A punt is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, designed for use in small rivers and shallow water. Punting is boating in a punt; the punter propels the punt by pushing against the river bed with a pole. Punts were originally built as cargo boats and as platforms for fowling and for fishing, such as angling; whereas now punting is boating for pleasure.
The term punt also refers to smaller versions of regional types of long shore work boats, such as the Deal galley punt, a square-sterned, lapstrake open-boat rigged with a single dipping lugsail, used for salvage and rescue work off a beach. In coastal communities, punt refers to any small clinker-built, open-stem, general-purpose boat.According to March and The Chatham directory (see above) there were models of punt particular to Happisburgh and Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, and Broadstairs and Dover in Kent, Hastings and Eastbourne in East Sussex, Itchen Ferry village in Hampshire, and Falmouth Quay Punt in Cornwall. In Canada, the term punt refers to any small, flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, regardless of navigational purpose, building material, or means of propulsion. In Australia, the term punt is used to refer to cable ferries. In Maine, Punt can be used interchangeably with dinghy.
Construction
A traditional river punt is a wooden boat with no keel, stem or sternpost, and is constructed like a ladder. The main structure consists of two side-panels connected by a series of cross-planks called "treads", which are wide and spaced about apart. Because a punt has no keel, the draw of the boat is only a few inches even when fully laden, which makes the boat very manoeuvrable and suitable for shallow waters. A punt can be manoeuvred with equal facility in either direction, making it useful in narrow streams where turning the boat around may be difficult. The square-cut bow of the punt gives the boat greater carrying capacity for a given measure of length than a boat of the same beam with a narrow or pointed bow; the square-cut bow also makes the punt very stable, suitable for transporting passengers.
The first punts are associated with the River Thames in England and were built as small cargo boats and as platforms for fishermen. Pleasure punts, built specifically for recreation, became popular on the Thames between 1860 and 1880.Rivington 1983, p.1
Some other boats have a similar shape to a traditional punt – for example the Optimist training dinghy or the air boats used in the Everglades – but the most similar boat is the European Weidling, a type of boat that can be tracked back to Celtic boats built more than 2,000 years ago.
Punts are still made in England to supply the tourist trade in Oxford and Cambridge or for racing purposes. The construction material of choice for most punts is wood. Fibreglass is used for some very light and narrow racing punts. The sides, the ends, known as "huffs", and the "till" are normally made of hardwood such as mahogany. The treads are often made from teak. The bottom is made of softwood and may be replaced several times during the life of a particular boat.
A traditional punt is about long and wide. The sides are about deep. Both the bow and the stern are cut square, with a long shallow "swim"; this is to say, the underside of the boat slopes very gently at the front and the back.
Both smaller and wider punts are made. Extra large and wide punts known as ferry punts may be seen in Cambridge, where many are used as water-borne tourist vehicles. Single seater Thames punts were normally made only wide, and somewhat shorter than a standard punt; very few of these are still afloat. Racing punts, which are still used by a few specialist clubs on the lower Thames, may be built even narrower. Thames punts have occasionally been adapted for other means of propulsion: including sails, tow-ropes, and paddle wheels. With the addition of iron hoops and canvas awnings, punts have also been used for camping.
The bottom of the punt is made with long, narrow planks stretching fore and aft, attached to the flat sides and the treads. To allow the wood to swell when it gets wet, the planks are set a small distance apart (traditionally the width of an old penny, about 1–2 mm). The gaps are caulked; this caulking normally needs to be renewed annually. The treads are attached to the sides with small wooden "knees", which may be vertical or set at an angle.Rivington 1983, pp.5–9 The gaps between the treads are normally fitted with gratings to allow the passengers to keep their feet dry. The seats are usually just a simple board fitting against blocks on the sides, with cushions.
A punt can be punted with equal facility in either direction, so it is not obvious to the novice which end is the bow and which the stern; however, one end of the boat is strengthened with a short deck, usually called a "counter" or a "till" (terms from cabinet making), that extends some from that end. The Thames punt-building tradition was that the end with the till was the stern, as shown in the diagram. The till provides some extra torsional rigidity, and is normally closed in; occasionally a locker may be built into it. A small minority of punts, such as those made from fibreglass at Magdalen College, Oxford have no single till in the usual sense, instead having very small tills at either end.
The forerunners of pleasure punts, fishing punts, usually had an additional compartment, called a "well," which extended across the width of the punt a little way in front of the till. This compartment was made water-tight, and had holes in the bottom or sides so that it could be flooded with water. It was used for keeping any caught fish.
Punt poles
A traditional punt has no tiller nor any provision for oars, sails, or motor; instead it is propelled and directed with a pole. Poles for pleasure punts are normally made of spruce wood or aluminium alloy tube. A normal pole is about long and weighs about 10 lb (5 kg). In both Oxford and Cambridge, long poles tend to be used exclusively. The bottom of the pole is fitted with a metal "shoe", a rounded lump of metal to protect the end – the shoe is sometimes made in the shape of a swallow tail.
Traditional wooden poles are preferred by many experienced punters; they are more sympathetic on the hands (at least when in good condition; a splintered surface is less so) and make less noise on contact with the river bottom or the punt compared with an aluminium pole. Aluminium poles are considerably cheaper and stronger, so may be preferred by punt stations offering punts for hire to inexperienced punters; however, it is normally possible to choose either type.
Racing poles are generally a great deal lighter than pleasure punt poles, and aluminium is the preferred material. It is usual to carry one or two spare poles in a race, so that one can keep punting if a pole gets stuck or is dropped.
A punt pole differs from the Fenland quant in that it does not have a cross piece at the top, and from the more generally used setting pole in that it only has a metal shoe on one end.Rivington 1983, p.160
Technique
The basic technique of punting is to shove the boat along with a pole by pushing directly on the bed of the river or lake. In the 1870s, when punting for pleasure first became popular, the normal approach was for the passengers to sit at the stern on cushions placed against the till, and for the punter to have the run of the rest of the boat. The punter started at the bow, planted the pole, and then walked towards the stern, shoving the punt forwards. This is known as "running" the punt. It was the normal technique used to move heavy fishing punts. As pleasure punts became lighter, it became more usual for the punter to stand still – normally towards the stern – while shoving. This is called "pricking" the punt. Pricking has the advantages that the punter is less likely to walk off the end of the punt inadvertently, and that more of the punt can be used to carry passengers.Rivington 1983, p.10
For pleasure punting, the best way to learn is to start out in a boat with a competent punter to watch him or her at work. After this there is no substitute for extensive hands-on practice on different stretches of river. For racing punting it is best to join a club, and to work on one's balance. Some punt racers practise by punting in canoes.Rivington 1983, pl. 40
One of the keys to punting well is that the steering is done during the stroke, rather than by using the pole as a paddle or rudder; steering in this way requires less physical effort if the punter stands in the centre of the boat (or at least as far forward as is compatible with not wetting the passengers). Once the punt is under way, it is easier to keep it in a straight line if the weight in the punt is all on the same side, to tilt the punt slightly and to form a keel. For racing, therefore, the leading foot is placed to one side against the "knee" that is at, or just forward of, the centre of the boat, and does not move from that position; only the rear foot moves during the stroke. For pleasure punting the precise stance does not matter so much; it is more important that the punter remains relaxed and does not shove too hard.Rivington 1983, p.188–9
Two rather different traditions have grown up in Oxford and Cambridge: in Cambridge most punters stand on the till (the flat end) and punt with the open end forward, while in Oxford they stand inside the boat and punt with the till forward. Since the rivers in both cities are narrow and often crowded, the opportunities for punting "at full pressure" are rare and these variations in stance are of little practical importance. However, the Oxford river bottoms are generally muddier than in Cambridge, increasing the likelihood of the pole becoming stuck; the lower position, longer footway and greater grip offered by the open end is advantageous on such occasions. Students at Oxford and Cambridge frequently proclaim that theirs is the only correct style, to the extent that the till end is often known as the "Cambridge End", and the other as the "Oxford End".
For the beginner
RivingtonRivington, 1983, p.190 recommends that the beginner should: Stand near the back of the punt (that is, on the "till" in Cambridge or on the "swim" in Oxford) and as near to the side as confidence and balance allow, facing over the side of the punt. With the forward hand throw the pole vertically down close to the side of the punt, guiding it with the lower hand. Let it fall all the way until it touches the bottom and then reach forward with both hands and gently push the pole past your chest. If you shove gently, you are less likely to steer wildly. At the end of the stroke, relax and allow the pole to float up like a rudder behind you. When the punt is going straight, recover the pole hand over hand until you can throw it down again and begin the next stroke.
The habit of relaxing at the end of the stroke helps to avoid falling in should the pole unexpectedly get stuck. When this happens, immediately attempt to twist the pole, and if this fails to free it rapidly, let it go and use the paddle to bring the punt back to it. Attempting to maintain a hold on a completely stuck pole is the most common cause of involuntary swimming as the punt will generally continue moving.
For the more experienced More experienced punters steer during the stroke instead of using the pole as a rudder. To do this they stand further forward and keep to one side of the punt. To turn towards the side the punter is facing, the pole is thrown close to the punt and pulled towards the punter during the stroke (this is called "pinching" the punt); to turn the other way the pole is thrown slightly further out and the feet are pulled towards the pole (this is called "shoving around").Rivington 1983, p.193