Jim Henry, Mad River Canoe company founder, designed and built the first Malecite around 1971. He then raced in and won the Downriver National Championship and the rest is history. Word spread and demand grew. A tradition of innovation was born.

From the beginning, Mad River Canoe explored new designs and experimented with new materials.  They were the first to introduce Kevlar to the canoe industry and among the pioneers to first mold our own Royalex® canoes. They now offer a wider variety of hull designs than any other canoe manufacturer and continue to push ourselves and our designs to new levels of performance. Mad River Canoe's efforts have been rewarded with competitions won, accolades earned (including 3 Manufacturer of the Year awards from Canoe & Kayak magazine) and, most importantly, a growing base of loyal customers.

Beginning in 2009 and continuing to today, Mad River Canoe has launched a company-wide initiative that will continue to ensure our position as a world-class leader in canoe manufacturing. Beyond the announcement of a series of inspirational and premium new canoes for 2011, infrastructure upgrades from top to bottom have been made to offer the most innovative designs at the highest quality available anywhere. They are excited to see the reaction from long time friends of the brand and see the expression of the next generation of canoeists who are discovering the lifestyle in a whole new way.