I have sat solo in the back of the boat, which some people have said it was a problem for them, and had no problems even when boat wakes toss me a little bit. We were looking for an all around recreational family canoe that was affordable and durable and tracked reasonably well. and busy work schedules the Mad River Adventure 14 takes the cake! I have no trouble loading or unloading this canoe alone, its more awkward weight than heavy. I am glad that I ended up with the smaller of the two. A GREAT canoe for not only mornings fishing, but for the more die-hard paddling adventurer looking to get away from the busy life of society and venturing into the land of mountain air, soaring eagles, and trout the size of small children! Very stable though it can be tipped if you try. My only complaint about this canoe is the formed floor and middle seat make it difficult to float with a large sized cooler for overnight trips, but I've learned how to make due. I taken many short trips last year and 1 long trip on the Potomac with my daughter with full gear in the middle. Very pleased. My wife in the front and me in the back, two kids on the middle seat and even put my youngest on a small stadium seat on the floor in front of me. Of course, as it is a 14' boat, you're not going to be getting all that much gear in for extended trips (short ones would be easy), but day trips are a blast. A petty gripe that the seat backs, handles, pouches and good construction more than make up for. The Adventure is made out of a hard plastic material vs fiberglass with the Saranac, so I would say the Mad River is more durable. I wanted to get some opinions and real life usage on the better option. It works very well on swift moving rivers. This is a tough little canoe. I can stand up in it and cast a fly rod and it has plenty of space for all my gear and is easy to get in and out of when I float the river. Tracks great. I think for the money it is a very good canoe. What it involves is ropes inside of fire hoses draped over your front and back windows and around our precious canoe, and one man (or woman) can hoist it up and onto the jeep's roof (or whatever your rooftop carrying vehicle may be!) It tracked well and was very stable. I am 6'1" 215 pounds. A webbed storage pouch attached just in front of each seat is very handy (wish it was a dry bag), but will hold a zip lock easily enough. I originally wanted the 16 foot for more room, but we had sold out of them and hadn't received anymore and later learned we wouldn't be getting any more this year. The Mad River Adventure 16 wants to be taken to the river. Took a few others out for several hour trips with zero complaints and only praise for the comfort. The Adventurer 14 makes a stable and fairly fast sailboat. I have a bad lower back and after canoeing all day, I did not have any discomfort. We saved nickels and dimes for the past two years to purchase a canoe. I owned one of these gems for two years, took it out a ton of times hoping I would get used to it. I would definitely recommend this canoe to a family that is on a budget, but loves family outings. We’ve paddled over 5 months now and it is a true all around boat with very comfortable seats. A pair of glasses and some really nice fishing gear on the bottom of a lake can attest to this. I am rating this as a recreational canoe not as a white water canoe or high performance canoe. Home Tandem Canoes Mad River Adventure 14. They responded that they currently had no plans to sell a sail kit. You’ve decided you want to try canoeing, so you’re considering the best canoe options available. There isn't a yoke, but I'm able to handle carrying it around. It was worth driving 2 hours to get it. Pros- The seats and seat backs are great. We bought this boat in the spring and have had it out several times with no problem tipping what so ever. Never fished in it but it has built in outriggers on the inside. I was even able to stand up in it and not feel like you are going swimming. Moderator:Admins. The horizontal bar swings 360 degrees that is the genius of this device. Take it out on the river or lake for the day with up to 3 paddlers or load it up with all your gear and go exploring. I would recommend it to anyone. p.s. I have really loaded this boat up!! not everything can be perfect but the thing is u get it in the water and with every inch that u move its all pretty much washed away (until you have to carry it home.) Seems excessive. The plastic seems really durable too. Absolutely LOVE this canoe! Be the first to review “Mad River Adventure 14” Cancel reply. Seems very stable (we haven't flipped it yet :-). 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