Mad River Adventure 16 Canoe

I take this thing out on our local reservoir & up calm rivers once a week. It's not quite as stable as it should be due to high seats, BUT it is stable enough for lakes & slow rivers with experienced paddlers. I have found putting more weight (such as a cooler) in the bottom when I have a new-to-canoeing passengfer up front, helps them feel more secure. I actually like the slight instability because it forces me to work my stabilizing core muscles more, which I feel after a long ride. Don't be afraid of this boat, but do try before you buy to make sure it works for you. IT is practically indestructable and has VERY CSUPPORTIVE COMFORTABLE SEATS

Great stability, easy to manouver around obsticles in faster currents,tracks well, holds enough for a weekend camping trip with room to spare ( 2-tents, 2-60qt coolers,2-chairs, 1-charcoal grill, 2-lg dry bags, 1-1st aid kit), I can't believe I did without backrests before, cupholder and mesh pockets are great,

This boat looks so great in the store. Those seats are really comfy. However, this boat is unbelievably tippy and those super high mounted seats make matter worse as they cause the COG to be raised higher then most. Add that to a narrow beam and this thing is really tippy, even in the calm waters of south Jersey.My first trip out was with two other people and the boat sat super low! No gear on board. All three of us have been canoing for many years, so we just hopped in when I got it, took it 6', and promptly rolled it over. The unstable nature and lack of freeboard with three aboard lead to it pitch to the right a little and then water rushed in and swamped us.The next trip was two of us and if we were careful we were ok, but there were many "a-pucker" moments. Silly things like rowing the same side at the same time would make it pitch a little and give you that tippy feeling. As we had to get over some sandbar spots and submerged logs, we had to exercise extreme care not to tip over.I bought this to use with my wife as a wedding present. She has only come out with me once, on a rented boat, and we had fun. If I put her in this boat, she would swamp us and never canoe with me again.[...]

Its beautiful, comfortable, and manueverable. However, for a canoe, it is unstable. The center of gravity is higher than a kayak. The ability to attach a skirt is attractive, but unpractical. Additionally, the plastic welds on the hull are fracturing and leaking. Having my 2 young boys with me on cold fast rivers is asking for an early funeral. Good luck to others.

My son and I use this canoe 8-10 times a season.
It drafts shallow for the weight. We go on lakes mostly and explore. The drink holders work pretty good although they would be better if they fit a nalgene 1 L bottle. Which is what we like to use. The seats are nice when you want back support. The canoe is 80 lbs. but not hard to manage with the hand grips. Just try not to carry it a long distance. We launch from the bed of my truck into the water directly. Tracks very well and seems to glide quickly through the water when you crank. Great for net and release turtleing because when you bang into the logs it does no harm to the canoe. Bounces easily off of rocks with no damage, sometimes maybe a hairlike scratch. We love it for father and son activities.

Mad River canoes are the ultimate in comfort and durability. We're extremely hard on our gear and we've found our Mad River canoe to stand the test, no worries. The folding, padded backrests make a day on the water so much more comfortable than in a standard canoe. The 16' Mad River Adventurer gets 2 thumbs up!!!