I am just getting into canoeing and really need some advice. I want a canoe for lake fishing and the occassional couple day overnighters. A man in my local area is selling a Wenonah fisherman and its like 16 feet long instead of the new 14 foot model because its 10 years old. He’s selling it for a non negotiable $550. Its never been patched and its in good condition. Im pretty sure its a composite construction. Is this a reasonable price? thanks.
Fisherman prices
For a composite 16’ canoe in good shape from Wenonah the price will never fall much below $550. That is the price of a basic canoe. No matter how old this hull is, it will be better than any new Coleman/Pelican/private label polyethylene canoe and will command a price equal to what a new Old Town Guide would retail.
As to the boat itself, the Fisherman predated the Adirondack and it is a stable easy paddling hull. It was made in several fiberglass/Tuffweave constructions and several kevlar constructions. It also was available with a full range of optional trims, aluminum was standard, wood gunwales and all wood trim was optional. Sliding front seats, yokes, foot braces could all be added. The more of these options and the lighter weight the hull lay-up the higher the asking price may be.
For the basic Tuffweave layup with no options, $550 for a clean used Fisherman is a fair price, the more options or lighter layup, the better the deal will be.
I would look at this boat very seriously if it were advertised in my area.
Bill