Thinking of buying a Wenonan Wilderness in the Tufweave layup. In standard aluminium trim it would come with the Wenonah height/angle adjustable seat and a footbrace. I understand some people don’t like this adjustable seat and have taken them out, some Wenonah canoes seem to have the seat secured with the front edge at the midway point in the canoe and others are apparently set back 4" to 6". Set back 6" would be better for me as I like to sit and kneel.
Can anyone advise on whether they like/dislike this Wenonah seat, where Wenonah are fixing the adjustable seat hangers in their solo canoes at this time and share any experience of paddling a composite layup Wilderness.
Thanks
seat
Also wanted to mention that I have had the wilderness rx for around 9/10 months or so and haven’t changed the seat placement nor have had any problems with the adjustable hangers. I do usually carry a minimal amount of gear that goes behind me.
Wilderness seat
If I keep my Royalex Wilderness I’ll be changing the seat to a non-adjustable. I’ve found that no matter how careful I am I often knock the seat out of position when changing from sitting to kneeling or back. Not fun on moving water.
Joe
Sorry
Size 11.5 feet with Converse All-Stars(Chucks)
Question
Have you cinched the side lock after adjustment? If that doesn’t hold well enough you might try replacing the string with webbing & a ladderlock or buckle.
Yes
I did lock down the side lock. Will consider the ladder lock if I keep the boat. BTW not getting rid of the boat because of the seat, I’ve acquired a Swift Raven and a Swift Shearwater.
Joe
Side Lock…
When speaking of the side lock, do you mean the cinch tie located at each side or is this something new? I usually don’t have trouble with the seat moving when switching from sitting to kneeling when the seat is in higher position, however it is a chore sometimes moving it from the higher to lower position to the point that I need to pull off to the shore to readjust it…
Yep, that’s it
On the binding issue, take a look at the side plates as you adjust the seat (I’m talking about doing this on land sitting outside of the canoe and looking in). The “worst case” position during the adjustment is when the seat is at it’s farthest aft in the arc. As it moves towards the stern in the transition, it gets tighter. If you have significant binding going on, especially at the lower settings check the foam blocks that space the plates from the hull - if you’re tight on the plates, shave the foam blocks a tad.
Thanks…
for the info. I’ll have to check that out…
Saddle
I had an adjustable seat in my Argosy, experienced all of the above problems, and implemented some of the solutions. I finally just removed it altogether and installed a Mohawk saddle. Doesn’t move around, easier to get in and out, better boat control, and no foot entrapment issues when kneeling.
I have really enjoyed it
I have the CVCA adjustable seat on my Wenonah Vagabond, bought used, but presumably it was factory installed. Frankly, I have not used it enough to do it justice, as my paddle time has been reduced to mostly using the Prism (adjustable bucket pedestal seat) on extended vacations, and tandem trips. In my limited experience on essentially flat water, however, I have really enjoyed the adjustable seat in the Vagabond. Yes, it rattles a little and can be a bit futzy, but the ability to have the seat high for kneeling and low for sitting is brilliant, particularly in a boat using a straight (as opposed to bent) shaft paddle.
like the seat just fine
I have a Wilderness with the adjustable seat. I didn’t care for the seat at first, but have gotten to where I really like it. It’s nice to have the different height and angle options. It’s takes a little while to get used to moving the seat around, and I’m still not overly fast at it, but it has gotten easy enough that I think it is well worth having, especially for longer paddles.