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BJ
11-08-2013, 03:59 PM
I read this book by Tim Severin a few years ago and it does have some relevance to lost skills and traditional materials. It tells of a recreation of The voyage by St Brendan from Ireland to America in the 6th century. The boat is made entirely of leather with wooden a frame and the modern materials used for gloves and fittings are soon useless and replaced by wool and wooden fittings. The crossing goes via the northern Scottish isles and across the iceberg infested North Atlantic. To make the leather curragh he has to source the ox hides and craftsmen to build it and the longest Irish grown timber for the main mast etc. A fascinating read.
I was reminded of it when I see the Bushcraft interest in woven wool and the leather craft skills, that still outperform modern materials and skills.
P.S the book was written before Goretex.:evilgrin: