Submitted: 08-06-2008 by lpd22
With a family of six, you obviously need more than one canoe (which we do). One happens to be the Mad River Explorer 16 (royalex).
We paid a fair price at Ohio Canoe/Backpacker shop in Sheffield Lake, Ohio. A superb outfitter with excellent service and knowledgeable staff.
For the most part, our canoes are pack mules. Three persons, plus gear and the occasional family lab. We too, have used this boat as a fishing vessel and a Sunday play boat, a long river tripper and longer flat water tripper. It is versatile.
While heavier than many, we still managed to complete all portages in Canada's Provincial Park. It is no Wenonah or Bell, but it was within my price range and is bomb proof (kid proof too). It is an extremely stable boat and is home on both big water and rivers, loaded down or otherwise. It has handled 3 footers across some of Canada's big lakes, some Michigan rivers swollen a few feet higher than normal, scraped across Florida oyster beds and backwater sandbars, and even several miles of the Gulf of Mexico. I would feel confident to journey with this boat anywhere I would care to travel. |