Has anyone ever heard of the Nona Canoe brand?
Not Wenonah!
I’m told Fiberglass Nona Canoe’s were manactured in the Los Angeles area in the 70’s.
Has anyone ever owned a Nona or have any experience paddling one? Just wondering if are a decent canoe?
1 Like
We did
My dad had a Nona when I was younger, in fact that was the first canoe I paddled. It was a pretty good lake boat, and they had taken it on class 2 rapids, but it was kinda big for that kind of paddling. Don’t know what model or anything, but it was a Nona.
1 Like
Nona Canoes
Yep, Nona canoes made in Costa Mesa. There was a 10’6 Shadow, a 15’4 California 49er, a 16’ Posiedon (which could also be decked), a 18’6" Catalina, and a 25 foot War canoe.
PK
1 Like
funny
my dad lived in oceanside, and I lived in Costa Mesa at the time, we were able to get 4 people in the canoe without any problem, so I am guessing that it was the Catalina.
1 Like
nona
thanks for your help
Nona Kayak
Do you know if they made Fiberglass Kayaks as well? I have a 13’ fiberglas kayak with “NONA” followed by registered trademark spelled on the deck and the letters are made of little canoes and kayaks. I’m told it’s an older whitewater boat. I’ve been looking for literature & info on the manufacture and the boats. Any clue what their worth?
Yep,
Nona built kayaks too. The Canyon, the River Runner, and the Scamp K-1 Tourer. All were 13’3" 24" wide, and 12" deep. The Canyon was extremely rockered, Asymmetrical, shallow arch, with flare. The River Runner was moderately rockered asymmetrical, shallow arch wiuth flare, and the Scamp was straight keeled asymmetrical flat bottomed with tumblehome. In addition, the cockpit sizes were different, with the Canyon the smallest and the Scamp the largest.
PK
1 Like
Cockpit
The cockpit on this boat is 25.5" long x 16" wide. I think my brother (Marines) bought the boat when he was stationed in CA. Do you know of any online info on the boats or company?
Nona Canoe
Jacky,
My wife and I just took our Nona canoe out over the 4th. It is a 14ft fiberglass canoe that we bought 25 years ago. The company was in Costa Mesa. I just did a search for Nona just to see if they were still making canoes and it appears they aren’t. Too bad…
I can tell you that it is a very nice canoe. We bought it over a 16’ model just because it was easier to carry and load onto out vehicle. It has a wide bottom so is much more stable than an aluminum canoe. It doesn’t get cold like an aluminum canoe.
Although we don’t canoe much, it has lasted 25 years and still looks great and we’ve never had any problems with it.
Hope this helps.
1 Like
Jerry Nona was my uncle, I met him a few times as a boy in the 70’s I visited his canoe factory once in Costa Mesa and left with a new product, a fiberglass skateboard. My father sold Nona canoes and kayaks for a few years as a side hustle in Illinois. My father and his friends would take them out and crack them and rip the fiberglass and my father would have his friends who did auto body work fix them. Last time I asked about uncle Jerry he closed up shop and moved to Mexico with his new wife I think in the 80’s.
I do not know how many canoes like this are still around, but it is in great shape for its age. Looking forward to using it for a long time. Thanks for sharing your story with me about your uncle and the factory history. Thx, Ricky