Dude, you are so screwed.

Avoid all school projects that can't be made out of Legos.

The longboat I built with my dad at about that age was made from thin cardboard (slightly thicker than construction paper). The hull bottom was somewhat like a pointed banana, and then the sides were somewhat crescent-shaped; you can probably figure out the rough geometry more easily than I could explain it with words. We didn't actually "plank" it; we just drew on the lines with a black marker.

Not sure if this will help...

No offense, but if you're going to all the trouble to cut and assemble balsa wood to the exterior, it would probably be just as fast and much stronger to cut out a keel and a few ribs to replace the cardboard structure.

Oddly enough, you can build a Viking longboat out of Legos, but it’s a little lacking in the realism department. I have to agree with the consensus: basically, you’re screwed.

My one constructive suggestion (no pun intended) would be to use strips of veneer for the hull, rather than balsa. They’re more flexible and much easier to work with, not to mention more woody looking.

If they have it, use sheet styrene instead of veneer or balsa. Check the area in the store around the dollhouses for materials. Or find a hobby shop that does model railroads.

I would check with one of the boat-building sites. People build these things for real.....

If you are going to go with strips of balsa - not a bad idea - you will need something a bit more substantial for the keel. And I think you might want a couple of ribs to give the boat shape in the middle.

Not sure what glue would be good, but something quick - but not super-glue permanent - might be hard to find.

Of course you might be able to buy a model of a viking ready to be put together....

http://seagifts.com/viklonwoodmo.html

a small price to pay..... but a small model

http://www.sjolander.com/viking/plans/

*** runs and hides ***

Each gel should have her own accurate model. I suggest adding a trireme.

If you're going with balsa, get lots of extra and steam it. Pliability at model size can be a problem. Pitch and tar for tree wounds would provide interior strength. If you want to cheat: get a balsa sheet, score it, soak it, bake it, bend it. Don't stain until you have the shape you want.

Makes me miss hobby shops. We used to have quite a few in this area but they just kind of petered out. When I ask for model rocket engines and piano wire at craft stores they just kind of look at me in a funny manner. O tempore.

Zendo - Thankee muchly for those plans! Seriously, that's just what I was looking for.

Yip! Yip!