By 1797, the Hudson's Bay Company explorers were no longer using the traditional birch bark canoe. They used larger wooden-framed York Boats which were easier than the Montreal Canoe to handle on large waterways. York Boats used a crew of 6-8 Orkneymen. Because of the York boat's weight, the Orkneymen had to drag or winch the boat over the land during a portage. It was not possible to travel in small or shallow streams in the York Boat.
In 1871, the York Boats were worked by 9 men. 8 of the men were rowers and the other man was a steersman. The boat was capable of carrying about 3 and a half tons of freight.
Most of the cargo that filled the boat were just furs and other country produce goodies...
York boats had flat bottoms and a pointed bow, and were based on a very old design - Viking longships. They could carry three times as many furs as the largest canoe, but had one big disadvantage: they were heavy and could not be carried the same way canoes could. For portaging, a roadhad to be cut through the trees and logs used as rollers for the boat to go over.
