I am about to purchase a canoe that is a Wenonah Fisherman made in 1990 that is 16ft long according to the seller. He even re-measured it and all the photos support it. It has a second thwart besides the center yoke to further support it being 16ft. All the buyers guides I have that date back to 1993 say the Fisherman is a 14ft long model. Later they began making a Kingfisher that is 16ft long but his clearly has the “Fisherman” decal on it. Anyone ever have one of these or paddle one? The serial# is 16fishFM466D090
I don’t know…
…but IIRC, I read a while back that the old 16’ Fisherman is what later became the Aurora (or was it Adirondack?). What I do know is that there clearly was a glass 16-footer in the Wenonah line called the “Fisherman”. I’ve seen a couple for sale on CL, with photos clearly showing the name on the boat and verified measurements.
Fisherman
– Last Updated: Oct-19-13 12:03 AM EST –
I don't have the 16' version, but I've seen them come up for sale from time to time. I have the 14' model, and it's really stable and I really like it. Wenonah also has the Kingfisher, which is a 16' model. Perhaps they just changed the name. Sounds like a good canoe. I really like the shorter version for tandem and solo so one a little longer sounds good...From the serial number it sounds like the one you are thinking about was built in 1990.
Guessing it’s what is now called
kingfisher.
Yeah my guess too
Yeah I think that may be what is is now called. I guess its maximum width is whats gonna tell me if it was the predecesser to the Kingfisher, or Adirondak or Aurora. The Kingfisher is 40" wide so a very good fishing, quiet water boat to go along with my 1985 Old Town Columbia 18.5ft cruiser at 34" wide.
16’ Fisherman
The 16’ Fisherman became the Adirondack. The Aurora and Kingfisher came later. It was not nearly as stable as the kingfisher for fishing, but was faster and lighter than most 16’ canoes of the era. It is still a great all around canoe for lighter people. The present name of Adirondack suits the hull perfectly.
Bill
YEP its an Adirondack!
I just brought it home and all its dimensions make it an Adirondack. Good looking and fast (relatively speaking) looking by how sharp the stems are. I do think in calling it Fisherman was pretty inaccurate judging by its rounded bottom and narrow ends (not much room). Heck I think my Sundowner would make a better fishing canoe. The name Adirondack is definately better suited. Well anyway I have some work to do since it actually has some minor exterior hull issues and will get a new paint/clear after all work is done.
16’ Fisherman
When this hull was named Fisherman it was more because it was very light, under 40# in core-stiffened Kevlar, and allowed fishermen access to remote lakes and ponds that were work carrying into with a wood-canvas or a typical aluminum canoe. The Sportspal canoe was advertised for this very purpose and does fit the light, easy to portage role very well. The 16’ Fisherman provided a canoe that was light to carry and paddled much better than an aluminum hull. It was as close to a recreational hull as Wenonah came at that time. It was the lightest and shortest Wenonah tandem. The 16’6" Echo(later Sundowner) was practically as light, but with a more rounded bottom had less initial stability. To me the Spirit made a better fishing platform and all around canoe; and I still have one. The 18’Sundowner is as stable a platform as the 16’Fisherman, but the extra 2 feet of length can keep it out of spots you can fish with a 16’canoe.
Now you need a pair of Jensens to round out your classic Wenonah collection.
Bill