Mohawk 17 Kevlar 49 value

-- Last Updated: Oct-02-14 4:00 PM EST --

I'm looking at a 1988 model Mohawk 17 ft. Kevlar 49. It is in decent shape with one repair (can't see it in the miserable photos). One owner boat. I've read some older discussions on this model and opinion varies as to the resiliency and quality.
I'm just wanting a loadable flat water, slow river canoe for my wife and I. I will occasionally paddle solo. Would this Mohawk be a good choice? I'm also considering a Wenonah Jensen in Tuffweave for $500. What do you think a fair price would be in Central Oregon? Heck, it would cost me some $$ in fuel just to go get it! The Wenonah is much closer.

Buy both of them.

– Last Updated: Oct-02-14 2:07 PM EST –

Buy them both and see which one you guys like best if your budget allows. Sell the one you don't like. If the Mohawk floats it is worth $300 all day long in my book and you can probably can get it for less. The same for the Wenonah. They probably won't work well as a solo canoe but are decent tandems.

Brian

Buy both of them
I like the Mohawk better myself. Good suggestion to just try them both out! It’s better than four hours one way for the Mohawk darn it. LONG Sunday drive :wink: Thanks for the input!

If both were new, I would take the
Jensen in Tufweave. But used at low prices, give both a try. Can resell at a small profit.

Jensen
Im also very partial to Jensen 17’s (and 18’s especially), so that would be my choice as well, although I have no experience with Mowhawk boats, so I may like it too and just not know it.



But you cant go wrong with a Jensen 17.

Tuffweave vs Kevlar 49
You guys are making this really hard on me! Kinda fun though. I just like the look and lighter weight of the Mohawk. There isn’t alot of discussion about the Kevlar 49 but what there is makes it seem like a good canoe. It is more traditional and looks a bit more versitile than the Jensen. I won’t know unless I go!

Is it pure Kevlar, or did they have
sense enough to put a layer or two of glass on the outside?



That glass layer means better wear with no fuzzing, and increased hull stiffness.



Kevlar is an inside, not an outside, cloth.

Kevlar 49
That is not the model name, but DuPont’s tradename for the material. Mohawk did not make all Kevlar canoes. They only used one layer and called the whole lay-up a kevlar canoe. They were low price, low quality canoes. Not stiff at all and not light compared to Wenonah or Sawyer; Mohawks contemporaries at the time.

The Mohawk hull might be slightly better suited for slow, lazy paddling on flat water, due to its flat bottom and extra width; but all around the 17 Jensen wins hands down. And depending on the lay-up, it might be lighter than the Mohawk. Even in glass, the Jensen won’t be over 62# and might be as low as 52#.

I would not hesitant to buy any decent 17’Jensen for that price. Its that good a canoe, and definitely better solo.

Bill

Kevlar by DuPont

– Last Updated: Oct-04-14 11:35 PM EST –

Thanks Plaidpaddler. I've done quite a bit of research and find your comments to ring true. So you have solo paddled in a long Jensen? I was thinking it didn't look friendly to the lone paddler but if you have experience, I'd love to hear about it! The seller says it has been sitting out in the sun for about a year.

17’ Jensen
If its Tuffweave it came standard with gelcoat so sitting outside should not be an issue as far as the hull integrity is concerned. If the gunwales are aluminum they will not be an issue. Same with the thwarts and seat frames. Any yoke will be wood and the ends would show the first damage from water either rain or condensate inside the hull.

As far as solo paddling; it will never be a dedicated solo, but the 17’Jensen has the narrowest gunwales of any 17’tandem and is the easiest 17’tandem to solo. I have soloed for several miles on a mix of river and open bay. Wind was more of a struggle than waves and boat wakes. It was no problem to keep pace with the tandem canoes in our group of scouts. I did my paddling kneeling because it was not planned, but dictated by an odd number of paddlers. Otherwise i would have used a sling seat behind the yoke. And really planning it as a solo paddle, I’d have brought a solo canoe. You will find it very stable as a solo and no problem to fish from.

Bill