Watercrafting

[Edwin]

I see by the video on the main site that canoes are seen as a good thing. Could we have a thread on the application of boating in various forms to bushcrafting? For example I intend to fish from my kayak and camp in the Spring/Summer and also to continue the use my skin covered coracle for fishing which must be the ultimate in sustainable boating. May even get round to making a fishing line from horse hair.

[GaryBeaner]

Edwin!!!! (sorry, that's me being excited in text!)
Did you make that coracle? I've been looking everywhere for info regarding making a proper real Olde Worlde coracle everywhere. I've found em for sale, but it looks like so much fun to have a go at making one.
Cheers.

[Martin]

Hey Carl, you are in luck. I believe that Edwin will be at the Cornwall RV again this year, giving bow making demonstrations.

Martin

[Edwin]

Didn't make that one, its by Peter Faulkner. It was a retirement present. Have made a cloth covered coracle though and a Bronze Age kayak. Be good to talk at the RV or PM me.

Here is the You Tube video that is on my site as well showing one being made.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCWFDMnKLyM

[Fletching]

I'm really excited too. That coracle looks beautiful. I hope I get to the RV. Ooh, wasting a day with line plopped over the side of one of those....:o

[GaryBeaner]

Edwin, we met last year while sampling the sunny delights of the RV(I remember you moaning about your poncho!). I can see I'll be picking your brains on a different topic this year!

[Edwin]

Yes I bought two rubbishy, too small, too shiny and prone to rip ponchos. But then we all have to learn by mistakes. Grieves me that over umpteen years I have discarded solid ex-army ones!

Of course there is the whole art of basha/tarp boat making, including coracles to discuss.

[Edwin]

See the tarp coracle. Good effort but would work better if larger and he had flattened the bottom out by inverting the frame before covering and put weights on the top (bottom) for a few days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyKcUg7mv3M

[GaryBeaner]

I can see I'm going to have to bring a pen and paper to the RV! I'm particularly interested in the waterproofing different people use. Any ideas where I might find plans/blueprint etc, or a decent book?

[Edwin]

The classic is "Nets and Coracles" by the late J Geraint Jenkins, isbn 0715365460. David and Charles. I believe that one of the SAS survival books has suggestions for a basha boat but not sure which one. Online there are a number of sites including that of the Coracle Society and there is an unofficial coracle society group on Yahoo.

No time at the RV this year to build I suppose but we could talk about a coracle day/weekend at my bit of wood perhaps or maybe somewhere with a pond/lake/river to try them out

[Edwin]

You may have seen this but if you are building a round-wood coracle from hazel or willow then an excellent way is to build it is upside down like a Boyne currach/coracle even if it is one of the other shapes. BUT you build it on a sheet of plywood rather than push the rods into the grounds. The centre of plywood sheet can be cut out for lightness or you could make a timber frame, even doubledecker to make pushing in the rods easier. Makes it all portable and neat and repeatable.

We just used any bituminous roofing paint we could get for waterproofing but I suppose anything almost would do. It might be nice to use a clear varnishy type on white canvas to give you a translucent hull through which you can just see the water on a sunny day as in my skin boat. I think oil-based paints might tend to rot canvas but am not sure.

Compliments the plop of the handline over the side and the wait for a bite, remembering to compensate for the wind and tide by a bit of paddling. Nice thing about coracles is that you can spin round for a 360 view of where you are (sometimes you spin round when trying to paddle straight). The view you get doing this on the estuary of the Helford is perfection.

[Roadkillphil]

Really really want to build a coracle, we have plenty of willow available so I'll be picking your brains too at the RV Edwin ;)
I'm already booked in for a bow session, looking forward to meeting you :D

Cheers
phil

[Edwin]

Enjoy yourselves with this link. I intend at least one similar trip this year on the Helford or Fal, maybe more.
http://www.coracle-craftsman.com/index.php?page=coracle-bushcraft

[Roadkillphil]

Thankyou Edwin for that link, it was very inspiring. The article is pretty much the meat and veg of where I'd like to take my bushcraft. :D

[Edwin]

Just a pic of our yougest son fishing from our skin Boyne coracle on the River helford off Durgan. One of many expeditions I hope to come.

[Edwin]

Short clip of a novice(!) in our skin coracle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDuqjDq_abw

[Roadkillphil]

Cool vid Edwin, soon have my baby in the water..... :D