text: The rabaska (French: canot du maître, from the surname of Louise Le Maître, an artisan in the Province of Quebec, though the term would literally mean "master canoe" otherwise) — also referred to as the "Montreal canoe — was designed for the long haul from the St. Lawrence River to western Lake Superior. Its dimensions were length, approximately ; beam, ; and height, about . It could carry 60 packs weighing , and  of provisions. With a crew of eight or ten paddling or rowing, they could make three knots over calm waters. Four to six men could portage it, bottom up. Henry Schoolcraft declared it "altogether one of the most eligible modes of conveyance that can be employed upon the lakes". Archibald McDonald of the Hudson's Bay Company wrote: "I never heard of such a canoe being wrecked, or upset, or swamped ... they swam like ducks."
  The  du nord (French: "canoe of the north"), a craft specially made and adapted for speedy travel, was the workhorse of the fur trade transportation system. About half the size of the rabaska, it could carry about 35 packs weighing  and was manned by four to eight men. It could in turn be carried by two men and was portaged in the upright position.
  The express canoe (French: " léger," light canoe) was about  long and was used to carry people, reports, and news.
  The birch bark canoe was used in a  supply route from Montreal to the Pacific Ocean and the Mackenzie River, and continued to be used up to the end of the 19th century.