Wenonah Prospector 15; A review

I have had the Wenonah prospector for almost six months now and have used it an a variety of conditions so feel that I am now more than ready to comment of it.

Specs

Length 15’0”
Width 37” max and 35 ¾” at gunwale
Depth 14” at centre
Bow Height 24”
Rocker 4”
Weight 59lb or just under 28Kg (Royalex)

History

This is my third canoe. My first a Coleman Journey was my first and good value but heavy workhorse. My second was an Old Town Pack, a light solo canoe. I eventually outgrew the Coleman and started to look for a replacement that would do me when I was tandem or with my daughters. As it turned out the new canoe replaced the Pack as well.

Requirements

My requirements were a canoe that would carry my two daughters, with camping gear and myself but be manageable solo. It had to be stable for open water use and manoeuvrable. Preferably it would be light as a feather but obviously I would settle for as light as possible.

I have always been drawn to the traditional style of canoes so fairly quickly I was looking at Prospectors. From my own experience I felt that 15 foot would be about the right size. Not too big for solo but still enough room for both girls while they were young. Initially I ended up ordering a Nova Craft Prospector but due to a delay with delivery I switched to the WeNoNah. A decision I have never regretted. My original reason for rejecting the WeNoNah was the amount or rocker. I thought this would make the canoe hard to track (keep in a straight line) but this has proven not to be the case.

Out the Box

Straight out the box the WeNoNah Prospector 15 is a lovely looking canoe. The finish was good and there were no faults I could find.

I was immediately struck by how much lighter than the Coleman it was but still significantly heavier than the Pack. Once on the water I was surprised to find the Prospector was no more effort to paddle than the Pack. I had expected the WeNoNah to be much easier to paddle than the Coleman but I had expected that the Pack’s small weight and short length to make it much easier to paddle but it was not the case. This is probably due to the rocker. I was also pleased to find that the canoe tracked well. At least as well as I wanted.

My only complaint as such about the Prospector, straight out the box, was the trim for solo use. Even paddling the canoe from the front seat, going backwards a fair bit of weight was needed up front to trim the canoe. This is not unusual and was something I had plans to sort anyway.

Modifications

The things I wanted to address with the Prospector were trim for solo use. Lashing things in and sailing.

The solo use was easy to sort. I purchased seat brackets and a seat from Endless River and fitted a central seat. I positioned this so that the front edge was about 5 inches back from the centre. I also had to remove the centre thwart but the centre seat gives enough strength that an additional thwart is not needed (this may be because I used seat brackets so you may need to assess this requirement depending on your own circumstances).

The centre seat has been a great success. So much so that I ended up selling the Pack as the WeNoNah handled so well solo. It gives me almost neutral trim so I can adjust the trim by moving relatively small amounts of load about the canoe. I have also discovered that it is the ideal place to sit even when taking the girls out as it keeps me in control and the weigh near the centre of the canoe. I should point out that I am not a kneeler. If you are then you may not need a centre seat and will probably get by with kneeling near the centre or installing a kneeling thwart.

For lashing things in I originally attached stainless steel clips but found that these tended to catch and get in the way, so I ended up going for a full lacing of the canoe. This gives me a lot of lashing points, that are very secure and do not get in the way or injure you if you are climbing backing the canoe.

For the sailing option I made up a clamp that could attach to the seats and bought an Arab style sail from Endless River. Again this has been a great success and allows me to sail solo without having to have an extra 3 arms surgically attached. As the clamp can attach to any of the three seats I have plenty of flexibility in how to set the sail depending on load and passengers.

Living with the Prospector

It has been a joy to use the Prospector. Its strength is not that it is a specialist boat but that it is a capable all round canoe. This is no real surprise from a design that has stood the test of time. The modifications I have made to the canoe have been designed to enhance and expand this flexibility.

Used solo the canoe is light enough to car top and portage myself, although the removal of the central thwart means that a trolley is advisable for any long portaging. On the water the canoe is responsive and manoeuvrable but tracks well. Stability is high both initially, allowing you to stand with confidence and the secondary stability is also good with the gunwale being able to be put under water with confidence without flipping the canoe.

The stability has been a real boon to my canoeing allowing me to pole the canoe, something that was not really practical on the Pack, for me anyway. I have also had the canoe is some big waves in the open water. Whilst I had concerns about not being able to make much progress, I had no concerns about the canoe capsizing. It is also a very dry. When used tandem in these same conditions we could crash through the waves without taking on water.

Tandem use in normal conditions is also good. Even for a relatively short canoe there is still good legroom for the front paddler. I was surprised when I tried the WeNoNah Prospector 16 to find that its overall width is narrower than the 15 foot version. this means that both canoes have roughly the same carrying capacity but the difference I noticed was in the rear seat width. In the 16 foot canoe I found it a bit of a tight squeeze and I do not consider my rear to be that big (does this canoe make my bum look big ?)

Conclusion

As an all round canoe the Prospector styles in general are hard to beat. Specifically the WeNoNah 15 has exceeded all my hopes. The only improvement I could wish for is it to be lighter but that is the same for any canoe. We all want a 1kg canoe that we can portage for miles.

The suitability of the canoe for so many tasks makes it unlikely that I will be looking for another canoe for quite some time. This canoe will do me if I want to do whitewater, it will go on the sea with me and will carry me and camping equipment on multi day trips.

As if there was any doubt I highly recommend this canoe

More Info
www.wenonah.com