I have a friend of the family who has a Grumman but I don't know the exact model due to the data plate missing. After doing a lot of research this is the closest model I can find that matches his. We often borrow his when we go on outings because of the room his has. Ours is a different brand but I don't really want to try and do a comparison between the two here so I'll leave it nameless. I will say it is another aluminum 17' canoe. We like to take his out because it's lighter and actually handles better in the water. It has just as much space and still carries as big a load as any canoe I've ever used. My only complaint would be that the medal seems to be thinner and in an aluminum canoe that seems to create more noise when you move around as the medal will flex more.
I grew up using one of these on camping trips with my dad and brothers. I can remember many trips down the chunky river near Meridian, MS. My grandfather bought from someone who had a canoe rental business that went under. Ours is the older model with the thicker aluminum. It's tough as nails and has even fell out the back of a pickup going down the interstate. After going back for it we only noticed a few new scratches and it didn't affect the performance any. My dad still has this canoe and I expect it'll last the rest of his life and mine. It's heavy and not the most maneuverable but has a lot of room and is extremely stable. We've had it packed to the tip with camping gear food coolers and fishing tackle with out any worries.
Got to use this canoe on a family vacation recently and enjoyed it very much. It was very responsive even with two grown men and our tackle. Even when moving around to either reach for something or wrangling a nice bass this boat felt very stable. The seats were very nice and comfortable and the back rest made a huge difference. The dry box in the middle seat was nice and big enough. It held two phones and two sets of keys with room to spare. I personally am not a fan of the middle seat but I can see where it serves a purpose. I wouldn't recommend this canoe for much more then fishing, one day trips or just a one nighter.
