Mohawk Canoe

Awhile back, I bought a Mohawk tandem (16 footer) and had it shipped up here to NY. I later sold it but now I’m in the market for a nice lighterweight solo canoe that I can manage on my own. I was very pleased with the quality and appearance of my tandem canoe but one thing worries me. Why, in all these posts about people’s favourite canoes, does the name “Mohawk” never seem to appear? Is it considered an inferior brand by those in the know? I don’t even hear it referred to even occasionally, yet the company has been in business for years and years down in Florida.

I have been beaten by
a few of the Mohawk canoes in my class at races.

In my book that means they have some good boats out there. Look for the ones tht were Jensen designed or have some Jensen ancestry in them.

Mohawks good
I like Mohawk canoes. They aren’t as expensive as their bigger name brand cousins. Maybe because they are “mailorder” canoes some people are turned off.Not me, I used to own an Odyssey 14 and now have a Solo 14.



BTW, are you aware the company has been sold and now is going into production in Arkansas?

Mohawk Odd 14
Hey Mike, I live in CNY, and I can give you a try-out in my boat. hand cut dove tail at netscape dot net (remove the spaces.)

Second hand endorsement
When I started paddling I had the good fortune to be taken underwing by one of the old timers around here, a guy named Roger Corbett. It’s just a guess on my part that he probably paddled 100 days a year for 50 years before he died in 2004. He was very knowledgeable about canoes, canoeing, and the rivers around here.



During the years I paddled with him, Roger always paddled a Mohawk (15’ Intrepid, I think). 5000 days in canoes, and he choose Mohawk. That is all the endorsement I’d need, and I think you can be confident they make good boats.



~~Chip Walsh, Gambrills, MD


amazing
I have 2 mohawk canoes, 14’ tandem fiberglass and a 17’ tandem royalex. I love them both. I can paddle them both backwards as solo canoes and they work perfectly. My father has 8 mohawks and they are all amazing canoes. I’m lucky enough to live in Arkansas, so whenever they move up here (early January) I’m going to go looking for a solo canoe.



Visit mohawk’s website and you’ll find the number for Stuart, the new owner. Give him a call and you won’t regret it.



Luke

P-Net has its Mohawk fans
It’s true, you don’t hear as much about Mohawk on these boards as some other brands, but what you DO hear is usually pretty complimentary. If the new owner’s style of customer service is even half as good as what the old owner was known for, it’ll still stand out as excellent. We’ll have to wait and see about this, though.



I’m one of those happy Mohawk owners too. I have their Oddysey 14, and for general usage, I think it’s a great design. Where I really love this boat is on little rivers with decent current and lots of obstacles. I have three solo canoes, and this is the one I use the most.

Mohawk
Few discussions about solo canoes are complete without someone mentioning a Mohawk model or two. We have one in our family fleet (Solo 14) and it’s a pretty fair little boat. Being a direct dealer they offer canoes at low prices, perhaps they’re lacking in the “mystique” that some more hyped brands offer up, but who needs it? I don’t have any personal experience with their composites, but I’d say the overall quality of their Royalex and Royalite canoes is on par with and sometimes even better than some other “middle of the road” ABS builders like Bell or Old Town.



What I’ve always thought was Mohawk’s very best quality was their outstanding Customer Service policies – they take the extra step to make their customers smile. Their CS is the best in the industry bar none - IMHO. Decent boats & accessories at reasonable prices and outstanding Customer Service; I hope the new owner can keep those fine traditions going.

Guy I paddle with
has a couple Mohawks. Very knowlegable paddler. I love his highly rockered solo, not sure what model, but it is “just right” in my opinion. He brought the other one this last weekend, and it seemed fine. You’ll see it in some of these pix(not the dagger or mr)

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/555492415ZYqSPH

I disagree. Mohawk frequently
gets mentioned in posts; however, not anymore since they’re selling (sold?) the company and haven’t been selling canoes for awhile. Also, if you don’t live on the east coast, once you crank in shipping costs they aren’t such a bargain; consequently, the further west you live the less attractive Mohawk canoes are. It was cheaper for me to buy a MR Explorer locally on sale than a Mohawk plus shipping. I own a Mohawk Odyssey and am very happy with the canoe. I was in Orlando visiting my daughter and picked it up from the factory.

heres my mohawk

– Last Updated: Nov-13-06 2:07 PM EST –

[http://thumb4.webshots.net/t/58/158/8/2/74/2722802740053419764sPjOJJ_th.jpg](http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2722802740053419764sPjOJJ) an older 17' fg mohawk ranger(c.1977) that i bought from the old perception factory when it was in pickens, sc as a preproduction prototype. i think it is a jensen design, though i modified it for sailing. one of the most successful sailing canoes is the mohawk ultima, similar to this boat but wider.

bell middle of the road?
I never heard of a abs bell canoe? they make rx to carbon, never the less mowhawk does make nice boats

ABS is Royalex
and Bell is middle of the road in build quality and down near the bottom of the list in customer service, IMHO. Bell has recently sold to a paddle boat manufacturer in Wisconsin or something like that. Hopefully the quality will remain at least the same, if not better, and I don’t see how the customer service could get much worse, so that’s likely to improve as well. Jes my 2 cents. By comparison I consider top of the line boats to be Loonworks and Stewart River and Red River, all wood and canvas. In top of the line composites I’m partial to Hemlock and Ranger. In top of the line Royalex I’m partial to Vermont made Mad Rivers. But that’s just my opinion:)

if there were more whitewater paddlers
… here you’d read a lot more about Mohawk canoes. Around where I live, they are the staple for open boat WW.

yes, some of their whitewater
design have been well ahead of their times and are still competitive! And Mohawks Royalex feels more sturdy than most of the competitors-and is heavier.

What most people seem not to like nowadays: canoes have to be light and don’t have to last 20 years anymore…

A lot of their canoe designs are only average, though. Still worth the money.

But that’s just MHO

lightweight canoe
The light weight of the Solo 14 is what is making it seem more attractive to me. The company claims that it weighs only 39 pounds, which I don’t think you can beat for that length with any other company’s product. If you have a weak lower back, as I do, it makes a big difference when you have to lift the canoe up to the top of the car and then back down. From everything I’ve read on this post so far, and thanks to all that gave their input, I’m ready for a Solo 14 in the Spring!

Own 2 Mohawks…

– Last Updated: Nov-13-06 10:50 PM EST –

I own a Mohawk Probe 12 II; in my opinion an excellent whitewater canoe. Good stability & excellent manueverability. Handles class 3 with ease & can handle class 4 with a better whitewater paddler than myself.

I also own a Mohawk Odyssey 14; in my opinion it is an excellent multipurpose canoe. Great boat for a day trip, or for a multi overnight outing.
It likes moving water rivers.

Mohawk's customer service was excellent. I always got exactly what I asked for, and if they made a mistake, it was quickly corrected. Shipping was "fast". Also had a decent line of whitewater outfitting assessories. Gave me good/truthful advice, and took the time to talk to me (at length) about varied models.

Over the years I owned another Odyssey 14, and a Solo 14. My wife turned into a decent solo canoe paddler using those 2 boats, and a Mad River Guide.

If the new owners continue the quality; I'll probably buy 1 or 2 more Mohawks.

BOB

bell I stand corrected
Sorry I thought abs ment polylink, i stand corrected. I don’t know about the service at bell, I’ll take your word for it, but I beliecve the quality is very good,one of my boats is a bell, and I get compliments every time i take it out. I don’t believe mohawk is any better, but mowhawk is the best bang for the buck, because they are less expensive