Product Reviews > Canoes > Mad River Canoe > Freedom 16

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08-24-2012
Submitted by: paddledancer - Rating: 8 of 10
     I know this will raise a few hackles but...I found this gem in the Boston area Want Advertiser for $300. It had been left out in the weather in the shade and the gunnels had rotted to the point they were no longer of any use. I took it home, took it apart and refinished the seats and thwarts. I then found a pair of OT Penobscot vinyl gunnels and end caps and installed them. I DID try to find replacement wooden gunnels but the shipping expense was too much. I also tried at a local hardwood dealer to find a nice straight grained ash board but no one had anything long enough.

So...I now have a Mad River-Old Town 16' canoe that I really enjoy paddling. Oh...I also use a double blade kayak paddle when paddling lakes or any other open water. Obviously I'm no purist..just like to get out and have fun. It handles well in class II water paddling solo. Anything above that I wouldn't attempt alone, it's a little too long to turn in faster water.

09-11-2006
Submitted by: raisedbybears - Rating: 7 of 10
     Ok for whitewater, I like the v hull for rocking to miss rocks. Not terribly responsive - slow on flat water. Basically, it's a tub.

06-01-2005
Submitted by: Ed - Rating: 9 of 10
     I've been paddling my Royalex Freedom 16 for 3 seasons now with great satisfaction. Last year it made 34 day and weekend trips on WI rivers. It is rockered enough to track poorly, but with a soft touch and some experience one can get it to go straight thru the flat sections. When the water is high, I fit it with fore and aft float bags and paddle it solo from the bow seat. It handles class II+ and III's like a dream. My only regret is the wood trim that I have to remove every fall as I store it in an unheated garage and am worried about cold cracks.

01-11-2005
Submitted by: --- - Rating: 7 of 10
     For what it is, this is a great boat. An all around boat that turns pretty well for its size, holds a fair amount of gear, and is incredibly initial and secondary stability. The shallow V hull makes a very friendly boat for beginners to intermeds but makes it more difficult to heal to gunnels for quick and snappy turns. Not particularly deep and doesn't have great bow flare so it takes in a lot of water in rapids.

For a more advanced boat I'd rather have a Novacraft Prospector or an Esquif Prospecteur. I'd probably look at royalite or similar as can't relate to a 70lb boat anymore.

The Dagger Legend; now that was one pig of a boat with oil canning to boot. Freedom with wood gunnels is much better in quality and easier on the eye. Can't get a legend anymore new.

04-26-2004
Submitted by: --- - Rating: 9 of 10
     I've had my Mad River Freedom 16 for about 5 years now and I love it. I've paddled it in whitewater up to Class III and it is very stable and responsive. It will turn on a dime and suprisingly, it tracks well in the flat stretches too. I do a lot of fishing in it and tripping as well. I can fly fish out of it without having to worry about losing balance and it paddles fairly well loaded down with a few days worth of gear for two people. I even like to paddle it solo sometimes by turning it around backwards and sitting in the front seat. Overall, this is a very versatile boat. Even though it is intended for whitewater it performs quite well in any situation. Personally, I believe this boat is second only to the Dagger Legend when it comes to all around performance.

06-24-2002
Submitted by: --- - Rating: 9 of 10
     I have been very pleased with the Freedom. It is a pretty responsive boat for it's size and has been great at rock studded rivers 11 to 111 and fine for upto 6 day trips on flatwater and 4 day trips on 11 to 11+ water if not severely loaded. Boat is very forgiving and thus is great for families due to shallow V design. Would be nice if it was 1/2 inch deeper so it could haul a little more with more freeboard. If looking for 2 adult and child boat for trips one might opt for Wenonah Cascade at 1.5' longer and good amount of rocker, and .5 inch deeper.

01-11-2002
Submitted by: choxley - Rating: 9 of 10
     More rockered and flared than the standard MR Explorer, this boat was built to take on river chop. I've had this boat for one season and found that it performs great in class II and III water. I like the fact that the seats are moved toward the center, too. Though I was not expecting much in the way of flatwater performance, I was still somewhat disappointed. You really have to pull through every inch of water in the pools. It's fine if you're just messing about and don't hve to cross a lake. But it is tiresome. I'm in the market for another canoe that will handle better on the flat stuff. This is a specialty boat that does great at what it was designed to do. You pay for the tradeoff with underperformance in the flats.

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