Fair value of Spirit II TAKE 3

[FuzzyBadger]

Ok, I am going to attempt this one last time. Please bear with me.

I am looking at a 1998, 18 ft, Spirit II, Tuf-Weave, cross ribbed, aluminum gunwales and fixed seats with webbing.

It looks to be in good condition with minor scratches on the bottom of the hull and a couple of chips in the gel coat of the bow stem.

Asking price is 1,000 dollars, which seems a bit high to me for a 20 year old boat. Am I wrong?

Also, how is the initial stability? Would it be comfortable as a family tripper on ADK lakes? Family consists of me, wife and two grandchildren, ages 2 and 5.

Thanks
Fuzz

 

[yellowcanoe]

It should be fine. Its up to you if you want to dicker more.. What is fair market value is in the eye of the buyer though sellers are often a little optimistic. The price does not seem out of line
But the only Spirit II 's I have seen are seventeen feet.
They get good reviews for being stable even with a light load. When you get longer than 17 feet canoes tend to get a little squirrely when merely loaded with paddlers.

 

[pblanc]

Price seems a bit high too me but it really depends on what alternatives exist in your area. There are quite a few canoes in New York, so you might look around a bit.

I would not worry about age. The value really depends on condition. I have seen a lot of canoes that are six months old that are worth less than the same model 20 years older.

Wenonah's proprietary Tuf-Weave layup is very strong, possibly stronger than the Kevlar models of the same hull. The only disadvantage relative to Kevlar is the added weight. The Spirit II in Tuf-Weave with cross rib construction will weight about 69 lbs.

The Spirit II is an excellent all-around hull. My wife and I rented one in Old Forge for a multi-day trip in the Adirondacks years ago and it performed very well. It is stable, commodious, and reasonably efficient to paddle.

Only thing is, every Spirit II I have ever seen was 17' long, not 18'. Are you sure this boat is 18'? And if it is, are you sure it is not an 18' Sundowner? Because that would be a quite different hull.

 

[FuzzyBadger]

The owner said it's 18' and the name plate says Spirit II.
I offered him $800 and he accepted.
I will call Wenonah in the morning to check on the length and weight.

 

[yellowcanoe]

The owner said it's 18' and the name plate says Spirit II.
I offered him $800 and he accepted.
I will call Wenonah in the morning to check on the length and weight.

Good job. I bet he measured along the gunwales. Take a tape measure and measure down the center of the boat

 

[memaquay]

Yup, should be 17 feet. Like everyone else has said, a good all around tripping boat, very stable, in part due to the extremely low seat installation. If you're like me, and don't like bending much, that rear seat might be a tad uncomfortable. Be prepared to change up your regular paddles for short ones too. For a 17 foot canoe, I don't find it has an abundance of room.

 

[Iskweo]

Roger what Mem said. We borrowed his and it was really stable, even in some waves that I was not happy with. They dont turn particularly well but are fast. As he mentioned, I did not find it excessively rooomy. It was kevlar though and a joy to carry. Your mileage may vary on that part. You cannot go wrong with that boat for that price.

 

[Odyssey]

Congrats on the new boat Fuzz. I just checked the reviews and it looks perfect for you and yours for ADK lake tripping.

 

[Boreal Boy]

I have the same boat and lay up. it has to be a 17'. its a great hull design, you will be happy. 800 sounds fair if its in good condition.

 

[pblanc]

It has been years since I paddled a Spirit II but when we rented one and loaded it up with a week's worth of gear, my impression was that its carrying capacity was very similar to that of our Mad River Kevlar Explorer, despite the fact that the Explorer was over a half foot shorter and slightly narrower at center. We were pretty much carrying the same packs and gear we had used for trips in Quetico and the BWCAW using the Explorer.

But the composite Explorer usually came with only one center thwart/yoke and the Spirit II comes stock with three thwarts which somewhat limits loading and unloading and maximum pack or barrel circumference size.

I do recall thinking that the Spirit II was a bit more efficient than my Mad River Explorer, however.