Mariner (水手) - Traditional Chinese Bows
Mariner bows are inspired by bows from major periods of Chinese history, and we invite you to explore the different genres of bow in the links above.
NOTE: Please contact Jie Tian directly for orders to North America.
Order Mariner Bows Here
Premium Laminated Bows Each of Mariner's laminated bows is handmade and custom-built. The core is made from bamboo or bamboo/maple laminations, the back and belly laminations of Bearpaw fiberglass, the bow handle and tips are made from wood, and everything is glued together with a proprietary glue. The quality of the materials that go into Mariner's laminated construction means a Mariner bow will be resilient yet feel lighter in hand than pure-fiberglass bows of the same draw weight. This construction translates into more arrow speed while reducing hand shock, making for a more pleasant shooting experience.
Basic Laminated Bows Mariner quality laminated bows at a more affordable price. These laminated bows are made with Chinese domestic fiberglass in several different color patterns.
Bamboo Bows Mariner's bamboo bows feature natural bamboo on the back and belly of the bow --- no fiberglass laminations needed! Riser and tips are made from mulberry. String notches are reinforced with glass phenolic so that it can use a D75 string.
Fiberglass Bows Mariner was one of the earliest makers of solid fiberglass bows in China, before he moved on to making glass-bamboo laminated bows. Now, he has revived his earliest works with a sophisticated touch. A great first purchase for the beginning archer. Although these are entry level solid fiberglass bows, you get a lot of value from features such as leather-wrapped limbs, leather lace handle, Fastflight string, and a rayskin arrow pass.
Spare Strings You may order extra strings for your Mariner bows if needed. If the string is not in stoc, we would need to place a backorder which can take 1--3 months.
Price: $20 per string.
Options for Premium Series
(a) Core Options-
Thin Carbon Lam [optional, add $50]
The optional carbon-core lamination reduces mass and increases stiffness, giving you less hand shock and more torsional stability.
-
Full Carbon Core [optional, add $150]
The brand new Full Carbon Core further reduces mass for a given stiffness, making for a very efficient bow.
(b) One-piece or Takedown
- One-piece [add $0]: default one-piece construction
- Takedown [add $100]: Mariner's original two-piece takedown system (for bows up to 50#@<max draw>)
One-piece
Takedown
(c) Limb Face Configurations (choose one of the following)
- Clear [default]: clear glass on back and belly (to showcase the natural beauty of the bamboo core)
- Rosewood [add $30]: Rosewood veneer under clear glass on the back, clear glass on the belly
- Zebrawood [add $30]: zebrawood veneer under clear glass on the back, clear glass on the belly
- Cherry [add $30]: cherry veneer under clear glass on the back, clear glass on the belly
- Teak [add $30]: teak veneer under clear glass on the back, clear glass on the belly
Clear
Rosewood
Zebrawood
Cherry
Teak
(d) Extras: specify back or belly side for optional decorations
- Calligraphy [add $20 per side]: Chinese calligraphy under clear glass (black writing)
- Stock phrase 1: top limb "修身以為弓", bottom limb "正心以為矢" (meaning "train your body, let it be your bow; straighten your thoughts, let them be your arrows")
- Stock phrase 2: top limb "後手發矢", bottom limb "前手不知" (meaning "the draw hand releases, the bow hand doesn't realize it")
- A custom phrase of your choosing!
Options for Basic Series
(a) Glass options- Standard (Black on Back + Belly) [add $0]
- Patterned Glass on Back [optional, add $30]
- Patterned Glass on Back + Belly [optional, add $60]
About the maker of Mariner (水手) Traditional Chinese Bows
Gui Shunxing, better known as Mariner (水手), is a craftsman dedicated to reviving the art of traditional Chinese archery. From his workshop in Hubei, China, Mariner works tirelessly to make high quality, custom, handmade bows. His hard work has paid off, as he has gained an outstanding reputation in China for his bows, which are known for being both highly functional and very artistic. His daily routine consists of waking up early in morning to bike to archery practice, practicing, and then returning home to make bows. Mariner truly lives and breaths archery, and his passion for the art shows in the bows he makes.
Mariner's foray into bow making began in 2001. He wanted to practice traditional Chinese archery, but there was a lack of traditional archery equipment on the market (nor could he afford to buy high-end traditional equipment). These circumstances inspired him to make his first bamboo bow and arrows. Over the years, he became part of a grassroots movement to revive traditional Chinese archery, going from making bamboo bows, to mulberry bows, to fiberglass bows, and eventually to his current bamboo-fiberglass laminated bows. He is a self-made man, and he hopes his efforts and those of his contemporaries can help push traditional Chinese archery to the next level.
Mariner's Original Workshop in Hubei, China
What has Mariner been up to?
Traditional Chinese Archery Competition in Nanjing, China (November 2011)
Xu Kaicai is a widely respected figure in Chinese archery, both modern and traditional. He is a former coach of the Chinese national team, as well as one of the most committed promoters of the modern revival of traditional archery in China. Here he is demonstrating with a custom-made Mariner Han Wind bow, which Mariner made using clear fiberglass laminations over a bamboo core.
Mariner understands quality archery equipment in part because he is an excellent archer himself. In addition to showing his bows to the public, he took 2nd place in the competition using one of his own Ming Moon 1 bows.