Apparently horse hide was the best. This made the coracle of long ago very heavy and gave rise to the old Welsh saying "Llwyth gwr, ei gorwg" (A man's load is his coracle). The coracle is manoeuvred on the water by using a single paddle in a figure of eight fashion in front of the flattened edge, scooping the water to one side so that the coracle is carried forward in a series of little jerks as the water underneath it surges forward. Moving the coracle against the stream is consequently an arduous task.

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