I just received my Wenonah Advantage that i bought on Ebay. It is a real dandy. Nearly flawless, other than a couple minor chips along the ash trim. Got it for $640, which seems like a good deal (to me at least).
I normally paddle a tandem V1 Morris, wood boat, weighs 32 lbs. The Advantage (Kevlar ultralight) version is advertised at 32 lbs. I carried it down to the lake in one hand. So light i didn’t even know it was there. I decided to weigh it. Came in at 26 lbs. How can it be lighter than advertised??
By the way…i love this boat!!
advantage
Not sure why it is so light, but can tell you I love mine as well, two solo trips in the quetico under its’ “yoke”, a ten dayer and an 18 dayer… wouldn’t think of soloing without it… handled beautifully in some bad winds and kept me safe…enjoy!!!
The story on Wenonah
is they had posted the wieght of a model and some one got one that was a few lbs over teh avertided wieght. Then the other manufaturers reps had a field day. So I guess they really err on the side of caution now. But what color is your boat? It sounds like a carbon to me…
stop complaining
just joking. sounds like you got a great deal. i’ve also heard that wenonah raised the published weights to make sure that a boat never came out above that published weight. as long as it feels stiff and doesn’t oil can, i wouldn’t worry. just paddle it hard and have fun. i’m jealous.
Its not carbon…
…definitely kevlar. The carbon would be black. Thanks for the info folks. I was really just curious. I just couldn’t get over how light it was.
Still playing with the tracking. I think i may have been a bit bow-light as i was only able to do about 5-7 strokes per side before switching. Also went through some milfoil and didn’t pick up any on the bow, which tells me that it was almost out of the water.
Woke up this morning and the lake was glass. Perfect time for paddling in Eastern Washington. Unfortunately, had to go to work.
Thanks for the info.
Weigh system
Weigh yourself.
Then weigh yourself holding the kayak.
Deduct your weight from reading = kayak true weight.
My guess, is more than 26 lbs.
Thats what i did.
– Last Updated: Sep-21-05 12:07 PM EST –
Came out to 26 lbs. (see my original post).
Weighed my cat while i was at it (using the same method). Weighed 17 lbs.
ADVANTAGE trim
LYou will find (iof you haven’t already) that the Advantage is very sensitive to trim, particularly vis-a-vis the force and direction of the wind. That’s where the sliding sead comes in so handy; you can fine tune the trim very quickly and, because the boat is so light, you will notice any difference in handling immediately.
Since your hull is translucent and you can see the actual water line while you are paddling, I suggest you put a reference marker line on the inside of the hull up near the bow to show where the waterline should be when the longintudinal axis of the boat is level. Or you could glue a small level gauge to the inside of the canoe where it will be out of the way but easy to see.
Great plan!
Thanks!
5-7 strokes per side is bad?
“Still playing with the tracking. I think i may have been a bit bow-light as i was only able to do about 5-7 strokes per side before switching.”
That seems pretty good to me. I’m only getting about 3-4 strokes per side in my Sawyer Summersong. I think that I should be able to do better than that. I admit to being a relative amateur with the single blade paddle. I haven’t played around much with trim because my boat has rudder pedals instead of the adjustable foot brace. It seems that the bow is deeper in the water with this boat than that of my Mad River Slipper, which I commonly get 3-5 strokes per side. I’m sure I’m not doing something right, but I not sure what. The Summersong is much harder to turn than the Slipper, so I’d expect it to also be easier to paddle straight.
I’ll start a separate post to address this.
Why switch?
Learn an “J” stroke or stern pry and only switch when you need to rest. Then use the same skills to paddle as long as you want on your off side.
I prefer not having an off side.
I’ve had too many back & neck problems to paddle on one side only. I want about the same amount of strokes on each side. I would like to be able to get 5 - 10 relaxed strokes per side before choosing to switch. I’m not too familiar with pries, but J strokes seem to have little effect in this situation.
I’m seeking to to cover the most distance with the least effort, don’t pries and J strokes detract from speed?
I do most of my paddling on lakes, are pries and J strokes as effective on lakes as on rivers/moving water?
In this Summersong, I have the option of dropping the rudder when I tire of using technique alone to steer the boat.
Honky Chateau
I do not believe that your yak is a measley 26 lbs, nor that your cat tanks in at 17 lbs.
cat pounds
hey, I believe it, had a mane coon cat that topped in at 21 and a half…sounded like an elephant coming down the hallway…
That is one large kitty kat
But original prankster – I mean poster-- might wish to check scale. Seems like you might have a stuck needle dragging below and above 17 and 26 lbs. Test: place a large grapefruit on the scale. If it weighs in as same as poodie cat, then my thoery is correct.
whatever it weighs
A great boat! A great deal!
Ultralight
Yep, that’s as light as the graphite!!! And the graphite model sells for more than $2000! You did get a great deal. Have fun!
Its a digital scale…
…and we use it regularly. Compare it to the scale at the gym and its right on.
Okay then…
…if it is same as the scale at the gym, and digital, then I must admit, it must be a very fine vessel that you essentially stole from eBay seller. Sort of like buying a Manet print and finding a genuine Manet behind the frame.
Now, for the love of God and all small creatures, please place poodie on a diet.
5 to 7 not bad
that’s about what i get in my bell rob roy on a windless day. i’d say you could get a few more per side in before switching in the longer and less rockered advantage. you’ll get it.