Restoring a Traditional Skin Boat (Coracle Repair)

In this video I restore a traditional skin boat known as a coracle. The boat, used recently for filming, had begun to degrade. The rawhide skin had hardened and sections of the wooden frame had broken, particularly at the bow. To begin repairs, the coracle is submerged in the river to soften the skin before carefully removing and replacing damaged frame elements. Although coracles date back to ancient times, this particular build (not by me) used modern fixings - so the repair follows the same approach. Understanding how these boats are constructed - from frame to skin - offers insight into one of the earliest forms of lightweight watercraft.