These canoes are ultra-light, incredibly tough and very stable. They handle like a dream under any load conditions. When you get caught paddling hard into the face of a headwind, you’ll be very glad you’re paddling a Quetico 17. It rides high on the waves and takes in very little water over the gunwales, a trait you’ll be sure to appreciate if you’ve ever paddled one of our competitors’ “lowrider” designs in this situation.