Our ship modeling neighbor Will G., here in San Lorenzo, CA, sent us a brief update on his build of the popular Amati Greek Galliot kit. This early 19th century warship featured three lateen-rigged masts, and a pair of forward-firing cannons at the bow. As a type of galley, the ship could also be maneuvered by oars, allowing it to operate in dead calm, and to aid in quick maneuvering.  Will had built the framework of the ship and was working on some of the basic details in his last email to us.

He pointed out that this model is built with a single layer of planking, something fairly common for some of Amati’s smaller ship model kits, like their Swedish gunboat kit and others. In order the help give the planking a nice smooth curvature, Will used small blocks of balsa wood to fill in the spaces between the bulkheads. This was then sanded down to make a nice, smooth curve to the hull, and to form a nice support for the hull planks. Even so, he says that planking, particularly at the bow, still had its challenges.

The balsa wood used as filler is very soft and is easy to file to shape, in this case, using a coarse emery board. He used one of the hull planks to check the fairness of the curve, and to make sure the balsa didn’t stick out anywhere. Balsa wood for these purposes is not something we carry at Ages of Sail. So, we recommend checking your local arts and crafts supply store, such as Michaels, or Hobby Lobby.

For the small amount of deck planking done so far, Will explained that he edged the deck planks with pencil to simulate caulking and to get the planks to stand out a little. He says he considered doing this with the hull as well, but decided against it.

Will soaked the planks to be able to impart a slight curve to the hull planks, which is needed at the bow. It also helps keep the planks from breaking or splitting when bending them around curves.

To hold the hull planks into place, he used a variety of plastic spring clamps where possible. But, where the balsa block were put in place, he could use simply office push pins.

Will says his work is far from perfect, but he’s enjoying the build. We think the work looks wonderful, and we’re looking forward to more updates on this project!

Those of you who are interested in learning more about this Amati kit, can find more info on our web listing here: https://www.agesofsail.com/product/greek-galliot-wooden-boat-model-kits-amati-165-2/.

Special thank you to Will G. for keeping us posted on his work.

Do you have some build photos and information to share? Be sure to use the comments section below to let us know! Ω