Esquif Avalon?

[NikonF5user]

Does anyone have experience with the Esquif Avalon? It seems perhaps comparable to an Old Town Penobscot 16, and according to the Esquif website comes with a kneeling thwart, but it seems a bit rare. Mainly just curious, also wondering if anyone has photos of inside...

 

[MrPoling]

I think it's vers similar to the Mad River Explorer, since it has a shallow-v bottom and similar dimensions. Which I suppose is equivalent to a Penobscot.

If it is like the Explorer it will be an excellent general use canoe.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I think it's vers similar to the Mad River Explorer, since it has a shallow-v bottom and similar dimensions. Which I suppose is equivalent to a Penobscot.

I've never seen an Esquif Avalon but from specs it looks like a fairly capacious 16 footer tandem that can also be soloed.

The OT Penobscot and MR Explorer have changed dimensions with materials over the years, but the older Royalex versions I found to be very different canoes. The Penobscot was narrower, faster and had less initial and secondary stability. The Explorer was deeper, slower, more stable and a more capacious tandem canoe for two large adults. The Explorer was my first canoe, so I'm biased toward it. I paddled it tandem and solo in whitewater and lakes, motored it in San Francisco bay, poled it, and could take four people in it with the wide central seat I installed.

 

[MrPoling]

I was curious and looked up the Mad River Explorer's last specs. The Explorer TT (the poly layup?) is virtually identical to the Avalon, below. I think these specs represent the most traditional Explorer. They are very close to my '85 Explorer.

The T-formex Explorer, which Esquif contract manufactured for Mad River/Confluence, was shorter, just under 16'.

I wonder if they had the mold for a 16-2 v-bottom canoe because of their contract with Mad River? I guess use of said mold depends the legal agreements.

To circle back to the original question, if this is an Explorer by another name, it is a well-known boat.

 

[Nordman]

I'm glad to have found this thread. I'm getting into poling and find that my Esquif Royalex prospector 16 with I believe it's 4" of rocker and shallow arch is hard to keep In a straight line
So just found a used Avalon 16 in Royalex and yes it reminds me of my now sold Explorer,.
The stability and tracking of the v hull was amazing. I sold it BC I wanted a WW tripping boat.
I'm still not sure if my inability to go straight is the boat or my lack of experience.....???
Maybe I should rent a v bottom for a Day..