Re: Monday answer
Ed had the right answer. But first, the native woods were Sycamore and Acacia. Hornbeam was also available for other parts. The foreign wood was Cedar. The calking was native reeds and once the wood swelled the boat was relatively watertight. (It helped that slaves were available to bail).
Egyptian boats could only hope that the knots were Gordian. The boats were in fact stitched together with halfa grass. The planks were scarfed and stitched by mortises. Battens were placed across the seams and wooden dowels helped anchor the battens and the deck. The overhanging stem and stern were held in tension by a thick rope of grass that had what was in effect a U bolt at either end of the outside of the boat and went right down the center of the boat and held in tension by a stick/lever that wound the rope like you would set a spring on a modern garage door. If that rope ever let go, both ends of the boat would fall and the boat swamp. Because it went down the center of the boat the mast was a bipod attached by multiple stays and the rope passed under the mast. In addition to that rope, the whole boat was encased in a rope girdle around the outside of the boat. It was in fact a net that prevented the sides from flareing out when the center truss was tightened. There was no rudder only steering oars, up to six of them.
More: http://www.solarnavigator.net/ancient_egyptian_boat_building.htm and I�m told that there is a new book out or coming out "How to Build Egyptian Boat Models" by Frank Sintich (I�ve no tie to this book). the "International Book of Wood is also a source.Hugh Johnson author.