Punt (boat)

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. 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.