I will just deal with the solo branch.
I got a Swift Heron from Collinsville Canoe and Kayak (the store did not have a K in it then!) in 1993. I wanted to be free from the tyranny of the stern paddler. Of course I didn't know exactly how to paddle it but I figured it out and also..shudder..took lessons.
My husband altered it in 1997 as he was paddling it on the Willimantic River. He bent the thing by bending the gunwales (aluminum) in a strainer. I was paddling a FlashFire that I got in 1996 when I was introduced to Free Style. He (NOT we) had to replace all the rails, which he did with cherry stock..(thank you for Tom MacKenzie). The Heron boat also acquired some weight in glass and epoxy from repairs from the folds.
Now I had a rather heavy kevlar/glass/gel coat boat. I found a Merlin II at 31 lbs from Country Canoeist in Dunbarton NH in 2001 as they were folding shop and I bought it. By 2005 I had bent that one and being a foam core boat it was not going to be the same. Again bent to heck alu rails. CEW made it whole again but couldn't make it purty.
In search of a non foamed core boat with wood rails that was at least somewhat related to the original Curtis Solo Tripper I bought from an ill paddling friend his Peregrine in the Premium layup. I think it was 2006.
In 2010 I tripped across a Curtis Nomad for peanuts mint. Who could resist? Well its a bit heavy.. I could be persuaded to order a nice Colden Nomad, if someone would give me the money.
Somewhere someone left me an Argosy.. but also something made me order a Colden DragonFly.. (same as the Curtis).
I keep buying relatives of boats rather than something totally new. So I am totally indifferent to Wenonahs.
Here is a bit of canoe history from the bowels of New York. Canoeists ought to know that New York is the epicenter of the modern canoe and the modern canoe builder. ( i expect Midwest feedback!) The compilation by Greg Spencer of the UK is quite interesting.
http://singleblade.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=141
I got a Swift Heron from Collinsville Canoe and Kayak (the store did not have a K in it then!) in 1993. I wanted to be free from the tyranny of the stern paddler. Of course I didn't know exactly how to paddle it but I figured it out and also..shudder..took lessons.
My husband altered it in 1997 as he was paddling it on the Willimantic River. He bent the thing by bending the gunwales (aluminum) in a strainer. I was paddling a FlashFire that I got in 1996 when I was introduced to Free Style. He (NOT we) had to replace all the rails, which he did with cherry stock..(thank you for Tom MacKenzie). The Heron boat also acquired some weight in glass and epoxy from repairs from the folds.
Now I had a rather heavy kevlar/glass/gel coat boat. I found a Merlin II at 31 lbs from Country Canoeist in Dunbarton NH in 2001 as they were folding shop and I bought it. By 2005 I had bent that one and being a foam core boat it was not going to be the same. Again bent to heck alu rails. CEW made it whole again but couldn't make it purty.
In search of a non foamed core boat with wood rails that was at least somewhat related to the original Curtis Solo Tripper I bought from an ill paddling friend his Peregrine in the Premium layup. I think it was 2006.
In 2010 I tripped across a Curtis Nomad for peanuts mint. Who could resist? Well its a bit heavy.. I could be persuaded to order a nice Colden Nomad, if someone would give me the money.
Somewhere someone left me an Argosy.. but also something made me order a Colden DragonFly.. (same as the Curtis).
I keep buying relatives of boats rather than something totally new. So I am totally indifferent to Wenonahs.
Here is a bit of canoe history from the bowels of New York. Canoeists ought to know that New York is the epicenter of the modern canoe and the modern canoe builder. ( i expect Midwest feedback!) The compilation by Greg Spencer of the UK is quite interesting.
http://singleblade.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=141