C-Forum

how do these boats compare to each other and any other known reference points?

Rival has more hull speed and is somewhat of an intermediate paddlers design. I paddled a Rival for years. Great boat to grow into. Dagger had the best edges out there, cant go wrong. Outrage is more maneuverable and probably drier, but that all depends on the paddler. I spent about 5 minutes in an outrage, but they have a huge fan club.

Rival is a bit faster. Outrage a bit snappier in the turns. Not hugely different boats but I like the Outrage much better.

~Tommy

how about with regard to stability (primary and secondary) and tracking?

I spent a few days in a Rival and liked it. I found it very stable and fast and had no problems tracking. No edges on this boat. Hull is very round. Biggest difference is that the outrage is readily available, the Rival isn't!

The Rival is readily available from Millbrook Boats. As a matter of fact, there's one for sale on this website.
JKaz

I checked the Millbrook site. The Rival they list is super light. I assume it is composite. Are the composite boats as sturdy as royalex or do they require special care?

I may have a biased answer because I build them. I'll say they are easier to repair than plastic boats.
JKaz

are you associated with Millbrook?

Are the composites as tough as Royalex to begin with or would you recommend avoiding them if you have a tendency to bounce off of rocks?

I noticed the list price for Rival on the Millbrook website is 1275 and you are asking close to that for the Rival you have listed. Is it pretty much a new boat?

the 26 pound weight is certainly attractive. does this effect handling of the boat on pushy water?

Hope these are not inappropriate questions for the forum. If so please forgive my indiscretion and feel free to PM if you are so inclined.

zeke wrote:are you associated with Millbrook?

He is Millbrook...Listen to what he has to say, they are a great design and well built...

Yeah Rival is a good boat. Millbrook is too!

I bought an 08 outrage and there are in my opinion some Quality Control Issues. Wood gunnels were waaaayyy out of shape. They sent me another boat no questions but the new boat still wasnt as tight as the older outrage I had. mad river factory outfitting stinks as well, I gutted it and started from scratch. again just my opinion. I love the way it paddles although next new boat wont be one.

Millbrook composite boats are very tough. That said, if you canoe like your in a pinball game(bouncing off every rock in sight) you'd be better off in ABS. The lightness of composite boats makes them very nimble and easier to avoid rocks than in a heavier boat. I have two primary boats, one for steep and shallow rivers( ABS) one for deeper and bigger rivers (composite). Repairs are not hard to do on a glass boat as well.

Appreciate all the information on composites. One other question I think I mentioned but which has not been addressed. Does the lightness of the boats negatively affect how they respond to big water?