Conservative adviser in small oval rowing boat (7)

I believe the answer is:

coracle

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'oval rowing boat' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'conservative adviser' is the wordplay.
'conservative' becomes 'C' (UK political abbreviation).
'adviser' becomes 'oracle' (I've seen this before).
'c'+'oracle'='CORACLE'

'in small' acts as a link.
This may not be correct. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for coracle that I've seen before include "Small round boat of skin over a wicker frame" , "See boat" , "One-man wicker boat" , "Small round boat of hides stretched over a wicker frame" , "Small rounded boat" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.