Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Listening Point - General Discussion :: Should I buy this canoe?
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fitgers1 |
I would have snatched it up quick. |
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QueticoMike |
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OpenPikeNite |
1.) A mix of comments didnt make me feel comfortable purchaising it or not purchasing it. 2.) Still on the heavier side and there are boats closer to home at that weight. 3.) Im not a canoe "quality". With it being an old boat I didnt want to take a chance. I will however, take someone who does know what their looking for with me if I ever come across that perfect boat. Thanks again, OPN |
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HansSolo |
quote awbrown: "A man can't own too many canoes." I couldn't agree more AW! Regarding the Jensen 17, it's a great canoe, but it has its limitations. It's essentially a "cruising" class canoe, akin to its big brother the Jensen 18 and Sawyer's Cruiser, both canoes I own and I'm very familiar with. Additionally I sold and rented many Jensen 17's when I worked at Rutabaga in the 80's. The problem with these cruising class canoes is that they are low volume and do not have much freeboard, especially with a heavy load. Additionally, the sharp entry lines and the lack of bow flare makes these cruising canoes a wet ride in big waves. The sharp bow lines don't ride over the waves well, but instead slice through the waves dropping a lot of water in the bow paddlers lap and in the hull. It has some limitations for big water use due to its entry lines, depth, freeboard and volume. Case in point, my wife and a girlfriend used one of the Rutabaga's rental Jensen 17's for a BWCAW trip in the Summer of 1986. They didn't make a reservation and decided they would put-in at whatever entry point was available. They had very few EP choices and acquired a permit for Brule Lake. Although Brule is a beautiful lake, it can develop rather large waves. The first day they paddled to a small island on Brule Lake under calm conditions and decided to camp. The next day they planned to continue on, but due to high winds and waves, they stayed an additional day to wait for calmer conditions. Day three came and the wind and waves didn't let up. With only a few days left, they decided to go for it despite the winds and waves. They didn't make it far when they started to take on water. Fortunately they made it close to shore before they totally "submarined" the Jensen 17. My wife and her girlfriend were experienced paddlers, and not large women. They also did not pack heavy, because they only had five-days for their trip. Had they taken their trip on smaller lakes that were less susceptible to wind and waves, they would have fared better. I have taken many BWCAW trips in my Jensen 18, and throughout the 80's the Sawyer Cruiser was my "go to" tripping canoe. That said, I added the Wenonah Odyssey to my livery in 1988, because I wanted a larger volume tripping canoe that could handle big water and big waves better than my "cruising" canoes. That's not to say you can't use a Jensen 17 for a BWCAW tripping canoe, but if you're large paddlers, pack heavy, and like to paddle the large lakes of canoe country, (i.e., Saganaga, Basswood, Pickerel Lake, Sturgeon, etc.), there are better choices. Then again, for $225.00 it's a great deal and a steal at $225.00, even for a 1981 fiberglass canoe. If you stick to the smaller lakes, or stay off the big lakes when the waves are running, you'd be fine. But as noted, you could be wind bound when the Minnesota II's , Northwind's, or other deeper, drier canoes are paddling away. I've often considered adding a CCS canoe cover to extend the seaworthiness of my Jensen 18. We probably use our Jensen 18 more than any other tandem canoe in our livery, but that's usually on the lower Wisconsin River, Kickapoo River, the Namekagen and St. Croix rivers and several small rivers and lakes near our home here in Wisconsin. It's also a great canoe for paddling the Ozark rivers too in my opinion. I'm not trying to dissuade you from purchasing the Jensen 17. The J17 is a great canoe for what it is and it paddles well. That said, it wasn't designed or intended for "heavy" tripping on big water. Hans Solo |
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kona |
If it paddles well and is a dry hole in the water, as Charlie Wilson has said here and elsewhere, it's worth that price and possibly more. Likely any first boat will not be your last, and this gives you something to gnaw on while the grail search continues. Other hand if you can't use it locally and will only use for long portage oriented trips, a light boat would be night and day. |
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awbrown |
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paddlinjoe |
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dew042 |
Daniel |
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Bannock |
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OpenPikeNite |
Thanks for taking the time to read this. -OPN |
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walllee |
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redbeardcanoeworks |
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