Planning a six-day trip in the BWCAW/Quetico with two other guys. They will be in a Wenonah Adirondack, I will be in my Bell Merlin II solo. The two of them weigh 380 lbs. combined and are very experienced paddlers. We pack light to moderate.
I am unfamiliar with the Adirondack and the owner has used it only with a female on shorter trips. Are we expecting too much of the canoe in terms of cargo capacity?
As posted elsewhere on this board, I would like Wenonah to publish waterline/load figures like Bell.
Thanks,
Gopher1
I think it will be OK to 500, though you
might need to be more cautious about some lake conditions.
Wenohah Adirondacks in BWCAW
– Last Updated: Jun-06-08 10:09 AM EST –
The wife and I used ours several times up there and I used mine twice with other large guys and several times solo. Friend who bought mine used his for a few trips with himself (250 lbs) and son (150 lbs). Combined passenger weight for the wife and I was probably 350, and up to 480-500 with my one friends. It will hold 2 large packs and a small one without problems.
Unless you take everything but the kitchen sink you should have no problems. I once had our Adirondack in 3+' seas on Gunflint Lake and the Adirondack handled it like a champ. I'm not that brave or stupid, but the winds were out of the NW and we were paddling about 20' off the south shore, which is pretty benign. If we had swamped, it would have washed us ashore, so we were in no danger. But it DID allow us to gain some skills and knowledge about what kind of water that boat will handle.
Even though my BWCAW days pretty much ended in 2004 due to health issues, I've probably paddled in excess of 100 days in the BWCAW in a Wenonah Adirondack. It is not the best boat for the BWCAW, indeed; there are several Wenonah models that are better BWCAW canoes. But the Adirondack will work fine if you don't overload it with gear. BTW, the reason I liked the Adirondack so well, is because it worked well both solo and tandem in the BWCAW and Ozark streams. Still the best boat IMHO for that combination. WW
Thank you, wildernesswebb and g2d!