A very versatile tandem, with excellent performance and easy handling

"Balanced" is the best word to describe the Spirit II. It travels distances easily yet turns extremely well. It's capable on rapids, and open water, too. It's big enough for trips. It's also very stable.

So, does it obsolete all others? No. If you want an elevated level of a certain attribute, say tracking or capacity, then a specialized design may suit you better. But if you need a canoe that delivers a good level of all types of performance, the Spirit II is ideal.

Canoe & Kayak Magazine tested it, and concluded, "...this canoe is simple and functional. If you could have only one canoe to serve all your needs for the rest of your life, the Spirit II would be one of very few candidates."

At 17' long, it strikes a good balance between the efficiency of a longer hull and the maneuvering of a shorter one.

The Spirit II is safe and roomy, too, having capacity for medium-heavy trips. With two large people it draws just 4", leaving lots of reserve buoyancy for gear. Loaded it becomes more stable yet still handles well, even on waves.

Should you have a Spirit? If no single Wenonah seems ideal due to its specialization, you likely need the wide versatility of our Spirit II, or its cousin, the Aurora.

Also, you may wish to consider the Champlain. Similar in concept, this canoe can better suit larger people and heavier loads.

9 Other items in this category

Many times we hear similar needs. What is the best all-around canoe? Do you have a canoe that I can fit my dog and kids? Do you have a canoe that can carry a good load but is also fun for day trips. Well, turns out the We-no-nah made a canoe for all these reasons.

The Aurora, puts the wide versatility and superb performance of our best-selling model, the Spirit II, into a more-compact package.

While it's a foot shorter, the Aurora is as deep in the center as the Spirit II, and is also deep in the ends. It has greater total buoyancy than you might expect, and it carries nearly the load that the Spirit II will.

Not meant for heavy expeditions, the Aurora does suit typical trips well. It's an easy-paddling hull that retains sufficient freeboard when loaded.

Perhaps the Aurora's best feature is its good blend of initial and final stabilities. While steady enough for hunting or fishing, and to haul kids or a dog who may jump around, it's very seaworthy for a mid-sized canoe. Its carefully-contoured, shallow-arch hull is the reason.

While the choice of 16' canoes is vast, others have a less-sensible bottom profile. Compared to typical flat-bottomed hulls, the Aurora's shallow-arch design has a bit less steadiness on center but has greater ultimate safety and better handling on waves. It also paddles easier and glides farther.

Another common style, the V-bottom, has more wetted surface than a shallow-arch, and suffers rapid abrasion on the "V" area.

If your situation dictates a 16' model, and varied types of paddling, no other design serves so well for so many uses.

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