Mad River’s most popular canoe, the Explorer, was introduced in 1975. With its shallow-V hull for stability, moderate rocker for maneuverability and symmetrical shape for solo paddling, the 16’ Explorer has been called one of the most versatile canoes ever built.
My new-to-me canoe is a royalex Explorer 17 built in 1991. The Explorer 17 was designed for wilderness tripping. It’s a big boat – 17’ 2” long, 37” wide, 15" deep and 2" of rocker. It should hold a lot of gear. I can’t wait to try it out, but first I need to figure out where to store it.
