One small gem of a kit that often gets overlooked is Amati’s Greek Galliot. It’s probably because the average person looks at it, but doesn’t really know what to make of it. It looks mediterranean, a bit exotic, but what is it? What is a galliot?

The term was applied to a few different types of ship, but the Mediterranean galliot was a small lateen rigged shipped that also regularly used oars for propulsion. These ships were used by, among others, the Barbary pirates that operated out of North Africa. But, these ships were also used by the Greeks in their fight for independence against the Ottoman Turks between 1821 and 1829.

Amati’s Greek Galliot kit depicts a ship operating as a Greek privateer during the time of the War of Greek Independence. The ship is equipped with three lateen-rigged masts and a single bank of 12 oars on each side. Armament consists of a pair of bow mounted carriage guns, and swivel guns lining the quarterdeck.

At a scale of 1:65, this kit builds into a model 21.7″ long, about 55cm. The rig of this kind of ship is relatively simple, but the kit offers plenty of details, plus a couple cannons and an unusual ship design to make the build interesting.

Provided planking includes beech wood, walnut, and beautifully exotic red padauk wood for planking the inner bulwarks.

If you notice the fancy decorative inlaid wood pattern in the photos above and below. Amati includes a strip of this pre-made wood. The inlay pattern actually varies between kits, so your own model will likely be different from these. The kit also includes sailcloth pre-printed in color.

Even the instructions tell you that the oars would be in place only when the sails are clewed up. So, they didn’t follow their own instructions for the model in these photos, but the model sure looks nice displayed this way. And, to finish up your model display, this kit even includes the walnut stanchions and a beautiful wooden base, though the one in the currents kits are oval and not rectangular as shown in these photos.

The Greek Galliot is currently listing on our online store, Ages of Sail. for $124.95. This is a really interesting subject and as you can see here, it’s a gem of a model. You can order your’s today right here. Remember, as an Amati distributor, we offer free parts replacement on any Amati kit you buy from us. So, break or lose a part? Don’t worry. We have you covered.

Check out our huge inventory of ship model kits, fittings, tools, and accessories at Agesofsail.com

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