Mad River Outrage
Like my disco, I've had my Outrage for a little while
now (it's a 2000 model, with vinyl outfitting) - MD have moved the spec on a
bit, but it's pretty similar sizing... the details for the 05/06 boat are here.
[The
holes in the stern are stickers, the hull is looking pretty grubby here, and I
have no idea what the bit of straw is hanging out the side is
doing].
Specs (this is mostly from experience, the newer Outrage rx is a
bit tweaked from this).
LENGTH - 12'
WIDTH - ~23"
WIDTH at 4"
Waterline - ~26"
BOW HEIGHT - ~23"
DEPTH - ~15"
WEIGHT - 52 lbs (quoted
- no idea what mine weights now).
CAPACITY - 425 lbs (quoted - I don't think
I'd fancy that much in it tho').
COLOUR - Blue (current boat).
Having
surfed my local beachbreaks in my disco, I fancied something a bit more playful,
and to be honest somewhat less of a handful - sliding a 16 foot boat down a
rapidly peeling wave is a killer, the disco is a very fast boat once it catches
and there's not the rocker to move it fast enough if someone else is sat in on
the break, plus it's a lot of boat to hit the beach hard ... so enter the
Outrage.
So, my first trip out in calm water and I'm left wondering "What
the 
is this thing ?"
My first experiences
were of a very narrow, cramped little boat that had a tendency to simply spit
you out as soon it felt like it. It seemed totally incapable of travelling more
than two paddle strokes in a straight line, and it felt what I'd imagine trying
to paddle a ball to be like ... so clearly a different approach was
required.
Hmm, home we go and rip out all of the outfitting. Lots of
fiddling about with minicell, double sided tape and glue later, and it's become
... more comfortable, actually, considerably more comfortable - so the first
thing is to get the outfitting right - much more so on this boat than a bigger
one, as there is simply less room.
Back in the water next time, and with
the benefit of actually being able to settle into the right place, and the boat
feels like an entirely different beast. 100% more control and feel.
In
use then - It's a fantastically responsive boat, a little too twitchy almost,
but you soon learn to [mostly] compensate for that (it'll still try to get you
sometimes, I think it's a kinda game). Can be hard work in the wind as it
doesn't actually appear to weight anything, but it'll turn on the spot, which
makes for a great surfing boat on the hollow beachbreaks we get on this coast.
The lack of weight makes it a piece of cake to move around out of the
water.
It is a pretty dry boat too, given it's intended use, the amount
of tumblehome on the hull helps out here. It will swamp, but this is usually if
I've dug the backend in too hard on the face of the wave, trying to get it
planing, and looking to hook in a rail that isn't really there... If I go too
far it'll grab and take in water (or just as likely, the wave'll break into the
boat), and by then it's generally more than I can brace my way out of, so it's
exit time ... (as I can't roll it in the surf, even with thighstraps. Often
we're already halfway up the beach by this point so there's not enough water
anyway - other than up my nose).
Taking it through my local low-tide ww
spot which must be ohh, at least, GI, maybe GII at a push, it feels very sweet,
and the responsive nature of the boat comes into it's own nipping through the
rocks, and paddling back into the current. Running the disco through the same
spot is great fun, but you line that one up and pin it and she just goes where
you ask (or ploughs her way through), this little monkey will play with you all
the way through, but not in a bad way, as there's always little bits of fiddling
about you can do on your way through. It's just a question of being firm.
[Lots of rocker and response to trim #1, plus a bad quality
zoomed in picture].
There is lots and lots of rocker, so going in a
straight line is a nightmare as there's never very much boat in the water, but
the payback is in the immediate response to movement. This boat will accelerate
very quickly in reaction to the tiniest amounts of trim, and seems pretty happy
'boofing' too, as she'll lift her nose without too much effort, so she's not too
tiring to paddle.
[Lots of
rocker and response to trim #2, plus another bad quality zoomed in
picture].
No room to carry too much - I usually have a water bottle, a
spare paddle (which has been a life saver), and a throwline - I sometimes take
my bailer and sponge, but it's often easier to just empty it out on the side
than it is to mess about trying to bail, as with the majority of the boat taken
up with air bags, it doesn't take in that much water. Too much water kills the
handling as you'd expect tho''. I dare say that I could carry a bit more if I
needed too (like a towel maybe and a bit of lunch).
Would I have another
one ? - yeah, no question.
Would I have one as my only boat ? - no way !
It's a great boat, and a real plaything, but there's no way I could float lazily
down a big fat river with a few nights gear in this little orange freak, but you
know ... I don't think she'd fancy it either.
Bad points: (In the context of it's intended use -
clearly multi-day touring would be horrid).
- Takes a while to learn how to get the most out of this boat (and I'm still learning).
- Very responsive - so it can be a bit off-putting if you are not prepared to out the effort in, (back to that old "rewards a responsive active paddler" chestnut).
- Can be a little bit of a pain getting between playspots in the wind as it's a bit light (probably less of a criticism, and more a reflection of where I paddle)
- Naff font on the graphics. (err, struggling now ...)
- Great surf boat, fast and controllable (to a point).
- Very sensitive with instant response.
- Great manoeuvrability through rock gardens, flicks and turns a treat, boofs through well too.
- Doesn't seem to weigh anything.
- Strong and seems to survive a regular beating.
- Pretty good at staying dry !
- It's orange coloured and the deck has a pipe smoking rabbit on it !
Summary:
This is a really great playboat, albeit one that
is entirely focussed on what it is. I can't say that I trust it in the way that
I trust my disco', but if you meet it halfway it's a fantastic ride.
Probably best not being your first boat tho' !
This review was first posted on our forum HERE. If you have any comments or questions that is the place to post them.