I am very interested in a new Mohawk canoe. I want a good general purpose tandem that I can also solo, and I want to spend a great deal of time sailing it as well. The 17’ hulls are a little heavy, but manageable for me and have the 36" beam I need for sailing. My first decent canoe, I have a cheap fiberglass Indian River square stern 13.5 footer. Mohawk hand lays the glass, and makes each to order. Will customize trim, layup reinforcement etc.
My question pertains to models. The Blazer looks decent, but they will make a Ranger too. Does anyone have access to 1980’s Mohawk literature listing models? The owner said the Ranger was more a flat bottom straight sided hull, but I’ve talked to others that said the Ranger is a Jensen design and pretty slick.
Not “perfect” perhaps, but should do all I need, be stiff (royalex flexes when sailing I hear), and very reasonable! I see decent used canoes but name brand composites hold value very well. I need a boat with a title so I can register it, so many used hulls have no title.
http://www.classfiveboats.com/fiberglass-canoes.html
You must know more about sailing
canoes than I do, but regarding the Mohawk models, the Blazer would be OK. They don’t show the Ranger, but if it is a Jensen design, it is likely to have less rocker than the Blazer. Adequate rocker is important in a sailing canoe.
Regarding hull stiffness, Royalex, fiberglass, and glass/carbon/Kevlar hulls may be stiff or may be flexy, depending on the number and nature of cloth layers in the layup, the hull cross section, tricks in the shape of the hull, the number of thwarts, and additions such as vertical supports from thwarts to the hull bottom.
I found the following statement in the Mohawk online catalog puzzling. Regarding Mohawk fiberglass hulls: “Lighter and more durable than Royalex or rotationally molded Polyethylene, a little heavier and more resilient than Kevlar.”
You should take that statement as applying only to Class Five’s work, if that. They started as a very sophisticated composite whitewater boat builder. But fiberglass boats are not necessarily lighter than similar Royalex boats, and fiberglass is usually stiffer and more brittle than a layup using Kevlar.
For your use, fiberglass may be fine. But if Class V does a top class, thin fiberglass layup, you may want to try some stiffening tricks. Look me up if you get into that. I might have some suggestions.
Regarding the need for a title
You might want to ask a question about the title issue separately, with the subject in the title of the post to catch attention. Some people here have bought and sold fleets of used boats, and I recall seeing comments in the past about what to do if you need a title in your state but no official title exists. I seem to recall that “there’s always a way” to get around this problem. After all, the state WANTS your registration money and they aren’t about to let opportunities for that slip away. You can bet they have a way to give you legitimate title to the boat as long as you can demonstrate that the sale was legal.
Stiffening tricks?
I only know what I’ve read regarding sailing canoes. Ideally something with more rocker than the Blazer would be good, but the Sebago club (ACA) in NY made good use of Blazers and Rangers for sailing. I’ve corresponded with a couple individuals that used the Blazer/Ranger too. Compromise to be sure, but they have worked well enough.
I’d be interested to know about your stiffening tricks! Always willing to learn…