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Adirondack

by Frank Moerke, ACA Flatwater Instructor

First guess

Test: Adirondack, by We.no.nah
An almost fast 16' tripping canoe by We no nah
16', pretty wide, flat bottomed --- well, this sounds like some kind of boring "this is my first day in a canoe"-canoe.
These were my first thoughts, without spending a moment in the Adi. However, sometimes, strange things do happen...

Characteristics

The Adirondack is a 16' canoe with a high initial stabiliity.
Length: 16' (4.88 m); width: (91cm), (88 cm) at waterline, the heights are (50 cm) in the bow, (35 cm) amidships and (42 cm) astern. The weight ranges between (17 kg) and (28 kg), depending on the choosen material.

Handling

My first impression: better than I would have thought. OK, 16' is definitely not the length of a marathon racer, despite of this, the Adi is faster than I would have thought; fast enough to keep up with a group of ordinary 17' tripping canoes. The straight keelline, showing in most We no nah designs, in addition to an assymetric Adirondack

hull and a sleek bow are the reasons for this astonishing qualities. This canoe, showing a relatively flat and wide bottom, has a high initial stability, making it a safe canoe for beginners or even children. Despite of these features, you can heel the Adi and paddle him solo without feeling instability. Just to say, this is another thing I would not have expected from a flat bottomed canoe. The 16' combined with the flat bottom provide for good maneuverability. With this amount of maneuverability you can shoot all but serious white water rivers. Even tight turns in small creeks are not a problem. Just to say, this is another thing I would not have expected from a canoe with a straight keelline. The capacity is typical for a 16' canoe. You can easily fit 2 persons and a 2 weeks supply in the boat, however, it is not a canoe for expedition style canoeing.

Material

The Adirondack is manufactured in Royalex (27 kg), Tuf-weave (28 kg) or Kevlar with foam core (17 kg). Royalex is only recommended for rockery terrain, or modetate (not technical) white water. In all other situations (depending, for sure, on ones wallet or demands), I would prefer one of the composite variants.

Conclusion

The first guess of the Adirondack was: "Hmmm, this canoe keeps a low profile." After taking a close look: "Wow, this canoe has hidden qualities." Sure, not a canoe for special use or high-end fanatics, there are better canoes for each task. The Adirondack is a good allround canoe, in the 16' class, he is among the best boats available for tripping on lakes or creeks of all sizes. Due to his maneuverability, the Adi is my first choise on small creeks with tight turns.

Prices / Dealers

The Adirondack costs between $???,- (standard in Tuf-weave) and $ ???,- (Kevlar-Foam-Core). The canoe is available from We no nah dealers, further information can be obtained from the We no nahweb page, or, for Europe, from Wavecrest.

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