Got String?

Move over wheel, move over computer! After fire, it is the lowly string and the ability to use it that is THE most significant human discovery/invention. Even the most primitive of societies would not have developed, let alone survived, without the string. Our very own existence would be impossible by extension. The string was the basic ingredient of nearly all early complex structures. Bridges, dwellings, tools, clothes, weapons and of course, boats. The ancient world was literally strung up together with rope and string.

Our fastening options have grown wider since the invention of glue, screws, and nails, but strings continues to be found everywhere. The fact that nylon, polyester twine, and rope has gotten so cheap makes us forget how intrinsically valuable they are. You can join structural element with string for a strong yet flexible bond. The technique is called LASHING. With just a little know how, a lashed joint will stay in place under strain but will slide somewhat under shock thereby protecting the underlying structure from damage that would shatter a glued or screwed joint. A skin-on-frame boat possesses a resilience that cannot be imagined by simply looking at its gossamer structure. Lashing is a brilliant engineering solution. It is poetic in its simplicity.

Early skin-on-frame boats were lashed with sinew (the tissue that connects muscles to the bones). I like to use artificial sinew which is unbraided nylon twine saturated with bees wax (not paraffin). The wax acts as a lubricant to enable tightening and as a binding agent that prevents knots from coming undone. A roll might cost about 10$. If you are building a boat on a shoe string budget, use regular nylon string from the hardware store and run the string against a block of bees wax. The braided twine's only drawback is that it does not lay flat against the structure like the artificial sinew does and the lashing might show through the skin. I happen to like that look personally.

Should I get stranded on the proverbial desert island, give me an axe, a flint and 50 miles of artificial sinew please. With these items, possibility are endless.