A coracle frame is a lattice of 20-30 flexible rods of willow, hazel or bamboo, 1.5-2 m long and thumb-thick, woven flat, soaked for an hour or built green, bent upward over a form such as a barrel, a mound of earth or a shaped pit, and pulled into a bowl 25-35 cm deep with a woven rim lashed at every crossing. At 10-12 cm spacing about 10-11 rods are needed across a 1 m width and 11-13 along 1.2 m, a total of 21-24, and green rods alone weigh 9.2-13.2 kg against a 10-15 kg finished boat.
Part of Coracle & Small Watercraft
The frame of a coracle is a woven bowl of flexible rods that gives the boat its shape and carries the skin.
The Bowl Is Woven Flat And Bent Up
The carrier’s steps are: lay 6-8 rods parallel on the ground at 10-12 cm spacing and weave 6-8 more perpendicular through them to make a flat lattice about 1.2 m × 1 m; soak the lattice for an hour, or build with green rods, and bend the edges upward over a form; weave extra rods around the rim, pulling the edges in and up to make a bowl 25-35 cm deep, lashing every intersection; weave a thick rod, or a bundle of thin ones, round the top edge as a gunwale and lash all the frame ends to it; and install a seat, a plank across the middle, slightly above centre, serving also as a structural brace.
Rod count and spacing are linked, and the carrier’s figures do not quite agree: rods at 10-12 cm spacing cover (n − 1) × spacing, so 6 rods at 10 cm span only 0.5 m and 8 rods at 12 cm only 0.84 m. To span the 1.0 m width of the lattice you need 1.0 ÷ 0.12 = 8.3 intervals, 10 rods, up to 1.0 ÷ 0.10 = 10 intervals, 11 rods; for the 1.2 m length, 1.2 ÷ 0.12 = 10 intervals (11 rods) up to 1.2 ÷ 0.10 = 12 intervals (13 rods). The total is 21 to 24 rods, which is inside the carrier’s 20-30 rods overall.
What You Need
- Rods: 21-24 thumb-thick, 1.5-2 m long, straight and green or freshly soaked, plus thin weavers (see Wood Seasoning on drying)
- Cord for lashing every crossing
- A form: a large barrel, a mound of earth, or a shaped pit
- A thick rod or bundle for the gunwale
- A plank for the seat
Method: Weave, Soak, Bend, Rim
Step 1: Lay the base. Place the first set of rods parallel, then weave the perpendicular set through them.
Step 2: Soak the lattice for an hour (green rods need no soaking).
Step 3: Bend it over the form, pulling the edges up evenly all round.
Step 4: Weave the rim rods to hold the shape, then lash every intersection.
Step 5: Fit the gunwale and the seat, and check the bowl is level and round before covering it.
Worked Example: What Does The Frame Weigh?
A rod 1.75 m long (the middle of the carrier’s 1.5-2 m) and 2 cm across has a volume of π × 0.01² × 1.75 = 0.00055 m³. At 450 kg/m³ (seasoned softwood from Logistics & Load Planning, a stand-in for a dry light rod) it weighs 0.25 kg, and 21-24 rods weigh 5.2 to 5.9 kg. Green wood at 800-1,000 kg/m³ makes each rod 0.44 to 0.55 kg, and 21 × 0.44 = 9.2 kg to 24 × 0.55 = 13.2 kg for the set. The carrier’s 10-15 kg for the whole boat therefore implies a dry frame; a boat covered while green is heavier at first and loses mass as it dries, so weigh it once dry.
Common Mistakes
- Rods of unequal stiffness together — the bowl comes out lopsided.
- Skipping the lashing at crossings — the lattice shears when the skin shrinks.
- A bowl formed too steep — a deep round bowl carries less and rolls more (see Coracle Construction).
- Sharp rod ends left proud — they puncture the skin.
Safety
Cutting, springing rods and drying frames
Green rods spring back when released and cut rod ends are sharp. Wear eye protection, cut ends at an angle and wrap them with cord, and keep the frame away from open flame while it dries.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Skin & Canvas Covering — covering the bowl
- Combine with: Coracle Paddling — using the finished boat