not r-84
They didn’t use it according to their archived site on the wayback machine. They just used some royalex variation that was a bit lighter.
Well did you go???
got it
– Last Updated: Jul-10-16 2:05 PM EST –
So I ended up buying it and hopefully it's ok. The serial number is long gone so there is no way of telling exactly what it is. The color in the photos is a touch off, it's more the standard bluegrass I think. It's not actually oxidized and faded like it looks in the photo. Just stained here and there and scratched. The guy believed that it's 72 lbs which matches the Explorer RX. It's definitely not rotomolded and I think it's 17-20 years old but it's sure hard to say. The small thwart at the front and back is aluminum which I can't find in any other photos.
The front is going to need some attention. It has a bunch of dings and is worn through the the second layer in one spot. But I can't find any cold cracks though it was stored outside.
edit: don't know how I missed this but there is a pretty bad scrape showing the ABS layer underneath and near the rear. I guess I should get a repair kit and some paint.
G flex
Will do you
crap
– Last Updated: Jul-10-16 2:38 PM EST –
Well, I fear that I screwed up. I was looking at it in the rain and missed a lot of bad spiderweb like cracking. One definitely is going to take on water. I fear that it may be much more brittle than I was thinking.
What should I do?
panic over
Well, looking again I think it’s mostly cosmetic. I missed one crack that’s a little deeper on the inside in the front but it mostly looks like paint cracks.
How do I tell what’s a problem and what’s not?
MR Adventure
– Last Updated: Jul-10-16 3:42 PM EST –
If it is 14' it is probably the MR Adventure in RX lite if I recall. From the picture and link you added from the look of the freeboard, 14.5" it sure looks like an Adventure to me. That boat had a short production time coming out in 03. The only reason I know about it is because I fixed one. Before that I thought it was that ungodly awful thing called Adventure they sell now. Here's a link to my write up on fixing that:
http://scooter-bangortoportland.blogspot.com/2014/07/mad-river-adventure-canoe-repair.html
I found it to ripple with every paddle stroke. Just my .02 from looking at the pics.
dougd
BTW the link to MR is broken on their end. It did work at one time but no longer does. I do recall though that the Adventure also came in a 16' version.
definitely 16’'
I measured to be sure. I think it’s actually an older canoe.
Do you have any advice on assessment/repair? Mostly is look like the top layer is cracked and worn away in some spots. Needs skid plates but has one crack on the inside.
I’m a little confused again because the cracks that I found disturbing that I didn’t notice first are mostly what’s described for the gel layer on fiberglass when I searched. With the top layer in royalex do similar cracking?
cracks
I’ve never heard of the vinyl layer cracking like you describe. You mentioned paint. Did it get a paint job at some point?
Maybe you could post some close up pictures.
Also, what is the widest width across the gunwales?
Photos
I agree. Now that you have it some pictures would help with advice on fixes.
ok
Here is a google drive link to photos: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4vOCPBIJT1qN0lTX3BENTlZa28
The outside does look a bit like it might have been painted but as you can see one is on the inside. It all feels just one layer deep to me though the single line scratch on the inside could be worse. But all the scratches, scrapes, and gouges seem a lot more like how Mad River describes damage to their composite gel than vinyl finish.
The boat also doesn’t feel that heavy to me but I’m just not sure how to judge.
measurements
I get 16’ from tip to tip. The widest spot is 37" and seems a foot deep.
Royalex wear
– Last Updated: Jul-10-16 9:19 PM EST –
The scrapes, gouges, and indentations shown in the photo are very characteristic of Royalex wear. The dark area showing through the color layer represents abrasion completely through the outer vinyl layer. The ABS solid strata had various colors but black was quite common. I do not think this hull has been painted.
The solid ABS showing in the dark area may or may not be thinned out by abrasion. I don't think you can tell by looking unless the normal curvature of the hull has been flattened off, or the erosion has extended into the foam core. There is no evidence of erosion into the foam core in the photo. If the ABS layer has been significantly thinned out, you might be able to tell by pressing in hard on it with your thumb. If your thumb indents the ABS it has been thinned out and should be reinforced. If not, you can simply cover the exposed ABS with some spray paint.
The crack-like splits in the interior and exterior vinyl layers could possibly be hiding some cracks in the underlying solid ABS layer resulting from a strong impact, or they may not. There is no way to tell for sure short of removing the vinyl layer which can be done using a sharp chisel to slice it off, or by sanding. Again, I would press in on the area of the vinyl splits firmly with the heel of your hand and see if the hull feels at all spongy there. If not, I would probably forget about the vinyl "cracks".
MRC had two 16 foot Royalex tandem boats of very similar dimensions. The Explorer 16 had a gunwale width of 35". But gunwale width was typically measured across the molded hull and did not include the width of the overhanging outwales. If you are measuring from outside of outwale to outside of outwale, the beam measurement will likely be 1/2-2" greater.
The other 16' Royalex MRC canoe was the Freedom which had a bit more rocker than the Explorer. The Freedom had a gunwale width of 34 1/2" and "jade" was a common color for the Freedom. The teal color of the boat in the photo suggests that it may indeed be a jade Freedom.
Both canoes had a center depth of 15". The 16' Royalex Explorer had a bow and stern stem height of 22". The Freedom had a bow stem height of 24" and a stern stem height of 22". The weight was approximately the same for both.
thanks
– Last Updated: Jul-10-16 10:01 PM EST –
Yeah, I dug through a bunch of old MR catalogs in the wayback machine and came to the conclusion that it was most likely a 1997 Freedom in bluegrass. It said they used that and cherry that year. I had also noticed that the canoe seemed to have a more of a rocker than I expected from Explorer model photos.
As far as I can tell doing your recommended tests the canoe is pretty solid.