An old puzzle, how much can you substitute and still have the original?
The ship of Theseus was made of wood.
The boat of Theseus is wood.I dunno…how many legs can you remove from a table until it’s not a table any more?
Depends on how many legs it starts with 
I was hoping to have words substituted and see what happens.
The Victorian disliking part of me wants to say “That table should have a proper skirt!”
Ah, I see.
[Yoda] Built of wood, Theseus’ boat is.
whoa!
is it a boat or a ship?
A bark. Made of wood. Yes, I see the difficulties with this.
Both targets if ya ask me.
So is the object to précis as much as possible?
Theseus’s ship was wooden. (Maintains original sense and tense.)
Theseus’s wooden ship. (Doesn’t.)
Or to change things irrespective of length?
The ship belonging to (or carrying) that once promising Greek prince who slew the Minotaur, was subsequently compelled to abandon Ariadne and later went altogether bad was constructed from bits of formerly living trees.
The seagoing vessel ascribed to Theseus is constructed of pieces of a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin.
The Med is a puddle, the first mistake is calling Theseus’ wood boat a ship.
Theseus’ watercraft is crafted of woody bits.
That Theseus dude has a boat which is wood.
(And he perished in the lowland low. In the lowland, lowland…)
Theseus’ galley is built of timber.
Theseus’ watercraft is stick-built.
Great Athen’s founder had an ark, whose hull from trees were crafted…
Though none amidship lost his lunch, the ones at fore and aft did.
Is this anything like the Myth of Thithyphuth?
How about the Flute of Theseus?: https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/does-anyone-know-about-this-flute/79036/35
Somehow I don’t think that this topic can achieve the scope of the Sam Houston thread.