Summary: Canoe Availability - 2022
We thought it would be useful to share a quick summary of what we’re hearing from our makers about availability of their canoes in 2022. The net is that it will be another tight year with the ongoing possibility of additional supply chain disruptions. Please reach out to get more details.
New orders: All 2022 season production is committed to existing orders.
New orders are at the end of the queue - think 2023 paddling season
Changes to existing dealer orders: Changes, including color changes, will be treated as a new order - entered at the end of the queue. Again, think 2023.
If you want a Wenonah for this paddling season, you’ll need to choose from the boats that are already on order.
WRC has 9 Wenonahs in the shop and 16 on order for stock - models shown here.
We don’t have a delivery window for the on-order boats yet.
New orders: Customers should expect to have, on average, a six month lead time.
Lead time for a specific boat will vary depending on supply chain issues, etc.
The six month lead should be regarded as a minimum - if you want a Nova Craft for the 2022 paddling season, you should probably pick from the boats already on order.
Changes to existing dealer orders: With rare exception, changes to a boat on order will send it to the end of the queue, so again the six month + lead time.
WRC has 17 Nova Crafts in the shop, and 44 on order for stock - models shown here
In January we’re hoping to get an initial sense of when shipping will start.
New orders: Esquif is working through dealer pre-season orders. Special (new) orders will be available July 1 at the earliest.
Special (new) orders will be filled on a first come first serve basis. Esquif reports they are currently averaging 12-20 new special orders a week.
They did say that Adirondacks may be available sooner because they produce so many. Rangeleys are sold out now for 2022.
Changes to existing dealer orders: Managed on a case-by-case basis, timing depends on the nature of the change and impact on the production schedule.
WRC has 4 Esquif in the shop, and 13 ordered for stock - models shown here
New orders: Availability is based on build time and the periodic delivery schedule.
Build time is currently running at about 6 weeks.
Runs “out East” are scheduled when they can fill the trailer - tentatively April.
New orders for a tentative April run should be in by mid-February.
Changes to existing dealer orders: We don’t have any existing boats on order for stock.
WRC has 8 Merrimacks in the shop, with none on order for stock - models shown here
New orders: We’ll update this document with Grumman lead times as soon as we hear back from them.
Changes to existing dealer orders: We order Grummans on request.
WRC has 2 Grumman 17’ double enders with minor scuffs in the shop - shown here
Three quick things to wrap up
Our recommended recipe for purchasing a canoe in 2022 is pretty simple:
Take all the time you need to make sure you’re comfortable with your decision.
Decide which features/options are critical and which you can be flexible on.
Think about how soon you need the new boat - and how important timing is in relation to the features/color you want.
If you need it for a particular trip, go with a boat that is already in stock or has a confirmed arrival date, or have a back up plan in case there’s another lock down or other disastrous event occurs, for example, Esquif had a warehouse fire last year.
Once you’ve made your decision - put in your order as quickly as possible.
We strongly believe folks should try a canoe if at all possible before buying.
We maintain a pretty extensive demo fleet for that purpose, but…
…there is a tradeoff now that we’re into cold water season and we’re looking at another year with long lead times – unless you’re geared for winter paddling, waiting until the water’s safe to test paddle will in most cases push availability on new orders past the 2022 paddling season.
If you can’t paddle, at least try to see one in real life.