Pirogues are used in the swamps and waterways of Louisiana. They are important to muskrat harvesting. More than one size is used, depending on the waterways and the size of the load that they must carry. Here are plans for a small, simple one, not the type used for muskrat harvesting. I was in school with the son of a Cajun family who harvested muskrat. It was a profitable enterprise at the time, but I don't know the status of the muskrat fur business now.