Yeh, it’s a shame they don’t make Royalex anymore. Great material, just never could find a good use for it outside of canoes. Hopefully this is the only one I ever need.
80s With Canoes (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter ewillis
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Yeh, it’s a shame they don’t make Royalex anymore. Great material, just never could find a good use for it outside of canoes. Hopefully this is the only one I ever need.
I used to know how to decode the serial numbers. I think the last two numbers are the year, at least it was when mine was made. You used to be able to call Mad River and ask them and they could tell you the make material and year. Not sure if they have folks that will still do that or not.
I love the Explorer! I have a Freedom which is basically the same boat but they cranked on the Royalex when it came out of the press to give it a little more rocker. I had it fully outfitted as a tandem whitewater boat but it had been stored outside for years and the wood trim finally s*** the bed, pretty much entirely on it's last(to date) voyage on the Wolf River in WI.
I just finally found a source for Ash gunwale material which has been a massive chore due to the Emerald Ash Borer infestation and the fact that most of the ash trees are screwed which has shortened the supply and the law says you can't move it more than 25 miles anyway unless it's kiln dried, but that doesn't work as good as raw wood does for this application.
Hope to have her back on the water after I finish this current sloop.
I think they kinda missed the opportunity to try it as a helmet material for football. The way Royalex was designed to work, that foam layer would do a significant job of deadening the impact when someone hits another Royalex helmet or pretty much anything else. There would have had to have been some tweaking, but the stuff was pretty easy to mold and it was extremely tough. It didn't work as an option for auto body parts(which was the original plan) because you can't get the high level finish that people expect on a vehicle, but for a canoe or a helmet, who gives a rip as long as your head stays in the game or you plow over a bunch of rocks you didn't see and can just keep going?
A lot more people play football than paddle canoes, just sayin'.
Last edited:
rex in bama
SILVER Star
Yes, would have been a great application. Maybe with the high level of finish on football helmets these days, that was in issue there, too.
Sorry to hijack this thread with my canoe, but some of you seem to think it's neat.
Made more progress...Got the canvas stretched and the stems bedded in with boatyard compound. Lotta nearly extinct tacks and I had to get into some engineering to build a stretching contraption. This worked well. The ends of the canoe were the toughest part, but I got it dialed in with no scalloping or puckering that will be seen later after I fill the weave.
Made more progress...Got the canvas stretched and the stems bedded in with boatyard compound. Lotta nearly extinct tacks and I had to get into some engineering to build a stretching contraption. This worked well. The ends of the canoe were the toughest part, but I got it dialed in with no scalloping or puckering that will be seen later after I fill the weave.
Last edited:
Oops, I forgot to tell you guys that I finished the Old Town last fall. It turned out pretty damn good for something 106 years old.
Performing an aerial with a Surf kayak
WOW looks amazing, nice work.
jemsec
Mach lll Club
To say that is impressive would be a serious understatement. Beautiful piece of work.
jomelo
SILVER Star
Decided to skip out for a while since the world is going crazy. A little while off the grid should do the trick.
You're one luck guy!
are kayaks allowed? took the Mrs. for a morning of kayaking up on the Mogollon Rim.
It says Canoe right on the side so its allowed.
I like the way you think!!! It's the only kayak that Mad River ever produced far as I know. I have two 12 and 14ft.
Last summer in Glacier National Park. Rolled my 80 a few days after I took this photo 
First trip out after purchase
that's a neat canoe. friend had one.
My green toys. Mad River Freedom, Royalex with wood trimming. Yakima gutter mount rack.
