I was looking to replace my MNII with a Clipper Jensen WWII. Does the Jensen WWII have enough flare in the bow and stern compared to MNII ? I'm comparing following seas with a load in the WWII. Does the narrower 4" waterline of 32" on the WWII vs. the 33.5" on the MNII mean that it have less initial stability? If a canoe has a narrower waterline, but maintains it over a longer distance , will it be more stable over a wider WL over a shorter distance?
Whitewater II
The Jensen WWII was the father of both the Minnesota II and the Odyssey. I can not say how true the Clipper version is to the original Jensen Whitewater, but the Wenonah WWII had more flare than the MNII, the Odyssey is closer to the original than the MNII. The Minnesota II was modified to meet the outfitter demands for Boundary Waters rental use.There is so little difference between the three Wenonah below the water line that unless you comparison paddle the three at the same time, you cannot tell which is faster or more stable. You can tell how much easier it is for the bow paddler to reach the water in the MNII and how much drier the Odyssey is in waves, but those are the only discernible differences for me. Its been a long time sin I paddled a Whitewater II, but I remember it as much easier to paddle hard than its descendants, the WWX and WWXX. Those are squirrelly canoes.
Bill
if you make it down…
I have a wenonah wwII and have paddled the mn2 plenty. I'm in Milford ct. if you are in the area we could go out for a test paddle some time. their speed is more or less equal. the old literature says the hull is nearly identical.
the ww2 bow is much more comfortable for larger people because it is not as narrow as the mn2, so your feet aren't on top of each other. also, it has a lot of flare and is much drier going into waves compared to the mn2. mine says ' old style' on the id plate and only has a 15" stern, which I like. it catches les wind, but may be an issue if you're heavily loaded in large following seas, although I have never had any issues with this.
overall I love the boat and recommend it