The toggles and rub strips that I use on my kayaks are made out of high density polyethylene. On Inuit kayaks these were sometimes made out of antler or bone, but most often made out of ivory from walrus kills.
Speaking from experience, neither bone nor antler is very durable in this application, but ivory is incredible. Its machining characteristics are a lot more like plastic. Wood is another option but it tends to deteriorate pretty quickly.
I include these in my kayak building kits but don’t sell them separately because I hate making them! Thank God for podcasts.
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