Sometimes You're Just Blessed Whether You Deserve It or Not: Fleet Addition

L

Larry Eckart

Well-known member
Guys (and Dani),

In early January I asked for ?your eyes? to help me look for a Royalex Mad River Duck Hunter Canoe. One of the responses by Jeff Reardon was, ?good luck, they are very hard to find; might be easier to find a MR Explorer and paint it.?

Jeff?s advice was spot on. For six months I had not seen one MR Duck Hunter for sale east of the Mississippi. I was all set to purchase a MR Explorer which is the same boat with a different paint scheme.

Then last Sunday I happened to check Craigslist around Raleigh, NC where my wife and I are moving this July after I retire. Wonder of wonders, 45 minutes prior to opening up that page, a Royalex Mad River Duck Hunter had just come up for sale in eastern NC. I could not believe my eyes.

After glancing at the photos, I immediately emailed the owner and said, ?I WILL BUY YOUR DUCK HUNTER CANOE!?

On Monday morning the owner and I communicated. I had been the first to reply. Within another 15 minutes three more guys wanted to buy it after I emailed him.

We agreed on the price and that I would pick it up this week as my wife and I traveled to Raleigh to close on our new home. We met near his home. On the way to sell me the canoe, someone stopped him and asked if the canoe was for sale!

It is an older model that does not have the ash gunnel that really sets off those models that are dressed in ash.

Here is the canoe sitting on my truck:
View attachment IMG_2068.jpeg

Here is the proud bow with the olive green paint and maize name:
View attachment IMG_2071.jpeg

It is clean on the inside:
View attachment IMG_2064.jpeg

It needs some TLC on the hull:
- scratches to fill in
- paint rubbed off from two much docking on gravel
- one cold crack near the gunnel
- good projects for a retired preacher
View attachment IMG_2058.jpeg

I will dress up the inside:
- vinyl bow and stern plates will be replaced with ash
- ash grab handles will be added
- the seats will be lowered to their proper position
- I will keep the vinyl gunnel
View attachment IMG_2073.jpeg

Here is a photo that point to scenes to come:
View attachment IMG_2072.jpeg


After this weekend, it will hold down the fort in the garage of our new home until Kathy and I get there. I look forward to working on it and turning it into "Larry's Exploration Vehicle of North Carolina and Other States".

So in one week I have purchased the canoe I have searched for the last six months and closed on a retirement home.

Sometimes our lives actually mimic the words of David: ?my cup runneth over??

And so I am most thankful this week for the many blessings God has given me.

Larry
 
Larry -

Good for you!

The Lord Works In Mysterious Ways. Especially when it comes to Waterfowlers.

Our Blessings are many, for we stay close to Mother Earth, and to what we were given to prosper, and survive.


Best regards
Vince
 
Larry

That is a great acquisition We used to have a Mad River distributor and many times I looked that hull over and thought it could handle many jobs I'd ask of it. Congratulations.

Eric
 
Guys,
Some may wonder, "what's the big deal? Isn't this just another old plastic canoe?"

A few traits of the Mad River Explorer/Duck Hunter make it special:

1) Jim Henry, one of the founders of Mad River canoes designed this hull in the 1970's so that one canoe could do most things asked of it well including tracking, secondary stability, capacity, and white water, within limits. The result was so effective that the hull shape is still produced today in the latest version of the Explorer.

2) If you look at the hull picture above, you can see a very slight "V" in the hull shape. This gives the canoe its legendary stability that allowed it to be the first open water canoe to run the Grand Canyon.

3) The Duck Hunter version was only made in limited number each year until they were no longer made. I believe 2014 was the last year of production when Royalex also went off the market.

My beer tasted better than usual tonight!

Larry
 
I have spent a big chunk of time attempting to paddle a variety of roto molded canoes; worst among them the Coleman offering- a downright dangerous "thing" "masquerading" as a canoe. Fighting to maintain lateral stability while trying to get it to track wastes a mountain of energy, as well as potentially endangering the occupants. I can appreciate your comments, Larry, on why this model is a true treasure. Congratulations!
 
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[size 4] Huzzah!! Glad you're search was successful, Larry. That should promote some "worthy use of leisure time" in the coming months.
 
Nice Larry! Congratulations on the new boat to go with the new house! Enjoy your retirement.
 
Larry, I am betting that you will be smiling every time you look at that beautiful canoe. Have fun and enjoy the heck out of it even if you are only looking at it. I am glad that you got it.
Al
 
Well that's a great end to the story!

I've got two Explorers, and consider them the best "all-around" plastic canoe ever made. (Other votes here in Maine--the heart of canoe country--will come for the Old Town Tripper, the Old Town Canadienne, the Dagger Legend, and various "Prospector" models made by a variety of Canadian companies.)

That shallow vee gives you tracking for lake paddling without hanging you up in shallow water or rapids. You can cock them onto one side to slide over rocks, and they have a lot of stability in a lean. It's as good a canoe for poling as you will find at 17 feet. (Longer canoes pole better.)

I am still kicking myself for not getting a Kevlar Explorer from a local company here that somehow had a mold from Jim Henry and permission to make boats with it. It was available in two camo paint jobs. The price held me back when I was young and didn't mind shlepping around an 80-pound canoe, and they were out of the business before the crossing trajectories of my declining strength and increasing wealth crossed enough to consider the purchase.

If you want a set of ash gunwales, I bought a pair for my last yard sale Explorer from Island Falls Canoe. They were quite reasonable, but shipping will be a bitch, if it's even possible. If you come to Maine to pick them up, I'll put you on some brook trout while you are here.

You can also find some that are sold in spliced sections and are shippable. I've never seen them except online.

https://www.islandfallscanoe.com/

The owner, Jerry Stelmok, may be the best wood/canvas canoe maker left. He's certainly in the running. You'd love his shop. Most folks here would love his shop, and just going to his web site to drool over photos will give you some great fodder for winter day dreams.
 
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