Doryman today features a type of boat I hadn't come across before - the Atchafalaya Basin Piroque from Louisiana. It is designed to be rowed forwards through the still, narrow, congested channels of the bayous.
It would be a great boat for England's canals - you can see where you are going, and I imagine that you could push the boat along close to the 4mph speed limit. I think I would try and design it to keep the bow in the water to maximise the waterline length, however.
