L12 - Square Stern

After having the Michicraft L-12 for two years and using it on eight trips on three different rivers, a flowage, and a 130 acre lake, I can say it is excellent when accompanied by a 3HP motor, but an absolute beast when trying to paddle. I originally planned to use it with a 3HP rated electric motor so it meets my needs.

I’ve loaded it up with two adults, a 30 lb dog, cooler and overnight camping gear (plus weight of motor and battery, total 40lbs) and it is very stable. Space is limited so you have to be strategic when using it on overnight camping-canoe trips.

I ordered it through a vendor in Illinois. It took around 4 months to be built and delivered, so plan ahead.

WoW! What a great canoe. I have owned other heavier p, bigger canoes. I thought maybe the light weight would make it less stable... Was I wrong.
Very stable, even with 2 grand kids doing their best to tip it over. Soloed on a Pikes Peak Lake with high wind without a problem.

I bought this canoe (well used) from a friend this winter. I wanted it for it's lightness (56#) and versatility as a "toss it n the back of the pick-up and fish for an hour" craft. First the good stuff. It is light and right sized for eh task. It lifts easily and slides PERFECTLY into the rear of my shortbed Toyota. ( I can even close the hach on the cap!) The aluminum is fairly decient gage and will take a beating. i.e IT's well built! Of course, the beam is big @ 42" CTC on rails and even though there is a SLIGHT arch to the bottom and has round chines, you can stand in it if your careful. Downsides? First the seating arangement makes it hard to get the boat trimmed right. You really need to toss a 5 gal bucket of water/concrete block/battery in the bow if you plan on sitting on the rear seat. Otherwise, the boat spins helplessly around the stern with any attempt to paddle it. However, I found that even with the extra weight, use of a 7" legged beach chair , placed just forward of the rear seat provides MUCH better trim. As you might guess, even with the keel, the wide beam forces paddle strokes way off the centerline. Coupled with the dificulty in trimming the craft, the stem tends to swing dramaticly from side to side with each paddle stroke. In fact, I found the beach chair trick and use of a 240 cm Kayak paddle was the ONLY way to adaquatly gain speed and control of the boat without use of a motor.

In short, it's a great little one person fishing boat for sheltered waters but really fails at traditional paddle methods. It really begs for a electric motor or at least a yak paddle.