Watercraft
Canoes
The canoe is a light watercraft invented by the natives of Everique and used by almost every indigenous nation with adaptations depending upon the available resources. The most common canoes of northern Everique are the birchbark canoes. They are light, fast, maneuverable, and surprisingly rugged. They can carry enormous amounts of cargo, even over shallow water. The Saronnans quickly ditched their heavy rowboats in favor of the canoe, which is well suited for the Everique wilderness.
The birchbark canoe is built from birch bark stretched over a wooden frame (usually cedar). Not only is birch bark strong and flexible, but it contains oil that makes it highly water resistant. Birch trees are ubiquitous in northern Everique, making them an easily available resource, and their bark can be cut from the trunks in long, curling strips. The birchbark is then sewn together with watap, which is made from the roots of the spruce tree. The seams are then caulked with tree resin.
The voyageurs and coureurs des bois use two different types of canoes. The most common is the Canoe of the North. They are about 8 meters (26 ft) in length and more than 1 meter (4 ft) in width. They have a crew from four to eight, and can carry 1,500 kg (1.5 tons) of cargo. These nimble vessels can ply all put the shallowest of rivers, but they must be careful on rapids. The larger Master Canoes are 11 meters (36 ft) in length and are about 2 meters (6 ft) in width. They have a crew of six to twelve and can carry 3,000 kilograms (3 tons) of cargo. They are used on the Sweet Seas and primary waterways such as the Grande Vire, but are too large for the smaller rivers. Even these large canoes must beware the great storms that hurtle across the Sweet Seas in the late autumn.
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