Wenonah canoes: How tuf is "Tuf-weave"?

Wenonah canoes: How tuf is "Tuf-weave"?

Post by David Guerti » Tue, 23 Jun 1998 04:00:00


Hi folks,

I'm new around here, so please forgive me if this has been hashed over
before:

I'm intending to buy a Wenonah Spirit II for general multi-purpose
use with the family -- mostly day trips on fla***er streams and
lakes, with some extended outings of a few days, and also (here's the
important part) occasional mild whitewater.  Generally Class II max,
but I know that eventually this canoe is gonna find itself in some
Class III rapids.

So my question now is: what hull material?  My preference is Kevlar,
but the cost is prohibitive for me, so I'm down to Royalex and
Tuf-weave (Wenonah's name for their fiberglass/polyester composite).
I was strongly leaning towards Tuf-weave because of the stiffness and
sleeker hull lines than Royalex, but the sales person I was talking to
was trying to talk me into Royalex because it's a lot stronger.  He
made it sound like one crack on a rock and my hull would be cracked
with Tuf-weave.

This is counter to what Wenonah says about Tuf-weave: "There's little
difference in toughness (between Kevlar and Tuf-weave), only in weight
and cost."  And also "It has greater durability than any grade of
fiberglass used for canoes. ...plus Kevlar reinforcing in the ends."

But that's marketing.  I'd like to hear what someone besides Wenonah
has to say about it.  On that day when I do take a Tuf-weave hull into
a Class III rapid, is the first big cruch on a rock gonna make me
regret not getting Kevlar or Royalex?  (Just for the sake of this
discussion, we can assume some fair degree of competence among the
paddlers... ;-)

Cheers,
--
Dave Guertin

 
 
 

Wenonah canoes: How tuf is "Tuf-weave"?

Post by Steve Crame » Tue, 23 Jun 1998 04:00:00

Quote:

>  I'd like to hear what someone besides Wenonah
> has to say about it.  On that day when I do take a Tuf-weave hull into
> a Class III rapid, is the first big cruch on a rock gonna make me
> regret not getting Kevlar or Royalex?  (Just for the sake of this
> discussion, we can assume some fair degree of competence among the
> paddlers... ;-)

I used to have a Tuf-Weave Edge that I paddled on the Upper
Chattahoochee, the Broad, the Nantahala, etc. Although I tended to wince
when I hit a rock, I got over it (the wincing) because I never seemed to
be doing any real dammage to the boat. If you are going to be mostly on
fla***er, Royalex is probably not necessary. My 13' Edge was so much
lighter than my 12' Viper it was really a joy.

Remember, too, that it is impossible to destroy a 'glass boat. Crack it,
even break it in half, and with a little cloth and resin and a couple of
weekends, it can be solid as ever. Uglier and heavier, though.

A word of warning, however. Rocks you can hit. Parking garages are
another matter. Just ask Chris Kelly. :)

Steve

 
 
 

Wenonah canoes: How tuf is "Tuf-weave"?

Post by Ken Lau » Thu, 25 Jun 1998 04:00:00

Quote:

> I'm intending to buy a Wenonah Spirit II for general multi-purpose
> use with the family -- mostly day trips on fla***er streams and
> lakes, with some extended outings of a few days, and also (here's the
> important part) occasional mild whitewater.  Generally Class II max,
> but I know that eventually this canoe is gonna find itself in some
> Class III rapids.

The Spirit II is a good choice for that kind of all-around use.

Quote:
> So my question now is: what hull material?  My preference is Kevlar,
> but the cost is prohibitive for me, so I'm down to Royalex and
> Tuf-weave (Wenonah's name for their fiberglass/polyester composite).
> I was strongly leaning towards Tuf-weave because of the stiffness and
> sleeker hull lines than Royalex, but the sales person I was talking to
> was trying to talk me into Royalex because it's a lot stronger.  He
> made it sound like one crack on a rock and my hull would be cracked
> with Tuf-weave.

We've had our Tuf-weave Spirit for a couple years. Our original
intention was fla***er only, but occasionally we'd miss the take-out
for a portage around some rapids, and...so far we've had no damage to
speak of. We haven't run directly into any huge boulders either though.

good luck--

Ken