Agree with Chris about construction of bullboats. The Women of theFur Trade
(WFT) (google it) have made and floats bullboats in modern times. My
understanding is that they are pretty difficult to steer and propel
but carry a lot of wieght. History makes them seem a good way to die or
loss your stuff but they were still used a lot.
By my recollection they were more often poled than paddled given a shallow
enough bottom and Indians using them for crossings pulled them by swimming.
Keep in mind that Indians used the freestyle strokes for swimming that
whites would not accept for another hundred years.
On 1/26/08, ferguson@??? <ferguson@???> wrote:
>
> Dave,
> My understanding about bull boats is that their size was determined by the
> size of the bison hide itself in that they are essentially a fresh hide
> laced onto a willow hoop or similar rawhide lashed sapling frame... fast
> and easy to make and as ungainly as they were simple... maybe someone else
> can elaborate? As for paddles? who knows but if simplicity was the
> objective I bet they weren't labored over much... how about using a small,
> spade type shovel? Some would argue that they were present.
> Chris
>
> > One reads about the mountain men making bull boats but little about
> making
> > paddles. How did they make a paddle? Seems like that would take a
> while.
> > Did they cut a pole and pole across a river? Did they put their goods
> in
> > the boat and swim the boat across the river?
> >
> > And, were there various sized bull boats? There's the famous painting
> > of Mandan women crossing the Missouri in a small round boat, maybe 6
> > feet across but Jedediah Smith speaks about "skin canoes" in California
> > for trapping and a round tub would seem sort of hard to handle. How did
> > they keep the boats from leaking? I've heard about really big bull
> > boats for sending fur down river but would such a craft be strong enough
> > to stay together?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Dave
> >
> >
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