Wilderness-Tripping Canoes

Freedom 17; Mad River; www.madrivercanoe.com; Length: 17'; Rocker: Moderate; Beam: 38.5"; Weight: 72 lbs (as tested); Price: $1,399

ROYALEX/ABS
Freedom 17, Mad River
The other common type of "plastic" is Royalex, a laminate of ABS plastic sheets sandwiched between vinyl skins. Royalex offers some advantages over polyethylene, most notably that the thickness of the hull is more easily customized, so the hull can be made thicker in more critical areas and left thinner in other places to shave some weight. Additionally, because the outer skins of the laminate are vinyl, the underlying structural layers of ABS are more protected from UV damage.

Like polyethylene, Royalex is very well suited for the construction of river-running boats because it is extremely impact resistant. However, when used to construct a long canoe, the material can flex noticeably, robbing the hull of efficiency. Additionally, the process of molding flat sheets of plastic into the shape of a canoe limits the potential for sharp entry lines on the canoe stems (though no more than with polyethylene).

Based on the popular Freedom 16 model, the Mad River Freedom 17 is intended as a river-running tripper. Though it's shallower than many other boats in its class, flared ends help keep the water out, and the two-and-a-quarter-inch rocker provides good maneuverability for a 17-foot boat. As with all the big trippers tested, stability is excellent, though the shallow V hull does give the boat a different feel (a little less primary stability and more secondary stability).

Our test boat weighed in at 72 pounds, about 15 pounds lighter than the Charles River. Hull flex, however, was more noticeable than in any of the other rigid canoes.

Pros: Very impact resistant, UV protection, moderate weight
Cons: More hull flex, blunt entry lines
User: River-running canoe tripper

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