6ohiocav

BOWSPRIT SHROUDS
 
Just a quick update as I go through the plans and pick up some things that I misses at the bow. I installed the bowsprit shrouds.  I used a .025 black rope with a blackened black hook seized to one end and hooked to an eyebolt on the side of the hull.  The other end was lashed to a bullseye. I had to make up another batch of cherry bullseyes on my mini lathe (see previous post). I seized a .012 tan lanyard to the bullseye and wound it to the bullseyes lashed to the bowsprit.
 
Another tedious endeavor.  The Bowsprit/jib is a very complicated place with ropes and lines going in every direction.  The good news is that I believe I have completed all of the rigging up front and as far as I can tell, no line is rubbing up against its neighbor.

FORESTAYS AND BOWSPRIT RIGGING
 
With my foremast finally in place, I was in a position to begin belaying all of the standing rigging onto the Bowsprit/jib.
 
I worked on this over the holiday weekend and have knocked out about 90%. I am attaching a couple of photos of the finished product, but will break this work down into segments in order to map out how I tackled all of these individual lines
.
Just some general observations for my future Niagara builders. I gave my order of attack a lot of thought. I tried to figure out what to belay first. I ended up attaching the JIBBOOM GUYS FIRST. There was no method to this madness, other than I had seen that others had done this first. From there, I then attached all of the stays, starting with the FORESTAY and PREVENTER STAYS, and moving up the mast to the TOPMAST STAY, TOPGALLANT STAY, FLYING JIB STAY and ROYAL STAY. I then attached the JIBBOOM MARTINGALE and FLYING JIBBOOM MATINGALE. I then attached the BOBSTAYS.
 
If I were to do this again, I would totally reverse this order of attack. I should have attached the BOBSTAYS FIRST. By the time that I got to them, which run from holes in the keel to the underside of the bowsprit, it was so crowded with stays and guys that it was nearly impossible to tie and manipulate the ropes.  More on that challenge later.
 
I would then attach the stays as I did them, bottom (Forestay) to top (royal).
 
Then the martingales.
 
Then LAST, the Guys. The guy lines were in the way during the entire process.  I am lucky I did not knock one off. I hit them hard with just about every tool I used on this process.
 
In short, think INSIDE OUT on the bowsprit, and BOTTOM TO TOP on the stays.

TOPGALLANT MAST AND SHROUDS, YARDS
 
I installed the topgallant mast and worked on the upper shrouds. I used .018 black Syren rope for the shrouds, and .008 brown for the ratlines. I lashed the cherry staves as I did on the lower shrouds. I finished the starboard side and will finish the port side tonight.
 
​The plans call for a pendant in the shrouds near the hounds to run the topgallant yard lift through. I decided to use a 3/32 single block instead.
 
I also spent the day getting the yards ready.  I installed the stirrups, using fish hooks (great tip from this forum).  I then primed and painted them with flat black paint. I will be seizing blocks, jackstays and the foot ropes next.
 
My thoughts are that I will pin the yards to the Foremast before finally attaching it to the deck. I have finally decided to leave the yards in their lowered position hanging on their slings and lifts. I should be able to do all of this running rigging before attaching the mast.
 
Right now, I have a spaghetti factory hanging from my foremast. I have seized every line I can think of, including some of the brace lines. I hope I can keep them straight when I start attaching them to the right locations.

MORE TOPGALLANT RATLINES AND STAYS
 
I finished the port side ratlines on the topgallant shrouds. I also seized more backstays, topgallant, royal etc. stays and slipped them over the mast adding more vines to the assembly. It gave me cause to insert the mast and do some inventory to make sure I had all of the lines set correctly.  So far so good.... I think. I took a few photos.
 
This process is slow and a real mental challenge. I will be working on the foremast yards next to prepare them for attachment. The plan is to attach the royal and topgallant yards before stepping the mast. I will not attach the course yard until I have tied the lower shrouds. I haven't decided what to do with the topsail yard, but will probably attach it before stepping the mast.
 
And when and if I ever finish the foremast, I have the mainmast waiting in the wings.  

FORE TOP TREE
 
Once I had created all of the various rigging devices that slipped over the fore lower mast head, I worked on the tree. I seized all of the double blocks to eye bolts, drilled holes and glued them under the tree.
 
Using a .28 gauge wire, I stropped the kit supplied 3/32” deadeyes, creating the elongated loop at the bottom. I created a cradle with the wire around the deadeye first, and then slipped the wire through the hole in the tree. I then pulled it up to make the loop, and inserted the end through the hole. I cut both ends of the wire flush with the tree and added a small drop of CA. This method was relatively easy, and the joint is hidden in the hole and more importantly, the joint has held up to all of the pulling from the lanyards.
 
I then glued the tree to the cheeks and the fore mast, and then slipped the riggings over the top.
 
FROM WHAT I CAN TELL, since there is no reference in the plans that I found, and the drawings are too small and vague, the order of installation was as follows.
 
1.      Course Sling. I figured that since this carried the weight of the course yard that it would have naturally been placed firmly against the mast head and tree. The plans do say that stays are always placed on top of shrouds, but there was no reference to where the sling went.  I just put it on first.
2.      Burton Pendant Shrouds - Starting on the starboard side
3.      Double Shrouds – alternating from starboard to port
4.      Fore Stay.
5.      Preventer Stay.
6.      AND DON’T FORGET – The Spring Stay Thimble – I did.

LOWER FOREMAST STANDING RIGGING.
 
Before you attach the cap and topmast to the lower foremast, it would be advisable to create the following:
 
1.      Course yard sling
2.      Lower shrouds
3.      Fore Stay
4.      Fore Preventer Stay.
5.      Thimble for the Spring Stay.
 
Doing these on the bench before you attach the cap means that you can simply slip them over the top of the lower foremast. I can’t imagine tying these onto the mast.
 
I would also suggest that you mount the 6 1/8 inch double blocks with eye bolts to the bottom of the tree (used for spritsail yard braces, course yard sling, and course buntlines).
 
Here is a photo of the final products.
 
 

STANDING RIGGING – FORE MAST AND JIB
 
I have been working on the standing rigging of the fore mast and jib for the last 20 days. Here is where I am so far. The fore mast is just sitting in its mast hole. 
 
 
Most of this time has been spent thinking, planning, and too often, interpreting the difficult rigging plans. It became obvious to me that I had to create a plan of attack, keeping in mind that serving, seizing, whipping and tying collars will always be EASIER if done on the bench rather than on the ship. All of the standing rigging lines in the photos below were prepared on the bench and then systematically added to the masts in a planned order.
 
Having created this plan in my head, I thought I would share this with my fellow Niagara builders so that we all could wonder why the kit designer failed to do so.
 
A few caveats. I don’t know if I am doing this correctly. It is my best interpretation of the plans and the written instructions. I have also gone back to my library of Niagara photos. I therefore stand behind this, at least until someone says otherwise.  Take your best shots.

Welcome aboard Tom. She is a great ship.
 
You never sail alone in the Niagara club. We are always here to lend a hand. Don't hesitate to seek us out.
 
 
 
 

MAIN MAST STAY SAIL HALLIARDS
When I got back to the workshop, I was able to finish off the halliards for the main mast stay sails.  Here are some photos of the final product.
 

ROYAL AND T’GALLANT HALLIARDS, LIFTS, CLEW LINES AND SHEETS
 
I worked on rigging the royal and t’gallant yards.
 
Royal Halliard/Tye:  I used .012 rope, tied one end to the yard, and routed the other end through a dumb sheave in the mast, and belayed the end to the lower shroud sheave per the plans.
 
Royal Lifts: I used .012 rope, tied them off to the ends of the yard, and tied them off at the top of the mast. (I still have to tie a knot and cut the excess).
 
Royal Clew lines. Since I have no sails, I elected to simply tie the end off on the yard and routed them through a 1/8 block seized to the yard and down to the lower shrouds where I belayed the end to the stave as per the plans.  I put some slack in the line and tied a simple square knot in the rope to keep it from pulling through the block.
 
T’gallant Halliard/Tye: I used .018 rope, tied one end to the yard, and routed the other end through a dumb sheave in the mast, and belayed it to a tackle rigged to the lower tree.
 
T’gallant Lifts: I used .012 rope, tied them off to the ends of the yard, and routed them through a 1/8 block mounted in the shrouds and belayed to the tackle rigged to the lower tree.
 
T’gallant Clew Lines: I used .012 rope. Like the royal, I tied the end off on the yard, and ran it through a DOUBLE 1/8 block seized to the yard. This will belay to the pin rail on the deck, so I made the rope extra long and it will remain free until I step the mast. I created some slack and tied a square knot against the block
 
T’gallant Sheets: I used .012 rope and tied the end to the yard.  I pulled this line tighter than the clew line.  I routed it through the same DOUBLE block using a square knot to keep it from pulling through.  It too belays to the pin rail on the deck.
 
I am not sure the clew lines and sheets are right or not. Just my landlubbers interpretation of the rigging plans.
​

FUTTOCK SHROUDS
For all of the planning, I forgot to install the futtock shrouds before raising the course yard. It was therefore a bit more taxing with the yard always in the way.
 
I used .025 black rope. I seized a blackened brass hook on the end, attached that to the bottom of the deadeye and wound the other end around the stave and lashed it to the shroud. This is not easy. I placed a small drop of CA on the shroud, and held the futtock line in place until it set.  That allowed me to then apply two lashings.
 
Once done, I dressed them up with ratlines.
 
​Once I install the catharpin, another daunting task, it should pull all of the shrouds together and tighten up the lines. It is quite amazing how everything "ties together." Rigging this model has proven the engineering prowess of the 19th century shipwright

FOREMAST MAIN STAY AND PREVENTER STAY
 
I served .045 rope for the main and .035 rope for the preventer stays.
 
I then measured them for length, and clamped in a closed heart.  I purchased 7mm closed hearts from Chuck and Syren. Great product again. After some assembly, I gave them a coat of cherry stain and finished with tung oil.
 
I was able to position my portable vice with a spring clamp close enough to insert the heart for lashing. The heavy served stay ropes were pretty stiff, so the whipping was a bit challenging. I weaved a section of .018 tan rope for the lanyard.
 
Once done, I threaded the lanyard and tied it off on the upper lashing of the heart. It turned out pretty good.

LOWER SHROUD SHEAR POLES, FAIRLEADS, AND RATLINES
 
I had previously lashed the deadeyes on my lower shrouds and threaded the lanyards.  It was time to tie of the lanyards, attach the lower and upper shear poles and fairleads and tie the dreaded ratlines.
 
I milled my shear poles and fairleads out of some cherry stripwood and finished them off with my tung oil. I initially secure them to the lines with a drop of CA.
 
On the lower shear pole, I used it to line up the deadeye and shroud lines to face forward since they tend to twist out of alignment without it.  I lashed it with .008 black rope. You can get away with a half hitch knot since it disappears in this small size. I tie the knot in the back and add a small drop of CA with the tip of a pin to finish it off.
 
The fairlead is a bit trickier. It is installed on the inside of the shrouds, and has 8 small holes to accept running lines that pass through on their way to the pin rail below. I measured out the holes, and drilled them with my pin vice. I lashed them with the .008 rope.
 
The upper shear pole is small and tucked close in under the top. I tied it off like the lower.
 
For the ratlines, I used my .008 tan rope.  I tie a half hitch knot on the ends and use a classic clove hitch on the middle lines. For the half hitch, I learned through experience to tie it such that the end leading to the shroud lines comes under the knot so that it creates a natural crescent shape. I do the same with the end knot.

ANCHORS AWAY….
Worked over the weekend rigging and attaching my anchors. I decided to bring the anchor cables through my forward hatch, and to do that, I had to so some surgery on the grate. The grating material supplied by Model Expo is a hardwood.  Trying to cut through that while placed on the bow of a crowded deck was a challenge. My exacto knife was not up to the call, so out came the Dremel. My original plan was to carve out a square in the front corners and insert a chafing block. While I was able to white knuckle the cutting, I could not get it square or clean enough to suit my taste, and decided to install the chafing blocks on top of the cut.
Obviously, this is another task that I should have done sooner. I could have easily added chafing blocks to the grates before installing them.
I also stropped the big triple blocks, and fabricated a hook with some coated black wire. The coating on the wire gives the surface some texture to simulate an iron look. It took me a while and about 10 tries to twist up a hook to look right.
I then rigged the block, and attached the anchor.  I ran into another snag. Realizing the anchor and cable weigh tons, I could not get the cable to lay flat on the deck, or get my lanyards on my triple blocks to tighten. The Brittania anchors just don’t weigh enough.  I therefore glued the cable to the deck. I stretched the lanyards on the triple blocks by attaching a small weight, and coated the ropes with a mixture of water and white glue. That froze the ropes straight.
I then tied off the haul ropes on a bulwark cleat and tied off the lanyards on pins.
My bow is just about complete.

CATHARPIN
 
One other task on the foremast that I should have done earlier was the installation of the catharpin on the lower shroud. That should have been done as soon as I did the lower shrouds and futtock shrouds. By waiting to do this after more of the rigging had been put in place made this harder than it needed to be.
 
I used a .025 rope and tied 2 small measured pieces, routed through a small blackened ring, on each side of the staves. Once set, I tied the two rings together to create the tension that tightened up the shrouds and futtock shrouds. A very nifty method to keep everything taut.

Joel,
 
I am not a surgeon, or a weaver,--- But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express ...... BAD JOKE.
 
Actually, the credit all goes to Chuck's wonderful Syren products. Using great rope and his laser cut hearts makes all the difference.  Also, a dogged persistence to do and redo everything until it looks right. And for that, you have to thank all of the incredible shipwrights on this forum. Every tip I use is borrowed from someone.
 
Thanks Mike and Mike.  Welcome in Steve. And Elijah, no greater compliment can be given to an amateur modeler than the kind words you sent along.

QUARTER BOAT DAVITS
The punch list is getting small.
I worked on the boat davits over the weekend.  As I have done for most of the build, I discarded the laser cut parts and made the davits out of cherry.  I traced the pattern on to a strip of cherry and cut them out with my band saw. I mounted a small drum sanding bit in the Dremel for initial shaping and used a series of files and sanding sticks to finish them up. It is a long and tedious procedure, but the end product, with sharp edges and perfect finish is well worth the effort.
I applied the yellow and flat black paint with the airbrush and installed the pieces to the ship.  I used card stock blackened with a Sharpie for the metal bands. I am very pleased with the look of the card stock. It is easier to work with than brass, takes the color perfectly, and wraps around the davits very well.

WELCOME ABOARD!  - LADDERS AND SEA STEPS
The crew may now board their ship.
I finished the ladders with a coat of paint and attached them to the deck.  I had to move some rope coils.  It is pretty tight in there. I cut the sea steps out of some boxwood strips I had around. I applied some yellow and flat black paint and glued them to the hull.

FOREMAST HALLIARDS AND JIB OUTHAUL TACKLE
 
I continued working on the running rigging on the foremast. I added the 4 halliards used to haul the stay sails. That included attaching blocks on the foremast, which I had done earlier, and also adding blocks to the bowsprit and jib for the downhaul lines. For some reason, I missed those. Probably because when I built the bowsprit and jib many months ago, I did not know what a halliard even was.
 
In any case, I had to tie on 4 blocks to a very crowded bowsprit and jib.  The main halliard downhaul block had to be positioned under the main stay open heart. There was no way I was going to be able to lash that to the spar, so I opted to strop the block to an eyebolt. I was able to position my pin vice in between the jaws of the heart and drill a receiving hole, and carefully insert the eyebolt with a drop of CA.  The rest of the downhaul blocks were lashed.
 
All of the downhaul lines then traverse the length of the bowsprit and pass through fairlead holes in the chock rail and are tied off on the forward pin rail. The only problem is that I failed to drill the holes in the chock rail. Again, I had to do that in between the lines of spaghetti ropes and of course the spritsail yard was in the way of where I had to turn the drill. Niagara builders – DRILL THE HOLES BEFORE YOU INSTALL THE BOWSPRIT.
 
The loose end of the uphaul line had to be belayed, according to the plans, to the “stay throats.” That was not overly specific, so I used a best guess, based on what a 1/64 figurine standing on the tops would do with the loose end – tie it waist high in an easy access place that was out of the way.
 
I also added the jib outhaul tackle. I used a .018 tan rope with 1/8 blocks. The plans however did not specify where the loose end of the rope went to. I looked in the plans and the instruction book. Nothing.  I therefore assumed it passed along the bowsprit, through the fairlead holes and was tied to the forward pin rail.

LOWER SHROUDS
 
I decided to serve the forward mounted shroud. That would be the line that the course yard would rub against at times, and based on my research, would likely be served for added strength and wear protection. On the Niagara, the forward mounted shroud is a single line with a burton pendant. It took me a couple of days to figure this one out.
 
I decided to use the kit provided .075mm (.035 inch) line and covered it with a basic black sewing thread on the Syren Serve-o-matic. A pretty good machine.
 
I then tied an eye hole and tied the throat collar. I did two of them.

REMAINING LOWER SHROUDS
 
The remaining shrouds, done in pairs, were done with .035" inch rope from Syren.
 
[As an aside, I tried to use the kit supplied rope.  Two complaints. I wish the supplier would mark the diameter on the spools, so that we would not have to guess what the size is. Also, the plans call for at least 8 different sizes that I have noted so far. I only received 5 unmarked sizes. Also, the nylon rope is too stiff, and even when stretched and soaked in hot water, sometimes shows the kinks. Unless I serve it, I have abandoned the kit supplied rope.]
 
I decided to serve the section of rope that wrapped around the mast. After some trial and error, that ended up to be exactly 2 inches of the rope.
 
I then folded over the served section and measured over ½ inches to start my throat wrap. I used my black sewing thread, and started it by running the end through with a sewing needle. A small drop of CA, and then began wrapping back to the end of the served sections.

I spent some quality time in the shipyard this weekend and finished all of the hammock rails and stations.
Before I install them, I have to clean up all of the pin rails. When I did my rigging, I simply fastened the ropes in the pinrails by wedging the ropes in the holes.  I did not want to tie anything off in case I had to tighten lines.  I am sure glad I made that decision because I had to make a lot of adjustments. The only detriment is that it is very crowded on deck, forcing me to go double fisted with the tweezers.
Working from the bow, going back, I have started to tighten lines and tie off the tails. this should take a while. I spent all day Sunday working on the bow pin rails and Foremast rails. Once I get done, I will be making some rope coils for the pins that carry lines.
Final thoughts on the hammock rails, I thought I had made a mistake by not building them when the deck was clear of masts and rigging. In the end, if I had added them then, and built them from the ground up on the ship rail as the plans suggest, it would have been more difficult, and in the end, they would have been the way when I did get around to rigging.  They cover all of the major pin rails. Doing them on the bench and sliding them in after all of the rigging and deck work is done to me seems to be the better play.

HAMMOCK STANTIONS
It has been quite a while since I posted to my build log. Since I moved, I have been working on a complete remodeling of my kitchen, so my carpenter skills have been focusing on the Macro rather than the Micro.
I have finally got time to get back to the Niagara, and am dedicated to the stretch run to get her done.
A while back, as I was rigging the ship, and encasing the deck and railing with ropes and stays, I realized that I had not built the hammock railings. When I realized that it would be nearly impossible to build them with all of the rigging lines in the way, I therefore decided to skip the process.
Overtime, I felt that was a cop out and decided to come up with a strategy to install them.  Following the plans, I surmised I could accomplish this only one way – to build them on the bench as a total component, and then slip them between the rigging lines and stays and glue them down. Necessity is the mother of invention.  In the end, It actually was a good way to tackle this part of the build.  Here is how I did it.

Further work on Bowsprit
 
I spent the last few days rigging bullseyes and hearts to the bowsprit and jib boom.
 
I tied on the brace and spritsail yard lift blocks. I tied on the bobstay bullseye. I also created the bowsprit shroud collar with bullseyes and attached that. I would suggest that you do that BEFORE you attach the jib boom to the bowsprit.
 
I also prepared the open hearts for the forestay and fore preventer stays. I created the grove with a micro-file and stained the laser cut plart with some cherry stain. After seeing photos, I decided to serve the rope for the collars.  This gave me a chance to try out my Syren Serving Machine. I'll be darned but the simple machine works great. Making the rope was one thing, but wrapping it around the bowsprit and lashing it together was a test in patience and dexterity- something that I don't have enough of. I am getting better though.
 
Once done, a came across a signature part of the build- installing the bowsprit assembly.  I think I did everything I could do before attaching it, and if not, at least it is now secured to the ship instead of a vice.  I then lashed the timber to the bow.  Another tedious job.
 
And yes, mywork table is big enough.
 
I will be working on the lower fore mast next to get it prepared for stepping and begin the rigging process in earnest.

FINISHED!
I spent the weekend cleaning off dust and touching up paint in preparation of placing the Niagara in its glass enclosure. While I designed the case with an option of removing the ship, it will not be an easy process, and I don’t have plans on doing so. So sealing it away knowing I will not be able to work on it, or tweak something, was a tough moment.
This was a great project. I give credit to the folks at Model Shipways for putting together a great kit. This was my first wooden ship build, and I would recommend the Niagara for any first timer.  There are easier kits out there (and a lot more harder ones) to cut your teeth on, but the Niagara is a good choice. It is reasonably priced (I bought mine at a half off sale). The instructions and plan sheets are good overall, and if followed, will produce an end product you will be proud of..
The kit lacks expensive wood, and some critical parts, but again, for the price, it is still a good purchase. With the exception of the hull planking, I swapped out all of the basswood lumber and laser cut parts with hardwoods (cherry and holly mostly). Those parts that the kit requires the builder to engineer and produce tested my model skills and have made me a better builder. I have seen the term kit “bashing” when someone “goes off the plan.” I guess I did this with this kit, but I can’t say I bashed it, I would rather say I enhanced it. Thanks Model Shipways.
I also have to give credit to Chuck Passaro and his Syren products. I used his rope, blocks, hooks, and hearts for all of the rigging. These products make any ship look great, even for us amateurs.
I also give credit to Model Ship World and my fellow Niagara builders. I would never have purchased this kit, let alone make the effort to build it, without the wealth of information and full color pictures available on this site. Builders like Bahamas Diver, Xken, Patrickmil, Greatgalleons, Mikiek, and others who sailed the lakes with their Niagara Builds were inspirations and great teachers. My project would have sunk to the bottom of Lake Erie without their guidance. They had my back.
I can't forget my fellow members of the Shipwrights of the Central Ohio modelling club. The long drive to our monthly meetings is always worth the trip. Great knowledge, experience and fellowship. Thanks Bill for everything you do for our club
And finally, to those of you out there that stopped in to see this project and lent advice and words of encouragement. As I am sure you all know, getting an “atta boy” from an experienced shipwright is energizing.
Here are some final photos as I mark my build log officially FINISHED.