Canoe Colorado
Performance Canoes and Sea Kayaks

Canoe Colorado's  Canoe Reviews:
Wenonah Rendezvous

Description     Specifications    We-no-nah's Website     Our Review     Other Comments

Tim paddling a We-no-nah Rendezvous on the South Nahanni River, N.W.T

Description

If you have an older Royalex Rendezvous, we have created a page on how to easily solve the known problems with the boat. Click Here for more information.

The Rendezvous comes in two slightly different forms. A composite Kevlar, and a Royalex version. While both canoes share similar dimensions, there is a noticeable difference between the performance of the boats. The composite Rendezvous was designed as a solo Wilderness Tripping canoe, while the Royalex adaptation is better suited to downriver trips.

The original Rendezvous was designed by Jerry Nyre of Canoe Colorado as his ideal "one boat" canoe. Assuming that he could have only "one boat", the Rendezvous meets all of the requirements. The requirements were that the boat had to be efficient to paddle on lakes and calm water, yet be maneuverable and seaworthy enough for class III whitewater. It needed to be able to carry enough gear for trips into the Canadian wilderness, but be responsive enough to paddle on short day trips.

The Rendezvous balances all of these requirements very well. It is not the fastest, nor the best in whitewater, but it's excellence is in its versatility. Wilderness settings often involve vastly different paddling situations. One day you may be paddling windblown lakes and a few days later you are paddling through a class III section of canyon. The Rendezvous offers well balanced performance in both paddling extremes.

Composite Rendezvous

The Rendezvous was first developed in a composite construction. Originally We-no-nah offered in two different depths, a 13" deep version for smaller paddlers and a 15" deep version for larger paddlers or longer trips. When it came time to retool the molds, the Rendezvous was redesigned with the help of Dave Kruger with an increase in flare and bow rake and made in the now standard 14" depth. With the introduction of Krugers Royalex Rendezvous, the Tuff-weave models were phased out of production, leaving the Flexcore Kevlar and Ultra-light Kevlar constructions. Tuff-weave is still available as a special order item.

Flexcore Kevlar:

The Flexcore Kevlar Rendezvous is a mid-weight construction offering both strength and durability. This is the construction we choose for our personal boats. It comes with a sliding pedestal seat and a footbrace. Satin Aluminum trim is standard, other trim options are available.

Ultra-Light Kevlar:

The Ultra-light Kevlar construction is well suited for smaller paddlers seeking the lightest possible boat. While not as durable as the Flexcore and Royalex versions, it offers good performance on large windblown lakes and rivers up to class II. We would not suggest using the ultra-light version in class III whitewater or in remote wilderness because it is not as durable as the Flexcore construction. Satin aluminum trim is standard with other trim options available.

Royalex Rendezvous

The Royalex Rendezvous was one of the first Royalex canoes produced by We-no-nah. It is 1" deeper than the composite version, with a blunter bow and stern. Royalex cannot be molded with the fine entry lines of the composite, and so the Royalex version is slightly slower on calm water. The blunt entry and greater depth do help the Royalex Rendezvous to outperform the composite in rough whitewater. The Royalex version is equipped with a web seat. For whitewater use, we suggest adding Mike Yee Outfitting.

If you have an older Royalex Rendezvous, we have created a page that shows the steps necessary to upgrade the boat for better performance.

Our current inventory of Rendezvous

Specifications**

The following specifications are from a Royalex Rendezvous with vinyl trim, and a Flex-core and Ultra-light Kevlar Rendezvous with aluminum trim.
 

Royalex Rendezvous

Length 15'10"

Weight  52 lbs

Rocker  3"

Depth
17" at front grab handle
15" at front thwart
14 1/2" at seat
14 1/2" at rear thwart
17" at rear grab handle

Front Grab Handle
16" from bow
10" Outside width
6 1/2" Inside width

Front Thwart
65 1/2" from bow
26 1/2" Outside width
22 3/4" Inside Width

Seat
100" from bow (ideal for kneeling)
9" foot clearance
27 1/2" width at gunwales
24" Inside width at gunwales
8" from rear thwart

Rear Thwart
73 1/2" from stern
26" Outside width
22 3/4" Inside width

Rear Grab Handle
16" from stern
9 1/2" Outside width
5 3/4" Inside width

Composite Rendezvous

Length 15'10"

Weight Flexcore     43 lbs
              Ultra-light     34 lbs

Rocker  2.5"

Depth
17" at front grab handle
14" at front thwart
14" at seat
14" at rear thwart
15 1/2" at rear grab handle

Front Grab Handle
16" from bow
12" Outside width
9 3/4" Inside width

Front Thwart
64 1/2" from bow
26" Outside width
24" Inside width

Seat
89" from bow with 10 1/2" slide
Sliding pedestal
28 1/2" width at gunwales
26" inside width at gunwales
6 1/2" from rear thwart

Rear Thwart
72 1/2" from stern
27" Outside width
25" Inside width

Rear Grab Handle
16" from stern
10 1/2" Outside width
8" Inside width

We-no-nah's Website for the Rendezvous

http://www.wenonah.com/canoes/catalog.cgi?canoe=20

Wenonah's website provides some more detailed photos of the Rendezvous. Their website uses frames, and the above link only goes to the Rendezvous frame. To view the site properly visit www.wenonah.com and follow the links through Canoes and then Rendezvous.

Our Review

Construction

Composite Rendezvous

Molded-in skidplate on Kevlar Rendezvous

The Composite Rendezvous is available in Tuffweave, Kevlar Flexcore and Kevlar Ultra-light. Our preference is the Kevlar Flex-core for it's combination of durability and weight. Tuffweave was phased out with the introduction of Royalex, but it is still available as a special order item. Kevlar Ultra-light boats are very light, but do not offer the durability necessary for whitewater.

We-no-nah has improved their composite construction dramatically over the years. They offer one of the cleanest lay-ups, with smooth surfaces and nothing that will cut or scratch either the paddler or gear. Shown on the right is an internal view of the Kevlar Flexcore Rendezvous  as seen from the paddling station. The Flexcore provides a degree of stiffness to the hull, preventing oil canning, yet it will still bend for impacts preventing shearing.

The smooth floor of the Flexcore eliminates the ribs found on older Cross-rib and Center-rib models. The sides of the boat become progressively thinner near the gunwales, eliminating unnecessary weight. The boat has additional reinforcing layers below the waterline, where the boat will be subject to the stress of impact.

End tanks provide minimal floatation for lakes. They are made with foam sheets, covered with fiberglass mat. Expansion plugs drilled into each end tank allow for differential air pressures, common with our changing altitudes. For river running, float bags should be added to the Rendezvous, to keep it riding high in the event of a capsize.

Royalex Rendezvous
Wenonah's quality continues with the Royalex version of the Rendezvous. The hull was smooth, with no bubbles or creases. The gunwales are pop riveted to the hull, with the rivets passing through an aluminum insert inside the vinyl. The web seat is suspended from angled aluminum brackets which are riveted through the hull and bonded to the gunwales. Thwarts and grab handles are bolted through the gunwales, and ABS end caps finish out the package.

We noticed some burgundy marks against the grey inside of our boat. This was probably the result of several sheets of Royalex being stacked at the factory before they were shaped into hulls. Those were the only blemishes we noticed in what is otherwise a very nice looking finish.

Outfitting

Composite Rendezvous

Composite data/ photos will be added shortly

Royalex Rendezvous

Two views of the stock Royalex Rendezvous

The stock Royalex Rendezvous comes equipped with only a cane seat. The seat is angled and provides 9" of foot clearance for kneeling. This outfitting is adequate for use on lakes or easy rivers, with the addition of float bags. Kneeling on the bench seat can create an entrapment hazard if one's feet get stuck under the seat in a capsize.

An outfitted Rendezvous seen above the stock version

With the optional Mike Yee Outfitting installed, the boat is transformed into a serious downriver tripping canoe. The bench seat is replaced with a contoured pedestal with is very comfortable and which will not create an entrapment hazard. The float bag lacing is very secure, and quick releases help ease loading and unloading of gear.

Performance

Composite Rendezvous

Royalex Rendezvous

GPS readings will be added soon! The Royalex version is about 1/2 mph slower than the composite for cruising, and 1+ mph slower max speed.

Other Comments

*Options

Most options add weight. Other options are available. These photos show the most common options.
 

Royalex Options

Vinyl Gunwales

This is the standard construction for Royalex Wenonah's. Black Vinyl gunwales with wood thwarts and handles.
 

Wood Gunwales

This option replaces the vinyl with wood. The gunwales are designed to allow expansion by the Royalex, preventing shear. +0 lbs

Composite Options

Satin Aluminum Trim

Satin Aluminum trim is standard on Wenonah composite canoes.
 

Black Aluminum Trim

Black anodized aluminum trim is an option. replacing the satin with black. +0 lbs
 

Wood Gunwales

Wood Gunwales replace the aluminum with wood. The thwarts and handles will still be your choice of satin or black aluminum.
 

All Wood Trim

All wood trim replaces both the gunwales and the thwarts/ handles with wood.

Sliding Pedestal

The sliding pedestal seat is standard in the composite Rendezvous. It allows paddlers to sit and kneel, as well as adjust for trim. It cannot be installed in the Royalex versions.

Solo Canoe Yoke

The solo yoke attaches to the seat frame and extends high enough to clear the paddlers head.
A different version is available for web seats.

Specifications**

The specifications are for our test boats. The specifications for our test boats did vary from catalog specifications. Most of the specifications are similar to catalog specs. Here are the differences.

Length: Wenonah lists the length for the Rendezvous as 15'8". Previous publications showed the length to be 15'10" for the composite and 15'8" for the Royalex. Our tape measure showed both boats to be 15'10" in length.

Weight:  Our weights were lower than the catalog weights for all but the Ultra-light construction which was at catalog weight. We-no-nah takes the average weight of their boats (they weight each one) and adds two pounds for the catalog weight. Therefore most boats should be lighter than list.

Rocker:  We measured rocker by placing the Rendezvous on the floor of our shop and measuring from the floor to a point where the stem/ stern begins to curve. Our floor may not be level, so our measurements are an approximation. Due to the asymmetric hull, we actually measured a bow rocker of 2 1/2" and a stern rocker of 3 1/2" on both boats. We averaged this out to our 3" measurement. Wenonah states that the boat has 2 1/2" of rocker, which is probably correct.

Review by Eric Nyre