Explorer 16

The Mad River Explorer 16 is a great all around canoe. It isn't great at any thing, but it is good at everything.

It is too short to be a great tripping canoe, but it is good enough you could enjoy a flat water trip.

It isn't the best whitewater boat, but it can handle mild rivers.

In my view a rounded bottom canoe, like the Old Town Penobscot is better. However, the Explorers shallow vee is far superior to a flat bottom, especially for canoes made of Royalex or other plastic.

The Explorer 16 has been available in a lot of layups. The fiberglass layup is good. The Royalex layup is excellent. The current T-formex at 77 lb should serve most paddlers well. I would not recommend any of the rotomolded polypropylene versions, they are both heavy and soft. Finally, the Kevlar version is fine, but if you're looking for a nice lake canoe I'd suggest something longer.

The Explorer is a great first or only canoe, and a great choice for beginning paddlers.

This the best big water canoe I have ever paddled, and I have been in many.

It is fast and stable. My wife and I have paddled in saltwater alongside kyayks with ease. I solo in this boat, sitting in the center, in saltwater against incoming tides easily. It weighs nothing and can carry a heavy load. Great for tripping.

Bought mine in '95.

Excellent and very versatile boat... great for fishing, lakes, class I-II rivers (and higher depending on your skill). Pros: can get back into it by myself if I fall out (seaworthy)... overall a fun and versatile boat, built like a tank. Cons: on the heavy side (compared to my OT Appalachian, and on the slow side for a 16ft boat, and it does oil can if there no load in the middle, thought it does not seem to affect performance. note: I've owned about 6 different canoes in my life, 4 of them Royalex. This is one my top 2 favorites, with the OT Appy being my favorite.

I agree with most of what has been said. Great canoe. Good all rounder whether paddling up a canal or bouncing off the rocks in white water. It can hold two people plus all the gear or you can easily solo it (i fitted a kneeling thwart which gave more control). It is a little heavy (mine is the plastic one, not the fancy Roylex). I struggle to put it onto the car on my own, but a second pair of hands, even young ones, makes it an easy job. It does not track as well as my old Selway Fisher stitch and glue canoe but it isnt too bad and has the added advantage of not shattering when it hits something. I bought my Explorer 2nd or 3rd hand from a club. It had already had a long and tough life with the scratches to show. But it is still going strong and Ill probably never get rid of it. They are bullet proof and can sit in the garden under a tarp for decades and be ready for action in minutes.

This canoe is up for anything. 
It’s been great for our family. My daughters both learned how to paddle in this boat. I’ve taken it on heavily packed, 10 day solo river trips and dozens of weekend and overnights with a 100lb dog. 
I’ve filled it full of blankets and slid down under the thwarts to sleep in the middle of a lake under a star filled sky.
It’s been all over Minnesota, from going through the locks of the Mississippi River and even rigged up with a rowing kit for a week messing around on bigger lakes in the Boundary Waters.
I mostly paddle it loaded, and it’s never let me down in big waves or long sets of boulder fields. 
If I somehow lost it today, I would absolutely be looking for another one just like it. It’s that good.

This is the one canoe to have when you can have only one. It does everything reasonably well but few things great. Being symmetrical, you can flip it around and paddle from the "front" seat and control the canoe quite well. If in difficult conditions, specifically wind, you might want to move forward a bit more, perhaps with a drop in seat or kneeling. It's not an ideal solo boat but I have many hours of paddling this solo and it works.

It is a very stable boat. I fish from it and can stand with little difficulty. I have no problem moving about the boat to grab things without feeling like I'm going to tip and I'm 250 lbs. which gives me a high center of gravity.

Speed is probably the worst aspect. It is not a particularly fast boat. I recall a canoe camping trip on Lake George where most of the group was in Bell Northstars that they rented. Though we had two strong paddlers, we couldn't keep up with some novice paddlers in the Northstars. Granted that we weren't traveling light, but it was amazing how the Northstars left us in the dust regardless of the paddler's ability. Though compared with rec kayaks it does well as far as speed. I've paddled solo and tandem in an unloaded canoe with groups of kayakers, largely with rec kayaks and had no problem keeping up and sometimes lead the pack.

But I learned a lot about the seaworthiness of the Explorer on that Lake George trip. On the return 8 mile paddle we experienced high winds and large swells and the Explorer handled them with ease, even though heavily loaded. Many members of our group in the Northstars flipped and had to be rescued. I've also negotiated class II water easily in the Explorer. I suspect that it can deal with easier class III waters, but I haven't taken it there.

Where this canoe really excels is in its load capacity. Though mfr's. stated capacity of 1,100 lbs may be a bit overstated, I've packed my Explorer to the gills with camping gear. People plus gear probably approached 900 lbs on some trips and the boat handled that with ease and there was still plenty of freeboard. It is a load monster.

There are way better canoes out there for specific applications. If you can afford to purchase several canoes that excel in various aspects of paddling, you probably have no need for MR Explorer. If you can only buy one canoe that will do pretty much everything, the MR Explorer should be at the top of your shopping list.

I paddled extensively in the explorer 16 triple layer polypropylene(no longer available in this layup I believe). Leading youth trips with completely inexperienced canoeist. I found this canoe very stable and hard to capsize. The youth that were new to canoeing managed these boats well. For the experienced canoeist these boats handle all situations very well from white water to lakes and rivers. Not the fastest boat available but still very efficient. I would not hesitate to purchase this canoe.

Twenty years ago I bought a 16' Royalex Explorer with wood trim and it is perhaps my all time favorite possession. I bought it at the Waitsfield Vt factory as a "second" for about $600. The hull is absolutely bulletproof. It absorbs great punishment in white water, has tremendous secondary stability and performs technical manuevers in white water as well as any general purpose canoe I've ever paddled.

It's a great tripping boat that handles Class III rapids with a full load. Yes, it's heavy, but that's the price you pay for not worrying about bouncing off rocks, and I added a Teal yoke which greatly eases the carrying and looks terrific. The wood trim does require regular maintenance with teak oil but in 20 years I've only had to replace half of an outwale. And yes, the cane seats do break down, but I discovered a permanent and aesthetically pleasing fix: there is a family snowshoe maker in Williamstown, Vt. called Boutin Snowshoes that will take the seat frames and re-string them with snowshoe gut webbing. They look great and are indestructible.

All in all this is a great canoe and if taken care of will give great service for decades while drawing many admiring comments. It's like driving an SUV with Porsche performance.

Caved in to an impulsive purchase and ended up with a 16' Explorer in Royalex before I knew how to execute a J-Stroke. A year later and after around 30 outings, I'm really glad I made the purchase.

The canoe is not only indestructible but is stable and beginner friendly. Haven't even flipped it once despite some nasty waves on some big lakes. It's not the lightest canoe but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a beginner like me.

The Mad River Explorer canoe is a great all-around canoe. It is roomy and can easily fit 2 (or 3 people with a middle cushion or seat) and your gear. It has great secondary buoyancy, so when you start to tip, the canoe often stops before the gunwhale touches the water. The keel allows you to lean to the opposite side you are paddling on for quicker turns. It is also decent in the weight category. Mine has held up great for over 9 years now.

Owned this boat for 15 years. Its one of the standards for tripping. It holds a lot of gear, comfortable to paddle, handles some rough water too. With it's shallow "V" hull it's great in Class 2 and some 3...especially if its loaded with weight. The more gear the more stable it seems. I often stand in the boat while paddling to get a better view downstream.

We have wood gunnels and the Royalex material.... Make sure you LOSEN or even remove the gunnel screws in the winter as the cold temps WILL cause the royalex to shrink...but the gunnels DON"T...these you could end up with a cracked hull. We also have the cane seats which one of them eventually weakened and we went through it. It was an easy fix with webbing replacement and a staple gun. I like the webbing better. We also bought a spray cover for it which helps with rain and rough water.

The boat is not the best straight line tracker....such as lakes but it does ok. Its great for day trips or extended trips. I would take this easily on a two month trip in N. Canada for sure. A great boat!!!!

I am on my second Mad River Explorer canoe. The first one I bought new in the 17" Royalex with wood bright work through out. It was beautiful but heavy and the wood rotted off twice. It was a bullet proof canoe that could take on heavy water. I liked that it floated half way out of the water when full of water. But I sold it for a lighter boat. I then found a used 16' in Kevlar last fall. Again the wood gunnels were broken and rotten. So I switched it to aluminum to save weight.

The handling characteristics are excellent with good secondary stability. When lightly loaded there is a little rock blip from side to side when paddling. The paddlers should just rock there hips with it. Although no boat is ideal in all conditions, this design is the best all around design still available. It tracks well and is fast, takes whitewater or large lakes with heavy seas, bounces off rocks, and its light. It will haul over 1/2 a ton, that is about 20 times its own weight.

As I enter geezerhood a light canoe is a real helper when out in the sticks. I also have a seat/yoke mid thwart from Spring Creek so it is easier to solo and can be set up to row like a scull. In large lakes with lots of wind (i.e. BWCA) this is a good way to go as well as use for sculling for exercise.

When selecting a model just pick how much you want to carry. If you choose wood bright work be advised the hull with outlast the wood by several times and you can switch to aluminum.

I have had a royalex Explorer since 1978. I rate it a 10, even though I replaced the ash rails twice before I threw in the towel and had vinyl rails installed. Except for the wood, it is bulletproof. It is stable, carries a big load, truly an all purpose canoe.

Oil-canning is a bit of a problem when paddling empty in swells, but a stick wedged under the center thwart cures it. The only real gripe I have is the weight. At age 62, I'm about to change to a Kevlar boat, just to make life a bit easier on the carries.

One last thing - somewhere along the line, MRC decided to make the seats an inch or two narrower (bow to stern), so when the time came to replace the caned seats, I could not just buy off the shelf replacement seats without re-drilling the rails. The original seat wood was still good, so I ended up re-seating with nylon webbing.

All in all, a great boat I will be sad to part ways with it (although I won't be sad on the portage trail).

Reviewing a 1990's Mad River Explorer in Fiberglass with Kevlar reinforcement, wooden gunnels. This is an excellent canoe for all around use, doesn't excel at any one thing but does everything very well. Easy to steer, but not super fast - however not a dog by any means.

The canoe I am reviewing is 20 years old and going strong, however wood gunnels have to be maintained (this one had some rot in one end). If you only want one canoe for multiple purposes, get an Explorer.

Mad River Explorer 16 Royalex with wood trim - performance and comfort. A perfect blend of stability and responsiveness.

No boat can do everything.
In 48 yrs have paddled kevlar, R84 (current favorite boat), royalex, glass, aluminum, wannabe glass, john boat, and 23' sailboat (miles vs tide when becalmed.) Paddled the MR rx explorer on class 1 ww. Double and solo. For me it paddled well solo u/s into bottom of class 4 falls.

Carry? My pickup guy carried it downstairs to the water himself. He only has 1 leg. He also owns a livery of them and it is the most reliable durable boat he has used.

Loved the MR malecite but chose RavenWorks (sorry closed up) 17' R84. Same form as Malecite but 1' longer. R84 is royalex minus 1 layer with skin of glass for sharper entry.

My 5 yo daughter walks back and forth the length of Daddy's boat. No fear. Generally I teach kids in Mohawk glass Mohawk Royalex or tin cans. (Mohawk folded two years ago.)

Go rent borrow and talk to every canoeist on the river. Go to dealer/ distributor and rent a demo.
Watch craigslist for used boat at half new price.

Bell 17.6' kevlar was the easiest fastest boat I ever paddled.
Before you buy graphite or kevlar think about the emotional toll for spouse and kids when it gets dinged scratched or busted in the garage.

I do not own a Mad River Explorer, but have used them on both the John Day River in Oregon and the North Platte in Wyoming -- rivers where problems can lead to a long, long, hike out.

The person who said the Explorer 16 is unstable may not fully understand canoe design. Some canoes, especially "family" and lake canoes, have high initial stability -- they feel firm and non-tippy. But once they lean beyond a certain point, they go over in a flash because they have no secondary stability.

The Mad River Explorer is designed for secondary stability because it is a down-river canoe, not really recommended for lake use (although experienced paddlers can handle it just fine on lakes). Secondary stability means it feels tippy, it leans a lot, but you'll find that it's harder to lean it so far that you tip over. It leans a ways, then resists going any farther, because of the way the hull is curved (it's a shallow arch with a soft chine, to be technical).

If you want a river boat that won't tip easily, this is a great boat. I found it to be maneuverable and just tons o' fun. It is family friendly, too...on a river. If you're looking for a boat to fish on the lake, especially if you like to stand up to cast, this won't be your boat.

I give it a 9 instead of 10 because it's heavier than I'd like, and I have to portage too often. But lighter in its Royalex layup than it's TT form.

I bought my Royalex Explorer 16 in 1988. This was the best all around boat, one could buy at the time. I bought mine for camping and fishing. Though its service in my fleet it was a fish platform for ponds and small lakes. It served as a gear platform while diving off the New Jersey coast. In the fall, she was armed with twin 12 gauge guns and sometimes a center 10 gauge and retrieval lab. Rabid as she was known has seen the Delaware River from Hancock NY to Washington’s Crossing in NJ plus many weekend trips. She has also done a many a local runs down near by streams and creeks.

I feel this boat is best suited for two man down river trips. It can be paddled solo with minimal skill, but you do have to work. Don’t listen to stability or hard to control complaints, those paddlers just need to learn how to paddle. If any one thinks a boat that is almost 3' wide is unstable, I might suggest they take the ferry. As for the width being so wide, it does make the Explorer sluggish.

Then you hear the complaints it is tipsy while paddling solo. Yes it is, this is a 2 man plus gear boat to reach the manufactures recommended displacement. If you want a solo boat, buy one. You want a boat to handle 2 adults, gear, kids and the dog this is the boat. Sure, there are a lot of new models around that are perfect for a particular type of water, but none will handle the large array the Explorer can. The briefest description is they are the Jack-Of-All-Trades and the Master of none. They are simply a rugged workhouse that gets you home.

Conditions seen:
Winds 20 knots, broke through 2-3 foot waves at the beach. Class 2 rapids and maybe a few yards of class 3, calm ponds, tight twisty creeks, log jam ridden rivers, wind swept lakes and acted on occasion as the ice bin for the back yard barbeque.

Gave a 9 since nothing is perfect.

I recently purchased the Explorer 16' in Royalex with IQ2 and cane seats from REI. The purchase was made easy through REI and the shipping company was a pleasure to work with (Yellow Freight). The boat had to be shipped from WA to NC and it arrived with very minimal damage (I actually expected more). I was a little upset that the boat had so many factory blemishes. While I know it is still considered "1st Quality" it has more blemishes than I would like out of a boat. But what the hey, if I wanted this boat I had to order REI without seeing it first. Regardless the boat is a pleasure to paddle so far and I can't imagine ever growing out of it. While it's not the fastest boat on flat water it is very stable. My first time in it was with my wife and she is very ancy about tipping in a canoe. Her remark was that the boat is much more stable than she ever expected. My second trip out in the boat was with my 80lb 2 year old lab. He had never been in a canoe before but he enjoyed the heck out of it!!! The boat did amazingly well with just the two of us.

So far I enjoy the IQ2 system very much. I use to outfit OT, MR, and Wenonah boats back in the day. I have to say... the IQ2 system is just as strong for what I will need to lash in! Besides Mad River won me over with the 2 complimentary cup holders! They work great too!

I am giving this boat an overall 8 for now as I it is handling exactly like advertised. If it was advertised as a fast ride I would give it a 7. If Mad River would have been more careful in pulling the mold I would give it a 9. If Mad River would have taken their time building the boat I would give it a 10. Regardless of blems I love the ride and expect to keep this one around for a long long time!

Great canoe in Kevlar w/wood trim. Looks great, paddles perfectly, stable, fast enough. Safe and beautiful...talk about STYLE...glenn

Regarding the Explorer 16: The canoe handles well in most situations. It is fairly easy to solo.

My wife and I exchanged the Adventure 14 we had purchased (stability issues - see review) for an Explorer 16 tt. We just took it out for the first time yesterday, and I was VERY impressed. We had it out in windy conditions, on a lake where the waves were 2 - 3 feet. The canoe crashed through the waves head-on with no issues. The sides being a little high, it does catch the wind, so we found ourselves lateral to the waves a few times, and I am convinced that it would be nearly impossible to flip this canoe. Primary and ultimate stability are AWESOME, making this a great family canoe. It's heavy, but that's the trade-off for this very tough hull (also great for families - you don't have to be all that careful around rocks, etc.) The only downside is the tracking - the shallow V hull makes it a little tough to keep this canoe on a straight course. Even this isn't bad, just not as good as some other canoes, and it could have been partly the wind blowing us off-course. Highly recommended for a great, fun, family canoe!

Review of the TT version of the 16ft Explorer - I noticed the stability of the canoe was better than with other canoes I have owned. Two adults fishing, with all of the fishing gear, anchors, cooler, posed no problems. The canoe performed flawlessly. I think the speed of the canoe was very good. I'm sure there are a lot of faster canoes available, however, for fishing and cruising around, its great. We were dragging around two stringers of fish and a minnow bucket, and we still were able to move around with plenty of speed. If your looking for an all around canoe, I think you can't go wrong with the explorer. Look no further.

I purchased the Explorer 16 RX Sp Edition a few years ago when I lived in Maryland. I have had this canoe in everything from class 2+ to 3+ waves in the Chessapeake, to lazy rivers, and have never had a thought of trading it. Obviously, when in white water or open water, common sense should prevale. This thing will take everything you can give it and then some. While it may not be the lightest boat afloat, it tracks, handles well, and the speed is quite impressive. Speed is a relative term. I would classify this canoe as an SUV in the Jeep/BMW class. It will almost go anywhere, do anything, and do it safely and in style.

This canoe is also not the cheapest, but you cannot put a price on safety, the feeling of safety, and the knowledge that it will get you home.

If you are looking fo a conoe that is a safe do it all ( within reason ) leave in mirror calm water, and come back in 3 footers, then stop looking and check this one out.

As a side note, I got mine with wood gunwales, which I like the looks of. If you live in a cold climate, make sure you losten the gunwale screws and that will keep the RX from having a tendency to crack when expanding and contracting. I have never had a problem with this, ever.

My first canoe - and being new to canoeing and camping-by-canoe I was looking for something versatile, and light-weight, without sinking a lot of money into a recreation I wasn't sure was going to be long-term.

Well, the recreation is turning into a long-term love and I have been very pleased overall with the MR 14 - at 69 lbs, it is 'manageable' loading, un-loading, portaging, etc. I know there are much lighter canoes out there but not in the $400-$500 range.

However, it does not handle that great in the open lakes, especially when the wind/waves pick up... I have to roll up my sleeves and really bear down on the paddling!!!

I give it a 8-9 rating, and a great choice for the beginner!!!

I bought a Royalex Explorer about a year ago. When I bought it I went on reputation only and did not test paddle the boat. Big mistake! When I loaded it with two people and some gear the boat seemed to have a lot of flex in the bottom. Too much flex! I used it a few times and based on experience determined that the flexing was more severe than should be expected, even for a Royalex boat. I contacted Confluence and the dealer, Jersey Paddler, who told me to bring the boat back to exchange for another boat. Turns out that the dealer had had just this same problem with an Explorer at a test paddle years ago. No hassle, I brought the boat back, unloaded it and loaded up a new one.

I didn't test paddle the new boat either figuring what are the chances of getting struck by lightning twice? Since the exchange I have used the new boat and it is everything I expected. Great handling from the rear seat. Nice glide for a heavy boat and very stable. For anyone considering any Royalex boat I recommend that you test paddle the boat before you go home with it. My understanding is that what happened with my boat could happen to any Royalex boat. In my case both the manufacturer and the dealer stepped to the plate and solved the problem quickly. I am a happy customer and user of this canoe.

My husband and I recently purchased a 1991 Explorer 16'4" fiberglass w/kevlar. I read many reviews on this website prior to selecting a brand and model. When I advertised at work for a used canoe I was delighted to find this one for $300. (It retailed new for $1100). We have taken it out on one to two new lakes every week since we purchased it 2 months ago. It deserves the "10" rating because we feel so secure in it. It is the perfect recreational canoe for stability and ease to paddle. I'm amazed at how well it glides on the small lakes. (I am 55 and my husband is 63). This is the 1st time he has been in a canoe and I haven't paddled since I was in Girl Scouts. We are so glad we bought it. We plan to get a small motor soon for trolling so we won't get so much exercise when we fish. (ha ha).

I have owned a green kevlar Explorer since 1998. I use the boat both solo and tandem. I use it to guide saltwater fly fisher-folks in the marshes surrounding Long Island Sound. It is a stable boat. Easy to maintain and has served me well. Have had several offers from clients who want to buy it....but it is my boat!!

The Explorer Orion TT. The 14'6" square back tub, that these people in customer service...Miriam and Tony call quality. Twisted stern, and oarlocks that did not work...did they care? Nope...told me if I didn't like it, to take it back...I did, and bought a Nova Craft Canoe, which is the real thing...Check them out! I would not recommend doing business with Mad River. They are arrogant, know little about the product they sell, and were not civil. A waste of time and money.

Royalex 16' Heavy but balanced and indestructable. I solo turned backwards with a three year old daughter (with 2' paddle of course) all day. Get flotation bags if your in deep open water or moving water. Royalex won't float at high when swamped.

I've owned a royalex explorer for 5 1/2 years. It is an excellent all-round canoe. I use it mainly on rivers and it works well up to class 3(Chattooga section 3) conditions. Its a bit slow on flat water but OK for occasional lake use. Easy to portage despite its weight due to excellent balance. Very good primary and secondary stability as well. Good manueverability for a 16 footer.

Awesome canoe. I bought the Explorer TT for myself and liked it so much I bought another for my kids. Very stable and great manouverability. Have paddled many canoes. This one is very user friendly. Sure it's a bit heavier but I can live with that given its lower price tag.

I'm well past my mid sixties, have been a passionate soloer for my entire life and over the years, I've moved from traditional canvas on cedar, through Royalex and now to Kevlar Light. All of this is in aid of weight - portaging and ease of handling. The Explorer is everything and more that I'd hoped to find in a 2000 era canoe! It tracks and handles like a dream and allows me to "go anywhere at any time". It is amazingly quiet and ideal for nature day paddles or extended trips in central New Brunswick's lakes and rivers.

I aquired my explorer through neglitic family members. It sat for about 7 years. The beautiful ash gunwhales were practically rotting off. The cane seats were anything but seats. Fortunatly the royalex was fine! I claimed it two years ago! Replaced the gunwhales with mahagony(ash and oak were too exspensive and hard to find in length), had the seats re-caned(a local antique expert did it for practically nothing). bought a new yoke. and reassembled it. On multiday river trips it can't be beat! extremely stable and can carry enough gear for weeks! Ee've also paddled class III with no problem. Open lakes are another story. it is often referred to as the mad river cow. It tracks great, but speed, it has not. Kayak paddles are used by both paddlers and other boats still move ahead with just bevertails. Call me weak, but 70lbs. is too much for portages. I own two kayaks and am sure the mad river will be around longer. I plan on keeping it around forever.

I have had my Royalex Explorer 16' with Plastic/Aluminum gunwhales for about 5 years or so and LOVE IT!!! I am constantly amazed at how stable and strong it is. I have taken it crabbing on the Eastern shore, given "rides" to my two labs (they swam a lot anyways but never tipped the boat when they jumped off!), took it for a six day camping trip to the Boundary waters and taken it through some whitewater in West Virginia. It truly is a workhorse, I have had it loaded to the hilt and it was still easy to steer and paddle. On my trip to the BWCA the guys all said the Mad River was by far the best out of the 4 canoes we took (the others were Old Towns. It was a tad heavy on some killer portages of 50-100 rods, but some of the rocks would have killed Kevlar. Get the Kevlar skid plates!

I rented an Explorer and spent several days on the North Platte with it. I found that it tracked well enough to make good speed in flat water and had enough agility to handle rapids easily. Every canoe is a tradeoff between tracking and agility, and the Explorer is, in that sense, a technological marvel. Our put in point on the North Platte involved a steep descent, but I didn't find the weight of the Royalex version to be too much to bear because the boat is well balanced (I'm only 5 '9" & 150 lbs). If you're considering going on any river with rocks, take the extra weight and avoid Kevlar. The big drawback for me is the price, but when Uniroyal's patent on Royalex runs out, the price will probably come down and be competitive with Old Town's cross-linked polyethylene.

I have a Royalex Explorer with ash gunwales. It is an extremely versatile canoe and excels in most conditions. It works well on the river because with slight lean it becomes maneuverable. For lake paddling the Explorer is also good; the shallow vee hull tracks very well for a moderately rockered canoe. I am sure that the composite version would be even more efficient. Stability is great all around, in waves and rapids. Windage can be a problem, however, but this can be overcome by carrying a load or skillful paddling. The depth that causes this wind problem gives the canoe super capacity and keeps it dry in all but the biggest waves.

I paddle solo quite frequently, and paddling from the bow seat (facing the stern), it handles very well in the classic "northwoods" heeled over style. Soloing the Explorer with a load of gear is even better. Paddling tandem the Explorer is much faster than one would expect, and it is a perfect set up for tripping, day paddling or messing about in rapids.

Mad River does a great job in trimming their canoes. The ash woodwork on the Explorer is flawless, and MRC's use and knowledge of canoe construction is great. This canoe is tough as nails. The weight of seventy pounds isn't too bad for your average portage.

Overall the Explorer is an excellent choice for both newcomers and experts wanting a versatile, all around wilderness tripping boat. I won't hesitate to recommend it to any paddler!

Mad River Explorer, 16' ABS, my good friend for 20 years has tracked truly and pivoted into eddies with a lean and a stroke. The only drawback is that the high gunwales, which keep you dry in rough stuff, catch the wind in flat stuff. Where do your priorities lie? For white water, or for lake paddling with lots of gear it is a great boat. For solo lake day trips, something that sheds the wind better might be more appealing.

There's a big difference between kevlar weight and royalex weight on the Explorer. It depends on what you're looking for. Now that I'm near 50 yrs. old, I'm looking at the new light-weight kevlar, 43 lbs. (I won't play in whitewater with the almost see-through hull, but it will take me hundreds of easy miles on quiet water and long portage, with great tracking and safe cargo haul in wind and wave) Royalex will slip, slide and bounce all the way through whitewater and boulder gardens and big scrapes, but the regular kevlar is right behind it for a weekend playboat. The only problem is that the boat becomes such an old friend, you can't stand to see and hear it take a beating. You will become protective and restrict it to yourself and mature family members use only.

Our royalex mad river has yet to let us down. From weekend whitewater trips in Alberta and British Columbia, to month long trips in the Arctic we have never had a problem. Its 16 feet is ample room for two people, gear and a 80 lbs dog on a month long trip in the Arctic. I'd never buy a longer boat. 16 hour portages are quite do able. But get a good padded carrying yoke. The only prolem to watch out for are the cane seats. We replaced ours with webbing in the first year.

I've been paddling my kevlar Explorer w/ ash trim for 9 yrs. and has thousands of miles on it. It has been wrapped, like inverting an orange peel, with the bottom of the boat pushed past the thwart. The ash gunnals didn't break like aluminum and become a weapon, or crease and weaken like vinyl/plastic. Once dislodged, the boat popped into shape,and we continued. After some gelcoat repairs and reinforcing some stress, along with taking an hour to oil the trim once once a year, it has done New River Gorge, the Allagash, Bog River to Cranberry, Old Forge to Tupper, rec. raced and on and on and on. I feed it a pint of gelcoat every couple of years, a Watco the gunnals annually. I would certainly been on my third or fourth boat by now, had it been of any other materials.

The Mad River Explorer is a very stable workhorse. Handles well on the flatwater, yet gives you enough spiritness, to make your trip worthwhile.