Have fun with building a Willow Coracle!

	The basic coracle materials: A bundle of tall, reasonably thick viminalis and some thinner, long rods for weaving; a large piece of cloth; tarr paint; some wood for a seat; some twine to bind the rods together and cotton to suture the cloth on with. That's all to put you onto the water! Well, a paddle (made from some ply and a broomstick) was also helpful!
The seat is laid down and the willows staked into the ground around it. More willows are woven round to form the edge of the coracle.
	The willow stakes on the long sides are now bent over to the other side and tied with twine to their counterparts...
... followed by the stakes on the short sides.
	The coracle is taken out of the ground, the ends of the stakes are reduced and the seat it tied in.
Phase 1 finished!
	The calico is sewn onto the frame...
.... and the first layer of tarr paint applied to the outside of the coracle. Overall, you will need 3 layers of paint. Allow at least a week between each layer for it to dry properly !
	One of the finished coracles. The tarr was still fairly wet for a while, so allow enough drying time, especially in the summer, when the tarr will soften again in hot weather!
And here is the grand finale! All 3 coracles looked slightly different and some people were better at directing them then others. We were really "messing about in boats" and swim wear was the better option, while we were learning how to deal with them. The cloth cover can rip easily, so care needs to be taken not to puncture them on sharp objects, but it is easily repaired again with a tarred on patch - it just takes a while for the tarr to dry again!

The best time to make a coracle is in the first half of the year, when the willow is still flexible.

HAVE  FUN!!!

Back to Willow Page

Back to homepage