Lightly grease 24 10 cm/4 in boat shaped pastry moulds.
Sift the flour into a bowl.
Rub in the butter or margarine until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Stir in the almonds, sugar and egg and mix together quickly to make a firm dough.
Knead the dough lightly, then wrap it in cling film and chill for 30 minutes, or longer if you have time.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board to a thickness of 5 mm/1/4 in.
Using a rolling pin to help you, lift the dough over the moulds.
Carefully press the dough into the base and sides of each tin.
Trim away any excess pastry by rolling the rolling pin over the top of the moulds.
Prick the base of each boat all over with a fork and line each one with greaseproof paper and baking beans, or aluminium cooking foil, shiny side upwards.
Place the moulds on two baking trays and bake in a moderately hot oven (190C, 375F, gas 5) for 20 minutes.
Remove the baking beans and paper or the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Allow the biscuits to cool in the tins for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, break the chocolate cake covering into pieces and place in a bowl over a saucepan of hot water.
Heat gently, stirring occasionally, until melted.
Dip each boat in the chocolate cake covering and drain off any excess, then place the boats on non stick baking parchment or waxed paper.
When half set, decorate the boats with liquorice allsorts, or fix paper sails and fill the boats with sweets.
Leave the chocolate boats to set completely before serving them.