C-Forum

O didly dokey....I have a question... I recently purchased an outrage x with wooden gunnels (tis Oh so lovely). A friend of mine is interested in the same boat. I found one on craigslist except it had vinyl gunnels.... When I mentioned it to my friend, he stated that he read somewhere that the outrage x with wood gunnels is great and that the outrage x with vinyl gunnels is straight up crapola....Is there any performance differance? if so, what is it? I can't fathom that there would (wood) be any difference other than freaking out when the beautiful precious wood gets scratched....versus not giving a crap when the vinyl gets scratched. help me out if'n you can
thanks
Carl

I have heard there is a difference in the Outrage. I don't think it is an issue in the X. I had an X with Vinyl gunnals and tried out one with wood. I didn't notice much of a difference. The wood is supposed to be a little lighter. I like wood, but the vinyl is easy to maintain.

Wood gunwales will drop 2 lbs and make the hull slightly stiffer. It's not IMHO a night and day difference, very subtle for most paddlers.

Vinyl can be abused, if you live in a cooler climate then cold cracking becomes a concern with wood.

Water can get trapped in vinyl gunwales and not drain as quicly as one would expect some times. There are folks swapping their vinyl for wood on their Zephyrs.

I read according to Jim Henry, on the wood railed Outrages the ends were steam bent to allow more flare whereas on the vinyl railed boats, they used off the rack gunnels and end caps which pinched in the ends of the hulls. So if you wanted one that was as he designed it to be, wood is the way to go. I'm not sure the vinyl clad aluminum rails affected it much more than making them wetter.

I've heard from people who've paddled them for years that the wood gunneled Outrages are drier and handle better. I think MikeyB's post makes sense. Wood needs more care but if its stored indoors (garage) , not much more than reoiling every year or two

What Mikey B wrote is the same information I have repeatedly heard and seen. The vinyl gunwales constrict the shape of the royalex and keep the bow/stern tips much more narrow than intended. I believe that the Outrage was designed so that the gunwales would incorporate that flare, and therefore stay drier. I think the wood is worth it if you can find a boat with it.

A couple of things I've been wondering about: Couldn't you pretty easily reshape a vinyl gunwaled canoe by removing the plastic end caps and replacing them with wood decks in the proper wider angle? Maybe add thwarts a foot from the ends that would force the gunwales out a bit wider? Or do vinyl gutters resist the tighter bend required to flare the bow properly? I've seen other boats with more flare in the wood gunwaled version.
Anyone tried this?

Mikey B wrote:I read according to Jim Henry, on the wood railed Outrages the ends were steam bent to allow more flare whereas on the vinyl railed boats, they used off the rack gunnels and end caps which pinched in the ends of the hulls. So if you wanted one that was as he designed it to be, wood is the way to go. I'm not sure the vinyl clad aluminum rails affected it much more than making them wetter.

I missed this thread when it was fresh but had something to add after reading the above. I have an 08 outrage, wood rails. It has the same shape as the vinyl railed boats and doesnt have the flare my older wood OR had. I cant tell the difference in handling , but it shows to me the NEW Mad river is not continuing the quality of old. Maybe they arent steaming the ends anymore and just bolting on off the rack wood. Ive seen two like mine that were not flared at the ends like the old ones. I guess I should just be glad they are still making ww canoes, but I'll get something different next time.

May be part of the reason my '98 MR Synergy, with vinyl gunwales, is a bit wet for a tandem paddled solo, but dam fast for a banana boat.