Ok, so I ran the serial number through Mohawak to find out exactly what canoe I have. It is a 1986 Jensen C1 14ft Solo made out of Kevlar. I did some Googling, and didn’t come up with much. What was this boat designed for? Since it’s Kevlar, should I stay away from Arkansas Class II rivers? How easy is it to repair kevlar? I keep seeing the word “racing” associated with Jensen’s name, but nothing specific about this particular model. Any help would be appreciated.
Gene Jensen designed many solo canoes back then. Most, if not all were designed with downriver racing in mind. Two common models were the 16’ WWC1 and the 16 1/2’ C1W, both of which were made in composite layups by Wenonah canoe. I have a WWC1 in Tuf-weave.
I have never seen or paddled one, but I believe the Mohawk 14’ boat is a shortened version of the WWC1.
Kevlar is no more difficult to repair than any other type of composite boat. Many assume that Kevlar boats are fragile. The strength of any composite canoe, Kevlar or otherwise, depends on the layup, how many layers (full blankets or partials), what material, presence or absence of foam bottom core and ribs, etc.
Since Kevlar has a higher strength to weight ration than fiberglass, it was often used in the construction of lightweight and ultra-lightweight boats with a foam core/rib “skeleton” and some of those could be somewhat delicate. But an all cloth Kevlar boat, or one with Kevlar combined with fiberglass could be made very strong indeed. I can’t comment on your boat because I don’t know the nature of the layup. I have certainly taken composite canoes down the upper Buffalo, as an example, and would not hesitate to do so given the right layup.
This a pic of it. I can see fiberglass on the floor of the boat and then this weave material on interior sides. Is that kevlar?
No I don’t think so. I believe the material that shows the rather coarse weave is woven fiberglass roving. It looks as if additional fiberglass roving was sprayed onto the hull bottom and chines using a “chopper gun”.
I tend to agree, I don’t remember seeing a weave like that in the kevlar boat I tested out a few months ago. Then again, I really don’t know much about composite boats.
Most aramid fabric is yellow in color although some times natural yellow fibers are cowoven with dyed fibers like in the “tweed” aramid fabric used in many Bell canoes. That yellow color tends to darken to a honey-gold color over time.
Some manufacturers of Kevlar and other aramid canoes will paint a “football” or elongated diamond shape on the hull bottom with gray paint although most do not. I don’t recall any that paint the inside sides of Kevlar hulls, however.
Fiberglass is sort of transparent when fully impregnated with clear resin. Multiple layers of resin-impregnated fiberglass are a sort of sickly looking translucent. Most builders of fiberglass canoes will paint the entire hull interior.
So this would be a R84 layup??
No R84 or Royalite is, or was a lightweight version of Royalex thermoplastic lacking the outer vinyl layers. That canoe is definitely a composite.
What does the “C1” stand for? Anyone? Could it be for Class I rivers?
If it’s the same as a 14’ Mohawk “Kevlar” solo canoe that I owned briefly a few years ago, it weighs about 50 lbs, is wide and doesn’t turn very easily. Mine actually weeped water through multiple locations in the hull that i wasn’t able to pin down.
I didn’t care for my sample. I paid too much for it and sold it for less than I paid for it, since I discovered the leaks after purchase and gave the new buyer full disclosure of the issues.
I hope that yours serves you better than mine.
C1 just means a solo (1 person) canoe. In the whitewater world, a C-1 usually implies a decked canoe that looks superficially like a kayak but is paddled from a kneeling position using a single-bladed paddle. A C-2 would then be a two person decked canoe, and OC-1 a one person open (non-decked) canoe, and OC-2 a two person open canoe, a K-1 a one-person kayak, etc. But some people just apply the C-1 moniker to any solo canoe or even an outrigger canoe.
If I remember right back when Wenonah first came out with their flat water C1 they had both a 14Ft & !6ft model. Mohawk was also making Jensen designs at that time
I wonder how much in common does my Jensen Solo 14 have with Mohawk Solo 14 boats produced after 1986? I may need to call Mohawk again.
@Adventure357 said:
I wonder how much in common does my Jensen Solo 14 have with Mohawk Solo 14 boats produced after 1986? I may need to call Mohawk again.
My kevlar Mohawk Solo 14 and the Royalex Mohawk Solo 14 that I tried out didn’t seem to handle much the same, if IIRC, but I’ll defer to others with more 1st hand experience.
I recall the royalex version being more maneuverable.
Just talked to Richard with Mohawk. He says that the Jensen Solo 14 is a different boat than the more common mid 80’s and 90’s Mohawk Solo 14. The Jensen version is more of a flat water “long distance” (20 miles approx) point A to Point B boat. It wouldn’t handle very well on faster moving water. Be more difficult to turn and be a very wet ride etc…He also said that there is indeed a layer of Kevlar along with a fiberglass layer in that boat. So it has some Kevlar in it, which is what allowed Mohawk to market it as a “Kevlar boat”, even though it isn’t 100% made of Kevlar.
So, the good news is that the boat will fit what I will do with it here locally. I will just need to pick up a white water boat like a Probe 12 when I’m ready to head north to Arkansas.
@Yanoer said:
@Adventure357 said:
I wonder how much in common does my Jensen Solo 14 have with Mohawk Solo 14 boats produced after 1986? I may need to call Mohawk again.My kevlar Mohawk Solo 14 and the Royalex Mohawk Solo 14 that I tried out didn’t seem to handle much the same, if IIRC, but I’ll defer to others with more 1st hand experience.
I recall the royalex version being more maneuverable.
Your memory would serve you as being correct!