I am considering a 1990 17’ fg MR Explorer. We (12 and 14 year old sons and I) would use as a tandem 80% lakes, 20% rivers. Day tripping 90% of time. Mostly in Ohio and surrounding states. Any thoughts?
A very good boat in many respects.
Great load carrier, decent whitewater boat. A bit pokey on lakes, but not hard to move along unless the wind is strong.
I assume you are looking at either a Royalex or a composite Explorer. The poly Explorers are really too heavy. Probably poly versions were not being made at that time.
says fg…fiberglass?
didn’t know they came in glass. Otherwise as g2d says.
The old Vermont made explorer
Is perfect for your intended use. Quality is miles ahead of anything you will get today especially the composite glass or expedition kevlar.
Pros are:
Super stable safe canoe. Good family boat.
The boat covers a huge range of uses from day paddling, river basher, weekend camper, Fishing, all the way to wilderness tripper.
Lots of volume and room to move around
Strong like bull and built to last. Many of these will still be on the rivers and lakes for years to come.
Cons are:
Weight, even in kevlar this is a two person job to get one on and off the car and to the water(unless you are creative or a weight lifter)
Depth at center. This is a deep boat with high sides (shear), great for river running loaded but poor in wind. It is easily pushed around on bad days. However… fully loaded (not overloaded) this is negligible.
If the boat is in good condition and the price is right you have nothing to lose. If you don’t like it someone out there will buy it from you.
Good points. Having owned two really
DEEP tandems, we learned to look for an excuse to load the boat somewhat, even if only day-tripping on lakes. A big, unloaded tandem can be blown around and downwind in a flash, while if loaded with a couple of weeks of gear and supplies, it is rock solid.
good boat
Much better than the current MR explorers which are about 7 inches shorter, one less twart and cheaper royalex…if your getting a royal ex canoe.
MR has gone down hill since the biz sale/by-out. Ive had horrible customer service
i had a 7o’s version which was even longer at 18 feet and very heavy…its was a great boat
I hope pturner bought this boat
I saw a pic and it looks really nice. The price was pretty good too.
I want to see him get a nice boat for him and his boys. He almost bought a boat from me but in the end it didn’t work out. He’s a good guy.
Hopefully he’ll let us know if he got it.
What is the serial number?
You said it was 17’. The composite Explorer was 16’ 2". The only 17’ Explorer made was royalex and eventually got dropped and replaced with the Revelation (now called the Freedom 17).
Just curious.
Rob
The plot thickens…
I went and saw the boat and found out more details from the owner. Its a 1987 composite HID# MADEX562F787. Its 16’-4". The owner was a wildlife artist who used it occaisionally but its been in the garage for the last 8 years. Tonight its in my shed!Thnaks for all your advice!
Try it out
this weekend on Pymatuning. Linesville campground on the north shore in PA. The campground has its own beach and the tent camping sites are adjacent. A gathering of pnet folks. There will be another Explorer there too! If you can’t make this weekend give me a shout when you can. I’m in Zanesville and canoe/camp in this area. Frank