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Building a 'modern' coracle

Find out how we build a modern Shrewsbury coracle

The basic principals of building coracles or curraghs are similar for all boats. You start off with a frame, made out of wood, add a covering and then waterproof them. We usually use green ash to build our frames. We then cover the frame with a material called calico (a hard-wearing fabric which is sometimes used for ironing board covers or curtains) and then waterproofed with bitumen paint (a liquid version which is used for waterproofing flat roofs).

 

We can build our coracles in just under two days (perfect for a boring weekend!!) However, this is the modern way of building them. The very ancient boats have a frame made out of willow then are covered in hide. Others are made of wood and covered with a material similar to calico, but is waterproofed with a substance known as pitch, which is similar to bitumen.

 

At the minute we are running a trial using a nylon type fabric called cordura for covering our boats instead of calico. Applying the cordura is no different to applying calico, and bitumen is used to waterproof the boat. The advantages of cordura include its resistance to rotting and tearing. Cordura does cost slightly more than calico, but the advantages of cordura balance out the extra cost.