War Galley for En Garde (1)

I was inspired by the use my friend Mike made of a 3d-Puzzle to build a ship for war gaming 

I looked at it and said hey with some modification I could make a Galley that would be a great ship for my Spanish En Garde War Band.

This is what the puzzle is supposed to look like when it gets done...

This is an example of the historic version of a war galley... how do I get form one to the other.  The truth is I can't and won't try.  My goal is to build something that my figures will fit on ad will be recognizable as a galley rather than being a true replica.  I'm not going to worry about rowers, though I may add some oars. I need to build a ram and a fighting platform on the bow.  Gaming convenience will trump accuracy in all cases.