I am looking at picking up a used canoe and found a guy selling a Mad River. The only info he has is…its green,has wood trim, about 16.5 long, and serial number MADE5582M82B. Can anyone tell me model and material of construction.
You haven’t seen it in the flesh yet?
Probably an Explorer. Most were Royalex, some were Kevlar or FG. Easy to tell the material if you see it.
and its 33 years old NM
Very Possibly a Malecite
Very popular model in 1982 as well as the Explorer was the Malecite. It was 16.5 ft long. I thought the Explorer was closer to exactly 16ft. It was ONLY made of Fiberglass or Kevlar or Marijuana. No Royalex
No
The composite Explorers were closer to 16.5 ft than 16 ft. The exact length depended on the nature of the deck plates or end caps.
I could be wrong, but in 1982 I believe that MRC was still using fiberglass end caps that covered the ends of the inwales and outwales, wrapped over the sides of the ends of the outwales, and covered over the end of the hull at the stem. This made the LOA slightly greater than the Explorers with inset deck plates that came later.
My Kevlar Explorer is around circa 1981 and has such end caps. If memory serves, it measures right around 16’ 5" in overall length. The Royalex Explorers were shorter.
Exp/Mal
Both composite Malecites and Explorers were 16’6" long. The Explorer was wider and deeper than the Malecite. Say 35-36 and 13+" deep amidships for Explorer, 33-34 beam and 12" deep for Malecite. Exact dimensions available online. The kicker is the MADE, the E probably for Explorer. We’d expect a Malecite to read MADM.
specs
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MRC listed the LOA of the Malecite at 16' 6" and that of the fiberglass, Kevlar, and Kevlar/Airex Explorers at 16' 4" in their catalogs after they went to inlaid deck plates.
My Explorer, having the older end caps that overlapped the end of the hull a little, was the best part of an inch longer.
If memory serves, at the point in time the boat in question was made, I believe MRC was still amending the HIN with a "-K" at the end for their Kevlar boats. If so the boat is fiberglass.
Complete specs:
Malecite:
LOA: 16' 6"
gunwale width: 33"
4" waterline width: 31"
center depth: 13"
bow height: 20"
stern height: 19"
weight: 62 lbs fiberglass, 47 lbs Kevlar
Explorer:
LOA: 16' 4"
gunwale width: 34 1/2"
4" waterline width: 33"
center depth: 14 1/2"
bow height: 22"
stern height: 20"
weight: 70 lbs fiberglass, 54 lbs Kevlar
MRC also made an Explorer with an Airex foam core and side ribs for a time with a weight of 50 lbs. That boat had an outer layer of S fiberglass under gel coat. The older MRC Kevlar Explorers were an all-aramid lay up (except for the gel coat).
Max Beam?
Many MRC’s had a little tumblehome, yet Maximum Beam isn’t published?
Explorer is pretty straight sided
– Last Updated: Jun-10-15 9:23 AM EST –
amidships, with some flare in the ends.
Here is a photo of a composite MRC Explorer:
http://photos.bwca.com/d/DARCYN-150113-154738.JPG
I believe the Malecite hull was similar in that regard, but I can't swear to it.
The Explorer in the photo has the non-radiused outwales that MRC used prior to 1985. Instead of the FRP end caps that mine has, that one has on-laid ABS deck plates that MRC also used on some of their models for a time.
Got it
Called Mad River today. It is indeed a fiberglass Explorer.