From the Wenonah Inbox: Waiting Patiently

I am an efficiency freak when it comes to tripping. I am the anti-traditionalist, the tech geek if you will. At one point in my career I was the guy who wanted to see the full Border Route in the BWCA in three days. Of course it took four but what the heck, Crane Lake to Lake Superior in four days? A lot of cool country to see. So now I have a family, I have a wife, a two year old and half the time I used to have to get fit and get loads of boat time in. That said however, my mantra on being light, nimble and quick has only become more relevant. I want a boat that will glide with every stroke, a boat that will haul easy as I am carrying both it, my gear and Tae's "Kiss me Elmo" over numerous 250 rod portages.

So my eyes wander over the new Wenonah Catalog and I come back to the old standby, the Minnesota II. The brain clicks, the history of the boat speaks for itself, however I want to super charge it. I pick up the phone and I place the order. Minnesota II. Graphite, Double Slider, internal skid plates please. I hang up the phone and begin the wait......

-Hansi J.

From the Wenonah Inbox: MFPJS2680678 - still tripping

We-no-nah folks:

I thought you'd like to know that the We-no-nah fiberglass canoe I purchased in 1977 has, like its owner, a few scars but is still very much alive and kicking.

The wonderful memories this canoe has helped create could fill volumes: Mississippi, St. Croix, Lamprey, Moose, Potomac, Hudson, Mohawk, innumerable lakes and even the Atlantic Ocean (Well - not far out but still)....so many more - places I never should have gone but "had to". We won races, we caught monster fish, we survived rapids, we took weeklong trips and portaged innumerable miles, we got close to and into nature that would not have been otherwise possible.

My boys learned how to enjoy canoeing in this baby and I took my future wife on a moonlit cruise in it that helped "seal the deal". We slept soundly under it in rain storms, used it as a banquet table, towed it on the beach to transport supplies, set it up as a fish cleanng station ...........so much more.

This long term love affair is something I thought you'd like to know about. I'm sure many others have felt the same way.

For anyone hesitating to buy a We-no-nah, I'd tell them it's a no-brainer. Just do it and enjoy whatever life you can expereince - life is just better with a great canoe.

My plan is to now loan her to a young boy who loves the outdoors. If he gets even one more good memory out of it - it will be worth it.

-Frank J. Priznar

PS. The subject is the canoe serial number etched into the bow. The etching seems pretty unofficial but that is the only ID I have now. I bought it in Madison, WI. It was one of two - and I know where the other is!

Independent Shipping- How We Do It

Wenonah Canoe, Inc. and it's brands Wenonah Canoe and Current Designs Kayaks are set apart from other companies in our industry in many ways. One example is the way we ship our boats from our Minnesota-based factories and warehouses to our retail partners. Since it's inception, Wenonah Canoe has managed and controlled its own logistics department. Today, nearly all the boats we ship are shipped on our own trucks and trailers by Wenonah Canoe employees. This ensures safe handling of our composite boats without cross-docking and never involves fork lifts! This approach completely eliminates the dreaded Canoe-kabob - a canoe pierced through the hull by an unknowing forklift and driver.

Our fleet includes specially outfitted, heavy duty trucks with auxillary fuel tanks and racked trailers specially designed to all but eliminate shipping damage. Our largest trailers and fully racked trucks can carry 46 canoes or over 80 kayaks and canoes together.

Our peak shipping season is early October through early summer. In these times, multiple loads depart every week to destinations all over North America including Canada and Alaska. The same logistics team is also responsible for our international shipping program that utilizes a containerized freight approach to ship Wenonah Canoes and Current Deisigns kayaks throughout the world.

Managing a vertically integrated logistics function from factory to retailer is a huge undertaking. We accept these challanges because it ensures the integrity of our product quality until it reaches our customer.

North American Odyssey Set to Launch 3 year Expedition

On Earth Day 2010 (this Thursday, April 22!) Dave and Amy Freeman will begin a three year, 11,700 mile journey across North America by kayak, canoe, and dogsled. Their goal is to use their journey as a platform for gaining support and protection for North America’s waterways and wild places, while actively engaging over 100,000 elementary and middle school students in their journey through their website and live school assemblies.


Their odyssey begins by kayak on the Pacific Coast studying temperate rainforests and marine life of the pacific northwest, but this is just the first in a series of six stages on their quest to highlight North America's wildest places. After kayaking 1,400 miles from Seattle, Wash. to Skagway, Alaska, the team will progress over the history-studded mountains in the footsteps of the Klondike Gold Rush, to the home of Inuit along the Arctic Ocean where polar bears roam. From the Arctic Ocean they will dogsled and canoe south through central Canada, kayak across the Great Lakes, then follow the annual whale migration past the salt marshes and sea turtles of the Atlantic Coast, finishing in the mangroves and coral reefs of the Florida Keys.

Dave and Amy will paddle a Current Designs Solstice GT and Solstice GTS up the Inside Passage, across the Great Lakes and down the Atlantic Coast line. For the whitewater river sections of Alaska and the Yukon they've chosen a Royalex Wenonah Cascade. Rounding out the watercraft quiver, a Kevlar Ultra-light Wenonah Champlain will deliver them through the lakes and rivers of Central Canada and Minnesota's Boundary Waters.

Wenonah Canoe and Current Designs wish Dave and Amy safe travels and the best of luck in this awesome adventure.

You can follow the progress of the North American Odyssey by visiting their website: http://www.wildernessclassroom.com/blog/updates/north-american-odyssey.html

Canoecopia Recap

The Wenonah Canoe & Current Designs Teams express our sincere gratitude to everyone who joined us at Canoecopia! We enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones. The crowd was as big and enthusiastic as ever, especially on Saturday when the convention center was shoulder to shoulder with eager and aspiring paddlers.

Once again the invited speakers delivered inspirational, informative, and entertaining seminars. Rutabaga has a history of showcasing the best of the best. Wenonah Canoe’s Dana Henry thanks everyone who attended his co-authored presentation about canoeing on the North Forest Canoe Trail: www.northernforestcanoetrail.org.

Overall it’s clear the people of the upper Midwest are ready for spring. Shortly the paddling season will be in full swing. All of us at Wenonah Canoe and Current Designs look forward to seeing you at one of our many demos, trade shows, and events in the coming months. Check www.wenonah.com/events.php for an event near you. It's that time of year, let's get on the water!

More Canoecopia 2010- Presenter Information

Come get in the paddling spirit at Canoecopia 2010! It starts Friday at 4pm-9. Saturday 9-6. Sunday 10-5.

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT): Theory and Practice.
Wenonah Canoe's very own Dana Henry is co-presenting alongside Darren Bush (owner of Rutabaga) and Rob Center (co-founder of the NFCT) detailing the trail and a recent trip on the NFCT itself. Make it a point to go see this presentation, the photos are amazing! Showing Saturday at 9:30 and Sunday at 12:30.

For more information about this presentation visit http://www.rutabaga.com/canoecopia/speaker.asp?spid=286&year=2010

Wenonah Canoe sponsored paddler and Wilderness Classroom founder Dave Freeman is giving two presentations. The Trans-Amazon Expedition, a paddling adventure down the length of the worlds longest river is showing on Friday at 4:30. Dave will also presenting his plan for The North American Odyssey, a 3 year, 12,000 mile journey by canoe, kayak, and dogsled around the continent on Saturday at 9:30.

For more information about this presentation visit http://www.rutabaga.com/canoecopia/speaker.asp?spid=231&year=2010


www.rutabaga.com/canoecopia.

Come See Us at Canoecopia 2010

Nothing symbolizes the onset of spring at Wenonah Canoe more than preparing for the largest indoor paddlesport expo in the country. That’s right, Canoecopia 2010 is almost here!

After a winter of skiing and shoveling the Wenonah team looks forward to the impending ice out and returning to the water. Canoecopia is the event that reignites our passion for paddling. The enthusiasm level is always high at Canoecopia for consumers, presenters and venders alike. And rightfully so. Here in the upper Midwest, we’ve been cooped up since early December patiently waiting for spring to arrive.

Canoecopia also marks the first opportunity for most consumers to see our new products in 2010. So if you plan on making the trip to Madison, make sure to stop by the Wenonah Canoe booth and say "hello!" We’ll be happy to show you what’s new, what's improved and share our passion for paddling!

Canoecopia 2010, presented by Rutabaga Paddlesports, runs next Friday, March 12-Sunday, March 14. For more information visit www.rutabaga.com/canoecopia.