My 4 man Crooked trip just turned into a 2.5 man trip in the past week.

1 friend's wife is pregnant, and having labor issues.
Another, fractured his arm. No cast, just a wrist and forearm brace.. He is still coming along, but will be no more than an extra pack when it comes to hauling serious gear.

We will now be paddling 3 deep in a rental canoe.

MN3 or Seneca?

Seneca's longer and beamier. Probably will give you more space for gear. My first trip we had 3 guys in a Seneca w/3 packs. We comfortably fit in the canoe.

consider a S. R. 18.5 three-seater

mn 3 great canoe

Just got back from similar trip. Kid had a cast on a hand (broken metacarpal) I put the 3 young men in a SR Q18.5 and they did fine. His broken hand didnt hold him back much really. Had to help him out a few times at those tricky, rocky landings is all.

quote cowdoc: "Just got back from similar trip. Kid had a cast on a hand (broken metacarpal) I put the 3 young men in a SR Q18.5 and they did fine. His broken hand didnt hold him back much really. Had to help him out a few times at those tricky, rocky landings is all. "

Were they fully loaded with gear, and all weight 165-180lbs?

My fear is that an SR18.5 might not have the adequate space for fishing.
Not sure VNO has the SR18.5, which is where we will be renting.
- Not sure I can switch to a different outfitter at this point, without sacrificing $.

quote mirth: "Seneca's longer and beamier. Probably will give you more space for gear. My first trip we had 3 guys in a Seneca w/3 packs. We comfortably fit in the canoe."

Looks like the Seneca is 8" shorter, I think we will also have 3 packs.
But I might split up one of the larger packs into 2 smaller packs so that the broken arm guy can still do some work.

190, 180, 165 pounds. Two large packs (polybox pack and a #4) in the cargo place and a 30 L blue barrel behind the stern paddler

We used an MN3 a few years ago. The thing was a rocket ship--super efficient, fast hull. At 20' long, it gave us a lot of room for gear and to fish from. It is better on lakes than rivers.

I would cast my vote for the Seneca. Rented one last year for my son, daughter and her boyfriend and it was a great choice. It may be shorter than a MNIII but the front legroom is made up by it being wider.

My 2 sons and I have been using a MN III on our 2 week trips for the last several years. We can fit all of our packs, but I have considered a Seneca for the extra room and beam. The front of the MN III is a little tight and can rub on the side of your legs. I have seen some posts that cut a short piece of a noodle and put it over the gunwale to reduce the friction.

The boys are about #165 ~ 170, and I am about #200. We had the following packs:
1 - CCS Deluxe Food Pack
2 - Granite Gear Superior One
2 - Granite Gear AC 60
1 - tackle box

The 3 big packs fit behind the front seat and in front of the middle seat. 1 AC60 behind the stern seat, tackle box under the stern seat, and the other AC60 between the legs of the stern paddler. We can usually start to consolidate 1 of the AC60s into a Superior One by the end of the 1st week.

I would like to see some pics of your loaded Seneca if you decide to go that route. We had to cancel our trip that was scheduled for today. Hopefully, I can get in a September trip after Labor Day.

quote halvorsonchristopher: "

quote mirth: "Seneca's longer and beamier. Probably will give you more space for gear. My first trip we had 3 guys in a Seneca w/3 packs. We comfortably fit in the canoe."

Looks like the Seneca is 8" shorter, I think we will also have 3 packs.
But I might split up one of the larger packs into 2 smaller packs so that the broken arm guy can still do some work."

The Seneca is 19'4" while the Q18.5 is 18'6" - So the Seneca is 10" longer. I think either way you go you'll probably be fine. The rest of the specs between the two canoes line up pretty closely.

Another vote for Seneca. Used one on my last two trips. Last trip was with 3 men, one Avery large one. We did lots of fishing with the 3 of us in the boat and it is more stable than MN III for fishing. The other trip was with my wife and 2 kids in the middle and a tremendous amount of gear.

Mirth,
You are correct. The Seneca is longer than the SR18.
I hate to point this out, but your problem is that you are comparing the wrong canoes......(see OP)

Can anyone verify that the Bow seat in the Seneca is wider than the bow seat in a MN3 (with it all the way back).

Thanks, cant find those specks.

quote cowdoc: "190, 180, 165 pounds. Two large packs (polybox pack and a #4) in the cargo place and a 30 L blue barrel behind the stern paddler
"

Doc,
good to know that a 30L will fit behind the stern seat. Now I have to figure out how to get all my food from a 60L to a 30L.. :)

quote linkster: "My 2 sons and I have been using a MN III on our 2 week trips for the last several years. We can fit all of our packs, but I have considered a Seneca for the extra room and beam. The front of the MN III is a little tight and can rub on the side of your legs. I have seen some posts that cut a short piece of a noodle and put it over the gunwale to reduce the friction
The boys are about #165 ~ 170, and I am about #200. We had the following packs:
The 3 big packs fit behind the front seat and in front of the middle seat. 1 AC60 behind the stern seat, tackle box under the stern seat, and the other AC60 between the legs of the stern paddler. We can usually start to consolidate 1 of the AC60s into a Superior One by the end of the 1st week.
I would like to see some pics of your loaded Seneca if you decide to go that route. We had to cancel our trip that was scheduled for today. Hopefully, I can get in a September trip after Labor Day."

Although the Seneca is wider at the middle seat, it appears to have less leg room between the middle seat and the Portage Yoke.

Did you consider that?

We just got back from a trip and rented a Seneca. It was our first time with any 3 person, so I won't say anything about the MNIII but the Seneca worked great. Very stable, held 3 of us and 3 packs between front and middle paddlers. (well, 2 packs and a barrel)

I had room in front of stern paddler but didn't need to fill it.

No, I have looked for a measured drawing that would aid in the comparison, but the Wenonah site just has overall dimensions. They have to shave some length somewhere on the Seneca, but I have not been able to compare them side by side to truly understand the difference.

quote linkster: "The front of the MN III is a little tight and can rub on the side of your legs. I have seen some posts that cut a short piece of a noodle and put it over the gunwale to reduce the friction.."

Any complaints of the Seneca being similar in this fashion?

quote halvorsonchristopher: "Mirth,
You are correct. The Seneca is longer than the SR18.
I hate to point this out, but your problem is that you are comparing the wrong canoes......(see OP)"

LOL crap. Sorry. I've got Q18.5s on the brain for my Scout trip this summer. :)

I made a long trip in a MN3 in 2013 and promptly bought a Seneca afterwards. I won't step into a MN3 again if I can help it, too tippy for this guy....

We have rented both. Stern man 250 lb., bow man 250 and 6'2", center paddler 200. Seneca hands down for us. Better for fishing while gear was unloaded. Slower than the MNIII-but we were not racing and usually only make 2 campsites in a week. MNIII was a pain for the bow paddler at 6'2". He complained all week WITH the foam pipe insulation (like a pool noodle). Seneca = stability. MNIII = speed.

Thank You for the continued input. I might be swaying towards the Seneca.
- Trip miles, without fishing miles: 50ish
- We will be fishing 'loaded' frequently
- Center man may not be paddling often (just depends on how the bicep & wrist hold up)

Personally, I'm not too concerned about the MN3's "instability", but the extra knee room & space for wider packs, seems like a huge plus.

If my Northwoods had a 3rd seat, I might consider that.... minus the fact that it weighs 15 more lbs.

Longest is the MN3 at 20 feet. Has a sliding front seat. (unless you get an all web seat model. 52 pounds

Next is the Seneca at 19.4' and flat webbed seats. 55 pounds

Third is the Souris Quetico 18.6, also flat web seats. 3 seater is 46-48 pounds.

quote halvorsonchristopher: "Thank You for the continued input. I might be swaying towards the Seneca.
- Trip miles, without fishing miles: 50ish
- We will be fishing 'loaded' frequently
- Center man may not be paddling often (just depends on how the bicep & wrist hold up)

Personally, I'm not too concerned about the MN3's "instability", but the extra knee room & space for wider packs, seems like a huge plus.

If my Northwoods had a 3rd seat, I might consider that.... minus the fact that it weighs 15 more lbs. "

Rent a drop in third seat for your Northwoods. We did a trip out of LISN last year with my Northwoods that way. Three of us (180, 145, 190 from stern to bow) and 4 packs. We used VNO so I know they have at least one drop in third seat.