Mine is in deep storage but I should be able to get to the gunnels tomorrow. One of them is the original from 1991, the other was replaced in 2001 but as I recall (been a while since I've used it) the replacement was a perfect match.
My Explorer has a similar "kink" in the hull only it's larger and created a crack where the gunnel snapped (REALLY hard impact with a giant boulder), almost the same spot as it's the weak area when paddled solo from the bow seat and Mad River's "thwartless" design.
I had my 1992 17' MR Revelation/explorer out on the river yesterday and took measurements. I know these gunwales are original and are the same as a friends RX 16' explorer from roughly the same year. The height and width of inside and outside Wales are the same: 21/32" high by 13/16" wide. MR used 1-1/2" ss sheet metal screws instead of wood screws for some reason, maybe theyre .005 cents less expensive?. As you know, all the screws are driven from the inside except for the last few towards the ends. This is why the ouwales need to be so wide. If I were to re rail one of these I would reduce the width of the ouwales by 1/4" or so and drive all the screws from the outside, then use 1-1/4" wood screws. This could save you a few pounds if that matters. Drilling and driving screws from the inside is a PITA and causes lots of frustration with stripped screws. Since you will likely be taking your time, you can also avoid drilling gunwale screw holes right on top of thwart and seat bolt holes. Apparently they didnt care about that at the factory. I would also take a little extra time and reconfigure the ugly MR decks that are screwed in to the top, almost as an afterthought. At least my decks are wood. It was another step down when they switched to plastic sheets for decks. Otherwise I really like mine! Take care, Mark Mark
The centerline of the carry thwart measures 35 inches at out side of hull (outer surface of Royalex).
The front of the stern seat is located 50.5 inches aft, and measures 23.25 inches.
The front of the bow seat is located 43.5 inches forward, and measures 26.5 inches.
After Ricks post I went out and measured the max width of the 17' version and it's a whopping 37.25" from the outside of the royalex. I don't think this hull is just an upscaled explorer since it appears to have quite a bit of extra volume added towards the ends. It is a beast, and i dont know what it weighs with wood gunwales, but is about all I can handle to get it up on my shoulders.
Mine is also probably Royalex "plus", although I've never weighed it I'd definitely say it's 80_lbs.
My guess is that Royalex Plus is anything beefier than the stock sheets, In my explorer there is a noticeable "line" near the bow seat where it appears the Royalex sheet is thicker (out to the stem) than the centre section of the boat. My understanding was that Royalex sheets could be ordered to custom specs including differences in the thickness within a single sheet. I do not know if that extra comes from the foam layer, the inner layer or the outer layer
Who said they would like to find a KG Explorer???
https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/for/d/sugarloaf-16-mad-river-explorer-kg/7343504104.html
Hey Mike, you should know this. Is the Explorer 17 the same as the Revelation? It seems to be. Interesting that they had a royalex plus, mine seems to have that. I've lifted 75lb canoes and this one is noticeably heavier. Mark