Wenonah Saranac

Dear Board,



I am going to look at a used Wenonah Saranac with the idea in mind of using it as a solo fishing canoe on lakes, ponds, and class 1 streams.



I am 6’5" and weigh 330 pounds so I’m a bit load. Can anyone with experience with this canoe tell me if my idea is sound or an I trying to put two ton of fertilizer in a one ton truck?



Thanks,



Tim Murphy AKA Goobs

Wenonah isn’t making it any more, so
I can’t get the specifications, and perhaps people who posted reviews on pnet just aren’t on the forum right now. I did see three pictures on a recent craigslist ad.



So, it’s hard to say. A 15 footer might have a working capacity around 450#, and that would be enough. If it’s Royalex, you may have to put a pillar brace between the center thwart and the bottom. Not a big deal. The hull in the Craigslist ad looks like it would have decent initial stability. You would need to set it up for sitting at a medium height, not far from the center of the hull.



But as an alternative, I would suggest splurging on a Wenonah Heron in Tufweave. Fifty pounds, stable, designed for fishing.

Great choice
The Saranac is my “go to” boat for local lakes and rivers. I’ve even tripped with it (two plus lots of gear on Ross Lake, WA for 10 days). It has a decent arch over it’s elongated belly. Not much rocker though … less than an inch. I put oar sockets on my gunwales and I row it with 7 foot spoonblade oars. Has relatively good speed for a short royalex canoe. Like it alot !!!