BWCA Help needed with Wenonah C1 Canoe Boundary Waters Gear Forum
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      Help needed with Wenonah C1 Canoe     

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overland
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05/26/2023 12:54PM  
I need advice. This morning I bought an old and somewhat beat up Kevlar C1. It had been advertised as a Prism but clearly was not. It was also in worse shape than the seller had let on. Still, I had repaired a Kevlar northstar tandem that had been damaged in Hurricane Ian, and it's a lovely canoe, despite its flaws. This C1 is 16' long, 25" wide at the gunnels in the middle, and 11.5" deep. It weighs about 27 pounds. (That makes it six inches shorter, one inch narrower, and one inch shallower than a Prism.) I don't think it has any rocker, or if so, very little. It has 6 or 7 cracks that need repair.
My main question is what kind of capacity might this boat have? Could I use it for touring, or is it too small? The cracks are mainly in the bilge--the boat was made before Wenonah started installing ribs in kevlar canoes. Apart from putting some fiberglass over the cracks, is there anything more I should do to reinforce the bilge area, or just let it be?
I'll be grateful for any advice or suggestions.
 
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MReid
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05/30/2023 06:44AM  
Regarding the identity of the boat, I'm not sure. Wenonah made a 16' whitewater C1 (for downriver racing) in 1978, but it was probably 14" deep. They also made a 17' flatwater/marathon boat in the early 80s, which would be probably 11" deep or so. I'm not aware of a 16' marathon boat, but maybe someone else is. The ribs you're referencing is just one of several layups they made--cross-rib, (flat) foam core, and center rib. Yours appears to be a foam core, which is extremely common nowadays for lightweight builds from numerous manufacturers. The boat shown looks more like the downriver boat than the 17' marathon boat--there's a chance that it was a special order with cut down gunwales. You could contact Wenonah directly to find out the specifics based on the serial number. To me, 11.5" is pretty shallow for a tripping boat, but I think the Northstar Magic is that depth, so others think otherwise. The boat has a potential to be a nice fast tripper if you pack pretty light or are not a big person (or both). If you contact Wenonah, let us know what you find out.
 
05/30/2023 07:38AM  
I've seen the Wenonah C1 marathon boats in the past...this one does not look like it. However, i'm not sure if specs and design/layup changed over the years. I think your best bet is to contact Wenonah with the serial number and they can tell you exactly what you have.

In just looking at the boat - I think you're totally fine solo tripping in it. The mentioned specs should give you plenty of capacity to carry you and a pack.

 
05/30/2023 07:25PM  
It's hard to tell due to possible camera angle caused distortion but it looks a lot like an Advantage. Any markings on the hull beyond the serial #?
 
overland
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05/30/2023 09:11PM  
I did contact Wenonah. They said that the C1 came out in different versions, and that mine is one of them. It's a pretty slender and shallow boat: 16' long, 25" wide at the gunwales and 28" max width, 11.5" deep in the middle and 15" deep at the bow. It weighs 27 pounds. The old Advantage (not the current one) is a little longer and has a slighter greater maximum width. This C1 is not made for touring, that's for sure. But once I fix it up I'll try it out and see how it does.
Here's a question: There are quite a few cracks, maybe six or seven, at different places along the bilge. Should I use fiberglass patches, or should I get kevlar to fix them? What if I put a strip of kevlar along the bilge for 8 or 10 feet, just to strengthen that area?
 
MReid
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05/31/2023 05:29AM  
Did they say what your version is called? As I mentioned, they had the WWC-1 at that time (my daughter has a 1978 WWC-1) for downriver racing. In the early 80s they had the 17' C1-Flatwater for marathon racing. The Advantage wasn't around yet by then (not in the 1982 catalog). I'm wondering if it was a early C1-F. As I own a 1982 WWC1 and used to paddle a C1F, I'm interested in early C1 trivia.
 
overland
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05/31/2023 06:59AM  
It's just a C1. It's from 1979. But they said the C1 model designation was apparently applied to different canoes over the years.
 
overland
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05/31/2023 09:13AM  
Here's the latest message I got from Wenonah:

Hi Dick, Yep, that's the old Jensen "C-1 16" It will make a fine light tripping canoe. A cover will keep you drier in big waves but isn't necessary if you stay out of the rough stuff. This canoe is probably most analogous to our current Advantage solo. Repairs should be done with fiberglass and polyester resin. This is how we do them here at the factory. No need for Kevlar cloth or exotic resins. Best wishes, Wenonah Canoe
 
05/31/2023 11:35AM  
Do you have any pictures of the cracks?
 
overland
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05/31/2023 11:43AM  
Lots. Most on the bilge, one on the bottom (it doesn't go through the foam core on the inside so is only fixable on the outside, I think).


 
overland
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05/31/2023 11:47AM  
There area few others I didn't show of the same nature.
 
05/31/2023 11:53AM  
Just use fiberglass and polyester resin. Make sure to rough any areas where new resin is applied. Photos can be difficult to interpret but it appears that the hull as some fairly severe UV degradation (very pale color, resin shrink exposing kevlar fibers etc), if so your craft will be quite fragile and prone to puncture. Don't store in direct sun.
 
overland
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05/31/2023 02:17PM  
Would it makes sense to lay a strip along the bilge for reinforcement, apart from the patches?
 
06/01/2023 08:11AM  
The quick fix is the glass and resin patches. Banks is likely right with the UV damage and brittleness (is that a word?), especially considering the age. That and the fact that there a quite a few cracks and holes, I would consider heavily sanding the whole hull (outside) and glass the whole thing with one sheet. Do that and you'll be golden for years to come!
 
overland
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06/12/2023 03:08PM  
Here's an update: Just back from the canoe's maiden voyage, at least under my command. I ended up doing what Wenonah canoes suggested, to simply apply fiberglass patches on the inside to where the boat was cracked or otherwise damaged. I did put some glass on the outside bottom where there was a crack that couldn't be accessed from the inside. Overall, I put on a fair amount of glass. The boat seems pretty stiff now where before it was soft or cracked. It probably gained about a pound and a half and now weighs 28 or 29 pounds total. It doesn't look pretty, but it paddles very nicely. It does seem a little small and not capable of carrying much weight. I'm also curious to see how it performs when I get into some serious waves. I can understand now the popularity of the Prism, which is slightly deeper, wider and longer. The boat's not real easy to turn, though it does seem to have a small amount of rocker, and its maneuverability is certain sufficient for flat water. It's got a round bottom, and I'll have to get used to that. It feels a little tiddly. Have yet to test the secondary stability.
 
MReid
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06/12/2023 07:11PM  
If you're of the mind, you could make a deck for it and I think you'd be surprised at its seaworthiness. I've raced the old 18'6" Wenonah SCR (Standard Class Racer) decked with temporary plastic ("Visqueen" and duct tape) in open water races where we had some really nasty chop and swells, and we stayed afloat and pulled in right behind the winners in decked 18' Jensens). The old 17' C1F (1982) paddled really nicely, but I never loaded it up. Could be a fun experiment, and would cost you less than $10. And think of the bragging rights!
 
overland
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06/12/2023 07:21PM  
I was thinking of doing something like that in the bow at least. I appreciate the encouragement.
 
MReid
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06/13/2023 06:10AM  
Since it sounds like it's a race boat, you might try loading it up with some weight to see how it handles. Depending on the weight, you might load it to where it starts losing some of its stability. I've never come across that, but I am and pack pretty light. Loaded for a couple of weeks I'm commonly lighter (maybe 210#) than a lot of solo paddlers.
 
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