Help identifying Wenonah Adirondack

[Parlando]

I'm looking at a consignment Wenonah Adirondack that is hung from a ceiling. The store doesn't know the material or weight of the canoe, and they aren't being that helpful contacting the owners. I used binoculars to read the VIN number: MW550K798. Both the weight and the material is important for us to know. Tomorrow we will go down and have them lower the boat, but I don't think that I can hold the boat while I climb on a scale. The asking price is $1,400. I don't know the year. Also, from the floor it looks like it has aluminum gunnels. I'm hoping to use this boat on lakes, streams.
Can anyone identify material and year by looking at the VIN number? MW550K798.
Are there any problems I should look out for with the aluminum gunnels and rivets?
Also wondering if I can use it on the Willamette in Class II water. And land on gravel shores.
Thank you.

 

[recped]

There are a few online sources for HIN's (Hull Identification Number) but the number you have is coming up "invalid" for me (missing some numbers/letters). The manufacturer code should be 3 letters not 2, The code for Wenonah should be MFP, often the last 2 digits are the year, sometimes with the month (798 = July 1998 maybe). Some companies used a letter code for the material but that is hit and miss so the K might mean kevlar or it could be the month of manufacture (K=October).

Hopefully you can get the actual HIN when you get a close look, that and some pictures would help identify it correctly.

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

You may try Wenonah. They used to be helpful witn older models.

I had a Fisherman 16; the predecessor to the Adirondack. They are essentially the same hull.

I liked mine. Pretty efficient for 16 feet. Not much, if any rocker. It is asymmetrical and mine had tractor seats so it was really not a candidate to keep as a solo for me. The bow seat is pretty cramped. That is the main reason I sold it. My bow paddler is now about 6'-3". It should be okay for a smaller in stature bow paddler. Mine was a 1987 model in Tuff-weave. It was probably 60-65 lbs.

Overall a great little canoe for the right paddlers. It would be great if you could get a test paddle.

 

[Parlando]

Thanks for your suggestions. Hopefully we'll find out more tomorrow. No chance of a test ride unfortunately due to the consignment nature of the deal. Also, I would welcome opinions if I can use it on the Willamette in Class II water. And land on gravel shores. Thanks and I'll update with photos soon.

 

[LanceR]

My Adirondack is Royalex and sports a riveted on aluminum data plate where the top line shows the model as ADR/RX and the Serial number is RA519K203

Does the canoe in question have a two line data plate? Wenonah's website has serial number info in the FAQ.


Lance

 

[stevet]

Any canoe should be landed parallel to the shore and stepped out of before contacting ground. So no matter the material, yes, you can land on gravel shores if you do it properly. It’s called a wet foot exit.
A pic might help ID the material. Good luck!

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

If it doesn't have floatation chambers it is Royalex. If it has chambers and gelcoat it is most likely Tuff-weave.

Any pictures?

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

Not sure how far north you are willing to drive, But this looks nice.

It checks many of your boxes. It lists at 65 lbs on their website.

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[recped]

If it doesn't have floatation chambers it is Royalex. If it has chambers and gelcoat it is most likely Tuff-weave.

Any pictures?

When did Wenonah start using Tuff-weave?

 

[Parlando]

Not sure how far north you are willing to drive, But this looks nice.

It checks many of your boxes. It lists at 65 lbs on their website.

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Hi CaptainOllieWest, Thank you, and yes I saw this on Facebook Marketplace. When I researched it I found this in the first review: After weighing the boat using the method we have used to confirm the weight of other canoes we have owned, we discovered that this particular Prospecteur 16 weighs 76.4 lbs." My wife and I are in our seventies and as you know we are moving away from our 90 pound canoe. What do you think of the Adirondack. I know it has a flat bottom, but all the reviews say it turns well. We don't plan on using it on Class III, but may venture up to Class II on the Willamette. Thanks for your input. -Doug

 

[Parlando]

When did Wenonah start using Tuff-weave?

Thanks, we will check that out. Will take pictures today when we get it down from the ceiling.

 

[Parlando]

Any canoe should be landed parallel to the shore and stepped out of before contacting ground. So no matter the material, yes, you can land on gravel shores if you do it properly. It’s called a wet foot exit.
A pic might help ID the material. Good luck!

Thanks, I do understand that. I should have clarified that on the Willamette, especially in the summer, there are areas where a gravel bar sneaks up on you and your canoe slightly slides over, briefly. In some cases of course you can anticipate this. But on the river recently, as we were landing there were a few gravel bar slides, with some current pushing us, where a wet exit wasn't practical. In my Old Town 169 plastic boat that doesn't bother me. Non structural scratches don't bother me. But I'm wondering if Tuff-weave can handle that kind of abrasiveness. Thanks again for your feedback.

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

When did Wenonah start using Tuff-weave?

Their website says 1979.

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

I liked mine. It turned easier if it was loaded stern heavy.

Tuff-weave can be repaired like fiberglass. If you wear through the gelcoat and into the layup, you can build it back up with fiberglass cloth. Mine had seen some abuse from previous owners. It already had two different colors of paint on the bottom.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

My wife and I are in our seventies and as you know we are moving away from our 90 pound canoe.

Parlando, please allow me to offer a blunt perspective.

As one who is my late 70's, if you want to keep paddling a canoe for your remaining years, I suggest your #1 priority should be light weight. Otherwise, with a heavy canoe, you'll have to buy a trailer and then you'll eventually stop paddling altogether, because you inevitably will lose even more strength and energy. The durability or long-lastingness of a canoe on gravel bars or anything else should be a low priority at this stage of life. Most any canoe with reasonable care and repair can outlive us at this age.

Just get one you can lift for the next ten years and can afford, and don't worry about what it's made out of or what it looks like. You're not buying something as a long-term investment, or as a work of art, or as a valuable pass-it-along inheritance—but simply a recreational tool that you will actually be able to PICK UP, TRANSPORT, and USE reasonably effectively for the remainder.

 

[Parlando]

Parlando, please allow me to offer a blunt perspective.

As one who is my late 70's, if you want to keep paddling a canoe for your remaining years, I suggest your #1 priority should be light weight. Otherwise, with a heavy canoe, you'll have to buy a trailer and then you'll eventually stop paddling altogether, because you inevitably will lose even more strength and energy. The durability or long-lastingness of a canoe on gravel bars or anything else should be a low priority at this stage of life. Most any canoe with reasonable care and repair can outlive us at this age.

Just get one you can lift for the next ten years and can afford, and don't worry about what it's made out of or what it looks like. You're not buying something as a long-term investment, or as a work of art, or as a valuable pass-it-along inheritance—but simply a recreational tool that you will actually be able to PICK UP, TRANSPORT, and USE reasonably effectively for the remainder.

Thank you Glenn. I appreciate that perspective.

 

[Parlando]

Okay, got it down from the ceiling today. It weighed in at 51 pounds. It does have float chambers in the bow and stern. The ID is MFPMW550K798. I'm hoping to talk the consignee into letting us take it out for a test ride. I'm also heeding Glenn's advice and also looking at lighter boats. Here are some photos:

 

[Alan Gage]

Thanks, I do understand that. I should have clarified that on the Willamette, especially in the summer, there are areas where a gravel bar sneaks up on you and your canoe slightly slides over, briefly. In some cases of course you can anticipate this. But on the river recently, as we were landing there were a few gravel bar slides, with some current pushing us, where a wet exit wasn't practical. In my Old Town 169 plastic boat that doesn't bother me. Non structural scratches don't bother me. But I'm wondering if Tuff-weave can handle that kind of abrasiveness. Thanks again for your feedback.

From what you describe a lightweight carbon layup would be suitable. Canoes are tougher than you're giving them credit for.

Alan

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

The ID is MFPMW550K798

If you put this HIN in the site below, it will tell you that is is a Wenonah manufactured in November 1997 for the 1998 model year.

Boat VIN Lookup

All about Boat VIN Lookup and the best services to run a boat HIN search with free HIN decoder. Does boats have VINs? how to read it? with examples of boat numbers.

www.boat-alert.com

 

[Nick Pending]

Just get one you can lift for the next ten years and can afford, and don't worry about what it's made out of or what it looks like. You're not buying something as a long-term investment, or as a work of art, or as a valuable pass-it-along inheritance—but simply a recreational tool that you will actually be able to PICK UP, TRANSPORT, and USE reasonably effectively for the remainder.

I echo Glenn here. We got a Wenonah ultralight Kevlar Odyssey (no longer built, 18'-6"long, 15" depth, 41 pounds) 10 or so years back that my wife and I have beat the crap out of since then. It's got one patch on the bottom and should get another, but I'm lazy. We plan on paddling it several more years, basically as long as we can (I'm hoping for 10 more years). Sometime soon I might have to put some dynel skid plates on it because we run it into shore all the time. We usually do what we can to avoid getting our feet wet. We use our boats. They ain't mantel-pieces. Good luck in your search.

I recommend getting a light enough boat that you can live with it for now and keep looking for the ultimate one for later, whatever it might be. That would keep you on the water. I've run across too many people who keep waiting for the perfect boat, missing a lot of canoeing because they can't find one like they want at a price they can afford. A chiropractor I knew back in the mid-'80s didn't have a canoe and would only consider buying a wooden boat (meaning wood-canvas), but he couldn't afford one then, and I'd be surprised if he ever made it on the water because of it. I never ran across him, but we didn't paddle the same sort of stuff.