rcmdrvr

I kind of agree with Wookie.  I have noticed some builds that have extensive comments from readers either making suggestions or admiring great work.  Many other builds do not get many comments or suggestions.  This can be very disheartening for the build author; especially the more novice of the forum that are looking for guidance and most of all support.  I think everyone who is a member of this forum knows that ship model building brings on quite a bit of anxiety and frustration that can lead to a modeller giving up on a project.  The encouragement that comes from other modellers commenting and encouraging you along helps many to complete their current project and maybe move onto the next.  I do get the occasional comment or suggestion some of which in my Cairo build really helped.  Mostly, however, I get likes.  Great; but I would really wish that members of this forum, especially you master builders, take a few minutes to offer your advice and encouragement to other builders.
 
Enought editorial.  Wookie, from your photos you are doing great.  Give us more.  I built this model and you will enjoy your final product.

Hull planking complete!!  Just needs a little more sanding and potentially a little wood filler in a couple of spots.  Overall, turned out pretty good for my first complete hull.  I spent some time thinking about how I would clamp the planks while the glue dried on the last belt.  I decided to use tape threaded through the hull and wrapped around the planks to hold them tight.  In hindsight, I probably could have used this method earlier for belts "A" and "B".  It did a good job holding the planks and did not damage them like the clamps I had used earlier.  So glad to have that done...on to the decking...
Tim
 

As mentioned before, there will be an open space in the decking where the simulated interior can be viewed.  Construction of this interior begins with wrapping two slightly undersized frames with rope.  This process requires cutting groves in the botton of the frames so that the roped frames will not prevent the interior decking (installed later) to be positioned close to these frames.  After wrapping, the frames are glued to the main keel and a two posts are fashioned, installed and then wrapped.  This is the beginning of the process of simulating an ancient interior.

A great combination of different materials.  I have worked in 1/350 scale and found it challenging.  The results you are achieving in 1/700 scale are really impressive.

As mentioned before, there will be an open space in the decking where the simulated interior can be viewed.  Construction of this interior begins with wrapping two slightly undersized frames with rope.  This process requires cutting groves in the botton of the frames so that the roped frames will not prevent the interior decking (installed later) to be positioned close to these frames.  After wrapping, the frames are glued to the main keel and a two posts are fashioned, installed and then wrapped.  This is the beginning of the process of simulating an ancient interior.

A great combination of different materials.  I have worked in 1/350 scale and found it challenging.  The results you are achieving in 1/700 scale are really impressive.

Eight or nine years ago I was fortunate enough to take a river cruise up the Nile and visit some of Egypt's great historical sites. I also had the opportunity to walk thru some great museums many of which contained models of the ships that plied the river in the ancient days.  A year of so after the trip I came across this Amati model of an ancient Egyptian ship.  The box claims that it is a replica of a ship, the image of which was chiseled into the stone of a tomb or temple.  I immediately purchased the model and the kit sat in my "stash" for severl years.  It has finally found its way to my workbench.
 
One of the interesting aspects of ancient shipbuilding, there were no drills to make holes for pegs or nails; so the ship was crafted by shaping the wood with crude iron tools and then using ropes of various sizes to lash the wooden pieces together.  While I will be using modern cutting tools and adhesives, one of my main objectives is make a model that at least appears to have been built by the same methods as the ancients.  There is another build log of this ship that I have reviewed and may refer to at times as I proceed with my build.
 
Before I even begin the construction I have a decision to make.  Much of the materials in the kit used to construct the hull are laser cut ply.  It is quite light in color and has the typical burnt edges.  I will try to sand most of the dark edges away (hopefully without distorting the part).  The problem is should I try to stain the  hull or just leave it natural.  If I decide to stain; it looks like I will have to do this relatively early in the build.  Definitely before I begin the rope lashing steps.  Second issue, should I decide to stain, what should I use.  I have no experience with staining.  Perhaps a search thru the forum will give me some insight.
 
Well that is my introduction.  I urge you to leave written comments; especially those that might help me through the build.  Well, thanks for reading.

Construction begins pretty much the same as many other ship models.  Building the frames.  One interesting point is the the main "keel" piece has a one section between two frames cut out while all the others are solid.  Reading of the plans indicates that this section of the inner hull will be open for viewing whereas the remaining sections will be covered by decking.  The fit for the parts making up the frame was so-so.  A little shimming and thick CA was required for assembly.  I use Lego blocks to help me keep the frames square.  The fore and aft of the main keel piece are drilled so that some of the ropes which hold the planking to the frame can be simulated.

As mentioned before, there will be an open space in the decking where the simulated interior can be viewed.  Construction of this interior begins with wrapping two slightly undersized frames with rope.  This process requires cutting groves in the botton of the frames so that the roped frames will not prevent the interior decking (installed later) to be positioned close to these frames.  After wrapping, the frames are glued to the main keel and a two posts are fashioned, installed and then wrapped.  This is the beginning of the process of simulating an ancient interior.

Construction begins pretty much the same as many other ship models.  Building the frames.  One interesting point is the the main "keel" piece has a one section between two frames cut out while all the others are solid.  Reading of the plans indicates that this section of the inner hull will be open for viewing whereas the remaining sections will be covered by decking.  The fit for the parts making up the frame was so-so.  A little shimming and thick CA was required for assembly.  I use Lego blocks to help me keep the frames square.  The fore and aft of the main keel piece are drilled so that some of the ropes which hold the planking to the frame can be simulated.

As mentioned before, there will be an open space in the decking where the simulated interior can be viewed.  Construction of this interior begins with wrapping two slightly undersized frames with rope.  This process requires cutting groves in the botton of the frames so that the roped frames will not prevent the interior decking (installed later) to be positioned close to these frames.  After wrapping, the frames are glued to the main keel and a two posts are fashioned, installed and then wrapped.  This is the beginning of the process of simulating an ancient interior.

I am absolutely jealous of the quality of your work.  It serves as a goal to strive for.  Thanks for sharing.

Wow... this is impressive. My eyes wouldn't cope with 1:700 these days.. I remember trying not to breathe attaching a rear rotor blade to a lynx helicopter for a British type 42 destroyer in 1:700, but nothing approaching the results you are getting here. Very nice

Construction begins pretty much the same as many other ship models.  Building the frames.  One interesting point is the the main "keel" piece has a one section between two frames cut out while all the others are solid.  Reading of the plans indicates that this section of the inner hull will be open for viewing whereas the remaining sections will be covered by decking.  The fit for the parts making up the frame was so-so.  A little shimming and thick CA was required for assembly.  I use Lego blocks to help me keep the frames square.  The fore and aft of the main keel piece are drilled so that some of the ropes which hold the planking to the frame can be simulated.

Eight or nine years ago I was fortunate enough to take a river cruise up the Nile and visit some of Egypt's great historical sites. I also had the opportunity to walk thru some great museums many of which contained models of the ships that plied the river in the ancient days.  A year of so after the trip I came across this Amati model of an ancient Egyptian ship.  The box claims that it is a replica of a ship, the image of which was chiseled into the stone of a tomb or temple.  I immediately purchased the model and the kit sat in my "stash" for severl years.  It has finally found its way to my workbench.
 
One of the interesting aspects of ancient shipbuilding, there were no drills to make holes for pegs or nails; so the ship was crafted by shaping the wood with crude iron tools and then using ropes of various sizes to lash the wooden pieces together.  While I will be using modern cutting tools and adhesives, one of my main objectives is make a model that at least appears to have been built by the same methods as the ancients.  There is another build log of this ship that I have reviewed and may refer to at times as I proceed with my build.
 
Before I even begin the construction I have a decision to make.  Much of the materials in the kit used to construct the hull are laser cut ply.  It is quite light in color and has the typical burnt edges.  I will try to sand most of the dark edges away (hopefully without distorting the part).  The problem is should I try to stain the  hull or just leave it natural.  If I decide to stain; it looks like I will have to do this relatively early in the build.  Definitely before I begin the rope lashing steps.  Second issue, should I decide to stain, what should I use.  I have no experience with staining.  Perhaps a search thru the forum will give me some insight.
 
Well that is my introduction.  I urge you to leave written comments; especially those that might help me through the build.  Well, thanks for reading.

Just browsed yourbuild log.  Probably one of the best for extensive photography.  Will certainly help the builders that follow you with a Niagara build of their own.

Just browsed yourbuild log.  Probably one of the best for extensive photography.  Will certainly help the builders that follow you with a Niagara build of their own.

Working on the main rail. I had to fabricate some pieces from 1/16” basswood. The laser cut bow pieces didn’t provide enough overhang and, as other build logs have noted, the laser cut stern pieces are too short. The laser cut stern rail didn’t provide enough overhang for my liking, so I fabricated that too. I made a jig for the stern rail. I soaked the stern rail in water and then set it in a jig until the wood dried. I rough-fit all the pieces before permanently attaching them. I used brass pins to temporarily secure the rail pieces. The nails allowed me to set the rails in the exact location when it came time to glue them in-place. I worked from bow to stern. After gluing the rails,  I removed the nails and filled the holes with putty. I realized that it doesn’t matter if the stern rail joints don’t fit tightly because the joints will be covered by the davits.

Moving on, I removed the laser cut chock rails, removed the laser burn, and tapered them as per the plans. I added a little detail to the end of the rails based on the photo I found of the Niagara ship (see photo).  The chock rails have rigging line holes in them (6 on each side). At the bow, there are 3 Fairlead holes for the Downhauls and Sprit Sail Lifts. The holes need to be big enough to pass a .010 line. I pre-drilled the holes with .55mm bit first and then enlarged them to pass the .010 line.

 
The chock rails need to be cut out for the catheads. This reminded me that the ship had boomkins (also called bumpkins) forward of the catheads (see photos). These are not shown on the plans. I discovered this while reviewing cdrun89 build log. The boomkins are tie-offs for the fore tack lines. The photo also shows the fairlead holes in the chock rail. There is also a pin rail at the bow.

 I decided to add the boomkins as they appear in the photos. I drew two sketches based on my interpretation of the photos. The first sketch shows the grating arrangement at the bow. The second sketch shows the boomkins superimposed on the first sketch (see photos).

From the Niagara photos, the boomkins appear to be slightly longer and thinner than the catheads, tapered and chamfered from the chock rail inward, and have an octagonal shape from the chock rail outboard. Subsequently, I found another Niagara photo from greatgalleons build log that better depicts the boomkins.  Note the chains attached to the hull and the boomkin to secure it from lifting. The angle of the boomkins was "quesstimated" from the overhead photo of the ship. I fabricated the boomkins from 3/64”x1/8” strip, the grating from 1.3”x 3/64” grating purchased from Model Shipways, and the pin rail from 3/64”x 1/16” strip. I made a frame for the boomkin grating based on the sketches. I set the gratings edge to edge and made two sections. Each section was trimmed to fit in the frame. I applied CA on the backside of the frame to secure the grating. It came out basically as I envisioned it. For the frame, I used scrap pieces of the main rail. The entire structure can be inserted in the bow beneath the main rail. I still need to make another grate section at the bow. Note: In the photo, there are 5 belaying pins on each side of the boomkins. The plans show only 3 holes per side for belaying pins. I couldn’t fit 5 holes so I only made 4.

I Pinned the chock rail to the main rail temporarily. I marked the location of the boomkins on the chock rail. The boomkins don’t rest on the main rail, so I made a notch in the chock rail accordingly. Finished coated the boomkin grating and pin rail and the boomkins with Minwax Tung Oil. I’m undecided as to whether to anchor the boomkins with iron straps. For now, I’m going to leave the boomkins and grating structure off ship. Added an extra cleat for the fore tack.

The catheads are next. I marked the location of the cat heads on the chock rail. The cat heads sit on the main rail. Before cutting out the chock rail, I permanently secured the chock rails to the main rail with white glue. I made the faux sheaves in the catheads and drilled holes for the eye bolts and rods. I had to file and notch the catheads to fit them to the main rail. they'll be installed later along with the cathead knees. One item of note, the Deck Plan on Sheet 3 shows a 1/16”x1/16” anchor chafing block on top of the main rail.  In reviewing some other build logs, , I notice many omitted the anchor chafing block. I cut the pieces, but I'm not sure if I will add them. Next up, marking the waterline and painting the hull. Stay tuned.

 

Well, in the last few night I completed my Cairo.  I pretty much followed the instructions in the final assembly.  I did not use the thread provided to run the lines.  Instead I tried a product called EZ Line.  It was very easy to work with.  Some thoughts on this kit.  First; the small scale made this model somewhat more difficult for me.  Many of the parts and structures were more "fiddly" than I am used to.  The plans were a bit difficult to follow but did contain all the information you need to complete this kit.  The written directions were OK......I had some issues but that is not to say everyone would.  Overall, I ended up with a model I consider to be "satisfactory".  A more experienced modeller would probably get something better.  Also, I want to thank everyone who took the time to comment on this project.  Here are a few shots of the completed model.
 
 

Well, in the last few night I completed my Cairo.  I pretty much followed the instructions in the final assembly.  I did not use the thread provided to run the lines.  Instead I tried a product called EZ Line.  It was very easy to work with.  Some thoughts on this kit.  First; the small scale made this model somewhat more difficult for me.  Many of the parts and structures were more "fiddly" than I am used to.  The plans were a bit difficult to follow but did contain all the information you need to complete this kit.  The written directions were OK......I had some issues but that is not to say everyone would.  Overall, I ended up with a model I consider to be "satisfactory".  A more experienced modeller would probably get something better.  Also, I want to thank everyone who took the time to comment on this project.  Here are a few shots of the completed model.
 
 

The next components that needed to be created turned out to be much more difficult that I anticipated and came very close to this model taking a trip to the round file.......the component were the life boats.  I started by bending the the brass wire for the davits to the shape shown on the plans.  I also cut the davit supports from the PE fret and used CA glue to affix then to the underside of the top deck.  This was the first problem encountered.  The CA did not want to adhere to PE to wood.  I finally had to resort to dabbing the wood with accelerator before apply the CA.  This worked but left an unsightly white blob of hardened CA.  Some paint hid most of this.  I then used the davits to locate where holes should be drilled in the hull.  Second problem.  I could not find a very small diameter drill that would penetrate the PE siding.  I finally had to CA a small length of round toothpick to the PE siding and drill thru it.  Not scale for sure but the only way I could think of affixing the forward davits.  The next problem was the thwarts did not fit the boats very well.  Gaps everywhere and I broke some of them trying to position them properly.  Next came the boat falls.  I guess I must be very clumsy but working with these very small and quite fragile PE pieces was very trying.  Then came the almost final straw.  The boats provided in the kits are somewhat wider than the boats drawn on the plans.  They banged up against the hammock structure when attached to the davits.  I ended up having to remove most of what I had just constructed and cut longer davits that placed the boats above the hammock structure and also allowed be to bend them outward at the davit supports.  Again not scale but it worked.  Fortunately I did do something right.  I put together one full boat assembly before I did all four.  This means what I learned rebuilding the one that didn't work well I could apply to the other three.
 

Well, in the last few night I completed my Cairo.  I pretty much followed the instructions in the final assembly.  I did not use the thread provided to run the lines.  Instead I tried a product called EZ Line.  It was very easy to work with.  Some thoughts on this kit.  First; the small scale made this model somewhat more difficult for me.  Many of the parts and structures were more "fiddly" than I am used to.  The plans were a bit difficult to follow but did contain all the information you need to complete this kit.  The written directions were OK......I had some issues but that is not to say everyone would.  Overall, I ended up with a model I consider to be "satisfactory".  A more experienced modeller would probably get something better.  Also, I want to thank everyone who took the time to comment on this project.  Here are a few shots of the completed model.
 
 

The next components that needed to be created turned out to be much more difficult that I anticipated and came very close to this model taking a trip to the round file.......the component were the life boats.  I started by bending the the brass wire for the davits to the shape shown on the plans.  I also cut the davit supports from the PE fret and used CA glue to affix then to the underside of the top deck.  This was the first problem encountered.  The CA did not want to adhere to PE to wood.  I finally had to resort to dabbing the wood with accelerator before apply the CA.  This worked but left an unsightly white blob of hardened CA.  Some paint hid most of this.  I then used the davits to locate where holes should be drilled in the hull.  Second problem.  I could not find a very small diameter drill that would penetrate the PE siding.  I finally had to CA a small length of round toothpick to the PE siding and drill thru it.  Not scale for sure but the only way I could think of affixing the forward davits.  The next problem was the thwarts did not fit the boats very well.  Gaps everywhere and I broke some of them trying to position them properly.  Next came the boat falls.  I guess I must be very clumsy but working with these very small and quite fragile PE pieces was very trying.  Then came the almost final straw.  The boats provided in the kits are somewhat wider than the boats drawn on the plans.  They banged up against the hammock structure when attached to the davits.  I ended up having to remove most of what I had just constructed and cut longer davits that placed the boats above the hammock structure and also allowed be to bend them outward at the davit supports.  Again not scale but it worked.  Fortunately I did do something right.  I put together one full boat assembly before I did all four.  This means what I learned rebuilding the one that didn't work well I could apply to the other three.
 

Well, in the last few night I completed my Cairo.  I pretty much followed the instructions in the final assembly.  I did not use the thread provided to run the lines.  Instead I tried a product called EZ Line.  It was very easy to work with.  Some thoughts on this kit.  First; the small scale made this model somewhat more difficult for me.  Many of the parts and structures were more "fiddly" than I am used to.  The plans were a bit difficult to follow but did contain all the information you need to complete this kit.  The written directions were OK......I had some issues but that is not to say everyone would.  Overall, I ended up with a model I consider to be "satisfactory".  A more experienced modeller would probably get something better.  Also, I want to thank everyone who took the time to comment on this project.  Here are a few shots of the completed model.
 
 

The next components that needed to be created turned out to be much more difficult that I anticipated and came very close to this model taking a trip to the round file.......the component were the life boats.  I started by bending the the brass wire for the davits to the shape shown on the plans.  I also cut the davit supports from the PE fret and used CA glue to affix then to the underside of the top deck.  This was the first problem encountered.  The CA did not want to adhere to PE to wood.  I finally had to resort to dabbing the wood with accelerator before apply the CA.  This worked but left an unsightly white blob of hardened CA.  Some paint hid most of this.  I then used the davits to locate where holes should be drilled in the hull.  Second problem.  I could not find a very small diameter drill that would penetrate the PE siding.  I finally had to CA a small length of round toothpick to the PE siding and drill thru it.  Not scale for sure but the only way I could think of affixing the forward davits.  The next problem was the thwarts did not fit the boats very well.  Gaps everywhere and I broke some of them trying to position them properly.  Next came the boat falls.  I guess I must be very clumsy but working with these very small and quite fragile PE pieces was very trying.  Then came the almost final straw.  The boats provided in the kits are somewhat wider than the boats drawn on the plans.  They banged up against the hammock structure when attached to the davits.  I ended up having to remove most of what I had just constructed and cut longer davits that placed the boats above the hammock structure and also allowed be to bend them outward at the davit supports.  Again not scale but it worked.  Fortunately I did do something right.  I put together one full boat assembly before I did all four.  This means what I learned rebuilding the one that didn't work well I could apply to the other three.