Mad River Explorer 16’ for $700 or Wenonah Heron 15’ for $600?

Personally I would get the mad River...16' is better if you're carrying gear, it's kevlar and looks in good shape...700 IMO is a bargain.

FWITW my wife and I canoe camp out of a 15 foot Explorer and while it’s certainly a great do all boat and very nimble in rivers, we are pretty maxed out in it when camping. Not a problem for us, because Im a backpacker, so most of our gear is ultralight and compact, but we could never be the kitchen sink style campers with that short a boat and two people. Im not too familiar with Wenonah specifically, but most Heron model canoes are more for lakes and cottages, as opposed to downriver boats.

It all depends on the style camping and paddling you want to do. The Explorer was a do all boat in its day, but it doesn’t do any one thing, (rapids, flat water, tracking, etc) exceptionally well, but it does do them all. We love ours, and think a 16 might be better all arounder, but our delema is the frequent portages in the backcountry waters we play in, we sacrificed the space of the 16 for the weight savings and nimble factor on rivers (our favorites).

Royalex is excellent material, but Kevlar is lighter and often easier to repair.

Choices, choices, choices. Welcome to canoeing!

Have two options I found on FB marketplace. I’ve posted pics of both canoes. Feel free to point out if you notice any defects or concerns on either canoe. The mad River is made from Kevlar and 60 lbs (according to the seller) while the Wenonah is made from Royalex and 57 lbs. The Mad River Explorer is also an hour further away. I’m going to probably be doing mostly tandem canoeing and some canoe camping trips as well. Looking to also do a few solo trips.