Millbrook Souhegan vs Wenonah Heron

[Tsuga8]

I've had a Wenonah Heron for >6yrs now, and feel extremely comfortable paddling it solo (usually with a 65lb dog), standing, poling swamps and flatwater, etc. It has so much primary stability, I can run the front up on a beaver dam, race from one paddling station to the other, and use my weight to get over the dam without loosing too much momentum (assuming a pretty low dam of course). I love the Heron as a jack-of-all trades, but it's definitely a master of none. The bottom oil cans like crazy - I can get it to flex just by bobbing in my seat - but it's also the lightest rolayex tandem I've heard of at ~50lbs. When soloed, the ends catch the wind and it's hard to control. At 35in wide and only 15ft long, it's quite piggish. It does fine with two paddlers and no load, but starts to feel a bit twitchy with two paddles, a tripping load, and the dog. Or two paddlers and dog excited by a beaver or loon popping up near the boat.

One of the closest water bodies to me is a small creek (some Class I but mostly swift flat-ish water with riffles and shoals, as well as deeper pools). The creek is mostly only floated/paddled in spring by locals - then the water drops and the trout anglers reign. I'm working on practicing poling in current on the creek - I was out for about 90 mins in the Heron this weekend, working a single reach with a swift riffle at each end, with decent success. Eventually I hope to be do some half-day outings, working up river by pole and floating down. I don't want to make miles, just enjoy the moving water closest to home without needing a shuttle.

A Millbrook Souhegan has come up for sale sort of near me. I like that it's about ~10lbs lighter than the Heron and made for poling. But I can't find solid spec listings for it. Will it paddle as well with me (pushing 190lbs these days) + a 65lb dog in the swamps? Is it really too small a boat for my weight anyway (see this thread)? Will it feel much twitchier than the Heron due to the narrower width? Does it paddle terribly in flat water?

I really don't have space for another boat, and already have too many, so I think I'd need to let the Heron go if I got the Souhegan. I also have an OT Penobscot 16ft for tandem trips (a good poling boat, I know, but I don't like car-topping it myself when I have lighter options), and a composite kneeling solo for when I don't want to stand/pole or for tripping with portages. If I swap out the Heron for the Souhegan, would I giving up a versatile boat for a one-trick pony (and likely loosing a few hundred bucks in the process)?

How important are a poler's skills and practice, vs the boat itself? Will the Souhegan really up my poling game? Save me 10lbs cartopping and be equally as useful? The part of me that rails against n+1 consumerism says keep the Heron and keep practicing.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Pgeorg, a member here, owns a Millbrook Souhegan. I've paddled but not poled it. It's VERY turny, like a whitewater hull, even though it has a flattish bottom for poling. Here's a picture of Pete (in his mid-70's) standing up in it.



You will only know whether you like a highly specialized canoe like this if you try it out. Hopefully, the seller will understand this and allow you to test paddle/pole it.

 

[Tsuga8]

Interesting....I think that may be the very man and boat I'm going to see this weekend. We spoke today and he said I could try to paddle it in the pond by his house. He said it's too deep and muddy to pole, but I think I've paddled the Heron standing up enough such that paddling flatwater while standing and sitting in the Souhegan, I should be able to get a sense of whether it will be too twitchy or too maneuverable for my flatwater paddle and pole outings.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I think that may be the very man and boat I'm going to see this weekend.

Well, Peter does live on a lake somewhere in eastern Connecticut. He's a nice guy and a straight shooter who has bought and sold many fine canoes. I've paddled with him in the Okefenokee Swamp, the Jersey Pine Barrens, the Farmington River in CT (in his Souhegan), and on CT's Lake Lillinonah and Shepaug Rivers. If you visit him, please say hello for me and give him my best wishes. It's been several years since we've been in contact.

 

[Tsuga8]

Will do Glenn!

 

[Tsuga8]

Well Glenn, it was indeed Peter and he was pleased to hear from you.

We had a great time chatting during our test paddle (him in his Morningstar). He dropped the price to the point that I couldn't say no.

I had the boat out poling yesterday on the local creek, and made it up a rapid I hadn't managed in the Heron last week. Whether it's the boat, the Hayden pole, slightly higher water levels, or a bit more practice on my part that made the difference, I cannot say.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

He dropped the price to the point that I couldn't say no.

Congrats, Tsuga8. Glad when we can keep quality boats within the CTN family. Just between the float bags, the Hayden pole and the portage yoke (if you got it included), that's $200+ in accessories alone. I believe Ed Hayden, poler extraordinaire, designed the Souhegan and Coho for Millbrook Boats.

 

[Tsuga8]

Yes, even with the float bags nearly at the end of their life, Peter also threw in a BB paddle so it was more than a fair price for such a boat and accessory set. I was both surprised and not when he said he hadn't had a lot of interest in the boat - I guess we're well outside classic poling country but I'd have thought there would be interest in such a rare boat. Maybe it just needs to move northeast.... we'll see how I make out with it, maybe it will come to ACS with a for sale sign....or maybe the Heron will....