T-17 Description

The T-17 is a canoe brought to you by Michicraft Canoes. Read T-17 reviews or submit your own review to share with the paddling community. Check out a few other canoe recommendations below or explore all canoes to find the perfect one for you!

Michicraft Canoes
T-17 Reviews

Read reviews for the T-17 by Michicraft Canoes as submitted by your fellow paddlers. All of the reviews are created and written by paddlers like you, so be sure to submit your own review and be part of the community!

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5

I recently bought a used t17…

Submitted by: paddler428131 on 5/1/2018

I recently bought a used t17 michicraft and it was beat to hell by obviously many people "I'm assuming". I spent a few hours pounding with pieces of wood and sledgehammers to bring it back to great shape. The reason the canoe was still in existence was the dents were huge dents rather than holes, and by the way none of the support rails underneath broke and none of the rivets came loose or popped and I had to pound the hell out of it sometimes I had to hit it repeatedly with everything I had using an 8 pound sledge hammer and a piece of wood. I'll be more than happy to take your big beat up heavy canoe and Dash it back into shape rather than sink in a cheap light gauge aluminum canoe. I read the article from the individual that said he flipped the same canoe while testing it. I found it to be very irritating and untruthful. If it is the truth I can guarantee you they would probably flip a rowboat also. Anyone that flips a canoe and then blames the canoe probably should not be canoeing or even operating a vehicle of any kind!!! It is not the canoe it is the operator. I love my T 17 michicraft canoe. I have no problem submitting my name. Matthew Alden senior Athol Massachusetts

4

I have owned a WT-17…

Submitted by: paddler236277 on 6/18/2015
I have owned a WT-17 Michicraft canoe for over 40 years. ("W" because it is a whitewater version, with the keel on the inside for navigating in shallow water). I would rate it 10, except it is heavy for portaging and loading.

We have used this canoe on lakes with motorboats causing huge wakes, and it is still very stable. We have canoed in VERY shallow, rocky, fast-flowing streams. The boat stays afloat in just inches of water. We have had 4 adults and 2 children in this boat--loaded to the maximum capacity--and it was very stable. My 75-pound dog loved to go canoeing with me, and the canoe remained stable even when she jumped up because she saw a deer.

After 40 years of canoeing, it looks like new (except a little bit of the decoration is peeling). I recommend it to anyone who lives on the water and does not have to lift it on and off your car or truck.

5

The T-17 Michi-Craft is a…

Submitted by: paddler235922 on 9/3/2014
The T-17 Michi-Craft is a very stable, easy handling Canoe. It tracks very well.
On one trip to Eaglecrest Lake, Ontario the wind was 15 to 25 mph every day. The stability was really tested and I was very pleased how well it handled with two in the Canoe as we fished for walleye.
4

We have a 30 year old B-17…

Submitted by: paddler235102 on 7/17/2013
We have a 30 year old B-17 and love it. It is easy to paddle yet very stable. It handles great with two paddlers as well as solo (use a seat cushion on the bow seat to clear the bow thwart when paddling solo). This boat had a hard life before we got it but it works great despite lots of minor dents and scratches.

The only criticism is that it is really heavy, ~85 pounds. It is a real pig to lift on and off the car and to portage. We usually move it using rollers (5 foot lengths of Big-O drainage pipe work great).

5

I bought my T-17 41 years ago…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 2/4/2013
I bought my T-17 41 years ago in 1972 at a sports show in Bismarck, ND. I am certainly not a expert but I have tried out a few other canoes over the years. I have never found one that I like better. It is stable and seems to be easier to paddle than other canoes. I am now almost 70 years old and still enjoy using it.
5

I bought a 4 year old used…

Submitted by: paddler233658 on 6/22/2010
I bought a 4 year old used T17 about a year ago in pretty much new shape for $300. I've used it on the Cass river and many small and large lakes in mid and upper Michigan. It's by far the best canoe I've ever paddled and I've been in many canoes. It's very fast, stable and maneuverable. It's a bit much for solo paddling from the back seat but if you remove the front thwart you can sit backwards in the front seat. This puts your weight more towards the center thus keeping the leading edge down. I've pushed the weight limits of this canoe with people and gear and it's always been more than stable. Buy one, It'll be the last canoe you'll ever have to buy again.
4

I recently inherited this…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 8/27/2009
I recently inherited this from my grandfather's estate and I am pleased with it. It is a tank, but very stable even with a boat seat attached to the small seats. I recently paddled this solo and had no problems except the front end acting like a sail with a gust of wind, but it was nothing moving the paddle over to the other side couldn't fix. It tracked well and moved through choppy water decently.

I remember as a kid my grandparents taking this same canoe on a 10 day trip down the Talapoosa in Alabama/Georgia and never once flipped. If it was safe enough for my 60 year old grandmother for a week and a half, it will serve my family well. How someone tipped it over in the middle of a lake is a great question? The canoe is very stable and floats in less than 6 inches of water. For the record, I am 6'1" and around 300lbs and I had no problems in 6" water.

I plan to make a fishing table for it and use it on the local river in the next few weeks. Would I purposely go out and buy one? Probably not. I would look at Old Town (my parents have a Tripper that I will get one day) because I like it better, but if you can find one like this for cheap, don't hesitate.

5

I have had mine everywhere.…

Submitted by: paddler232873 on 9/9/2008
I have had mine everywhere. It is just a solid boat. moves right along with a 2.5hp on the back. I have hunted a couple of falls and many of ducks have fallen to the michi-craft. I have never tipped it over.
5

These canoes are just large,…

Submitted by: paddler232473 on 3/4/2008
These canoes are just large, stable studs. Mine is actually the heavier gauge aluminum (makes it around 85 pounds) and have used it for close to ten years in a variety of settings including class I/II whitewater, large lakes and smooth rivers from Pennsylvania to Ontario.

The design of these provides what you should expect: a large, slow, difficult to turn-on-a-dime behemoth of a canoe. You can load these with everything including the cast iron kitchen sink and they will still offer a very stable and safe platform to work from. There is also nearly no concern for protecting your valuable asset - just bounce off the rocks and enjoy the view!

I've actually taken this beast on longer trips with required portages (longest portage was 3.5 miles!) and, with a home-made padded yoke attached to the middle thwart, was able to carry this beast. Mind you, I normally wouldn't recommend carrying these much more than a few hundred yards but I was too cheap to spring for some fancy rental when I own a perfectly functional canoe.

The maneuverability of these canoes make them a challenge in small winding rivers or streams but, as your paddling skills improve you can anticipate the canoe's behavior and actually get it to behave in a fairly nimble fashion. It takes wind and waves better than most other larger canoe I've been in but it ultimately is a canoe that behaves more like a flat bottomed jon boat. Can hold all of your camping gear or your guns and decoys with room to spare and is just about bullet proof!

Indestructible, huge, roomy, safe, loud, heavy, inexpensive and still going!

4

I bought a T-17 at a boat…

Submitted by: paddler231729 on 10/27/2007
I bought a T-17 at a boat show in Indianapolis in 1982. 25 years later, this canoe still looks great and handles well. I ran it with a 4-HP Evinrude clamped to the gunwale for several years, and had no problems with stability or handling.

My wife and I have had this boat in some pretty rough water, but if you keep your weight low and know what you're doing, tipping should not be an issue. The only reason I gave it a 9 instead of a 10 is the weight, but hey, it IS a tank and will probably outlive me.

4

I've owned a T-17 since 1983…

Submitted by: paddler231729 on 8/4/2006
I've owned a T-17 since 1983 and it is indestructible. I've never had stability problems, even running it with a 4-hp outboard from the gunwhale in seas up to 4'. Sturdiness comes at a price - she is heavy (80 lb), but if I polish her up, she still looks like new, 23 years later. I'd buy another one, but I'll never have to!
4

Bought one used and it was…

Submitted by: DINK on 7/17/2006
Bought one used and it was just what I was looking for. It's a well built old school canoe. It is not particularly stable but easily managed with some practice.
2

We took a ride down the…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 8/5/2002

We took a ride down the allegany river in this tank (45 miles) it was stable big,and slow, Paddling this boat was not easy (4-5hrs.per-day at best) I was looking for a beater to buy but this is not what I had in mind! I will be looking at old town's next and up-date here on Paddling net.

3

I'm no expert by any means,…

Submitted by: paddler229744 on 6/17/2002
I'm no expert by any means, but I just took a test drive and flipped it within 10 minutes. I was paddling into a head wind with the current, it caught the wind like a sail while sitting on the seat so I moved to my knees. When I finally made it back to calm waters (100 yds) from dealer I eased from my knees back to the seat and without any warning, WHAM, I was up to my shoulders in muck... wallet money got soaked and muck made it into EVERY orifice!

It was an hour WET drive back home, truck smells like a swamp... suffice to say I did not buy it. I'm 43, 6'0" and weigh 230, I've canoed many times but as I said, I am no expert but the canoe stability did not impress me and I will look at another brand to take my family canoeing in.

I'm from Michigan and would have loved to have supported a Michigan company, but not this time. If Old Towns flip as easily I may just come back to the Michi-Craft. But at $650 I'm sure I can find a canoe that will get me wet for a whole lot cheaper.

3

The tank of canoes. Our local…

Submitted by: paddler228878 on 9/2/2000
The tank of canoes. Our local parks use these canoes for rental along the Huron River. The river is mostly quiet and the few mild rapids are not handled particularly well with this craft. It is heavy for portages, which are usually not long, but down stairs. It tracks so-so and we ended up arse over applecarts and soaking wet on a recent trip over an underwater road. The consolation is that they take a beating, which they of course get.
5

Heavy duty cargo canoe.

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 1/26/1999
Heavy duty cargo canoe.