I was at the monthly meeting of the Woking History association the other night and we were looking at Painshill Park and the use of papermashy in the outside decoration of building. Several were astounded at the fact that paper would stand up to the rain and wind.
Well above are to photos, the upper one of 1st. century and the Sea of Galilee and a typical boat of the period and area. The lower photo is of replica of the Nydam ship, a Nordic vessel of about 6/7 century AD. But of interest is that both representations are made almost totally from paper. The lower representation a Nordic vessel the hull is totally paper and totally waterproof.
So the Painshill papermashy work is really feasible.
Duncan