid the aggravation. Although it's almost as aggravating to endure the price hikes that big manufacturers like Wenonah have...

Sage advice to be sure. I think the majority of us folks who part with the old classics do so because we cannot change the limitations of age and our inability to heft the old hulls anymore.

I paddled many boats that day at the WPSCA on Cooper Lake and took copious notes. Of the three you speak of (Ladybug, Firebird, Illusion), the Illusion was the most agile, but hardest to hold a line. There was a bit of breeze that day and certainly no current on Cooper Lake, but the Illusion...

You should reach out to Canoefred on this forum. I sold my Ladybug to him a few years ago and he recently sold it to get a Firebird for many of the same reasons you cite.

I paddled the Firebird and the Illusion briefly at the WPSCA a couple of years ago. I also had a Ladybug for a few years and I think the Firebird handled more like the Ladybug, although the Ladybug tracked a little better.

The issue is both: arthritis now in my lower back as well as knees, hands, etc. The sliding bucket seat is 6.5 inches off the floor, the GRB kneeling option is a kneeling thwart in place of the sliding bucket. While some folks are able to kneel in sliding buckets (such as Wenonah), I must...

GRB/Newman is well known in the racing circles, but he builds his rec boats to the same quality standards.

Grasse River Boatworks Rambler Solo Canoe, 13 feet long, 30 inch max width, 27 inch at the gunnels, 16/12/14. Full carbon layup, 24 pounds. 2021 build. Not a scratch on it. Arthritis now requires me to alternate between sitting and kneeling, so sadly the Rambler must ramble on. $1700...

My Trillium is the same way, pretty sure closed cell foam does not absorb water. From Northstar's site: Northstar arrived at our current flotation after research and development. We designed our end tanks to reduce weight, maximize space for paddlers and gear, and safely float a capsized...

I've used Boatlettering.com in the past for lettering with great success but trying to duplicate the Northstar logo would have been problematic. I always liked the old Northstar logo and name when they were both on the bow. Thought for sure the factory would have had a few in the back room.

Well you both may have given me the courage to remove the decals on my Trillium as well. White lettering on light colored layups like IXP and Starlight is unappealing to the eye. I reached out to Northstar a few months ago to inquire about black lettering and was told that white was all they...

So my bid of $330 won the auction, I'm only 50 minutes away. Seller responds with a request for $800. Typical of sellers with no history on e-bay! Cancelled!

Boy that reminds me of a Swift I once had; I always wondered if there was such a thing as a 'soft cure', it would dimple and crease, but not chip or spider-crack.

Nice find! My 1983 Bluegill had Dave's scuppered decks, which I really like. I swear his old hulls had the thickest, hardest gel-coat I've ever seen. In fact, I left some of it on the tops of some semi-submerged rocks on the west side of Hemlock lake.

That's a shame; I figured you'd have 5.5 inches of freeboard and 4.5 inches below the waterline, but you look a little deeper in the pics. There's definitely a fun factor in these little Wee's, my Hornbeck allows me access to places I would not have otherwise attempted to haul another boat.

One of my many issues with Wenonah, they won't publish load data. My 190 pounds sits my Hornbeck Classic 10 pretty deep in the water, so it's pretty much flat-water only. There is a little variation in the capacity data for the different 10 1/2 foot Wee's.

I have settled on the Grass River Boatworks Rambler for the 13 foot range (it's a bargain). Still searching for the perfect 15 footer, but would love to have Wenonah build me a Whisper in carbon, but the mold has been gathering dust for decades.

I think the Swift Cruisers are meant to 'look' fast without actually being so. At least that's the impression they left me with. Curious as to your extended experience with the Placids. I had both the Spitfire 13 and the Rapidfire, loved the look and build quality, but both exhibited an...

Erica, not an off-the-shelf solution, but for ultralight solos I start off with a Wenonah laminated tandem yoke, cut to fit, locate the holes and fab up clamps from wood (like Memaquay). The Wenonah yoke has a vertical contour and allows you to mount the pads at an angle to match your trapezius...

I had the 16 foot kevlar Canadienne, 1985, and thought it stable enough, but my wife disagreed. It was very sensitive to wind and about 6 pounds heavier than published weight. I only tried to solo it once, and it was quite a handful, but I am rather small in stature. If you are referring to...