The boat is clinch-built; that is, the planks are held together by large iron bolts with round heads outside, and clinch plates on the inside, at a distance of 5½ inches from each other. The space between the planks is filled with woollen stuff and a pitchy sticky mass. The boards are joined in a very common manner to the frame with bast ropes. In the frame are holes, which correspond to elevated pieces on the boards which are also bored through; these pieces had not been nailed to the planks, but were hewn out of the latter, which thereby had lost more than half their thickness. Vessels by this peculiar manner of joining frame and boards acquired great elasticity, which must have been of good service in the surf and in a heavy sea. [Illustration: Fig. 423.—Oar-thole of red pine. ⅒ real size. ] [Illustration: Fig. 424.—Oar-thole of the Nydam Boat. ⅐ real size. ] [Illustration: Fig. 425.—Inside view of one of the stems of the Nydam boat. ] [Illustration: Fig. 426.—Rib of boat, showing seat attached. ] [Illustration: Fig. 427.—Wooden pegs fastening stem to bottom plank. 1/17 real size. ] [Illustration: Fig. 428.—Showing how the boards joined the ribs. ] [Illustration: Fig. 429.—End face view of oar-thole. ⅒ real size. ] [Illustration: Fig. 430.—Rudder, 10 feet long, found alongside Nydam boat. ] The boat was shaped alike both fore and aft, so that it could be rowed in either direction; and in both stems, which are fastened to the bottom plank, are two holes through which, judging from the manner in which they are worn, ropes were probably drawn, by which to drag the boat ashore at the beginning of winter. In the bottom there is a hole, which probably after the ship had been drawn up served to give outlet to the water collected in the boat. The boat had undoubtedly been intentionally sunk, for in the planks under the water-line had been cut large holes to let in the water. Rust had destroyed the ends of the iron bolts which had held the planks together, and also the ropes with which the boards and the frame had been held together. The planks fell apart, therefore, and took their original straight shape; the oar-tholes were loosened from the gunwale; the frame fell on different sides, and the two high stems fell down. As the joints loosened, the separate pieces sank to the bottom, and remained lying at about an equal depth, while the turf grew up above them and preserved them from destruction. After all the parts of the boat had been carefully collected and dried, it was possible to restore it to its original shape. [Illustration: Fig. 431.—Wooden scoop for baling water. ⅑ real size. ]