| Author |
Message Text |
|
redbeardcanoeworks
|
  
Here's a couple pictures of my Advantage, a boat i have come to love.
This past weekend I was standing on the rocks below the falls that pour into Carp lake at the first of the Knife portages. I had just caught and released a 19.5" smallmouth in the middle of the day in front of the parade of people moving into and out of Knife. My Advantage was wedged in the rocks behind me. An older gentlemen and his daughter and his granddaughter in a brand new Wenonah canoe slide in the eddy behind me and started to talk. The guy asked my how I liked my boat and I told him it was amazing; fast, fairly stable, light weight, carried a load. He smiled and said he was Mike Chchanowski and he owned Wenonah Canoes and he also loved that boat. His daughter piped up and said she had one too. It was really cute because i got the impression that he felt pride and ownership in every boat with the Wenonah name on it.
|
|
MReid
|
That's one helluva beaver dam!
|
|
Beast388
|
Here's a few pics from my recent trip with the Advantage...
|
|
RileyDog
|
Thanks.
|
|
cyclones30
|
I was lucky enough to borrow an Advantage last summer. It was the first solo I've ever paddled, it cruised well and I fished just fine out of it.
|
|
Beast388
|
|
|
butthead
|
  My Advantage top front Magic below RockStar behind Moccasin opposite bottom. 
butthead
|
|
VaderStrom
|
Ole496: "I brought my brand new Advantage home today. The lakes are all frozen so it will be a few weeks before I can paddle it. I love this boat and it just looks fast hanging in my garage. I have always wanted to own one of these and I'm looking forward to cruising the metro lakes this year.
  "
Which metro lakes do you frequent? We'll have to get an advantage paddle group set up with all these beauties being shown off.
|
|
fadersup
|
I hope to paddle an Advantage at some point. Sounds like they do many things very well.
|
|
RileyDog
|
I have a white one like your early 80s one
I bought earlier this summer.
|
|
RileyDog
|
Does anyone know if I can put a newer style seat in a early 80s advantage?
Or wear to buy?
|
|
VaderStrom
|
mr.barley: "VaderStrom: "Ole496: "I brought my brand new Advantage home today. The lakes are all frozen so it will be a few weeks before I can paddle it. I love this boat and it just looks fast hanging in my garage. I have always wanted to own one of these and I'm looking forward to cruising the metro lakes this year.
"
Which metro lakes do you frequent? We'll have to get an advantage paddle group set up with all these beauties being shown off." I’d be interested in that. The chain of lakes starting in Calhoun is a fun paddle. Plus theyre paddle/ sail only lakes. "
They’re great! I start on Cedar because parking is far easier and it’s not as busy. The first channel is also my favorite. Very peaceful around sunset and nice to not have to worry about speeding boats not seeing you.
|
|
singlebladecanoe
|
They look like a very fast hull. On my list as well as options for my next purchase. I know being a more narrow hull they aren't as stable as something much wider. But are they stable enough for a day of fishing?
|
|
Blatz
|
Congratulation! You will be amazed at how fast, smooth and stable it is. The waiting will be hard, like the water right now.
|
|
mr.barley
|
VaderStrom: "Ole496: "I brought my brand new Advantage home today. The lakes are all frozen so it will be a few weeks before I can paddle it. I love this boat and it just looks fast hanging in my garage. I have always wanted to own one of these and I'm looking forward to cruising the metro lakes this year.
"
Which metro lakes do you frequent? We'll have to get an advantage paddle group set up with all these beauties being shown off." I’d be interested in that. The chain of lakes starting in Calhoun is a fun paddle. Plus theyre paddle/ sail only lakes.
|
|
Banksiana
|
Thanks.
The Advantage is photogenic
|
|
MReid
|
I liked mine, which I bought and sold for $400. And then replaced years later with a $2000 Voyager. I'm sure I could find something to do with the $1600 I would have saved if I had kept it.
|
|
VaderStrom
|
mr.barley: "VaderStrom: "Ole496: "I brought my brand new Advantage home today. The lakes are all frozen so it will be a few weeks before I can paddle it. I love this boat and it just looks fast hanging in my garage. I have always wanted to own one of these and I'm looking forward to cruising the metro lakes this year.
"
Which metro lakes do you frequent? We'll have to get an advantage paddle group set up with all these beauties being shown off." I’d be interested in that. The chain of lakes starting in Calhoun is a fun paddle. Plus theyre paddle/ sail only lakes. "
They’re great! I start on Cedar because parking is far easier and it’s not as busy. The first channel is also my favorite. Very peaceful around sunset and nice to not have to worry about speeding boats not seeing you.
|
|
singlebladecanoe
|
Just picked mine up.
|
|
RileyDog
|
|
|
Ole496
|
I paddle all kinds, most frequently these lakes: Long Lake in Ramsey County, Peltier and Centerville/Rice Creek Chain in Anoka, Square Lake, Big Marine, Forest Lake in Washington County, Minneapolis Lakes, pretty much all over.
I think an Advantage paddle night would be fun.
|
|
Ole496
|
singlebladecanoe: "Just picked mine up.
"
Stunning canoe! Congratulations
|
|
Blatz
|
A recent post got me thinking that some of us are Wenonah Advantage enthusiasts. I've had three.
The white one is in fiberglass, center rib layup - early 80s.
The Red one is also fiberglass in the ultra light layup - late 80s.
And my most recent Kevlar UL lay up.
|
|
MReid
|
ZaraSp00k: "so when I saw a near pristine Voyager for $1050 I bought it. A week later I bought a C1W tuffweave in excellent shape for $550 so I bought it too.
Wouldn't you know it, a week later I saw two kevlar Advantages up for sale, one $700, the other $750, both in pretty good shape.
If I had known that, I would only own one solo, an Advantage."
I sort of feel the same way, sort of. I have a 1983 C1W tuffweave I bought new, and will never get rid of it (of course it's not worth much to anybody else). And I have a kevlar Voyager. The C1W will do everything the Voyager will do, and a lot more--I've paddled rocky Class 3 WW in it (though I don't recommend it!), and done numerous river and lake trips from Florida to Alaska, used it extensively for work, and successfully raced it flatwater. It does everything except portage well--at 53 pounds, it's not as fun as my 37 pound Voyager. Of course, the Advantage is a nice in between, tending more towards the Voyager than the C1W in its useability. Two boats are better than one, anyway!
|
|
VaderStrom
|
I've loved being the proud owner of this Advantage. It's been memorable since the day I hydroplaned off the road on my way to get it. Lots more memories to come.
Before taking my niece for her first ever canoe ride.
Prior to one of the many sunset paddles through TC chain of lakes right after creating my custom hinge Yolk.
After an evening paddle in EP/Hopkins
|
|
GoBlue
|
One on Knife. The other, a nameless lake in WCPP.
First boat. I know. I am ruined for life.
|
|
Blatz
|
You can buy seat replacements and glass them onto the slider. Wenonah should have them and ZRE sells carbon seats
|
|
mr.barley
|
  I’ve had 2 Advantages over the years. The first was a UL Kevlar with a white gel coat(37 lbs) I sold it to bobbwca when I bought a Bell Magic . I think he still has it. The picture was taken on an east side beach of Gillis during a wood finding expedition.After a couple years I decided I made a mistake and began a long search for the right UL Advantage. I finally found one on this site. That one is pictured the day I picked it up. I’m sitting in it in kanoes’ front yard when I took it there for show and tell on my way home.
|
|
mr.barley
|
 Another photo of my first Advantage. Cruising across McIntyre in Quetico. It was like glass.
|
|
Beast388
|
Wenonah.com has a new tab for retired canoes.....pretty cool.
Advantage
|
|
Ole496
|
I brought my brand new Advantage home today. The lakes are all frozen so it will be a few weeks before I can paddle it. I love this boat and it just looks fast hanging in my garage. I have always wanted to own one of these and I'm looking forward to cruising the metro lakes this year.
|
|
Blatz
|
Beast388: "
" Brought back to life. Nice job
|
|
VaderStrom
|
singlebladecanoe: "Just picked mine up.
"
What a sweet, sweet boat?! I'm glad to see they're still making such amazing hulls in the new layups. Have you put it on the scale yet to get the exact weight? Someday I want to get a light version to keep my gel coat tough weave company.
What type of portage yolk are you going to be using? ...or maybe you'll just carry it with a free hand. :)
|
|
Blatz
|
Beast388: "Wenonah.com has a new tab for retired canoes.....pretty cool.
Advantage " Brought back memories. Saw My Jensen 18 and my J200. I would wear out their catalogs
|
|
MReid
|
Blatz: "Brought back memories. Saw My Jensen 18 and my J200. I would wear out their catalogs "
And my C1W. I used to race the SCR and the USCA Marathon, had a Sundowner 18. I used to sell Wenonahs in the early 1980s. Good times.
|
|
whitecedar
|
I had one identical to Ken's boat. I sold it, which was a huge mistake. Looking forward to getting another one!
|
|
Banksiana
|
 Warrior at rest.
 Under duress.
 Suspended animation.
|
|
Blatz
|
Banksiana: " Warrior at rest.
Under duress.
Suspended animation." Great Pictures
|
|
ZaraSp00k
|
MReid: It does everything except portage well--at 53 pounds, it's not as fun as my 37 pound Voyager. Of course, the Advantage is a nice in between, tending more towards the Voyager than the C1W in its useability. Two boats are better than one, anyway!"
exactly, the only downside is two boats take up twice as much room
if I had bought a kevlar Advantage, I don't know that I would have taken it down some of the small rocky rivers I've paddled, when I bought my Jensen there was also a tuffweave Advantage for sale brand new, white with black, $700 (1990) that I nearly bought which, other than the weight would have been a perfect substitute for the two solos I have now
|
|
BeaV
|
I've only really used it on one big trip so far...not counting training days or day trips. It did what I bought if for! 
|
|
ZaraSp00k
|
When I decided to buy a solo I was determined to buy a used Advantage, because at the time kayaks were popular and solo canoes had fallen out of vogue, you could buy a kevlar one for as little as $400 (well used). A more normal price was about $700.
I could not find one locally, and the itch to own a solo was growing over the year I looked, not to mention prices seemed to also be going up, so when I saw a near pristine Voyager for $1050 I bought it. A week later I bought a C1W tuffweave in excellent shape for $550 so I bought it too.
Wouldn't you know it, a week later I saw two kevlar Advantages up for sale, one $700, the other $750, both in pretty good shape.
If I had known that, I would only own one solo, an Advantage.
|