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cdrusn89

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Everything posted by cdrusn89

  1. cdrusn89
    Fore Top Mast Ratlines done - on to the yard arms after I stroup a few more blocks for the braces and some that I think are missing on the fore yard arms.
  2. cdrusn89
    Fore Top Gallant mast ratlines (the easy ones) complete. I believe those are "calf hitches" on both ends.
  3. cdrusn89
    Upper Fore mast now ready for ratlines. Sheer poles installed and Top Gallant shrouds terminated per the plans. Having done the Main it was easier to get these completed. Hopefully the ratlines will be easier also.
  4. cdrusn89
    BJ, I built the Model Shipways Bluenose but it was back in 2012 or so. I do not remember much about the build except that I finished it and the completed model (in a Bluejacket's case) is hanging on the wall in my living room. It was my second kit (Bluejacket's Smuggler was first) and first plank on bulkhead (Smuggler is a solid hull). I believe you are correct that it is not a difficult hull to plank since I don't remember any significant issues. I remember buying a plank bender (the modified soldering iron type) but never used it. I would sand the wood and then soak. Sanding wet wood is pretty messy and difficult to control. Sandpaper (like 80 grit) glued to tongue depressors make really effective sanding sticks where you need to take off lots of wood - like shaping filler blocks. Also consider substituting balsa wood (I get mine at the local Michael's) for whatever the kits supply. It sands quite easily compared to bass wood or whatever they are putting in the kits these days. Your methodology for transferring the breading line to the keel sounds fine. I recommend using rubber cement to attach the plans to the keel. It makes it easier to get off when you are done. Looking forward to following your build. GLH
  5. cdrusn89
    Completed assembly of the Fore Mast with all the stays and shrouds (and the two fair leads for the main royal and top gallant stays). Now on to the Top Gallant and Top Mast deadeyes, sheer poles and ratlines. Also have gotten the Bowsprit as far as I care to go before the Fore mast in onboard. There are four lines that pass through the dolphin striker, the top one is the Jib Boom Martingale, but the next two are the Top Gallant and Flying Jib stays. I want to rig these in the order from top to bottom to reduce the interference while rigging. Also the Flying Jib Boom and Jib Boom guys will not be rigged until the stays below have been rigged also to reduce interference. The red clips are holding the downhaul lines for the four head sails. These will connect to the respective halyards when the final running rigging is set up following installation of the Fore Mast. Here is a shot of the complete Fore Mast and two of the Bowsprit assembly.
  6. cdrusn89
    More issues. Unwisely I built the top mast and inner and out jib stays (the eye and mouse) without considering (or considering properly) that all three exit under the top mast platform and need to have their connections (eye and mouse) not interfere with each other. As a result I had to modify the top mast stay and create new ones for the inner and out jib stays. So, for those of you also building the Niagara and using the "eye and mouse" to create the loops to carry the top mast stays around the top mast, wait until the top masts are assembled before establishing where the mouse goes on each stay. Here are the three fore top mast stays (top mast, inner jib, outer jib from top to bottom). I would have liked the out jib mouse to have been a little further away from the eye but since it passes through the bowsprit further forward than the other two, I think it is okay. Now on to the fore top gallant mast.
  7. cdrusn89
    Assembling the Fore Mast (in spite of the issue highlighted above). Also working the bowsprit installation including the bowsprit shrouds, bobstays, and the spritsail yard lifts..
  8. cdrusn89
    A point I should have made on the Main Mast but the issue is the same on the Fore so here it is. If you use the kit recommended line size for the Main/Fore stays and Preventer stays (.045 and .035) and serve them as I did when you install them there is not enough room left in the opening at the top to get the top mast to fit. I had to taper the bottom inch of the top mast to about half its plan dimension on each side in order to get it to fit and slide down far enough to get the black painted section below the mast cap. I have no other solution except using smaller line for the stays but am not sure that would fix the problem either.
  9. cdrusn89
    Thanks Frankie. I hope my log is of some assistance. I know the others on this site have helped me. I am going to Eire in August to see the real Niagara (and the rest of the tall ships on the Great Lakes this summer). Probably will not check out the Tops - I grew afraid of heights after a trip up the pole mast on the USS Rathburne in 1977. While in Australia late last year I got to take a "three hour cruise" on the James Craig (1873 iron hulled three masted barque) where we set eleven sails. Quite an impressive sight.
  10. cdrusn89
    Finally am moving to the Fore Mast. Here are the shrouds, stays and course yard truss in place. Will alternate between assembling and rigging the Fore Mast and installing and rigging the bowsprit. Touching up the paint on the bowsprit now.
  11. cdrusn89
    Main mast is as complete as it is going to get until the bowsprit and fore are installed. I ran the fore yard braces as far as I could, those are the toilet paper tubes you see hanging down. The ratlines went easier with the template. I am not sure they look any better but at least it was quicker and easier. Now that I have the template there is no reason not to use it in the future. I have not rigged the Top Gallant or Royal back stays yet as I am afraid that I may bend the main mast more than I can correct with the stays connecting to the Fore Mast. My plan is to connect them together (aka the royal back stays and the royal stay, and the top gallant back stays and top gallant stay) and tension them together to keep from bending the mast. When I built my jig for making rope coils to go on the pin racks and fife rails I neglected to notice that there are two different lengths required for the fife rails. Spent part of the morning building a new jig with closer spacing to make shorter coils. Here are the two jigs. Hopefully these will stand me in good stead for future builds. Here are two shots of the completed (more or less) main mast and my rope coil jigs.
  12. cdrusn89
    Now that the port side is more or less complete (never say complete) I have shifted to the stbd side. With the port side experience things are going somewhat faster as I got the two sheer poles and the futtock shrouds completed this morning. Now on to the ratlines (UGH). I did the port side ratlines "by eye" using a piece of 7/32" plank to get the spacing. On the stbd side I decided to use a template. Since I do not have a CAD package (nor how to use one) I used PowerPoint to create a series of parallel lines with consistent spacing. Then I printed them out to see what spacing I got - hard (for me) to get accurate measurements from PowerPoint. Anyway, I measured, resized, printed, measured again and after three tries got the 7/32" spacing called for on the plans (scale 14"). To reduce the chance of "hour-glassing" the shrouds I added them to the template too. Here are the stbd main sheer pole and the template ready for "ratline making". *Futtock shroud picture won't load for some reason - the dreaded error -200.
  13. cdrusn89
    Thanks Sea Hoss. I replaced the third one up and continued to add to the port main ratlines. Kept looking for a reason to stop. But didn't (mostly) until I got the port side finished. Here they are. Although you can't tell, at the very top I switched over and used the cow hitch (I believe I incorrectly said it was a clove hitch) on the first and last shroud. I think that is how I will try and do the stbd side as well as dampening the line before using it - a "trick" I got from the sails and rigging forum. It appears I need to pay better attention to getting the ratlines parallel to the deck - hopefully a better job on the stbd side. Now for the sheer poles and futtock shrouds on the stbd side - I already put the l line and blocks on for the braces. Much easier without the futtock shrouds to deal with. In doing these I did not encounter any serious interference with the running rigging that I installed previously. This was an experiment to see if putting the running rigging on before the shrouds (other than the forward and rear most ones) and ratlines (which is much easier without having to work around the shrouds/ratlines, at least for me) was workable and from this single example it appears so. I will follow the same sequence on the Fore Mast.
  14. cdrusn89
    Sorry, forgot a hit the Tab key by mistake. Anyway, I started using clove hitches but after a few (two I think) I started using a clove hitch only on the first shroud (typically on the left since I am right handed) and then switch to overhand knots for the other four shrouds. I started using 50/50 glue/water on the joints but shifted to straight white glue. The 50/50 was taking to long to dry and tended to go places I did not want (like on the deck/channel). So far I have six rows done but not "finished" (excess line cut off). By my count only 18 - 20 rows to go UGH! And then there are three more lower shroud sets and two more Top Sail and Top Gallant shrouds. I think I will find something with no ratlines for my next kit - maybe the Endeavour in 1/35 scale. Here is where I am on the port main ratlines. PS, I may decide to redo the third one up - the line broke and I tried to "save it".
  15. cdrusn89
    Thanks Jonathan. I am working what is prob ably my least favorite task - ratlines.
  16. cdrusn89
    Thanks Javlin. Added the futtock shrouds and ratlines as well as the block and line for the Fore Course and the block for the Top Sail brace on this side. For anyone who does this on Niagara (or really any square rigger with futtock shrouds) be sure to attach the necessary blocks (and lines - in this case the Fore Course Brace bitter end is seized to the forward most main lower shroud) before you rig the futtock shrouds. It is much harder to get the blocks where they need to be once the futtock shrouds are in place. It would be close to impossible (absolutely impossible for me) to get these blocks in place after the futtock shroud ratlines are there. Here is the port side futtock shrouds and associated "stuff". I need to be a little more sparing with the glue it would seem although things always look worse in the pictures than in real life - at least that's my story and I'm sticking with it.
  17. cdrusn89
    Continuing to work the main mast. Got the port side lower shrouds and sheer pole (not really a pole on Niagara - rectangular cross section). Not as neat as I would have liked - will hope to do better on the Fore mast. Got the main sheet rigged and belayed - made up a rope coil form the extra line - even remembered how to do, it from all the coils I made for the guns - seems like a long time ago.
  18. cdrusn89
    Added the Spanker Gaff and associated halyards and vang and vang tackle. Also working on installing the rest of the lower shrouds. Getting close to my favorite part (NOT) ratlines. Here is a view of the gaff, the belay points for the vang tackle (line going over the rail) and the throat halyard (last pin on pin rail) and the mast block for the peak halyard.
  19. cdrusn89
    Scott/Javlin - thanks; I am starting to wonder if this rigging ever ends. All my previous builds were schooners - may go back to them after this. Worked the port side pin rails and spanker boom. Added a few lines (staysail halyards, braces - those are the lines wrapped around toilet paper tubes you see in some of the photos) to make life easier when I get further along. Counted and there are 16 more blocks that need to be added to various places (mostly to shrouds) for the braces. I have the ones that are on the yards but need to get back in the block stropping business.
  20. cdrusn89
    Slowly adding the lifts, sheets, bunt lines, leech lines, etc. to stbd pin rail abreast the Main Mast. Port side is next. Debating on whether to add the spanker boom and gaff now or wait until the bowsprit and Fore mast are aboard.
  21. cdrusn89
    More rigging on the Main file rail and cleats on Main Mast. More work outside too but we will not talk further about that. Another cruise tomorrow so no shipyard work until we return on Friday.
  22. cdrusn89
    More outside work (in Florida, in June) detracting from ship rigging time. Anyway I got all the deadeyes stropped to their shrouds and rigged the lanyards on the forward and aft most shrouds on both sides. Checked the main mast alignment again - still okay. Rigged the course lift tackle and course truss to their pins (for the record I decided to leave the belaying pins the factory brass finish - adds a bit more color to the deck areas) and added a pre-made rope coil of the correct size and color (mostly tan, I had planned on using both Syren tan and light brown pretty evenly but never got around actually doing it). Here are the main mast course lift tackle and course truss on the starboard side. More outside work tomorrow - hopefully early, before it gets REALLY hot.
  23. cdrusn89
    GrandpaPhil and Steve, Thanks for the info. Bowsprit should go before the Fore mast. It is ready for installation and I may do that next in between assembling the Fore mast and rigging the Main mast running rigging. Need things to do while glue dries.
  24. cdrusn89
    In spite of some difficulties getting the shrouds min the right order I managed tom get the port side deadeyes rigged to their respective shrouds and not pull the mast out of alignment. So far so good. Work the Starboard side tomorrow and consider the next step to get the mast stabilized enough get the running rigging attached.
  25. cdrusn89
    So here is my "daedeye gauge" mounted on the port side abeam the main mast and the first deadeye stropped to the forward most shroud - the one that is served its entire length.

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