Wenonah Solo Plus
Practical Approach
Step 1 - check the yellow pages, or google for canoe dealers in your area.
Step 2 - see what lines of canoes they carry
Step 3 - look at those manufacturer’s websites to see what solo canoes they offer
aslternative step one - look at the buyer’s guide here on P-net, find some boats that look interesting to you, and then check the reviews here (take them with a lot of salt, not just a grain)
alternative sterp two - if you’ve come up wtih some choices, see if there is a dealer within a reasonable driving distance (go to manufacturer’s website and click on dealer locations)
Not much point in recommending a specific boat if you would have to drive a thousand miles to go get one, or if the MSRP is way over what you want to pay.
Pretty much, most manufacturers will offer a solo boat that will fit your needs - some, like Wenonah, offer many models - others only have one or two models to choose from. Genrally, they have designed canoes to meet a certain set of parameters - a white water canoe is a different design than a flat water/lake boat as they are designed to accomplish differnt things/meet certain specifications, but within that category of flat water/lake solo boats, they are all going to be about the same, varying in the finer details to more closely match a buyer’s needs. Some will be a wee bit faster, or a bit more stable (at first - that won’t matter as much as you get used to the boat), or a bit lighter, or a bit prettier - those are the fine points that might make you choose boat A over boat B, but A or B will both work.
In short, almost any solo lake boat will do fine for you - if you can find a used boat, that might be a better option for you.
If you really want to get a boat that will also work for occasional tandem use, search on here for “pocket tripper” a term often used to describe such a cross-over boat.
Once you’ve come up with a few practical choices, you can ask some specific questions relating to those specific boats if you’d like a lot of opinion and a few facts.
favorite solos
As far as high-performance solo canoes are concerned, some of my favorites are (not in particular order and not meant to be exclusive):
pretty much anything designed by Gene Jensen or Dave Yost.
Placid Rapidfire, Placid Wildfire
Bell Merlin II, Bell Magic
Swift Osprey
Wenonah Advantage, Wenonah Voyageur
Hemlock Kestrel, Hemlock Peregrine
There are many great solo boats no longer in production including those from Curtis, Blackhawk, Lotus, Mad River, and others which you might find listed used. There are others still in production that I haven’t paddled such as the Souris River Tranquility, Clipper Freedom, Sawyer Autumn Mist and Sawyer Summersong.
Thanks
Thanks again for all the advice.
I found one dealer 2 hours away who has a Wenonah Wilderness and Vegabond models in Royalex. Any opinions on whether these would fit my needs?
neither would fit two at all
The Vagabond is a non tippy non excitement solo boat. It doesnt do anything real well but consider it an entry level solo for general puddling around and fishing etc.
I have never paddled a Wilderness. But I dont think it jibes with what you want…It can carry gear for camping…and perhaps without that added weight will have too much windage.
At your size the Wenonah Solo Plus
… would be a better tandem than a solo.
Sounds like you’ve got a Wenonah dealer nearby based on having Wilderness and Vagabond available to you.
I’d seriously consider the smaller than Wilderness, more performance oriented than Vagabond, Wenonah Argosy in composite. Tuf-Weave, Wenonah’s entry level composite won’t break your wallet. But, looking at Wenonah’s site I don’t see the Argosy offered in Tuf-Weave … hmmm.
Vagabond
I haven’t owned one, but have paddled with a number of people who do. The Vagabond is not Wenonah’s most exciting canoe, but it’s certainly not bad. It is a little too wide to have great speed. Wenonah says it responds well to double-bladed paddling, and one person I have paddled with frequently uses a double blade in his and seems to move right along.
If you are considering buying this boat in Royalex new, I would consider looking around for something in composite used. With patience, I suspect you would be able to find a better used canoe in composite for the same amount of money, or less, within 2 hours driving time.
Vagabond
My wife paddles a Vagabond, mostly with a double-bladed paddle. I’ve used it a fair amount (she weighs 125 and I weigh 100 lbs more) and at 175 I think you’d find it a nice little canoe so long as you weren’t trying to race or do week long trips. My wife’s in Royalex also weighs 38 lbs by the scale, so it’s easy to load or unload.
If you want to go faster or trip, then the Wilderness might be good, I haven’t paddled it. The specs look similar to the Old Town Northern Light (long out of production) that I actually do paddle.
I have paddled with people who were paddling the Argosy, and it looks like a nice more maneuverable and slightly less stable boat than the Vagabond.
If it were me, I’d look for a decent solo boat used at no more than about $750. I wouldn’t worry too much about which boat. After a season then you’d know whether it suited and could either sell it, at a small loss, if you don’t like it, or keep it if you did.
Hemlock quality !!!
I own a beutiful white Perigrin. Dave built it two years ago for me. I am lucky to have many friends with high end boats. At a recent gathering I was closley comparing fit and finish with some Bell Magics,Swift solo plus, and a Wenona. The perigrine outshines them in most aspects. I am sorry to hear that you have one thats not as nice. Also, have you asked Dave about this? Happy paddling. John.
Bell Magic
Bell Magic
Wenonah Advantage
The best thing I could think of if you want tandem ability would be a Jensen 17. They are good all-around boats if day tripping on flat water is your goal.
The RX Vagabond…
isn’t fast, doesn’t track exceptionally well, but with a double blade you’ll be able to keep up with the kayakers. I know that it’s not a high performance boat, but I find mine not only the perfect craft for solo floating and fishing class 1 rivers, but quite pleasurable to paddle with the single blade. If you’re wanting to get down the river as quickly as possible, it isn’t the craft for you, but for general paddling from leisurely to the occasional sprint, it does very well.
All you need for double blade paddles in a solo canoe is enough length. Don’t need low seat, high seat, kneel, sit, whatever. And while kneeling is a smart move in fast, heavy water or in good-sized waves on the lake, for class 1 rivers and sheltered lakes, I’ve never seen a need to kneel.
Get a good single blade for your fun paddling, and a fairly cheap double blade for the rare times when you want to go upstream against the current or to go fast and straight. A break-apart double blade will fit in the canoe while you’re doing most of your paddling with the single. I know a couple of guys who use the double blade as a pole while standing up in the canoe.
Blackhawk Zephyr.
I know where you can get one 
I also know where you could get a Sawyer Summersong, if you want to sit all of the time.
Solo Plus is probably too big for you have have fun soloing. I’m 5’6" and 155 lbs and mine just isn’t fun for me solo unloaded. It’s a beast for me solo in the wind. It works fine tandem for my wife and I with a total load of less than 300 lbs.
Vagabond is easy to control in wind with a single blade. Easy to turn either into or away from the wind. That’s mainly what I remember from a test paddle on a slightly choppy lake on a windy day. Much easier to control in the wind than a royalex Bell Yellowstone Solo that I paddled back to back. I own a royalex Bell Wildfire / Yellowstone Solo.
If the rivers that you’d paddle aren’t too narrow and twisty, I agree that a Bell Magic might be a fun boat for you. Quite efficient and handles wind and waves pretty well. I don’t have one, but would like to.
I greatly enjoy my kevlar Ultra Light Wenonah Advantage when I want to go mostly straight. It does turn surprisingly well for a straight keeled canoe.
I’ve been paddling my 32 lb Curtis Lady Bug more than the 34 lb Advantage this summer because it’s so maneuverable when I want to poke around in nooks and crannies and I seem to be able to paddle it about as straight and fast as the Advantage, even though it has about 2" of symmetrical rocker. I might not have a powerful enough engine to drive the Advantage anywhere near it’s potential cruising speed, but I like it. You might enjoy a used Bell or Placid Boatworks Flashfire (updated version of the Lady Bug) or Wildfire if you’d like a boat that cruises reasonably efficiently, but is fun to just mess around in while learning mastery of the single blade. I installed a footbrace in most of my solo canoes to increase efficiency while sitting and paddling. I would ad one to the Blackhawk Zephyr if I were going to keep it.
Since you have a Wenonah dealer within striking distance, I’d try to get a test paddle in an Argosy when you try the Vagabond.
Have fun in your search.
wood strip
I have a 13’6 wood strip wee lasie and love the way it tracks /paddles, it’s light,and I can keep up with the rest. I do have three of these. and will build to sell. Price varies how much detail the basic is about $2000 and worth every penny.
wild ash suggestion
You are better off with a seaworthy efficient solo boat that can deal with the water you intend to paddle. Not all lakes are equal. Get a companion tandem boat if you often take your wife. A compromise in boat choice will make canoeing a ‘sport’ you used to do.
Sounds like you want a Wenonah Advantage or one of the Bell boats.
If you are into modifying everything you buy, here is another thought.
Wenonah Encounter. Solo boat that can haul a moose, paddles like a dream, take it anywhere. You can set it up as a solo/ tandem convertible.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/6892/canoeencsmall.jpg
