Mad River Canoes?

[Carp-fisher]

Hi all,

Any opinions on Mad River canoes? I'm looking at purchasing a canoe mainly to fish rivers like the Minnesota, St. Croix, Cannon, etc. I've found a used Mad River canoe model Adventure 14. See the specs here:

http://madrivercanoe.com/adventure-14

I also do have the option of getting a plain old reliable 14' Alumacraft. But the padded seats, cupholders, and relative light weight of the Mad River canoe seems pretty attractive. I wonder how they handle in rivers... Any opinions?

Thanks, Ben

[Randyjr.]

My buddy has a Mad River. I have an Alumacraft. The Mad River tracks well in wind, is incredibly comfortable, easy to fish from with one or two people and does well in windy or choppy conditions onn the lake. However, the canoe is not built for anything higher than grade 2 rapids, and will split or hole if it hits rocks hard. The 14' is not much for extended trips, if that's an issue. It is not a performane canoe, but is great for something like lakes, ponds, and cruising rivers like the Cannon. We take his canoe on the Cannon River and the Alumacraft when we know we are going to be scraping bottom like one of the lesser branches of the Zumbro. In addition if there is a lot of overhanging brush or trees, be aware that the Mad River can get tippy if your leaning to one side. We take his sometimes and mine the other, depending on the trip.

[Carp-fisher]

Hey Thanks Randy. I'll give it some more thought. The Mad River canoe almost looks like a 2 person kayak. Hope you didn't learn the tippiness of the canoe from experience.

[Se Mn FishSlayer]

hey carp-fisher i build and own a river ridge custom canoe and i think they are the ultimate river canoe you should check them out.thay are pretty light very stable and handle well.

[Quetico]

After working in outdoor retail for far too long selling canoes here's my 2 cents.

If you want a boat for river fishing a river ridge custom canoe can not be beat. They are clearly the best boats for river fishing. They are designed and built by people who fish southeastern MN rivers like you have named.

But if you want a Mad River, they are just like any other Old Town. Go with an Old Town over Mad River, better boats all around.

[Chode2235]

If you're looking for a canoe/kayak hybrid take a look at the native Watercraft Ultimate series of boats. They're designed to be stood up in for fishing, paddle well, and there are a couple reviews out there of people river fishing with them (scraping them over rocks etc).

They're like canoes, but also like a kayak. The seats in them come out, and you can set it up as a solo craft too. Look into them at least.