I have a Radisson 12' cartopper(12WT) that I am selling for about $500 and someone is offering me a Grumman 17 that he referred to as a whitewater model with I think 5 ribs. He says the Grumman is not in perfect shape and has dents, while my radisson has been barely used. Basically what I am looking for is what do you think a grumman like that is worth roughly(I know, hard to say without pics). Also, any idea how stable the Grumman might be? My wife and son will be the ones with me and are not all that willing to be flipped. The Radisson is very stable, just not good enough for the three of us. Thanks for any help..
I think it is a good trade The Grumman is a solid boat, and plenty stable. Thousands of boy scout camps can’t be wrong. A few dents are no big deal…but check to make sure there are no popped rivets or major deformities, especially along the keel line.
Speaking of keels, this is one aspect of the Grummans I don’t like…the keel helps tracking but makes maneuvering a little more difficult (no big deal with practice), and it loves to grab onto surface rocks you think you’ll float over. However, if this is a Grumman with a shoe keel (i.e. no keel under the boat; rather it extends up into the boat along its midline) grab it!
If the boat is in decent shape and he offers it as an even trade for the Raddison, I think you make out better in the deal, IMHO.
shoe keel To clarify, a Grumman shoe keel does have a piece of metal under the center of the boat that receives the rivets, but it is rounded off and does not have a “fin” that extends down into the water.
Since you were told this was a “whitewater” model, hopefully it has a shoe keel.
You can expect it to be stable, tough as hell, and heavy as sin.
grumman/radisson trade Thanks for the replies guys. I’m waiting to hear back from him, so hoping the trade is still on. He said he’s sending me pics, so hopefully they show what kinda dents it has. I will admit that the loudness mentioned is one thing I like about the radisson with all that foam, pretty darn quiet. Anyone ever try that herculiner/rhino liner stuff on the inside of a canoe and does it do anything to make them quieter?
no but Any sound-deadening material you would apply would make the boat even heavier.
I would accept the steel drum-like quality as one of the drawbacks of aluminum as a boat construction material. Others are a tendency to stick on rocks, the fact that they get very hot to touch in the summer and cold to touch in the winter, and that the aluminum can not be worked into very sophisticated shapes.
On the other hand, they are incredibly tough, require absolutely no maintenance, have no special storage concerns and have a certain care-free quality such that you can go loudly richocheting off of rocks with a smile on your face.
canoe Well I got the pics and can count 6 ribs so its looking like the shoe keel model. There are a couple dents but in the pics do not look horrible. I’d post the pics but am not seeing a link right now for it. Thanks again for the replies, I think I’m gonna grab this one.