My wife and I recently became empty-nesters. We have done a few BWCA trips with the family but have always rented Kevlar canoes. We are now looking to buy a used one. We have always rented a Wenonah II or III and we like them a lot, but are wondering if that is the way to go.
Looking to do BWCA again with some portaging, but nothing of major difficulty. Any suggestions?

Many of the outfitters sell their rental canoes after a period of time. I bought my Wenonah Spirit II from Piragis a few years ago for a reasonable price. It had been in the Piragis fleet for just one year and was in pretty good shape. This usually happens at the end of the season.

Im very happy with both my canoes bought used from outfitters. If i bought new id be too worried about the first scratch. Plus I have $6000 worth of canoes for around $1800.

Before you buy have you done the math on renting vs buying. Am doing the same calculations. How often do you actually have to rent? At your average rental how many years would it take to equal buying even a used kevlar? Renting avoids storage, maintenance, wear and tear and allows for flexibility. Plus what happens when they come up with the next new light weight material? I understand the pull of owing but am resisting at this point. Everybody has an opinion :)

Thanks to all so far. Yes, I've done the math. I probably would have owned three good used canoes by now;) We're ready to buy.

Any preferences between the Wenonahs and the Bells?

I bought my used Wenonah Escape from Seagull Outfitters in 2011 for only $1k. Great investment. I have refinished the hull twice. First time when I first bought it, and I just finished my second last weekend. If your willing to drop the money, used from an outfitter is the way to go.

Don't forget to look into the Souris River Quetico 17 or Quetico 185. Great canoes... stable... and Kevlar will have you in the lower to mid 40# range.

Ckaus: "Any preferences between the Wenonahs and the Bells?"

My preference is for a Bell or Northstar, primarily for bow paddler leg room. Most Wenonahs are too narrow in the bow for my taste.

Bow paddler room is also an advantage of the Souris River Quetico series.

I haven't paddled the Northstar canoes and so can't comment on them.

One thing to consider is your tripping style. We combine long days with staying in one place and doing day trips. Consider it basecamping after about 15-20 portages into the BW. The Quetico canoes do a good job of being stable both loaded for those long days and unloaded for the day trip. The Wenonah Boundary Waters apparently has a similar hull shape. The MN II tends to be twitchy when unloaded but is faster when loaded. Slow and steady is our style. Or maybe it is more like slow and then stop to take pictures. So, we don't get as much benefit from a fast hull and prefer the ones that do well loaded and unloaded. Others who want more speed will have a different preference.

alpinebrule: "Before you buy have you done the math on renting vs buying. Am doing the same calculations. How often do you actually have to rent? At your average rental how many years would it take to equal buying even a used kevlar? Renting avoids storage, maintenance, wear and tear and allows for flexibility. Plus what happens when they come up with the next new light weight material? I understand the pull of owing but am resisting at this point. Everybody has an opinion :)"

It's a good point. I followed this thought for several years but then a three week trip in October - and had been there a week in summer - and the outfitter suggested that rental was half of buying it from him. The math would be better but I'm guessing somewhere around two 5-6 day trips a year justifies it. One 1 week trip a year probably not.

I too rented for some time. Before buying, I selected another brand and rented one more time. Suggest you do the same. I use mine once a year and now some 18 years. If you have storage and plan to travel for several years, buy and save a ton of money. Rent does tend to increase and the resale value for my first canoe was about whaat I paid for it. I now only have one and it too has paid for itself.

Used canoes hold their value very well. You can buy a used canoe from an outfitter and use it for several years and then sell it for what you paid or very close to it.

Bell (Northstar) Souris River, and Wenonah all make good canoes. Some of the outfitters will let you take the canoe for a test drive if you are considering buying one.

I'll add another option. I have a large alum. that only weighs in at 90+ pounds. It can fly off the truck on the highway with little or no damage. If you happen to drop it off a cliff and dent it, a good hammer will knock the dents out, good as new again. It's easy to portage or drag with if you have at 2 adults and a large child. You can haul at least 1000 lbs of camping equipment, about what I need when I go with my wife, as well as a weeks worth of camp fire wood. When it's all decked out for camping it rides a little low in the water and is a bit hard to paddle but when you have all the conveniences of home it's all worth it.

Just another option to consider.

I forgot to mention that I might be willing to part with it for a reasonable offer.

andym: "Bow paddler room is also an advantage of the Souris River Quetico series.


I haven't paddled the Northstar canoes and so can't comment on them.


One thing to consider is your tripping style. We combine long days with staying in one place and doing day trips. Consider it basecamping after about 15-20 portages into the BW. The Quetico canoes do a good job of being stable both loaded for those long days and unloaded for the day trip. The Wenonah Boundary Waters apparently has a similar hull shape. The MN II tends to be twitchy when unloaded but is faster when loaded. Slow and steady is our style. Or maybe it is more like slow and then stop to take pictures. So, we don't get as much benefit from a fast hull and prefer the ones that do well loaded and unloaded. Others who want more speed will have a different preference."

I bought a Boundary Waters from an outfitter in 2011 primarily for its stability, especially as a fishing platform. Rented one first to make sure it was right for me, which I think is key. Sure it’s slower than a MNII and a little piggy in creeks, but I’m OK with that.

We don’t do much basecamping, but I’m OK with a slightly slower pace in exchange for the benefits of a stable boat.

If I was renting I’d have paid more than four times what I paid for it at this point.. the returns keep adding up.

For me, the cost analysis was irrelevant. I am able to make modification to the canoe to fit my needs, and I paddle her as much as possible for fitness, and use her for fishing locally.
I guess if the only time you spend in the canoe is on a trip to the BWCA/Quetico, etc., then you might just keep renting. I paid $1100 for a Bell Magic, and am pretty sure I could ask the same for her now. But then i would have to go buy another one...

At one eight day trip per year, your ROI for a $2,500.00 boat is 4 years, assuming $250.00 rental per year and a $1,500.00 resale value. Plus you have it for local use and can customize as stated above. If you have the cash, buy one. Which one you buy is another issue. There are many great models. I tried several different models and manufacturers before deciding with feedback from my family. But you have to know that the BWCA is your thing.

Thanks for all the great advice, I appreciate the words of wisdom.

Wenonah is a good value canoe and are crammed down the throats of every value-minded kelvar canoe buyer.
Bell/Norstar is a Cadillac for those with richer taste and willing to pay a little more for quality and have spent theirs lives working to improve what they have.
Souris River- I don't know much about them but they are made in Ontario and probably don't have the market share for that reason. Nobody complains about Souris River canoes.

Canoes are like cars. You really need to drive them before you buy. And just like cars, there is not one canoe that is good at everything. I have richer taste and if I was in the market for a synthetic canoe I would buy a Northstar carbon fiber/kevlar layup with wood gunwalers. Head up to Sawbill Outfitters and ask to test some canoes. They are right on a lake.

tom

OK I thought someone else would bring this up and save me some time but, no. So please read this True Cost of Used Canoe I would reiterate I caution heavily against buying ANY outfitter canoe sight unseen. One year of outfitting is a lifetime of personal use IMO. I have gotten great used canoes from outfitters and unfortunately I have been burned buying sight unseen from a VERY reputable canoe outfitter. Buyer beware.

Alternatively consider this...….The USD/CAD exchange rate is running about 1.3. You could buy a new SR canoe from wilderness outfitters in Thunder Bay ON, pre pay at a 30% discount and have a brand new canoe you could pick up next spring.

Or this is another attractive option I have used. Buy a factory blem (cosmetic only) Wenonah from Hayward Outfitters at a 20% discount.

Yes, both of these options are more expensive than used outfitter canoes but, they are brand new and if your committed to this hobby I consider it money well spent. MY .02

jhb8426: "

Ckaus: "Any preferences between the Wenonahs and the Bells?"

My preference is for a Bell or Northstar, primarily for bow paddler leg room. Most Wenonahs are too narrow in the bow for my taste."

I concur.