Mad River IQ Gunwale System

Has anyone had any experience with the new(er) IQ system? Worth the money? Sturdy? Any feedback is appreciated!

Thanks, Mike

iq
i have a mr freedom 16 with the iq system and like it alot, i think it was worth the extra money because i use the canoe solo & tandem. from what i read now they make the system in vinyl and with that you cannot move the seats it just lets you use all the other accesories. in my case i wanted to be able to move the seats around to trim the boat the way i wanted because of the varying wiegtht of the frinds i take with me. if your thinking of getting the alluminum iq i would also get the stops so the seats stay wwere you want them. feel free to get back to me if you want any more info. one more thought, they should make a cup holder for that system! bob

IQ system
I have a Horizon 17 with the IQ system. It is a great idea and I hope they continue to perfect this design, but I have had some problems.

1-The seats move quite a bit when paddling. It helps to have the tiedowns but it takes 8 per seat to hold. Thats another $25 per seat and they will still move over time. I have alignment marks painted on the gunwhales.

2-During portages the center thwart (or more precisely the aluminum blocks which hold it), has broken twice so far. The first time was deep into the BWCA. It is no fun trying to paddle a loaded boat that has lost it’s structure and wants to twist like a pretzel. Second time I was close to home.

3-Mad River has not been easy to deal with. It took almost a year for me to get my boat, and both times I needed replacement parts they took almost two months to ship them. They discourage customers from calling them direct, so get a good dealer.

On the plus side I love being able to adjust trim or paddle solo if I want. The seats are very comfortable once you get them adjusted to your liking.

I agree with Bob they need a cup holder.


IQ System

– Last Updated: Aug-24-05 6:02 PM EST –

I also have the Horizon 17 with the IQ system. My seats move a little but not enough to worry about. I have had nothing but problems with almost everything else. I bought the IQ portage yoke and the center thwart was drilled wrong so it did not fit.

I also bought the spray skirt for the bow, installed it and it fell apart(on the 3 rd one now and it also fell apart, if you want more info email me). I got the belly cover and that does work good.

I had been dealing with Ben who now no longer works in customer service, so 5 months of trying to get a spray skirt that works I am back at the begining.

Mad River is not a customer friendly company so if your are looking for service after the sale I would go else where