New (to me) Canoe.....Needs Parts

[Grannyknot]

My boss gave me his old canoe today...a Mad River Explorer 16'.



It has brand new gunwales and bow/stern covers, but I need new seats and a yoke that fit the gunwales. I won't mention any names, but the store he bought the gunwales from ordered the wrong ones and just as he finished installing them he realized his seats and yoke wouldn't work with them.

What is the best place to buy canoe parts and pieces?

[BlueRaiderFan]

Cumberland Transit employees are very knowledgable. It's in Nashville, but I bet they could help in some way.

[jeffnles1]

Can't help with the parts, but that is one nice looking boat.

Jeff

[Grannyknot]

Originally Posted by BlueRaiderFan

Cumberland Transit employees are very knowledgable. It's in Nashville, but I bet they could help in some way.

Cumberland Transit isn't listed as a Mad River dealer on their site. But, I know that Mad River is owned by a big conglomerate now, so maybe they can order parts from them. I didn't really want to drive to Nashville though.

[MadisonBoats]

Nice gift! Great looking canoe...

http://www.madrivercanoe.com/dealer_locator/

[Grannyknot]

Originally Posted by MadisonBoats

Nice gift! Great looking canoe...

http://www.madrivercanoe.com/dealer_locator/

The Mad River dealer locater was indirectly the cause of our problems with the current gunwales.

[gmreeves]

I think that the person responsible for the screwup should take care of the rest, unless it was your boss.

[Grannyknot]

Originally Posted by gmreeves

I think that the person responsible for the screwup should take care of the rest, unless it was your boss.

It wasn't my boss, and the responsible party...well...will not be responsible.

With the limited choices for full length gunwales out there, I am thinking of buying some ashe and making wood gunwales myself. That way I can re-use the old seats & yoke.

[Stana Claus]

Grannyknot - A long time ago my wife & I were pretty seriously into canoe tripping, so much so that I bought a new 17' Old Town Tripper and customized it to suit us. I bought a couple of extra thwarts that come long and you cut to size to put where you want them. I then bent some hangers out of flat metal strips to drop the seats a couple of inches lower (lower center of gravity, more stability) and moved both seats forward a few inches to better balance the load. I then mounted in some plastic tractor-style seats and padded them with 1/4" foam padding. Turned out to be the most comfortable boat I've ever paddled.

The pertinent part to your situation is, you should be able to find generic thwarts/yokes/seats at pretty much any shop that sells canoes. You can then cut everything to length to fit pretty much where ever you want to put it. I would try places like River Sports Outfitters or Blue Ridge Mountain Sports in Knoxville, or the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, NC. Maybe even Gander Mountain or Bass Pro Shops.

Oops, just noticed the date on this one. So, did you ever find the parts you needed?

[Bfish]

Might consider mohawk canoe in Chattanooga:
http://www.mohawkcanoes.com/accessories.html