WeNoNah HERON | $1149-2199 (price according to layup)

A compact canoe with classic lines, great for exploring quiet waters.

Based on our popular Spirit II, the Heron is a short utility canoe that is excellent for casual activities on calm, local waters. This type of canoe is often preferred by people who aren't paddling enthusiasts, but who use a canoe occasionally for a variety of purposes. When we designed the Heron we wanted to prove that a well thought out recreation design can be pleasant to paddle as well as functional.

The Heron's blend of stability, efficiency, and capacity makes it truly useful in a broad range of situations. Stable enough for less experienced paddlers to use comfortably, the Heron's performance makes traveling longer distances practical, including one or two day trips. The Heron tracks better and is more efficient than our Fisherman. Yet at 15' it is still short enough for tight, twisting streams and occasional, intricate rapids.

A stable and maneuverable 15' utility canoe, the Heron is also highly-responsive and delivers more canoeing pleasure than is typical of other hulls of this type.

WeNoNah AURORA | $1229-$2249 (price according to layup)

A highly-maneuverable canoe that is a down-sized version of our Spirit II.

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.

WeNoNah SPIRIT II | $1299-2399 (price according to layup)

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.