Pre-1996 MRC catalogs?

[Guest]

I had yet another conversation with a friend about mid-80’s Mad River designs. The Typhoon (1986 – 1994), the Cyclone (1990 - 1994), the Tempest (1986 – 1990). There are many more elder-models still kicking around from back in the sublime Vermont MRC days.

Mad River once supplied links to archived catalog pages, back into the 80’s. No longer; perhaps for corporate copyright reasons they now support catalog PDF’s only back to 2006. I have MRC catalogs back to 1996, but every model before then has become a faintly misremembered mystery.

I do not know the legality of it (maybe acceptable if privately shared?) but if someone has a collection of pre-96 MRC catalogs those scans would be a worthy resource, especially for used boat buyers in the MRC heavy north-east.

I expect Jim or Kay Henry or someone from the Vermont factory days kept copies of those old catalogs. Having the catalog specifications would be a researchable boon to vintage canoe buyers. And the 80’s catalog prose itself would be a treat.

A lot of the early Sawyer catalog pages are available as scans, and Mohawk supports at least a rudimentary boat spec archive, if not catalog woo-hoo descriptions.

https://www.mohawkcanoes.com/pages/flat-water-canoe-specs

https://www.mohawkcanoes.com/pages/whitewater-canoe-specs

I’d love to see researchable catalog scan links made available from Wenonah as well. Same company for 50+ years, how’s about links to all of those confusing J-boat numbers and 80’s oddities?

 

[kona]

A member of another board has a bunch of old catalog pages that may be helpful. I’m not too active on this board but this person may be a member here as well. Public anyway, with a collection of old MRC pages: https://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseactio...rname=HansSolo

Hope it helps. I found it useful when digging up specs for a newly acquired 86 MRC slipper in Kevlar and wood with custom cover (photo attached). Fit and finish are exceptional on this boat, which has a small foam core.

 

[dougd]

Wow, nice looking boat! I saw one for sale on CL recently but the price was too steep for my wallet and I already have enough boats.

 

[kona]

It’s a hard tracker and not particularly fast but rather light and uber stable. The cover helps a lot with wind, as you’d expect. For fun I prefer more lively boats. But with small kids at home to worry about, this one fits the safety bill for solo tripping.

Back to the OP I’d love to have Digital copies of old MRC catalogs. I’ve seen some nice hard copies on eBay lately.

 

[Guest]

Thanks. Those images are a great start, and include some of the hard to recall MRC canoes. The Tempest and Whistler and Slipper and a new one to me, the Pearl; never seen one and didn’t know Mad River made an early freestyle canoe.

https://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...me=Mad River Canoe Specifications#prettyPhoto[gallery1]/3/

I book marked the link but I’m tempted to print a off a copy of a couple early MRC canoes

 

[kona]

I had a Kevlar MRC Pearl briefly last year. I’ll try to dig up some photos. Won at an online auction with local pickup. The advert was vague and he boat was dirty. Proved to be in excellent original condition but not the boat for me so I sold it quickly.

 

[stevet]

Pearl was a short constant flared hull with little rocker. Came with a fiberglass saddle instead of traditional seat. Aesthetically beautiful but only a marginal FreeStyle hull. VERY limited market so imagine very few were built. Small person’s boat. Sorry but can’t recall exact specs.... thinking it was in the 13 foot range.

 

[kona]

Not mine but here is a MRC pearl in fiberglass layup that looks to be nearly new condition. Posting since it was a topic in this thread recently.

 

[Guest]

Not mine but here is a MRC pearl in fiberglass layup that looks to be nearly new condition. Posting since it was a topic in this thread recently.

$1650 for an oddball 1986 solo?

I wonder what the Pearl sold for new? I may need to rethink my used canoe pricing structure.

Thanks to a friend with a color printer and computer skills I now have hardcopies of the catalog pages for the Pearl, Traveler, Whistler, Minstrel and Tempest, all missing from and added to my earliest MRC catalogs. Good stuff and a fun read.

I should probably try to print this old Sawyer catalog info out before the scan links disappear.

https://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...yer Canoe Company-canoe specs & catalog pages

dang I wish Wenonah would put up links to their old catalogs through the years.

 

[Lewis Taylor]

$1650 for an oddball 1986 solo?

I wonder what the Pearl sold for new? I may need to rethink my used canoe pricing structure.

Thanks to a friend with a color printer and computer skills I now have hardcopies of the catalog pages for the Pearl, Traveler, Whistler, Minstrel and Tempest, all missing from and added to my earliest MRC catalogs. Good stuff and a fun read.

I should probably try to print this old Sawyer catalog info out before the scan links disappear.

https://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=photos.view&viewusername=HansSolo&catid=5079&journalname=Sawyer Canoe Company-canoe specs & catalog pages

dang I wish Wenonah would put up links to their old catalogs through the years.

Hi. I know this post is eight years old and that you posted as a guest. As such, this message will probably never ever reach your attention. But I will try. I am trying to locate information on old Mad River Canoes, specifically the Pearl and Minstrel. If you would be willing to share the images that you obtained for those boats, please contact me. My email is lewatay@comcast.net

Thanks very much. Lewis Taylor

 

[Benson Gray]

The 1986 catalog at the first link below may interest you. The Pearl model is shown on the bottom of page nine. The Minstrel is shown at the bottom of page 13 in the second link from the 1990 catalog. The third link has a number of other Mad River and similar canoe catalogs.

Benson

Mad River Canoe Catalog 1986

Mad River Canoe 1990 Catalog

Vintage Canoe Catalogs

Vintage Canoe Catalogs

solocanoes.com

 

[Lewis Taylor]

Wow! What a wonderful resource.Thank you so much, Benson. Over past decade I have attempted futilely to retrieve archival information about Mad River canoes. While selling MRC boats at an outfitters in Savannah ca. 1979-1982, I collected and filed many of the catalogs. Of course, years ago I threw them out because ‘I would never ever need them’…

The need for such material became more urgent recently because the Minstrel was damaged and must be repaired. (A hefty branch fell from my neighbor’s pine tree on to the canoe and partially cracked/ breached the hull at the waterline near the bow. Of course, this occurred when the canoe was moved from a covered space near the house to ‘protect’ it while a new roof was installed.). So today I began that search in earnest. Your response has certainly helped tremendously

But, I must ask. How in the world did you find that post that I made? I mean, I was into some old post for a very specific search topic.
It is ashamed that confluence seem to either block away or dispose of all of the archival material for MRC dating back to their days in Vermont.

 

[Lewis Taylor]

Oops! I hit the sun button a bit too soon on my reply. I just wanted to conclude with a hardy, thank you, Benson, for responding promptly with such excellent information. Yeah, yes, if it is not obvious, the last statement of the proceeding text should have been edited to state that ‘it is a shame’. Best regards. Lewis Taylor

 

[Benson Gray]

How in the world did you find that post that I made?

I casually review many of the new messages here to see if I can help. Your message popped up in that feed. Researching information about old canoes has been a hobby of mine for many years starting with Old Town Canoe in the 1990s. I've gotten reasonably good at finding information like this on the internet. However, Mad River Canoe is much newer than my usual focus. The image below is a more typical canoe catalog cover for me.

Benson