Treatise on Armament Technology, Volume 28

Page 6

The Skin Boat pichuan original: 皮船; a lightweight, portable vessel similar to a coracle is constructed using the raw hides of oxen or horses. These hides are stretched around a frame of bamboo or wood to create a box-like shape original: 箱形 (xiangxing). The vessel is then dried over a fire This process tightens the hide over the frame and may involve curing the skin to make it more water-resistant so that it may float upon the water.

The capacity of these vessels is as follows:

• A single skin boat can carry one person.
• When two skin boats are joined together at the seams, they are capable of carrying three people.

By using poles and tied timber to reinforce and assist the structure, these boats are durable enough to complete more than ten round trips across a body of water.

These boats were essential for "silent crossings" in military operations, as the soft hide hulls did not clatter against rocks or make the loud splashing sounds associated with heavy wooden boats.