Specifically the royalex layup. Wenonah lists it as a day tripper and good for an overnight with a light to moderate load. I'm looking for a tandem for weekend tripping in the Adirondacks with the wife and +/-100 lbs of gear. Any thoughts?
Thoughts on Wenonah Adirondack
- Thread starter jish1969
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I have an Adirondack in RX. Have taken it on a week long trip to Algonquin and had plenty of room for gear and my grandson (had to paddle from the bow seat for trim and it handled OK). Just a little heavier than I liked on the portages (next time I will rent a kevlar Swift). Its primary purpose was for scratchy river trips of 3 or 4 days and it is great for that. Handles class II with no problem. Only thing I don't like is the oil canning
. I've been told that was rectified after the '08 model.
. I've been told that was rectified after the '08 model.
jish,
Seeing that you're in Ithaca, I assume you must be thinking about that Craigslist offering. Unless you want it primarily for bouncing off of rocks in whitewater, I would think there are other boats for a similar price that would be much better suited for ADK paddling.
Not that I'm a carbon snob or wood strip purist, I also own a Royalex hull, but it is strictly reserved for the above mentioned rock bouncing...
I would find a lighter weight composite boat, if I were you.
65 lbs and 36" wide for a 16 ft hull is definitely gonna be wearing husky jeans!! You'll pay dearly for that boat while paddling it, and pay again when it's time to carry...
Seeing that you're in Ithaca, I assume you must be thinking about that Craigslist offering. Unless you want it primarily for bouncing off of rocks in whitewater, I would think there are other boats for a similar price that would be much better suited for ADK paddling.
Not that I'm a carbon snob or wood strip purist, I also own a Royalex hull, but it is strictly reserved for the above mentioned rock bouncing...
I would find a lighter weight composite boat, if I were you.
65 lbs and 36" wide for a 16 ft hull is definitely gonna be wearing husky jeans!! You'll pay dearly for that boat while paddling it, and pay again when it's time to carry...
It is the C-list offering out here Stripperguy. , I just wanted to get some opinions before I gave the seller a call. My next canoe will be seeing the Tioghnioga, Otselic, and Allagheny rivers probably as much or more than the Adirondacks, so I was thinking royalex for durability, so I was kind of looking for something that could split the difference. I know thats not ideal, but with the space I have thats how it has to be. My other options at the same price-point right now are a Penobscot an a Sundowner 17 both in royalex as well.
Personally I was leaning toward the Sundowner, but more than a few reviews on paddling.net mentioned stability issues, especially unladen, and we do a lot of bird watching on the boat as well. I was gonna take the wife for a drive and pond test the Sundowner this weekend so if all goes well that may be the one we end up with. The rivers around me arent too crazy either, and we dont see much past class II in the spring so I thought the Sundowner might not be a bad choice as long as the wife doesnt feel nervous in it.
Thanks for the honest reviews! If anyone has anything to add about a Sundowner 17 RX I'd be glad to hear them!
Jish
Personally I was leaning toward the Sundowner, but more than a few reviews on paddling.net mentioned stability issues, especially unladen, and we do a lot of bird watching on the boat as well. I was gonna take the wife for a drive and pond test the Sundowner this weekend so if all goes well that may be the one we end up with. The rivers around me arent too crazy either, and we dont see much past class II in the spring so I thought the Sundowner might not be a bad choice as long as the wife doesnt feel nervous in it.
Thanks for the honest reviews! If anyone has anything to add about a Sundowner 17 RX I'd be glad to hear them!
Jish
you want royalex go for an OT Camper they tend to be lighter
Well I've thought about this all week and I'very narrowed it down to a Wenona Sundowner 17 or an OT Penobscot, both in royalex. I love the lines of the Sundowner, and the speed it will have over the OT, but I'm thinking the wife is going to appreciate the Penobscot more for initial stability. The Penobscot seems to have more versatility than the Sundowner as well, and seeing as I have to keep my fleet small (1 tandem, 1 solo) the OT may get the nod on this one.
