Pic 22: This shows how I made the cannon ports ('loopholes'). After locating where each hole was to go, a cardboard template with a square cut in it was used to mark each hole. Eight holes were drilled just inside the line, then the remainder removed with a burr. Finally, a small file was used to make the hole square. It is tempting to put each metal port exactly between the mahogany strakes, but this is incorrect. And since you cannot put a cannon port nicely onto a stepped surface, you have to cut away a tiny portion of mahogany at the top so the port can sit properly (see Pic 27).