I am looking for a new canoe. I am in need of your wisdom. Do i go with the Wenonah Boundary Waters, The Champlain, The Basswood 17,or18. I am also considering the Northstar Northwind 17? We Have owed a Champlain,and loved it. What are your thoughts?

Hi Bridgett16- what type of canoeing are you looking to do? (Multi-day BWCA trips, fishing, cabin use…?)
What is your normal paddling group? (How many people and their experience level?)

Hi CabinAfter,
We do BWCA trip. We like to base camp, so we bring it all! We plan on doing a lot of fishing. we are looking at the new versigunwwale. It will be the two of us,and we are on the big side. We will also be doing State Parks, State forest , and the lakes in the southwest metro.

Get ready for a which is better Fords, Chevys, or Toyotas. My pic of course is the Northstar, but that's because I own one and love her. Seriously this is one of the best discussions that canoe nerds can have. I love hearing everybody's opinions on this one. Everybody has their own ideas and I normally am able to learn something from these discussions. It truly does make a difference what your plans are for using one. I've usedowned Northstars, Wenonah, and Old Town's at various times. They all serve a different purpose.

The Wenonah Boundary Waters / Champlain are not winning any races but they are sure sturdy out there if you do a lot of fishing. You can't go wrong with a NW17 though either very nice boats.

You will not in any way be disappointed in a Northstar Northwind. Try one out.

OneMatch: "You will not in any way be disappointed in a Northstar Northwind. Try one out. "

Second! I don't own one but rented one for my daughter and I this year on our trip. It was a great size, kevlar, and tracked very well. I hope to find one in the coming years.

Hi Bridgett,

My favorite tripping canoe has been the Boundary Waters. I've used it for extended trips with one, two, or three people. It's true that it is far from the fastest ship on the water however it is super stable and carries a large load with ease.

I've paddled the Northstar Northwind on one trip and it was a really nice boat too. You can't go wrong with either one.

I also have the basswood solo and it's been a good canoe although still newer to me. The versigunwwale is nice but I don't think I maximize its use very often. I think I would the versigunwwale for trolling if I was with my kids but since it's a solo I just have different preferences.

Enjoy the process of choosing a new canoe...hopefully you can get one on the water soon!

Hi CabinAfter,
We do BWCA trip. We like to base camp, so we bring it all! We plan on doing a lot of fishing. we are looking at the new versigunwwale. It will be the two of us,and we are on the big side. We will also be doing State Parks, State forest , and the lakes in the southwest metro.

Here’s a vote for the Souris River Quetico 17. I think of if as the Ford F150 of the northern waters. May not win the race but - Extremely well made, super stable, durable, loves a heavy load in the waves. Works for me, (also usually available at a great price used from outfitters).

Bridgett16: " I am looking for a new canoe. I am in need of your wisdom. Do i go with the Wenonah Boundary Waters, The Champlain, The Basswood 17,or18. I am also considering the Northstar Northwind 17? We Have owed a Champlain,and loved it. What are your thoughts? "

I also own a Champlain and love it. Can't go wrong with a replacement if you already know you like it!

+3 for the Northstar Northwind 17. Absolutely fantastic boat. Paddles like a dream, spacious amount of room for gear, great leg room, lightweight, and gorgeous. Ted, Bear, Charlie, Dan, and the whole crew at Northstar are the best.

If you are big folk and base camp with a lot of comfort I would suggest you stay with an 18+ boat. We are 500# combined weight and travel with about 120# outfit on a 10 day trip. Paddling a Northwind 18 suits us well with or without the gear. We could easily push the outfit up to 200# comfortably in that boat. Comfortable for us is having enough freeboard to be out in some challenging conditions.