Coat boat in paint artfully at the bow (5)
I believe the answer is:
parka
'coat' is the definition.
(parka is a kind of coat)
'boat in paint artfully at the bow' is the wordplay.
'boat' becomes 'ark' (ark is a kind of boat).
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'at the bow' suggests taking the first letters (the bow is the front part of a boat).
The initial letters of 'paint artfully' is 'pa'.
'ark' put within 'pa' is 'PARKA'.
(Other definitions for parka that I've seen before include "weatherproof cover" , "outdoor clothing" , "Anorak" , "Windproof jacket" , "Hooded warm jacket" .)