Minnesota II

The tandem Wenonah Minnesota II in ultra-light Kevlar is easy to portage, camping gear-hauling canoe. For the lakes and rivers of BWCAW, this canoe tracks fast yet still maneuvers turns nicely and has plenty of room for our gear. Our ultra-light Minnesota II is 23 years old and has held up beautifully to three to five BWCAW camping trips each year.

We got our Minnesot 11 several years ago primarily for canoe camping, which it excels at. Fast, tracks well and handles rough water on Adirondack lakes well with a load. At about 40 pounds it's easy to portage, I did add foam to the portage yoke. We also use it for afternoon paddles on our local lake with the dog, and my son and I used it in the Adirondack Canoe Classic , the 90 Miler one year, 90 miles of paddling in 3 days including 5 1/2 miles of portages. After nearly 10 years it is still in great condition (I store in inside out of the sun). Whenever I paddle tandem it is still the boat I always grab.

The Minnesota 11 was designed as a tripping canoe for lake country and for that purpose it is the perfect boat. Very fast, plenty of load capacity, in the light weight kevlar layup at 42 pounds is very light for one person to portage. We've paddled ours in some mighty big waves on Adirondack lakes and stayed dry, and at 35" wide, plenty stable. Not a lot of foot room for the bow paddler, but by adjusting your packs forward a bit you can slide the bow seat all the way back for more room up front. Comfortable seats.

Functionally the Aluminum trim is light and strong but wood trim, though heavier would be aesthetically pleasing. Tracks well, and if you have good paddling skills, with a bit of lean can turn well enough on windy rivers. Though not a whitewater boat we have paddled a few mild class 11 river sections with our Min 11.

Overall, a near perfect boat for it's intended purpose. Why a 9 and not a 10, there is no perfect boat, always new boats coming home with me, but the Minnesota 11 has a a permanent home.

I bought a We-no-nah Minnesota II about 5 years ago to use for racing USCA Standard Class. The Minnesota II is a fast and stable canoe that also makes a great tripping canoe. My canoe is a Kevlar haul that has held up very well and I have not had to make any repairs even with the occasional bump against rocks and logs over the years. I would highly recommend the Minnesota II to add to your fleet.

First my experience: I am a guide and have worked at a canoe shop going on 11 years and have had the opportunity to have full access to any boat that we carry (30+ Brands). I include this because you never know who is reviewing.

A previous review stated that the Min II is a specialized canoe and I agree with this statement to an extent. It is the fastest canoe in its class (C2 Stock) and any race picture will show these boats almost exclusively. It can be a little tight in the bow but given the speed of the boat, the Min II can carry a massive load and still perform faster than any other similar boat with the same weight.

If you want a boat that can travel a lot of distance in a single day but can also carry a heavy load? This is, in my opinion, the best boat on the market for two paddlers. If you want more bow space look to either a Bell Northwind or a Spirit II. They are a bit shorter and slower. Or go with the Min III they are longer and faster if you put a third or even fourth paddler in the boat with you.

I have owned the ultralight kevlar model for a year. It has proven to be everything that the manufacturer has claimed. It turns like a barge, but it was never intended to be nimble. It is light, fast, and handles strong wind and current with ease.

We recently entered a fund raising, six mile, canoe/kayak race in my area. We won our class easily and outrun everything else, except the purpose built racing kayaks, by a large margin. The people with mass produced sea kayaks could not believe their eyes.

This boat is perfect for the Tennessee River. It has spoiled me.

I have been paddling this tuff weave model for 4 yrs and have had it in all varieties of conditions on lakes and slow rivers. Loaded, unloaded; 2,3 or 4 people; flat water, wind driven waves and boat wakes.

This canoe is very stable, very fast and inspires confidence under all reasonable conditions that one should be on the water in a canoe. Quartering waves cause a little wiggle, but the boat tracks true and stays on course easily. Only a little water has ever splashed over the side and this is a rare occasion.

Turning is not difficult with good communication between paddlers and even as intermediate paddlers we can spin the boat 360 around the mid point with ease. This canoe is very fast and once we kept up with a 10 hp pontoon boat in a mini "drag race". Unloaded, this boat is a dream to take out for day paddles.

This canoe is, IMHO, much more user-friendly than a Bell Northwoods we demo'ed alongside this canoe. The only point deduction is for a stern seat that tends to squeak and rock a little when really pushing the speed. When I'm in the stern I can lay backwards and my head rests on the gunwale endcap so I can go right to sleep.

Mr Jensen, where ever you are, you made me a believer in your designs after using this boat and I really want to try a Jensen solo. I highly recommend the Min II for lake and slow river travel.

I find the initial stability on the MN II objectionable. I've had one for years, but it is always the first canoe I lend - rather than having to use it myself. After a week on the water, my hips are worn out from having to swivel all the time because the canoe feels so tippy. Just not impressed.

I just got back from 5 days in the Boundary Waters with the used MN II I bought a month ago. It was a real dream to paddle, with my 135 lb son in the front and me (235 lbs) in the back, and about 100 lbs. of gear. It tracked straight and true through small waves and light to moderate winds, but was very easy to turn and spin when I needed to. We didn't have any high winds or waves, so can't comment on that. Its weight made it a very easy carry on portages; no really long ones but my 15-year-old son was able to carry it without difficulty up to 100 rods or more. VERY NICE BOAT -- I love it!

We-no-nah's Minnesota II is perfectly suited for it's intended purpose of tripping on lakes. I own a Minnesota II in the Tuff-weave layup and have paddled it on day trips and in 2002 in Canada for a 7 day trip in LaVerendye Provencial Park. The Minnesota II carries a load well, tracks very straight, is fast and is very sea worthy. It actually tracks better with weight in it, than empty. My wife and I paddled it into waves 1 to 1-1/2 feet high and while no one can say that is easy, if we kept a steady pace we made reasonable headway. It also tracked well when loaded even when quartering into 1-1/2 waves. It isn't as easy to track empty as loaded because the bow is more suseptable to the wind. The Minnesota II isn't the perfect choice for an all around canoe, which to me should be a little less affected by wind (empty) and easier to turn, but if you want a canoe you can take tripping the Minnesota II would be hard to beat.

The Minnesota II gives everything it promises. The low hull may need to be considered for paddlers over 200 lbs, but thats why wenonah produces canoes with a middle depth of 15" rather than the low 12.5 of the Minnesota II. Taking a trip to the quetico this past summer was breeze with this canoe. Even with the gel coating and a total weight of 56lbs, the canoe was a breeze to portage with, pack and all. The speed was exceptional. Having stopped for lunch we were passed by two canoers on 17 foot royalex canoes and, leaving half an hour later had passed them again within 20 minutes. The cornering can leave something to be desired but the seaworthiness of this canoe is nothing to be trifled with. We hit Lac La Croix (BIG lake) in a steady 30 knot head wind and still managed to make good time despite the wind and the waves. Overall and incredible craft that made for an incredible trip!!

Just took delivery of a new Minnesotta II in graphite ultra light layup with ash and mahogany rails - 39 pounds. Tested the boat before buying it and it not only goes like a bat out of hell (6.8 mph on GPS), it turns extremely well for a boat this size. The woodwork is gorgeous but the lay up could be a little better for a boat in this price range.

Having owned other Wenonahs in Kevlar lay ups I can tell you this one is paper thin in some places and very strong and stiff in others. Durability is the question, but then again, you only live once, right?

Looking forward to putting it through its paces. Would rate it a 10 but for the lay up.

My new MINN II in ultra-light kevlar (approx. 42lbs.) is the flat water, tripper, portager's dream! Those of you who lower your ratings on this boat because it doesn't run rapids or turn well need to increase your knowledge of canoe design BEFORE purchasing. This boat has NO ROCKER, zero, nil, zilch. It is not meant to turn well. It's a fast tracker for open water. WeNoNah has other haulers designed with rocker meant for rapids, quick turning etc. When I guide tours to the Adirondacks for canoe/camping I use the MINN II and an 18ft. Sundowner, my first WeNoNah. Both good lake canoes. If the saleman sold you a MINN II on any other pretense, they are wrong. There is give and take with ALL canoe/kayak designs. You want speed, prepare to give up some stability and turnability and vice versa. Running whitewater with boulders, keep the Kevlar in the garage and use the Royalex. Finding the right boat for the situation is key. The MINN II is perfect for mine.

Deciding to buy a Minn II should not be done in haste. It is a specialty canoe that, in my opinion, does what it was designed to do very well. It is not simply a "bigger" all-round canoe. In deciding to buy this canoe, I really thought hard about whether on not I'd be inclined to use it on rivers with rapids and small streams, and decided that I would not allow myself to do so.

That being said, I have have used this canoe in a variety of situations such as Lake Superior on windy days with big swell with 2 kids who are inclined to lean over the edge, and have never felt safer nor in more control in any other canoe. It is stable, tracks well and goes fast....this performance comes at the expense of manouverability. As a person who also sea kayaks, it never ceases to amaze me that moving from the kayak to this canoe IS NOT like moving from driving a sports car to driving a bus.

I have the ultra-light kevlar model with wood trim. The kevlar portion of the construction is very good, the wood fit and finish is ok. I expected better woodwork. Dealing with Wenonah in making my buying decision was a pleasure and I found their catalog to be a helpful resource rather than simply pro-Wenonah propaganda.

I have had my MNII for about six years now, and I can definitely say that it was the best money I have ever spent on outdoor equipment. I have the Ultra-light Kev core, it is a dream to portage in the BWCA. It easily holds 4 duluth packs, and will still go faster than anything else on the water. The stability is excellent, but it definitely feels more stable with weight in it. It tracks very well for such a long boat, but you need to pay attention to weight distribution when it gets windy. If you are interested in purchasing a canoe for the BWCA, this is the only one that you should consider.

Initially felt alittle unstable, but soon grew comfortable with it... At 18'6" it's a long boat and holds alot of gear... It'speed is impressive, and leaves a satisfying wake... Would not recommend this craft for the smaller streams, or narrow channels, as it's best suited for the open waters... (tried the white water with it, but won't again !!)

I think this canoe rates just about the highest on my list for Kevlar 2 person canoes. It is stable, light, great to fish out of, travels fast and at 18.5" it holds a lot of gear (including my 40# dog!)