Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Vocabulary question (again)

This is topic Vocabulary question (again) in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by Silver3 (Member # 2174) on :

What do you call the flat-bottomed boats that are poled around by one person(to navigate a marsh, for instance)? My memory says "barge", but my dictionnary is not very forthcoming on the matter...

For that matter, what is the name of the person poling the boat? Pilot?

Thanks !

Posted by pantros (Member # 3237) on :

not sure this is the one you are looking for:

http://www.10crucialdays.org/html/durham.htm

Posted by Isaiah13 (Member # 2283) on :

A punt?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punt_(boat)

Posted by Silver3 (Member # 2174) on :

Oh. I hadn't been thinking of those ones, actually, though they're probably the most common ones.

I have an Ancient China setting. Silly me, I should have mentioned it before.

Posted by Matt Lust (Member # 3031) on :

junks?

Posted by NMgal (Member # 2769) on :

This doesn't go with a setting in China, but how about pirogue?

Posted by Carlene (Member # 2745) on :

Sampan?

http://www.gsahv.pp.fi/oss_sam/oss_sam.htm

Posted by Elan (Member # 2442) on :

I think you would call the person manning the pole the "boatman", unless you are in Venice, in which case he's the gondolier.

And there is nothing wrong with calling a flat bottom boat a flat-bottom boat.

Posted by yanos (Member # 1831) on :

I'd go for sampan and boatman. Definitely not barge though. Junks are bigger boats usually used for trading, unless I'm completely mistaken. The nice thing about sampans are that they are common on canals from China through to Thailand.

Posted by Silver3 (Member # 2174) on :

Ok, thanks everyone. I'm hovering between "sampan" and "flat bottomed boat"