Is anyone using a Wenonah Advantage as a Tripping canoe?
Is this a poll?
My answer is yes. I have two, an original and the later, modified hull design for tripping.
Once upon a time
I remember a time when the Advantage was the canoe to use for fast trips in the BWCA by paddlers who liked to travel light.
It is a bit limited in the size of packs or barrels that will fit between the gunwales.
Not a poll
What do you mean by the modified hull design? I have an Advantage thats a 2000 model year.
Advantage for tripping
I’ve tripped all over the Adks in an Advantage & enjoyed the experience. It’s fast on the flats & easy on the carries. Performed better than I expected in the raps also. Took a Kevlar ultralite Advantage down the Missinaibi & Moose rivers in Ontario to James bay running many Class 2+ raps w/ 9 days of supplies w/o problems (but backpaddled hard in the biggest stuff)
Packing methods
– Last Updated: Aug-12-10 9:40 PM EST –
Most canoes are waaaaay adaptable and if you have a straight line canoe its not a block to river tripping.
More often its the packing system and thats what I would like to learn about.
I usually have a 30 liter barrel and thats my limiting factor.
Does it fit?
also for the Missinaibi tripper...thats one of my favs but water levels change the character of the river, Usually we hit it at the level of "I hate this f..ing river"as we walk the sandy plains toward s Moose River Crossing.
If a remember correctly
I think a 30 liter barrel will fit into the bow of an Advantage and still allow enough leg room, but I could be wrong.
original Advantage
was a stock class racer. It measures 16’8". There is significantly more tumblehome with gunwales that are quite narrow. There is less volume in the bow and isn’t as tall either. The original Advantage looks a lot like the Jensen C1W, which Clipper Canoe still makes a variation, but they call it the Freedom (http://www.clippercanoes.com/boat_specs.php?model_id=140). My stock class Advantage is an '81. I’m not sure when the change happened (pre '96), but the new, modified Advantages are 16’6", less tumblehome, more volume in the bow and more freeboard.
I don’t use my stock class boat for anything other than training. My modified Advantage can easily fit a 30l barrel in front of the front thwart. I can also fit a 30l barrel sideways behind the rear thwart plus another behind that length wise. Plenty of room. I normally trip with a 30l food barrel up front, North Water Thwart bag clipped to the pedestal on the floot, water bottles bungeed under the pedestal, and a 70l pack behind the rear thwart. Plenty of gear and food for a solo 10 day trip. (http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a385/nermalgod/Loadedadvantagesm.jpg) Because she rides a little low in the stern, I also trip with a CCS cover. Makes a big difference in how the boat handles wind from the stern.
Clipper Freedom
It looks like the Clipper Freedom is a cut down version of the Jensen C1W that has 2 inches less bow height, and 1 1/2" less depth at the center and stern.
I have an old fiberglass C1W and I have been toying with the idea of cutting it down in just this way, and replacing the aluminum gunwales with wood, while I can still find some ash.
The C1W is a pretty neat boat, but has way too much sticking up into the wind for paddling without a load.
oops, wrong boat, I meant the C1F
The C1F was a flat water racer. C1W is a down river racer. Yes, the C1W is a deep boat and isn’t the best in wind, but the last C1F I paddled had the pedestal seat about an inch above the gunwales. It was quite the fast boat.
trip
Will work great. It has limited seaworthiness on windy days on big water where the waves get more than 1-1.5 feet (maybe 2 feet). If you are a good paddler, you can deck the boat and take on bigger conditions.
I have used a very similar craft, Shockwave, for tripping and it is great.
I put my 5700 in3 internal frame backpack in the stern, and a med-small portage pack in the bow. Weight should be 55-45 or 60-40 distribution (i.e. heavier pack in the stern). If it feels hard to handle, trim your packs fore or aft. You should be able to pick up a C1 portage yolk from several places.
Portage trip#1, carry the portage pack and canoe; the internal frame on trip 2. DO become skilled in handling this boat in winds, especially following winds and waves. They can be a handfull if you don’t. The boat begs for a bent shaft paddle. I use 1" longer than the length I use to race for boat control (I am 6’0", and use a 53" for tripping). To be easy on the boat, you might consider getting your feet wet launching and landing.
Have fun.