We literally just got out of the BW this morning after a 7 day trip. I took my significant other for the first time and she wants to buy a canoe for us so we can go more. We don't want to break the bank, but want a good canoe for us to use. She also wants a fish finder for it. Good Lord, what have I done?

Did you like what you rented? If so, ask your outfitter if they sell them used in fall. We rented Souris River Q17 - love it - for several years and then bought one from outfitter. Still going strong after 10 years.

bombinbrian: "Good Lord, what have I done"

Sounds to me that you've started working toward the perfect paddling partner!
TZ

Good advice from billconnnor (buy used and try before you buy). Assuming that you want to travel, meaning that portages will be on your itineraries, buy a lightweight Kevlar canoe – your back will thank you, although your bank account may not (depends on what "break the bank" means to you).

A more complicated answer can be found in two articles by John Winters, "Choosing Your Canoe" and "How To Buy A Canoe".

What have you done? Hit the jackpot I'd say.... Lucky fella.

You can find an outfitter end of season boat for $1000+ depending on age of canoe & condition. Occasionally you can get lucky with a barn find or Craigslist/Facebook score. There's also the handyman special canoe that maybe needs work but then that's a whole 'nother ball of wax.

One thing that is great is most canoes values tend to be flat once they've lost their initial "new" value. Unless it's a collector's item or there's some other special value to it, used trippers generally stabilize to around 50% of their new price. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

Good advice so far. Remember, not all canoes are created equal. Each brand makes a variety, just like cars. Do you want to carry a big load, go fast, fish, be comfortable v. performance? Typically, just like a car it will be a series of tradeoffs. I would suggest writing down your priorities and ranking them and then looking at the most readily avaliable brands in your area for what those options are.

One thing that is nice about Wenonah's site is it ranks each boat in several categories like efficiency, capacity, stability and so on. If you find a boat there that works for you, you can then search for what other brands comparable options are.

Good luck and take you time. If you can test paddle several competitors or boats in the desires class that is ideal. Be sure to bring your desired load (or not if you intend to paddle without on).

And congratulations on a tripping partner. Mine is not into it and I am a little envious when I pass couples on the lakes.

If the bank has a say then try before you buy and used boats do flatten after the new is sound advice.
As to what you have done...well gone to heaven without having to die.
Do some homework with your angel towards answering some questions such as how you will use it? how does hull design and length affect paddling straight vs. turning easier? and where will we store it? Knowing these things can help you pick your dream boat and how you can use the design to your purpose. There is a lot more to canoeing than dipping a paddle and learning these things with a friend is a real opportunity to bond. Nice for both of you...BWCA magic!

I'm a big fan of the Northstar Northwind 17 . Great room in the bow, very stable, tracks well, can hold more than you'll ever need for 2 people, and probably the lightest canoe in it's class.

Looks like you have done a very good thing!

I own a Souris River Q17. I use it for 5 to 15 day trips in Quetico, the BWCA, Algonquin and the Okefenokee. (Maybe Woodland Caribou once the COVID virus is controlled). I also use it for day paddles on local lakes. I like it a lot. It is a kind of jack of all trades tripping canoe. It is large enough for my trips but overkill for the day trips. It is reasonably speedy but there are definitely faster trippers out there. It tracks reasonably well but has some rocker and is reasonably maneuverable for a canoe of its size. It has good initial stability and is decent for fishing. In designing a canoe you often have to trade away one feature to get another. In designing the Q17 Souris River has come up with a tripping canoe that is good at most things and is good choice in a tripping canoe if you can only own one canoe. If you want the best canoe for speed, maneuverability, stability, weight, hauling capacity and durability, you are going to have to own a fleet of canoes. Souris River's website has a section called Choosing a Canoe. It discusses how the design affects the performance of a canoe in the "Design Considerations" section and then compares the various models they make in the "Handling Considerations" section. Other manufactures have similar things. You might want to look at a few of these. Here is a link:

Choosing a Souris River Canoe

Agree with the idea of buying used from an outfitter at end of season. Definitely recommend you try a few different models to determine what is right for you. There are lots of great canoes and each has its good and bad. I have yet to own any boat I have not modified to meet my needs. As for us, our first was a MN II in Kevlar from an outfitter. Great for lakes and BWCA. Very fast and easy to trim. But, way too fragile for a river run, so we added a Spirit II in Royalex last year From the same place. Outfitter boats are a bargain, especially when you consider they have added the skuff plates and portage pads! Now, my son and a friend can join us in the BWCA and they don’t mind carrying the heavier boat while we enjoy the lighter one.

Piragis Outifitters in Ely sells all of their rental canoes at the end of each season, so you are getting a canoe that's only one season old! I think other outifitters keep theirs a few more years. I bought my MN II from Piragis about 10 years ago now. Back then, I paid $1650 for it, I think they are now around $3000 brand new. Back then, I think it was closer to $2500 for a brand new one, so almost a $1k savings for a few scratches. Plus, I didn't have to stress about putting the first scratch in that gel coat!

There's a used Wenonah Jensen 18 on the Minneapolis CL that looks nice. Someone else posted it here. I would totally go for that. It's a great canoe. Not in the Wenonah catalog but they still produce them. My favorite tandem, a very worthy BW tripper Wenonah Jensen 18