This type of punt originated from the fens of Cambridgeshire and was used as a general working boat and for fishing.
This particular example, the last of its kind afloat on the River Ouse/River Cam, was used for catching eels with an eel gleave. The hull construction is highly individual to the type with a plank keel to which two end posts were scarfed. The hull is slightly hollow and rockered underneath to prevent the punt adhering to mud when left aground. As with most robustly built boats of this type the entire hull has been coated with Stockholm tar/pitch to keep it watertight and to preserve the timber.
