6ohiocav

Brian,
 
That is the angle I see on the model. I went fishing for photos of the real ship after I posted the question. Thanks for finding this first. My eye feels better.

Gents,
 
Now that I am so close to stepping the main mast, I have noted that the Main mast is pitched at a pretty distinct angle, much more severe than the fore mast. Since this is sitting in the slot cut into the keel, it has to be as planned. It just does not "sit well" with my eye.
 
Is this accurate? It would seem to be more pleasing to my eye if I matched the pitch with the foremast.  It too is angled back somewhat, but not as severe as the main. Are the angled masts peculiar to shallow drafted brigs, as they are much more vertical in three masted frigates and rated ships.
 
Thanks for looking in.

MAIN MAST UPPER RATLINES, ROYAL AND T’GALLANT YARDS
 
I received my shipment from Syren, on time and as ordered, (thanks Chuck again!). Therefore, I was able to finish the upper ratlines. Since I had worked on the yards while in waiting, I was able to raise the royal and t’gallant yards.
 
I pinned them in place with .24 wire and a spot of CA. It holds them in place secure enough to work on the lifts and parrels. Once those are set, it is sturdy enough to thread the clew line and sheet running lines through the blocks.  I tied the ends off on the end of the yards.
 
Here are some photos of my progress.  I placed the main mast in its deck hole temporarily for illustration purposes only.

Pete, Mike, Brian and Mike,
 
Thanks for stopping in.  I have been keeping track of how many aftermarket blocks and rope that I am using and should be able to provide a materials list for future Niagara builders when I am all done. There is actually some light emerging from that dark tunnel.
 
Chuck's products make a huge difference. Don't get me wrong - I love this kit. And I also fully understand the economics of wooden POB kits. I would have never purchased this kit as a first timer if it cost me what I have now paid over the years.
 
Early on, I decided to go "all in" by upgrading all of the laser cut parts to cherry hardwood, and using Syren blocks and rope. The result provides justification for this investment.

CLEWLINES AND SHEETS
While I have been working on prototypes of my scratch-build ship’s boats, I noted that we now have a new format to the site.  Looks great.  Thanks to the ADMINS. I can’t imagine the time it takes to keep all of this up to date.
Since I hit a snag on what to do with the clewlines and sheets for a ship rigged without sails, I broke down and secured a copy of Peterssons book “Rigging Period Ship Models” and found an answer in the diagram on page 49. Using that as a guide, I rigged my topsail clews and sheets. An adequate solution.

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.

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.

CLEWLINES AND SHEETS
While I have been working on prototypes of my scratch-build ship’s boats, I noted that we now have a new format to the site.  Looks great.  Thanks to the ADMINS. I can’t imagine the time it takes to keep all of this up to date.
Since I hit a snag on what to do with the clewlines and sheets for a ship rigged without sails, I broke down and secured a copy of Peterssons book “Rigging Period Ship Models” and found an answer in the diagram on page 49. Using that as a guide, I rigged my topsail clews and sheets. An adequate solution.

I totally agree with Nick. I did the upper shrouds and ratlines on my Niagara build, doing that on the bench and then pinned the yards. I then stepped the mast, and worked on the lower shrouds and ratlines before attaching the course yard. You want to maintain as much room to attach shrouds and ratlines as possible.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

If I could hire a camerman, I would do one. I already need an additional hand just to tie these knots - certainly can't spare one for the camera.

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.

Ahhh.  I do remember that rope ladder. The plans actually say that is a modern safety thing, and I discarded the idea of doing that long ago.  I also discarded the safety net for the bowsprit for the same reason.
 
Thanks for the clarification and reminder.

Joel,
 
In addition to a number of blocks hanging from the trees (topping lift blocks and halliard lifts), I was referring to the futtock shrouds and the catharpin.  Are any of these modern anomalies?

Mike
 
I think this is the nature of the beast. I don't think there is another way. The catharpin and futtock shrouds were the problem. But they need to be done before anything is added since they are much more complex. If I had added the spanker gaff before the catharpin, that would have been a real pain.

Mike,
 
If you can get your ship to the Mississippi, and sail it up the Ohio, I will pick it up in Marietta. Actually, I wish we lived closer so that we could collaborate in person.
 
Thanks a lot for your experiments on the hammock rails on your build. I am following closely and taking a lot of notes.

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.

Like Tony, I try and tie all of my seizings by hand, using the standard "whipping" knot that Sicard demonstrates. The zip seizings soaked in CA stand out to much for my taste. I do however use his zip seizings on those impossible knots, where you can't get good access, and since they are by nature, buried somewhere, you really can't see the CA seizings. It helps in a pinch.

If I could hire a camerman, I would do one. I already need an additional hand just to tie these knots - certainly can't spare one for the camera.

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.

Like Tony, I try and tie all of my seizings by hand, using the standard "whipping" knot that Sicard demonstrates. The zip seizings soaked in CA stand out to much for my taste. I do however use his zip seizings on those impossible knots, where you can't get good access, and since they are by nature, buried somewhere, you really can't see the CA seizings. It helps in a pinch.