BWCA Aurora vs Spirit II Boundary Waters Gear Forum
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LoopyLoons
member (44)member
  
12/07/2020 08:57PM  
Hello all,
I am currently debating between buying a used Wenonah Aurora and used Wenonah Spirit II. Does anyone have an opinion between the two? I would like the Aurora because I tend to do a lot of river canoeing and solo around where I live. But I would need the tandem for extended BWCA trips with friends. Thanks for any input.
 
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BrianDay
distinguished member (136)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
12/08/2020 08:12AM  
Brian from Wenonah here.

A few questions for you:

What material are the two canoes made of?
What sort of rivers are you paddling?
What do you mean by "extended" BWCA trips?
What size person are you and your paddling partner?

In general I would say the Spirit II will be a better Boundary Waters tripper. I've done trips of a week or so out of a 16 foot boat. It certainly works, but a longer boat is more efficient with the same load. I have a Spirit myself and love it as a BWCA boat. If your trips will be a week or longer I would lean toward the Spirit for sure.

That said, many people choose a 16 foot boat as a compromise between solo and tandem paddling. I've soloed my Spirit and it's not a whole lot of fun. The Aurora would be easier to manage alone, especially on a windy day.

As for material, if the boats are different this might tip you in one direction or another. Some constructions are lighter. Others are tougher.

Brian

 
LoopyLoons
member (44)member
  
12/08/2020 08:36AM  
Material: Royalex
Usual rivers: Bois brule, Namekagon not usually above class 2
extended to me is around a week
I am 6'2 210 partners are usually 6' 200 ish

I would also like to do a fair amount of fishing out of the canoe if that helps with a suggestion.
 
BrianDay
distinguished member (136)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
12/08/2020 08:48AM  
Royalex will be plenty tough for your river trips, but will be heavy on the portage trail in the BWCA.

I've run my 17 foot royalex canoe down the Bois Brule. It required a lot of backferrying to hit the lines I wanted but we made it down alright. A shorter boat would have been more fun. As would one with more rocker.

So, still not an easy choice. The Spirit is definitely a better lake boat and would likely manage the moving water just fine. Probably a little more stable as well due to the larger "footprint" on the water at the same width.

But, I guess you have to make a choice one way or the other. So...

I'd be sorely tempted to go Aurora. It would be more fun on the river, better as a solo boat and should still be stable enough to fish out of.

You could always rent an ultralight boat for your BWCA trips. That way you could have the boat that's most suited to your home waters and one that's light to carry on portages.

Hope this is helpful. I'm sure some other folks will chime in with more feedback as well.

Brian
 
12/09/2020 10:19AM  
It is difficult to add to what Brian Day has already written. I would agree that the Aurora would be the better choice for your local use.

If you pack relatively lightly (say two portage packs to fit fore-and-aft of the yoke and 2 small day packs about 20L each for the bow and stern, the Aurora could be OK for a week trip in the BWCA. However, a Royalex Aurora would be a heavy boat for me to portage. It is in the high-60 pound range. I prefer portaging boats that weigh less than about 55 pounds.

I own a Spirit II in Kevlar flex-core that I have frequently paddled down relatively tame rivers (class 1 max) and on lakes. The high bow makes handling a bit difficult in strong winds, but it also powers through and over waves without shipping water. I've soloed the Spirit by kneeling just behind the yoke, but I don't recommend doing that for any length of time or in a wind or current.
 
12/09/2020 07:09PM  
Royalex Aurora is a great down river boat. A buddy and I used his 16’ Aurora on a 3 wk Canadian river trip. We carried everything we needed with no resupply. I am about 190# at 6’ and he was 155# at 5’ 9”. We carried 2-60L food barrels, 1-#4 pack and 1-#3 pack as well as two day packs. This boat weighs in the upper 60# range. I conditioned myself to carrying that weight by carrying a similar weight canoe 2-4xwkly at home for several months before the trip and so portaging during the trip was no problem. And I was 69 yrs old on this trip. The Aurora handled okay fully loaded as we used it on the trip but would respond quicker with less weight. All in all a good down river boat.
 
BrianDay
distinguished member (136)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
12/10/2020 10:23AM  
Great feedback on the Aurora Deerfoot! I wouldn't have guessed it had that kind of capacity. Appreciate your sharing your experience with the boat.

Brian
 
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