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I bought this canoe mainly for the square stern to mount an electric trolling motor. I paddle a Wilderness Systems T140 kayak but age is catching up with me and my shoulders ache if I paddle too much. I thought that since WS and Mad River are related that the canoe would be just as reliable as my tarpon 140. What a mistake!!

I followed the manufacturer's specs to keep the motor below 54 lbs of thrust and used a 45 lb motor. It's been stored indoors and I haven't used it more than a half dozen times but the transom cracked. It is still under warranty so I contacted Mad River through the distributor who took pics and acted as intermediary. Mad River's response is that the cracks are not a result of a manufacturer's defect with no additional explanation. So I am now the owner of a $1000 piece of plastic junk.

The only reason for a square stern is to put a motor on it. If the stress of a motor causes the transom to fail, then the canoe is improperly designed for a motor. The bunny logo embossed on the transom is cute but results in woefully thin areas as well as a very irregular contact surface for the motor mounts. There is a block of plastic bolted to the molded transom to provide rigidity to make up for the thin plastic hull. However, the bolts holding the plastic block go right through the logo and that is where the transom cracked.

The ultimate irony is that Mad River's email denial of warranty service provides a link to youtube videos on how to weld plastic and other links on where to buy epoxy and a patch kit. Yeah, right...it failed when it was intact but it'll work fine after you glue it ;-)

Maybe it paddles well for others but if you want to use it for a motor, look elsewhere.