Wenonah Spirit II

Day trip on the Pawtuxet River

When my father bought gear he always bought the best. I realized that when I did some research into his old back packing tent – the Eureka Expedition Sentinel. The same was true for his first canoe purchase – the Wenonah Spirit II.

The Spirit II was introduced in 1988, but traces its roots back to 1968 and the original "Spirit of Wenonah" built by founder Mike Cichanowski in his garage. It is a versatile, 17-foot design that balances efficiency, maneuverability and the ability to carry a load. Specifications are:

• Bow Depth: 22 inches
• Center Depth: 14 inches
• Stern Depth: 19 inches
• Maximum Width: 36 inches
• Waterline Width: 35.5 inches
• Gunwale Width: 35 inches
• Rocker: 1.5 inches

Camping on the West Branch of the Penobscot

My father bought this boat in 1988 in the Kevlar 49 layup. It has aluminum gunnels and bucket seats with a front slider and rear foot brace. The bucket seats lower the center of gravity to maximize stability. The foot brace helps to tranfer power directly to the boat.

This boat is great for sit-and-switch paddling, which is a fast, efficient style where paddlers use bent-shaft paddles and switch sides every 4 to 8 strokes to maintain a straight course using only forward strokes.