|
10/03/2013 07:23AM |
|
09/30/2013 10:15PM |
quote rupprider: "I may be wrong but I think Hans Solo has a Jenson or two. There are members all over maybe if you post where the boat is you may be able to find someone closer that is willing to look the boat over for you before you make the drive."
Yes I do own several Wenonah Jensen canoes!
Wenonah did manufacture numerous Kevlar canoes in the 80's. In fact, my Jensen 18', (shown in the pictures below), was manufactured in 1980!
If the canoe being sold is in fact a Jensen 18, it's really classified as a cruising canoe, although it can be used for light tripping. Despite the Jensen 18's length and profile, I've used it both tandem and solo in the BWCAW.
We regularly use the Jensen 18 on the Lower Wisconsin River, and other local rivers near our home. Additionally, we can still manage to pack plenty of gear in the Jensen 18 as shown.
One caveat though, I'd be cautious when venturing on to the larger lakes of Quetico and the BWCAW, (i.e., Pickerel, Basswood, Saganaga, etc.), with a moderate to heavy load if the waves are rolling. It's a great canoe for its intended purpose, but it's a wet ride if the waves are capping.
It's difficult to tell if it is a Jensen 18 by looking at the picture above though, because it could also be a Jensen 17. Wenonah attaches a metal tag to the upper stern section of almost all of their canoes, shown below on an Wenonah Odyssey. The tag would verify the actual Wenonah model.
The reason I make mention of the canoe's true identity is that I've seen some sellers on craigslist and other sites incorrectly identify the boat(s) they're selling.
Hans Solo
|
09/30/2013 11:23PM |
It's a great canoe. I would not hesitate to take it on longer trips unless the paddlers were large or the gear was hefty.
And yes, they made kevlar in the 80's.
|
10/01/2013 11:17AM |
|
09/30/2013 08:31PM |
|
09/30/2013 08:47PM |
|
10/01/2013 09:24AM |
Great comments Banksiana! I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of the J-18.
Hans Solo
|
10/02/2013 10:33PM |
quote markaroberts: "Here's one on Craigslist to compare Jensen canoe on Craigslist "
Wow, this is what I was saying in an earlier reply to this post. The sellers on CL, eBay and other similar sites often don't know what they have. This seems to happen after a divorce settlement, during an estate sale, or something being left behind at a storage facility.
Although the canoe in the link posted by Mark Roberts for $500.0 is a Jensen, it is definitely NOT 17 feet. The Jensen in the link is an older 18' 6" USCA Marathon C2. It's most likely from the early to mid-80's. The Jensen in the link doesn't have the harder chines that appeared in the USCA Marathon C2's in the later 80's after the re-design by Gene Jensen.
We had one very similar to the canoe in the link laying around Rutabaga about 28-years ago. I would take it out on occasion and it actually made a good cruising canoe and even a light tripping canoe. It was a blast paddling that canoe down the Lower Wisconsin River even with light gear.
After Gene Jensen re-designed the USCA Marathon C2's models with the harder chines, they were more competitive, but not as user friendly and were more race specific.
Although the canoe in the link would be less competitive than the current Wenonah Jensen V1-A C-2's, it would make for a nice cruising canoe for the right paddlers.
Hans Solo
|
10/02/2013 09:11PM |
Seller is asking $285
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/boa/4099402795.html