Any Coracle Makers Here?

[georgeetta]

yes prunes are a wonderful man made element .

laminated-stich n glue-geodesic-planked marine plywood ..marine plywood only ..spar varnish or epoxy ..

in hobby boat building the hippest form of hobby work is making laminated ribs for guide boats ..to copy the exact parallel grain of the natural root area called the crook ..much like the parallel laminate of a hockey stick and that takes some stress hitting a slapshot or strong sweep shot also a properly hafted axe handle call snow and neeley in maine ..guys do it by figuring the roundish form and that's the grain driection so strips are cut so the flats show on the width ..most guys are using good spruce as was the natural old boat guy s..old timers also used red elm and white oak oak being heabvy and probably bending less ..but these slats are 1/16" thick say 2" wide and 3'-4' long ..a home made steam box is made ..the slats are bsteamed to bend easy ..they are then set to dry and harden up in thier final "cradle" being a plywood sheet with the outline of the insde oval shape say and key blocks screwed onto the sheet to wrap the slats against and clamoed at each station carefully "winding" the slats not to kink or exceed inside th4e desiredinsode curve let's say ..when they dry they are removed ..seperated dry more fully /entirley not to screw up laminating with epoxy ..a correct boat epoxy is used a release agent and wax paper or plastic is used the expoxy is painted both sides of slats all set together remounted allowed to dry say 24 hrs at least ..removed and you have nearly a final perfect strong strutural element ..in mkaing boat ribs the guys also alminate a foot are later to be cut on a table saw which makes mounting on a bottom board rather than just a curved rib ..a solid block could likely be used but laminating gives high strength over natural done right ..ask a hockey manufaturer the break strength for a hickey shaft ..and look at same for a piece of hickery ..ash or oak with correct grain direction ..look at a laminated hickey shaft you'll get the idea .

the corracles I've seen with a fast look ..looked a lot like a masons mixing tub with a farther backside I guess to chekc the nets with ..but the most dangerous boat I've seen has been a fisherman's john boat ..that damned stern or sides the guy goes goffing aournd ..standing up -bad idea ..the foot near the side or stren ..the load plunges the dam thng straight down in comes the water ..and you have a potatentiula drowning victim ! ..I've recued them in my teens ..and no end of folks drowned on the Lake Champlain back in the 70's back on opening day of duck season ..otherwise ..don't ferry deeper than your waist -my advice . track down pics of those guys using the boats checking salmon nets ..guess what ..it also seems they weren;t the small things we usually see ..make a corracle a modern pram size ! or corracle built pram !

I've no doubt a good home hobby boat site the head whacker'dve find your project terrific ..I say Berkshire Boats geodesic bulds in NY? Mass area ..sound s up his alley ..I'll bet those guy've done it by now !!! he was doing something experimenting with willow probably lightness experiment ..boat yards are experts on what wood will do what and where ti shoudl be used .
enjoy best of luck ..I need a 13-14' rangeley lakes guide boat if you trip over one . see highland/island skeryy .

..look at an old Penn Yan or Old Town ..canvass covered ..cartopper ..dingey build .

th
d

[georgeetta]

sorry ..the shape I meant to describe for salmon nets "coracle" was like a wheelbarrow bucket shape -think construction contractor barrow XXXL ! the tender'd (man) lean over the steeper front side to pull the net I think ..scary thought . Beyond that frame wise think old baseball catcher's mask upside down ..few cross runners lashed to maintain the shape ..
d