Concise Bible Dictionary:
This was most probably a raft constructed for the occasion (2 Sam. 19:18).
From Manners and Customs of the Bible:
2 Samuel 19:18. There went over a ferry boat to carry over the king’s household.
This is the only passage where a ferry-boat is named, and some critics think that a mere crossing of a ford is meant. The Hebrews could not have been ignorant of the use of boats, since they were employed by the Egyptians, as is evident from the monuments. The king’s servants may have used rafts, or fiat-bottomed boats, for conveying his household over the river. See, further, the note on Isaiah 18:2 (#496).
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