A boat or wherry. Let us take an ark and winns, let us take a sculler. Cant.
Definition taken from The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, originally by Francis Grose.
See also the definition in Nathan Bailey's 1736 dictionary of canting and thieving slang.
Armour * Ark RuffiansNathan Bailey's 1736 Dictionary of canting and thieving slang
John S. Farmer's collection of canting songs and slang rhymes