I've been very curious what the river is like in the area - this video seems to show Gillam to York Factory as a big ass lake (capable of ocean-like waves)
This one has been posted a few times on reddit (and apparently on RCMP facebook page, presumably by a random person, but it's a few hundred km further inland
Obviously the river is massive wherever it is, but I'm having trouble imagining how a boat incurs that kind of damage (of course, I'm not very nautically inclined and don't actually know anything about the Gillam area)...hydro station, a big tree falling on it, or getting crunched while towed behind a vehicle all seem more likely to me than anything in 'normal' on-water use.
It's been commonly referred to as a 'rowboat' - while I'm sure you could call just about anything a 'rowboat' in a calm pond, I can't imagine anyone using it without a motor on the Nelson River (desperate fugitives excepted).
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