MAN invented the wheel because moving heavy loads by brute force became burdensome. It was simple, it was basic, it was effective.

Similarly, man got fed up of getting wet every time he wanted to get across an expanse of water. The fact that there might also be something lurking beneath that water, or that he might not be able to swim and would drown, was equally powerful motivation to invent something. Hence the coracle was born and, again, it was basic, it was simple, it was effective.

Simply cut down the odd ash, willow or hazel tree and fashion a basket. Kill your cow and spread its hide around the frame, waterproof it with a dollop of tar, and there you have an efficient form of water transport. References to the coracle can be found in texts of speeches by Julius Caesar. Pictures of them adorn the most ancient of cave walls. And they were used by people all over the world, from ancient Britain, Persia and Mongolia to Vietnam.

They differ in shape slightly but the materials and principles behind the coracle remain the same - until now.

Very soon in a workshop in North Yorkshire a stone age invention will be brought into the space age.

"We are working on one which will have a fibre glass and aluminium frame, over which will be stretched Optus resin, a material which is used to protect the Forth Bridge," says Dave Purvis, self-confessed coracle fanatic and co-ordinator of Ripon Youth Arts.

"It will stretch 1,000 per cent before breaking down, which is going to make it virtually torpedo-proof. This will really put us on the map."

Mr Purvis, a development director at Plumb Centre in Ripon, is responsible for a fleet of 12 coracles which he has created with the help of students from Ripon College.

"There's no keel and they only have a draught of three inches, so they are very manoeuverable and fast. You use an S-stroke and can paddle with one hand while you, say, hold a net in the other."

They are still used by fishermen in Wales but have been banned from trawling in the rest of the country, so lethal are they at catching fish in a nets strung between two of them.

Two days' hard work goes into each coracle. First the bench seat is made, then lats of wood are soaked in water, curved and fashioned into a frame. Cross members are then weaved into this to form the basket, over which calico is stretched and waterproofed with bitchumen.

"It's certainly not rocket science, it's just a waterproof basket," says Mr Purvis, who is originally from Horden Colliery. "It must surely be one of the first boats."

They are so light they can easily be carried with a strap across the owner's back. "A woman in Switzerland once put one on the roof of her car. It was reported in local newspapers that a giant tortoise had been spotted going over the Alps."

Their popularity is growing fast. "I made one for a farmer whose wife was a landscape gardener and they had a couple of large ponds. It was a birthday present and he hid in the barn. He got someone dressed in skins to paddle it across - she was gob-smacked. It's created a bit of a stir."

It's also proving popular with the Scout Movement and with the public at various Coracle displays he stages around the country. Coracles can be raced, used for water polo and even water basketball. The public will get the chance to see them in action at a coracle regatta due to be staged at Ripon Marina on May 4 and 5. There may no longer be the need for the coracle but its popularity remains.

l Anyone wanting more information or a boat can contact Mr Purvis on (01765) 69440