I'm trying to decide between purchasing the Wenonah Boundary Waters 17 and the Basswood 17. Does anyone have experience with either or both canoes? To me they look very similar but I'm far from an expert.
Most of my trips are with my wife and the trips are more about camping and fishing than traveling long distances. I'm in my 60s, so we don't go as far any more but we do bring along a lot of gear.
I'm interested in hearing if anyone has a preference or a dislike of one or both models.

I'm not familiar with the Basswood but my brother owns a Wenonah 17 and I used to have a Boundary Waters. They are both 17'. The Boundary Waters and the 17 are very similar and both very stable. The 17 has a little more rocker and the bow seat sits just in front of the front thwart. In the Boundary Waters model the bow seat sits about 11" farther back than in the 17 and eliminates the need for a front thwart. Because of this you can paddle the canoe backwards as a solo. It also gives the bow paddler a lot of leg room. They both offer a very stable platform for light loads or heavy loads and are great for fishing from. I even stood in my Boundary Waters on occasion to show how stable it was.

Hey Marley,

I have the BW17 and a Basswood, but the solo version. Love 'em both! Very stable, although I'm not as brave as Northwoodsman so I don't stand up. :)

I won't ever win any races in either, but I'm not a fast traveler at all anyway. The Boundary Waters holds a lot of gear and has plenty of space for legs. I have soloed with it facing backwards and it worked fine but I'm glad I have a dedicated solo.

Enjoy your new canoe!

I have a Boundary Waters Canoe. As others have said very stable. I have paddled it tandem and solo. No issues using it as a solo. It holds a lot of gear. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Haven't tried Basswood but it has 0 rocker. I rented Boundary Waters for a week once. Nice canoe. Has 1 inch rocker but I remember it being a little work in wind making small corrections and making turns on small rivers in BWCA. It was stable. Ended up getting Spirit II. It has 1 1/2 inch rocker. Easier to turn, make corrections when wind is blowing and much easier on creeks/rivers such as Snake River coming out of BWCA. Rocker seemed to make big difference.

I noticed that the Basswood had 0 rocker and that is one of my concerns. I’m not sure how much of a difference I would notice between 0 rocker and 1” of rocker.

Marley: "I noticed that the Basswood had 0 rocker and that is one of my concerns. I’m not sure how much of a difference I would notice between 0 rocker and 1” of rocker."

If you are going in a straight line you might be ok in no rocker canoe but typically you will make some turns to dodge behind islands or if wind is blowing at angle AND your canoe is loaded with gear (stern and bow down in water under the weight) you will get a workout in the stern. I don't fish but I would think you would expend a lot more energy getting into fishing spots and that would be much harder with no rocker canoe. A no rocker canoe would be no go for me. I noticed considerable difference between the Spirit II and Boundary Waters when canoe fully loaded. When I rented the Boundary Waters we only paddled it with load in it because I did not fish that trip. It might be better without a lot of gear in it. If you ever use canoe on rivers you want more rocker but if you only use it on BWCA lakes you can get by with less rocker but in my opinion they are more work paddling them.

I haven't paddled the Basswood, but I have taken the Boundary Waters on a trip and loved it. Girlfriend found it comforting and stable (as did I) and it hauled plenty of gear without issue. It didn't feel super slow or anything either. Can't really recall the other properties like turning and whatnot but my recollection is that it was an excellent boat and I liked it more than the several Quetico 17s I've paddled.

I would think the zero rocker and relatively flat bottom would make it hard to handle in rough water.

Maybe the zero rocker on the Basswood explains why so many outfitters rent the Boundary Waters but not the Basswood in spite of the similarities.
I’m just going to order a Boundary Waters but with the rail system that is standard on the Basswood. I want the ability to mount rod holders we can use when trolling for lake trout.
Thanks to everyone for the input.

Correct me if I am wrong but the Wenonah Boundary waters canoe is almost identical to the 17+foot Souris River canoe? Didn't Wenonah build it because of the extremely popular Quetico 17 that everyone loves for its overall performance and stability.
I have a Quetico and love it.

Marley, why not wait until the end of the season and buy a used one from an outfitter for half the price?

The used outfitter canoes are cheaper but I feel like they get 10 years of use in one year.

Pinetree: "Correct me if I am wrong but the Wenonah Boundary waters canoe is almost identical to the 17+foot Souris River canoe? Didn't Wenonah build it because of the extremely popular Quetico 17 that everyone loves for its overall performance and stability.
I have a Quetico and love it. "

I think it more likely that Wenonah just modified the Spirit II to make it track a little better and capture less wind.