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Toby’s photos of flat-bottomed boats on the Dordogne river
Toby Churchill has sent in these shots of fishermen’s boats from the Dordogne, in France, which he found and photographed while holidaying with his family near Souillac. Here’s his story:
‘One day the lad and I took a Canadian canoe down the river. On the way we saw the old wooden boats, and later on, on a walk, we saw the others. The river, on the stretch we were on, consists of short sharp shallow rapids, and longer deep slow lagoons. Some stretches of the river are overlooked by quite steep cliffs – one enterprising fellow had a boathouse cut into the cliff, about 20 feet up, with davits to lower his barque into the river.’
For an intheboatshed.net post about the flat-bottomed boats of the Loire, click here; for a still earlier post about flat-bottomed boats in France, click here.
You only have to make that one seam seal, if the rest leak, it's alright. Boat building at it's best. No more than is needed.
Please thank your brother for me, love his insight. I couldn't reconcile the shot of the boats in the scrap heap.
G'day Gavin, I wonder if the "acordiopn boat' was the type with willow fore and aft frames that fold flat, rather like a series of bows lashed at the ends and a skin or oilcloth cover stretched on? I have seen a drawing of something like it in a book on the Oregon Trail in the US. If the sewn cover dictated the shape, the bundle of 'bows' would carry just like a bundle of sticks. Sort of like a long coracle with the section of a canoe.
Jef
Derek,suggested I should make contact with Gavin.
We are restoring a 1892 Gaff racing cutter 42 ft.
We need lots of help, skilled boat wood botherers etc
Volenteers of all sorts
We need sponsers , contributions any suggestions of funding sources.
Perhaps we could set up our web-site as a link.
Please contact. Rob.