So I see a Wenonah ultra light Spirit ll for $1,500. The thing is that it was made in 2004. Owner says it’s been in storage since 2012. Pictures look like it’s in real good shape. A few scratches and signs of some repairs done. He said he did the repairs with West System Epoxy.

Is this an ok price for a 20 year old boat? What should I look for as red flags in condition or other considerations? Has anyone ever used one of these for solo tripping?

Any and all advice welcomed

Generic answer...if you like the canoe and can afford it...it's a good deal.

Opinion...with repairs I think it is overpriced. Repairs can add weight. The price is still not bad.

If really wanted/needed a canoe I'd say the former...since I already have one I'd be more picky.

Sorry not a lot of help but just trying to make ya think.

T

Thanks for the reply T. Sorry for the vagueness but I was paranoid that someone would see it and snap it up.
I looked and went ahead and bought it. The repair are only to the scratches it incurred on the granite rocks in the lakes around here. No cave ins or holes. He said that he would just paint on some epoxy with a foam brush when he scratched it. So it can use a little sanding. I weighed it and it came in at just under 40 lbs. which is the main thing I wanted. We ain’t gittin any younger!
Otherwise it’s been sitting in a storage unit, inside, for the last 12 years. It also came with two Bending Branches paddles. A 52” bent shaft and a 56 straight shaft. Both with rock guard tips.
He’s moving to Fuji at the end of the week and just wanted to sell it NOW.
Final cost $1,150. for everything. Don’t want to brag but I’m pretty happy with it. Much better than my first try at a used canoe purchase!

Like I said…great deal buy it :)

Congratulations!

T

I have a Spirit canoe that Is twenty years old. It has held up to heavy use and I just got back last night from my latest trip. Most people might not like it for soloing but I do it all the time and I love it. The boat is stable and handles well in the water. The key to happiness it to have enough weight in the front end to keep the bow down. Even if the bow is elevated just a bit the boat acts like a sail and will make your life miserable. I put all the gear I can in front and often supplement it with rocks if available. I don't dig them out of the dirt but find them randomly at portages. It has been easy enough to find rocks that look like they have been discarded by others that are doing the same thing. When I leave a lake I move them off into the woods so as not to add them to the trails or cause environmental damage. Some people use a large water container. With no wind my gear usually gives me enough weight. I am a strong paddler taking multiple trips a year and the boat has done well for me. I am tough on boats. Mine was cracked by a windblown tree branch while sitting on the top of my van in a straight line wind storm. A few patches later it handles as well as ever.

jsmithxc: "I have a Spirit canoe that Is twenty years old. It has held up to heavy use and I just got back last night from my latest trip. Most people might not like it for soloing but I do it all the time and I love it. The boat is stable and handles well in the water."

I have plenty of questions regarding using it solo. I plan to do that too.
The main question, do you use a center seat or just paddle backwards? I use my current tandem canoe but it's 2 feet shorter and symmetrical. So I paddle it backwards from the bow seat.
Standard paddle or kayak paddle? I usually bring both but just use the yak paddle in heavy headwinds.
Thanks for any advice on solo use of this boat.

Sweet. I bought my Tuff weave Spirit barely used from a dealer for $700 - 30 years ago. I see they are now $3400 plus. Looks like you a got a good deal, that is some sound negotiating, nicely played. Great boat, super stable and seaworthy. Mine was originally Alaskan Ivory color, pretty boat but it got all beat up from too many trips, repairs with old gel coat patch kits that no longer matched and it looked bad. So I spray painted it with camo colors and paid a local sign guy to paint the P40 Warhawk flying tigers shark mouth in the bow. I always wanted to do it. I like it!
Can’t help you with the solo question, I have a Prism that is just as old. I think I did it once not sure I’d want to go tripping that way but hey, do what you like. Cheers, scat

BonzSF: "

jsmithxc: "I have a Spirit canoe that Is twenty years old. It has held up to heavy use and I just got back last night from my latest trip. Most people might not like it for soloing but I do it all the time and I love it. The boat is stable and handles well in the water."

I have plenty of questions regarding using it solo. I plan to do that too.
The main question, do you use a center seat or just paddle backwards? I use my current tandem canoe but it's 2 feet shorter and symmetrical. So I paddle it backwards from the bow seat.
Standard paddle or kayak paddle? I usually bring both but just use the yak paddle in heavy headwinds.
Thanks for any advice on solo use of this boat."

I sit in the stern and paddle forward. The key is really to get that bow down. I use a paddle just because it is what I am used to. I carry two paddles, A carbon one for open water and the backup wooden one for rocky areas and near shore. I tend to keep away from big lakes like Brule and pay close attention to the wind direction when planning trips. My plan B if it too windy is to kneel in the middle. The problem with this with the Spirit is that is quite wide in the middle and feels a bit awkward with a paddle, might be easier with a Kayak paddle. My plan C I have only done once and I was impressed how well it worked. I sat it the front seat, facing forward. It felt really strange. Now the stern was higher than the bow and the wind kept me pointed in the right direction. I was able to paddle into the wind, again it was awkward but it worked. I would not try to do this for long distances but the one time I did it got me back to the car. I did practice all of these things before committing to using them is windy situations.

My Brother purchased one of these , very close to the exact year he paid $1,700 (new) , i think for one that does show some wear of use $1,000 maybe a little more depending on condition. It is 20+ years old and not a collectors item.

Tripped in one a lot a good canoe.

BonzSF: "I have plenty of questions regarding using it solo. I plan to do that too.
The main question, do you use a center seat or just paddle backwards? I use my current tandem canoe but it's 2 feet shorter and symmetrical. So I paddle it backwards from the bow seat.
Standard paddle or kayak paddle? I usually bring both but just use the yak paddle in heavy headwinds.
Thanks for any advice on solo use of this boat."

When I had my Labrador I frequently solo'd in a royalex spirit II. Always with a bunch of gear (and 100# of dog). I've done it from the back seat but I prefer the front seat, facing backwards. I've never encountered strong winds like this but I imagine it would be less than ideal. I don't use a double bladed paddle very often but I don't think it would work well from such a high seat. It tracks well enough with a single bladed paddle IMO as in either configuration your paddling station is rearward from the center.

I'd buy that boat.

Spirit II is a solid boat. As others have said, keep the bow down to avoid the weathervane effect. I've bought a used Tuff-weave version several years back and it's been great. Very stable and holds a big load. 59 lbs unloaded

Glad to hear you got the canoe, BonzSF!

I have a 2001 Spirit II Tufweave 2-person that I bought about 7 or 8 years ago. At the time the guy was the original owner, asking $1,300 for it. It was in really great shape, and the surface level scratches were what you'd expect from a canoe used up north. He did put some rock guards on it, and while his epoxy job could have been a little better, it wasn't terrible by any means.

Anyways, I love the canoe, but it has it's benefits and drawbacks. Obvious benefit is weight, and when we're going on longer trips we take it due to the reduction in weight. A drawback for us, however, is that it's just not as stable as our Discovery 174 that we like to bring in. So, if we're going up there to park on a lake and fish for a few days we'll bring the Disco. If we're tripping and covering some ground, we'll bring the Spirit II.

Another person mentioned the weathervane effect. We were going up through Snowbank into Ima about 5 years ago, and we just got through Jitterbug onto Adventure lake. It was a beautiful, 80 degree day, but as we were paddling this cold, probably 50 degree wind whipped from the North at probably 30-40 miles per hour. We were instantly sideways and struggling to recover. Then all hell broke loose with thunder and lightning. We booked it 100 feet to shore, pulled out of the water, tossed the gear under the canoe, and luckily found a rock outcropping to take shelter under as we waited out a 2 hour storm.

It was wild how it went from absolutely beautiful to a torrential storm in the span of 5 minutes, but that's how things go up there. I guess that's why they call it Adventure Lake?

What I'm saying is, the Spirit II is a great boat, but we've gotten our butts kicked in it on really windy days or with larger waves on big water. Still wouldn't consider getting rid of it because of that.