Collection: Mad River

Jim Henry, Mad River Canoe company founder, designed and built the first Malecite right around 1971. He then raced in – and won – the Downriver National Championship and the rest, you know. Word spread and demand grew. A tradition of innovation was born.

From the beginning, Mad River Canoe explored new designs and experimented with new materials. We were the first to introduce Kevlar™ to the canoe industry and among the pioneers to first mold our own Royalex® canoes. We now offer a wider variety of hull designs than any other canoe manufacturer and continue to push ourselves and our designs to new levels of performance. Our efforts have been rewarded with competitions won, accolades earned (including 3 “Manufacturer of the Year” awards from Canoe & Kayak magazine) and, most importantly, a growing base of loyal customers.

Beginning in 2009 and continuing to today, Mad River Canoe has launched a company-wide initiative that will continue to ensure our position as a world-class leader in canoe manufacturing.

Beyond the announcement of a series of inspirational and premium new canoes for 2011, infrastructure upgrades from top to bottom have been made to offer the most innovative designs at the highest quality available anywhere. We're excited to see the reaction from long time friends of the brand and see the expression of the next generation of canoeists who are discovering the lifestyle in a whole new way.

One of Mad River Canoe's original founders and renowned canoe designer Jim Henry has joined the revitalization effort in a new partnership this year. Jim designed the new 2011 Journey Series of triple-layer rotomolded canoes that will be replacing the venerable Explorer TT series. We look forward to continuing the relationship and are excited about Jim's unparalleled perspective that he brings to all aspects of our our canoe team.