BASTARD CANOE CANOT BÂTARD
Bastard canoe was borrowed into English from the voyageurs’ French canot bâtard whose slang meaning came to be ‘one hell of a big canoe’. It referred to one of the largest canoes that could carry ten paddlers and two tons of freight. But the original designation of “bastard” referred to its hybrid origin: part Montreal canoe, part North canoe. The less robust French designation was canot de charge. The canoes used in the early years of the North American fur trade were larger copies of Algonkian birchbark canoes.
Montreal Canoes were the largest of the voyaging canoes. These were usually about 33 to 26 feet in length and were used on the larger waterways of the main trade routes. These canoes could carry a total weight of 7,000 to 9,000 pounds, including the paddlers. The Bastard Canoe measured 10m long, with a capacity between that of the Montreal Canoe and the North Canoe. The bastard canoe could carry six to eight passengers and/or paddlers. The North Canoe was the most used canoe in interior waters of what became Canada . It carried a total freight of about 3,000 pounds, including the crew.
early Canadian canoe typeoomnorth canoe Return to index of The Wording Room
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Montreal canoe canot de charge canot bâtard canoes of Canada canoe
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