Instagram: OldManofNewEngland We've had this Minnesota II for close to 4 years. It's an 18' 6", ultra light weight aramid (Kevlar-type) canoe. These are my impressions and how we use it.
😢when Wenonah's first came out, I tested several. I settled on the Sundowner, and I was never disappointed. I put Kevlar pads on both ends, mainly because my son and I did extensive BWCA canoe trips. From family weekends on the St.Croix river, to the wilds of Canada, it has held up well. I chose the tractor seats with the front being a slider, and aluminum gun'lls. For durabablity sake...that also paid off. After all these years (I'm now 72), I passed it onto my son and his family. In 1982 I bought my second Sundowner before tgey discontinued the model. That went to my daughter and her family. I bought in 84 a Old Town Northern Light kevlar solo, which became my "pick up truck" for wilderness hunting, because of the amount of weight it could handle, and still be light and manuverable. I still have it also. I bought 4 Bell Magic kevlar solos, for family solo weekend trips....and all are in my families possesion, and in great shape ... and still regulary used..... I remember being laughed at for buying my first "potatochip" canoe. But the laughs on them now after all these years. I live next to the Canadian border, and next to the BWCA, and the kevlar canoes are now the normal choice of trippers. I have 2 aluminum 18's I keep at my lake landing for visitors and their kids to use.... the best thing I ever did for my kids and grandkids, was to get them out on the water canoeing, fishing, snowshoing, skiing, dog sledding and do on. As I age, I smile and watch more than go out myself (health). Was ut expensive to buy all the gear? Yep! But the investment lives on. Peace to you all from the border lakes country.......
We have had the Minnesota 2 for several years and your review is spot on. I keep ours stored outside on wood horses with a Red leaf designs cover and it still looks great. I would add that it is narrow with a rounded bottom that gives it a “tippy” feel initially, but it has good secondary stability. It is fast! I have a great Old Town canoe from the ‘70s, but often didn’t want to load it due to the 80 or so pound weight. The 42 pound Minn. 2 is a breeze to load and portage.
looking for an fast and easy to paddle lake canoe we tried different Wenonah canoes. The Jensen 18 and the Minnesota II were the ones that really fly. We bought a Jensen 18 and are very happy with it but I am convinced, the Minnesota II is equivalent and we would recommend it to everybody who wants a flatwater canoe. Especially as the Jensen 18 is no longer available.
Thanks for the nice review! Just curious if you have ever clocked your cruise speed with a gps? We have only tested one out in a pond where we couldn't get up to a comfortable cruise before having to turn around.🙃 We use to own a Wenonah Itasca which we loved but want to step down in weight.
We’re pretty leisurely paddlers. I haven’t checked to see how fast we can cruise. It’s a pretty popular boat for tandem racing. 18’ supposedly makes for a very fast boat! Thanks for watching!
@@OldManofNewEngland Okay, we don't race either but do like to cover a good distance each day. It looks like your canoe goes pretty good in your videos but sometimes a camera can distort reality:)
@@kd7tda You certainly will be hard pressed to find a faster boat that is not dedicated to racing. Looking through my Strava routes, our overall average is about 4mph.
Kevlar (brand name) IS an aramid fabric. So, no difference. Kevlar can be interwoven with other materials (such as carbon fiber) and/or used in different layers to obtain different characteristics (stiffness, flexibility, compression or bending resistance, etc). How the fabric is laid up, what resin is used, and how (or if) it is vacuum bagged makes A LOT of difference.
