has any one paddled a Wenonah Voyager? Any opinions?

Fast. Requires some balance, behaves better with a decent load. Tall free board catches cross winds. Application of paddling skill necessary for twisty creeks. Good boat for big people.

quote Banksiana: "Fast. Requires some balance, behaves better with a decent load. Tall free board catches cross winds. Application of paddling skill necessary for twisty creeks. Good boat for big people."

^ second that except the balance part, although I suppose the boat is not for beginners. I have one. Not a fishing boat. If you are looking to cover a lot of water, this is your boat. It is called Voyager for a reason. It's best home is the long big lakes of Quetico, or flatwater rivers.

I paddled one at a couple of canoe demo's. Personally I preferred it over everything else in the Wenonah line. I have not had a chance to paddle a Wenonah Advantage and might prefer it to the Voyager since it is a foot shorter and a little lower to catch less wind. On paper the Advantage looks quite similar to the Bell Magic but it is only on the Wenonah racing website. The Voyager is quite narrow so some packs will not fit but is capable of hauling more weight then a lot of solos. It is fast and tracks straight. With the right paddling techniques it can be turned easy enough. As for the balance the only canoe I have paddled that was worse was a racing canoe so it is not for everyone. For me it was going to be a Voyager or Bell Magic. I felt the Magic had the better hull design but liked the sliding seat, foot brace, and layup options in the Voyager. I ended up buying an older used Magic and added a foot brace. If possible test a couple of canoes before buying. Based on my research I thought a Prism was the right canoe for me but after going to a canoe demo I preferred the Voyager and Magic.

I am 5',7" and about 190lb. will this be a good boat for me and my dog (65lb golden retriever) for a week long bwca trip? How does this compare to Wenonah Encounter? It looks like Ely outfitters have both canoes available for rent.
Thanks for the inputs guys.

With a heavy dog I would go with the Encounter for more stability. Both should be able to handle the weight.

Voyager and SR16

It's a fast and fun to paddle canoe, as steady as most true solo canoes. It is very narrow between the gunnels, making pack size important, and getting in and out somewhat difficult. I thought it turned well for it's hull shape and length. Lots of volume inside once past the gunnels and can carry a good amount of weight.

butthead

I do not recommend you rent the Voyager, it would serve your purpose if you bought one and paddled it for awhile to get used to it, but having never paddled one with a dog in it, not a good idea IMO. The pic from Butthead of the Voyager and Souris river solo pretty much shows better than words.

As for packs, I have Duluth packs and they need to be placed in the canoe on their side, they could sit upright, but that catches more wind plus raises the center of gravity. They do not fit laying down. That is the price you pay for having a canoe that fits you like a kayak.

An Advantage is an excellent boat, in fact had I found one before the Voyager, I likely would own that instead of the Voyager. They are both great boats, but the Voyager is more single purpose (carry a heavy load over a long distance) the Advantage will do everything else better IMO. Luckily for me, covering a lot of water in a day is what I enjoy.

I have the Voyager and agree with the comments here. I too find it has some initial stability issues (not moving), but is fine moving. Part of this I attribute to my taller height and ,um, being of enhanced weight. Most of my weight is above the gunnels, the my center of gravity is higher.
Anyway, this makes it tougher for fishing and I wouldn't use it with a dog.