6ohiocav

SPANKER THROAT HALLIARD AND TOPPING LIFT COLLAR, COURSE LIFTS, TOPSAIL LIFTS, BACK STAYS
 
More work on the main mast. And I hit a snag with the Spanker Throat Halliard Collar.  I installed the collar around the top of the spanker mast ok. I actually cut a grove in the spanker mast to allow the collar to sit in before I installed it. Good planning. But I forgot to seize the double block to the Spanker Gaff. With the Spanker Gaff already pinned in place, and having already fully rigged it, I was reluctant to UNDO everything just to seize a block.
 
Therefore, I was forced to seize that block on the ship.  The seizing rope wraps around the base of the gaff and passes through two holes in the jaws (I did put the holes in before installing). That is now a very busy place. I used a very long strand of .012 black rope so that I could pull it far away from the gaff, and was able to tie a whipping knot that wrapped around the double block, and pulled it tight to the gaff.
 
I rigged the Topping Lift Collar with .018 rope for the Spanker Boom
.
I rigged the Topsail Lifts and belayed them to the pin rail.
 
I rigged the Course Yard with .018 and belayed them to pre-installed tackles at the base of the main mast.
 
I also belayed a number of the loose running rigging ropes, including the t’gallant clew line and sheets.  Those pass through the fairlead on the shrouds and belayed to the pin rail.
 
​I belayed the Course Truss lines.
 
​I also tied off all of the back stays with the small kit supplied deadeyes.
 
I am getting pretty close to finishing off the rigging I chose to do. I have not included any large scale photos lately, so here you go.

LATEST PHOTOS OF THE NIAGARA.
 
And here are some updated photos of the Niagara in its new shipyard.
 
 

CATHARPINS PRACTICUM
 
I thought I would share with you my method of installing the catharpin on the lower shrouds of my main mast. I have seen other modelers use this method. The Niagara plans call for thimbles for attaching the lanyard.  I elected to use the kit supplied brass rings that I blackened.
 
Since this has to be tied on to the model, it is a bit tricky. Using elongated pieces of .018 black rope (as per the plans), you can pull the ends far enough away from the shrouds to tie the knots.
 
The pictures show the process that I chose. I don’t know if this is the correct way, but it worked from me and at this scale looks good.
 
As an aside, I have come to a better understanding how and why a sailing ship’s rigging is engineered the way it is. Together with the futtock shrouds and the ratlines, the catharpin, when added to the main shrouds, really tightens up the entire system.  It is rather incredible how everything works so well together.

LATEST PHOTOS OF THE NIAGARA.
 
And here are some updated photos of the Niagara in its new shipyard.
 
 

LATEST PHOTOS OF THE NIAGARA.
 
And here are some updated photos of the Niagara in its new shipyard.
 
 

I'M BACK
After a 3 month hiatus, I am back in the shipyard.  A lot has happened since then.  My wife and I bought a new house in January. It needed a new kitchen and bathrooms. So I put my micro amateur talents on the shelf and dusted off my macro carpentry skills and gutted and rebuilt the entire 1st floor. We were able to move in on June 1. For all of the diversionary work, I was rewarded with a new indoor workshop in the basement. It is a great space, with 13 course block walls, that opens out into the backyard onto a cement deck. I spent the last month setting up the new workshop.
Then another diversion of sorts. My wife saw a notice in the local auction guide showing an estate sale that had a large HMS Victory model in a showcase on the listed items. There was a woodshop with power tools for sale. That of course caught my eye. The flyer indicated that the deceased owner was a violin maker. I headed over to the sale. To my delight, I realized that the owner also built model ships, and that he had probably built the Victory in the case. 
While I ultimately did not purchase the cased Victory, I did purchase a number of micro tools, including a Proxxon mini mill, Micro Lux thickness sander, table saw and chop saw. I also purchase two complete Mamoli 1/98 Victory Kits, a Model Expo Rope walk kit, and Sergai ship base kit. I bought two huge racks of strip wood, dowels, etc, made mostly of poplar, but some of boxwood, cherry, walnut and mahogany. I picked up a small rack of styrene plastic strips and brass and aluminum stock. I bought a homemade rack full of paint brushes, paints, carving tools, forceps, and assorted modelling tools. I also purchased a large showcase with lexan plates. And then finally I purchased a skeleton of a Corell Victory model (keel, bulkheads and false decks). The house was full of stuff, and the auctioneer was selling whole cabinets and shelf racks. As fellow patrons realized I was the “ship” guy, they began to give me anything ship related that ended up in their cabinets. I therefore walked out of the sale with a full set of plans for the Corell Victory, a full set of plans for a Mantua Victory, a three ring binder of 8x11 color pictures of the HMS Victory taken in Portsmouth England, probably taken by the owner, that focus on important details for someone that wants to build a model. THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLE SALE FOR A SHIPBUILDER.
In the end, I walked out of there with all of this wonderful stuff for hundreds less than the going retail price of just one of the Mamoli Victory Kits. So, when I set up my workshop, I was able to add all of my new toys.
I am attaching some photos of the items I picked up at the sale and the new workshop….. And YES, I will be turning my attention to finishing my Niagara.  Here are some photos of the ship.  It survived the move, with only one small knot giving way on the jib boom. I have to finish up the rigging on the main mast, mostly halliards, and the bracing. I need to work on the anchors and then figure out what to do with the hammock rails. I am really getting close to finishing her up, and I now have a great display case waiting for her.
THEN??? Do I tackle the HMS Victory? I never planned on doing that, but I now have a kit sitting in the workshop that I will have to look at. While I will ponder that monumental decision, I do know that I won’t be building TWO Victories, so if anyone is interested in the second Mamoli Kit, send me a private e-mail.
Glad to be back! I will be trying to catch up on everyone’s build logs.

I'M BACK
After a 3 month hiatus, I am back in the shipyard.  A lot has happened since then.  My wife and I bought a new house in January. It needed a new kitchen and bathrooms. So I put my micro amateur talents on the shelf and dusted off my macro carpentry skills and gutted and rebuilt the entire 1st floor. We were able to move in on June 1. For all of the diversionary work, I was rewarded with a new indoor workshop in the basement. It is a great space, with 13 course block walls, that opens out into the backyard onto a cement deck. I spent the last month setting up the new workshop.
Then another diversion of sorts. My wife saw a notice in the local auction guide showing an estate sale that had a large HMS Victory model in a showcase on the listed items. There was a woodshop with power tools for sale. That of course caught my eye. The flyer indicated that the deceased owner was a violin maker. I headed over to the sale. To my delight, I realized that the owner also built model ships, and that he had probably built the Victory in the case. 
While I ultimately did not purchase the cased Victory, I did purchase a number of micro tools, including a Proxxon mini mill, Micro Lux thickness sander, table saw and chop saw. I also purchase two complete Mamoli 1/98 Victory Kits, a Model Expo Rope walk kit, and Sergai ship base kit. I bought two huge racks of strip wood, dowels, etc, made mostly of poplar, but some of boxwood, cherry, walnut and mahogany. I picked up a small rack of styrene plastic strips and brass and aluminum stock. I bought a homemade rack full of paint brushes, paints, carving tools, forceps, and assorted modelling tools. I also purchased a large showcase with lexan plates. And then finally I purchased a skeleton of a Corell Victory model (keel, bulkheads and false decks). The house was full of stuff, and the auctioneer was selling whole cabinets and shelf racks. As fellow patrons realized I was the “ship” guy, they began to give me anything ship related that ended up in their cabinets. I therefore walked out of the sale with a full set of plans for the Corell Victory, a full set of plans for a Mantua Victory, a three ring binder of 8x11 color pictures of the HMS Victory taken in Portsmouth England, probably taken by the owner, that focus on important details for someone that wants to build a model. THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLE SALE FOR A SHIPBUILDER.
In the end, I walked out of there with all of this wonderful stuff for hundreds less than the going retail price of just one of the Mamoli Victory Kits. So, when I set up my workshop, I was able to add all of my new toys.
I am attaching some photos of the items I picked up at the sale and the new workshop….. And YES, I will be turning my attention to finishing my Niagara.  Here are some photos of the ship.  It survived the move, with only one small knot giving way on the jib boom. I have to finish up the rigging on the main mast, mostly halliards, and the bracing. I need to work on the anchors and then figure out what to do with the hammock rails. I am really getting close to finishing her up, and I now have a great display case waiting for her.
THEN??? Do I tackle the HMS Victory? I never planned on doing that, but I now have a kit sitting in the workshop that I will have to look at. While I will ponder that monumental decision, I do know that I won’t be building TWO Victories, so if anyone is interested in the second Mamoli Kit, send me a private e-mail.
Glad to be back! I will be trying to catch up on everyone’s build logs.

LATEST PHOTOS OF THE NIAGARA.
 
And here are some updated photos of the Niagara in its new shipyard.
 
 

I'M BACK
After a 3 month hiatus, I am back in the shipyard.  A lot has happened since then.  My wife and I bought a new house in January. It needed a new kitchen and bathrooms. So I put my micro amateur talents on the shelf and dusted off my macro carpentry skills and gutted and rebuilt the entire 1st floor. We were able to move in on June 1. For all of the diversionary work, I was rewarded with a new indoor workshop in the basement. It is a great space, with 13 course block walls, that opens out into the backyard onto a cement deck. I spent the last month setting up the new workshop.
Then another diversion of sorts. My wife saw a notice in the local auction guide showing an estate sale that had a large HMS Victory model in a showcase on the listed items. There was a woodshop with power tools for sale. That of course caught my eye. The flyer indicated that the deceased owner was a violin maker. I headed over to the sale. To my delight, I realized that the owner also built model ships, and that he had probably built the Victory in the case. 
While I ultimately did not purchase the cased Victory, I did purchase a number of micro tools, including a Proxxon mini mill, Micro Lux thickness sander, table saw and chop saw. I also purchase two complete Mamoli 1/98 Victory Kits, a Model Expo Rope walk kit, and Sergai ship base kit. I bought two huge racks of strip wood, dowels, etc, made mostly of poplar, but some of boxwood, cherry, walnut and mahogany. I picked up a small rack of styrene plastic strips and brass and aluminum stock. I bought a homemade rack full of paint brushes, paints, carving tools, forceps, and assorted modelling tools. I also purchased a large showcase with lexan plates. And then finally I purchased a skeleton of a Corell Victory model (keel, bulkheads and false decks). The house was full of stuff, and the auctioneer was selling whole cabinets and shelf racks. As fellow patrons realized I was the “ship” guy, they began to give me anything ship related that ended up in their cabinets. I therefore walked out of the sale with a full set of plans for the Corell Victory, a full set of plans for a Mantua Victory, a three ring binder of 8x11 color pictures of the HMS Victory taken in Portsmouth England, probably taken by the owner, that focus on important details for someone that wants to build a model. THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLE SALE FOR A SHIPBUILDER.
In the end, I walked out of there with all of this wonderful stuff for hundreds less than the going retail price of just one of the Mamoli Victory Kits. So, when I set up my workshop, I was able to add all of my new toys.
I am attaching some photos of the items I picked up at the sale and the new workshop….. And YES, I will be turning my attention to finishing my Niagara.  Here are some photos of the ship.  It survived the move, with only one small knot giving way on the jib boom. I have to finish up the rigging on the main mast, mostly halliards, and the bracing. I need to work on the anchors and then figure out what to do with the hammock rails. I am really getting close to finishing her up, and I now have a great display case waiting for her.
THEN??? Do I tackle the HMS Victory? I never planned on doing that, but I now have a kit sitting in the workshop that I will have to look at. While I will ponder that monumental decision, I do know that I won’t be building TWO Victories, so if anyone is interested in the second Mamoli Kit, send me a private e-mail.
Glad to be back! I will be trying to catch up on everyone’s build logs.

LATEST PHOTOS OF THE NIAGARA.
 
And here are some updated photos of the Niagara in its new shipyard.
 
 

I'M BACK
After a 3 month hiatus, I am back in the shipyard.  A lot has happened since then.  My wife and I bought a new house in January. It needed a new kitchen and bathrooms. So I put my micro amateur talents on the shelf and dusted off my macro carpentry skills and gutted and rebuilt the entire 1st floor. We were able to move in on June 1. For all of the diversionary work, I was rewarded with a new indoor workshop in the basement. It is a great space, with 13 course block walls, that opens out into the backyard onto a cement deck. I spent the last month setting up the new workshop.
Then another diversion of sorts. My wife saw a notice in the local auction guide showing an estate sale that had a large HMS Victory model in a showcase on the listed items. There was a woodshop with power tools for sale. That of course caught my eye. The flyer indicated that the deceased owner was a violin maker. I headed over to the sale. To my delight, I realized that the owner also built model ships, and that he had probably built the Victory in the case. 
While I ultimately did not purchase the cased Victory, I did purchase a number of micro tools, including a Proxxon mini mill, Micro Lux thickness sander, table saw and chop saw. I also purchase two complete Mamoli 1/98 Victory Kits, a Model Expo Rope walk kit, and Sergai ship base kit. I bought two huge racks of strip wood, dowels, etc, made mostly of poplar, but some of boxwood, cherry, walnut and mahogany. I picked up a small rack of styrene plastic strips and brass and aluminum stock. I bought a homemade rack full of paint brushes, paints, carving tools, forceps, and assorted modelling tools. I also purchased a large showcase with lexan plates. And then finally I purchased a skeleton of a Corell Victory model (keel, bulkheads and false decks). The house was full of stuff, and the auctioneer was selling whole cabinets and shelf racks. As fellow patrons realized I was the “ship” guy, they began to give me anything ship related that ended up in their cabinets. I therefore walked out of the sale with a full set of plans for the Corell Victory, a full set of plans for a Mantua Victory, a three ring binder of 8x11 color pictures of the HMS Victory taken in Portsmouth England, probably taken by the owner, that focus on important details for someone that wants to build a model. THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLE SALE FOR A SHIPBUILDER.
In the end, I walked out of there with all of this wonderful stuff for hundreds less than the going retail price of just one of the Mamoli Victory Kits. So, when I set up my workshop, I was able to add all of my new toys.
I am attaching some photos of the items I picked up at the sale and the new workshop….. And YES, I will be turning my attention to finishing my Niagara.  Here are some photos of the ship.  It survived the move, with only one small knot giving way on the jib boom. I have to finish up the rigging on the main mast, mostly halliards, and the bracing. I need to work on the anchors and then figure out what to do with the hammock rails. I am really getting close to finishing her up, and I now have a great display case waiting for her.
THEN??? Do I tackle the HMS Victory? I never planned on doing that, but I now have a kit sitting in the workshop that I will have to look at. While I will ponder that monumental decision, I do know that I won’t be building TWO Victories, so if anyone is interested in the second Mamoli Kit, send me a private e-mail.
Glad to be back! I will be trying to catch up on everyone’s build logs.

Welcome to the Niagara clan.
 
Like yourself, this was and still is (not quite done yet) my first build. Posting a log will serve you well. There are many experienced eyes out there willing to proffer advice. As an amateur, I found it absolutely necessary to help conquer the various challenges you are about to face.
 
Don't hesitate to ask questions. Good luck on your journey.  You are not alone.
 
PS. It is hard to remember that my Niagara once not too long ago, looked so bare. It has put on a little "weight" since then.

Welcome to the Niagara clan.
 
Like yourself, this was and still is (not quite done yet) my first build. Posting a log will serve you well. There are many experienced eyes out there willing to proffer advice. As an amateur, I found it absolutely necessary to help conquer the various challenges you are about to face.
 
Don't hesitate to ask questions. Good luck on your journey.  You are not alone.
 
PS. It is hard to remember that my Niagara once not too long ago, looked so bare. It has put on a little "weight" since then.

LATEST PHOTOS OF THE NIAGARA.
 
And here are some updated photos of the Niagara in its new shipyard.
 
 

SPANKER THROAT HALLIARD AND TOPPING LIFT COLLAR, COURSE LIFTS, TOPSAIL LIFTS, BACK STAYS
 
More work on the main mast. And I hit a snag with the Spanker Throat Halliard Collar.  I installed the collar around the top of the spanker mast ok. I actually cut a grove in the spanker mast to allow the collar to sit in before I installed it. Good planning. But I forgot to seize the double block to the Spanker Gaff. With the Spanker Gaff already pinned in place, and having already fully rigged it, I was reluctant to UNDO everything just to seize a block.
 
Therefore, I was forced to seize that block on the ship.  The seizing rope wraps around the base of the gaff and passes through two holes in the jaws (I did put the holes in before installing). That is now a very busy place. I used a very long strand of .012 black rope so that I could pull it far away from the gaff, and was able to tie a whipping knot that wrapped around the double block, and pulled it tight to the gaff.
 
I rigged the Topping Lift Collar with .018 rope for the Spanker Boom
.
I rigged the Topsail Lifts and belayed them to the pin rail.
 
I rigged the Course Yard with .018 and belayed them to pre-installed tackles at the base of the main mast.
 
I also belayed a number of the loose running rigging ropes, including the t’gallant clew line and sheets.  Those pass through the fairlead on the shrouds and belayed to the pin rail.
 
​I belayed the Course Truss lines.
 
​I also tied off all of the back stays with the small kit supplied deadeyes.
 
I am getting pretty close to finishing off the rigging I chose to do. I have not included any large scale photos lately, so here you go.

COURSE YARD AND SPANKER BOOMS
 
Winter Weekends in North East Ohio are good for modelling. I was able to accomplish a lot.
 
I dressed up the course yard. I seized all of the blocks, attached the foot ropes and jackropes. After doing all of that on the bench, I pinned the yard to the mast… my last yard!
 
I then rigged up the course yard sling and truss. As stated, the block and tackles (with .018 lanyards) for the truss were seized to the yard before raising. All I had to do was to run the lanyard.  I will belay it to the deck later.
 
I then turned my attention to the Spanker Boom and Gaff. I previously seized all of the blocks and thimbles. I also tied up a knotted foot rope. I used a .018 rope and tied a serious of half hitch knots and seized it to the boom.
 
Attaching the boom and gaff to the spanker mast was very tricky.  I decided to pin the throats to the spanker mast. The first challenge was drilling a hole in the whopping 1/8 diameter dowel. I used a micro drill bit and decided to use a .026 wire for the pin. I marked and drilled the holes for the spanker mast before I mounted it.
 
I also drilled the holes on the spanker jaws. 
 
Lining them up however to attach the boom and gaff was another challenge. The boom was easier. The Gaff was one of those @^*&$ moments. Too much “stuff” in the way.
 
I also tied on a rope parrel with small eyebolts (the smallest I could twist up). I tied one end with a whipping before I installed the booms. I had to tie the other end on the model. Again, a very difficult procedure. I used a .018 rope. Threading the end around the spanker mast and through the small eyebolt on the other side was difficult. I used a long length of rope so that I could pull the ends away from the eyebolt to tie a whipping. Once tied, I carefully pulled the end to slide the knot to the eyebolt and tightened up the entire assembly. This took most of the morning, and alas, when done, YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE IT!
 
Oh well, I know it is there, but in a few days, I will forget it.
 
Once the boom and gaff were pinned in place, I was able to rig the topping lift for the boom.  The blocks in the tree were previously installed.  I used a .018 tan rigging rope. I also attached the tackles and belayed them to eyebolts in the waterway.
 
I then rigged the spanker gaff. Again, I used a .018 tan rope. I temporarily tied the ends off on cleats on the railing.
 
It is starting to look like a sailing ship.

Ughh.
 
Mine will be less than half the size.  Thinking about scratch building them using the method in your design.  I'll keep you posted.

Don,
 
Bravo.
 
Your ships wheel is simply exquisite.  Love the paint job and the detail on your deck furniture too.

Don,
 
Agree with all of the members.  If you were to paint anything, I might consider painting the under surface a darker color over the white.  It may mask some of the gaps. Just a thought.

Mike,
 
You can check my log, but I chose to solder rings of 26 gauge wire, and then bend them around the deadeyes. I kept the soldered end on top of the deadeye.  If I were to do it again, I would put the soldered end at the bottom of the deadeye since it would be hidden by the wood rail. that would have eliminated the need to touch up the silver solder with black paint.
 
The straps that bolt to the hull were created with round brass wire that I flattened on the each end with a small punch. I then drilled holes.  Those look great on the ship and were very easy to make. I blackened them when completed.
 
Here is a photo of the completed parts.  They have held up very nicely.
 
I have been working hard on standing rigging.  I am going to post a practicum when I complete the fore mast and jib boom rigging.  I am solving all kinds of challenges that I will be able to share with you.
 
Good luck friend.

Looking good Mike.
 
Not adding the stern post and stem will greatly help you to sand the planking ends and shape the curves. I think that was a good call. I wish I had waited to add my stern post until after I planked my Niagara.  It was in the way and I nicked it repeatedly when I was sanding the end of the stern planks. Rabbit or not, I think I could have done a cleaner job by adding it after planking.
 
 

Looking good Mike.
 
Not adding the stern post and stem will greatly help you to sand the planking ends and shape the curves. I think that was a good call. I wish I had waited to add my stern post until after I planked my Niagara.  It was in the way and I nicked it repeatedly when I was sanding the end of the stern planks. Rabbit or not, I think I could have done a cleaner job by adding it after planking.
 
 

Mike,
 
I use that figure 8 seizing a lot. That is especially useful for seizing blocks to yards. Just be careful when you cut the tails off.  Make sure you always have a sharp blade. You want the cut to be quick with as little pressure as possible.  If the blade is not sharp, and you have to start pressing down on the seizing and start sawing, you can pull the knot loose.
 
Good luck.

Mike,
 
I use that figure 8 seizing a lot. That is especially useful for seizing blocks to yards. Just be careful when you cut the tails off.  Make sure you always have a sharp blade. You want the cut to be quick with as little pressure as possible.  If the blade is not sharp, and you have to start pressing down on the seizing and start sawing, you can pull the knot loose.
 
Good luck.

Looking good Mike.
 
Not adding the stern post and stem will greatly help you to sand the planking ends and shape the curves. I think that was a good call. I wish I had waited to add my stern post until after I planked my Niagara.  It was in the way and I nicked it repeatedly when I was sanding the end of the stern planks. Rabbit or not, I think I could have done a cleaner job by adding it after planking.