>>1174412Lakers have shallower drafts and different buoyancy requirements due to operating in fresh water only. Also, the great lakes can get rough, but they have nothing on the open ocean and so seaworthiness is not nearly as much of a priority. Add to that, the desire to squeeze every single bit of tonnage they could out of the Welland/Soo Locks form factor and now you've got a Laker's iconic shape.
In a lot of ways, they're like a European river/canal/coastal barge or freighter, only on a massive dose of steroids that push it up to Panamax-rivalling proportions.
