milosmail

Just checking in. I have been working on the waterway and plank sheer. Fit is close, but as instructions mention, a small amount of sanding is required to fit around bulkheads. While fitting the aft waterways I discovered an unrelated problem as the quarter stanchions seemed to interfere with the proper placement of the waterway. - I decided I had better check the width of the stern at the top of the quarter stanchions (where the railing will eventually be placed. Found it was a quarter inch too wide. Width at deck level was correct, so I guess I will need to remove these posts and angle them inward more severely - I will probably just make new ones. It does seem though that the gap between the quarter stanchion and the outer stanchion will be nill if I do this. Any thoughts? Also, as the intro in the instructions mentions, not all the plank widths called for in the plans are shipped with the kit. For example, the arch board plans call for a dimension of 5/64 X 5/32 and I found other spots with unique dimensions. Have you folks who are farther along bothered with shaving down the wood, or did you use the next size up? Lastly (not a proper English word), see enclosed photo: This sheet came with my kit, but does not seem to be part of the Niagra. I could not find them on plan sheet one, nor a place these pieces would be used. And, I was not missing any laser cut sheets based on the parts list. I think ME threw in something from another kit. Am I correct?

OK, joining the 'Niagra' build club. Bought the kit about 7 years ago after building a couple of simple ones (Constitution cross section, etc.), but after reading the instructions, I knew I was in over my head. So, I built a couple of kits based on Bob Hunt's practicums, learned a lot, bought some needed tools, etc. And now, I believe I can do a fairly decent job on my own (thank you, Bob). Started with an inventory of the ME kit components, and I found several items were shorted, including over 50 blocks. But, even though I bought the kit in the last decade, ME was very responsive, and I had my missing parts within two weeks. I have progressed to attaching bulkheads to keel (level and square, this time - see, I'm learning from my earlier mistakes), drilled holes in keel for base attachment, shaped bow and stern filler blocks, and generally completed the stern. I did have one problem with the kit - the horn stanchions did not exactly match the inner and outer stanchions, so I will need to do a bit of surgery after the fact, to make for a smooth transom after planking. I am hoping the planks themselves will correct the problem, and time will tell. By the way, I do plan to replace some of the bass wood with Holly deck planks and the bulwarks/ceiling probably with either pear or boxwood - for a smoother finish. Haven't decided yet about the rigging lines or blocks. Comments, suggestions - please send me all you have. I will likely only post once a month, and my build rate is pretty slow as I probably don't spend more than 10 hours a week on the ship.

My golden usually sticks a play toy at my feet or in my lap while I am doing something difficult on my kit. By the way, guess I should start my own Niagra build log as well. So far no big problems - have completed adding bulkheads to keel and carved bow/stern blocks, completed most of stern detail. Quarter stanchions were a bit annoying to position correctly... Yous looks really nice. Hope I can equal...

Everything looks perfect. I only hope I can nearly match your work when I start (probably January at this point - still churning on Fair American). By the way, when your model is completed, will the build log be accessible in an archive somewhere for me to review the excellent photographs - picture is worth a 1000 words, and would be a great addition to the kit instructions?

Awesome job, Dave. Hope I can do nearly as well when I start mine. I just finished deck work on Fair American, so I should be done in 3 months. Then I will re-read your blog in detail. I love the paint job you have put on the ship.

Looks like a great start, and progress. I have the kit, but I am currently about half way through the Lauck Street Fair American. I figure I will be on to the Niagra by July, so I would love to hear about any 'gotcha' errors you found in the kit or instructions. I have never done single plank on hull yet, and that is the part I am the most nervous about. Did you have any problems with wood quality? Sometimes I find the MS quality is a bit lacking, especially in planking wood. I'm debating replacing all the kit's mahogeny for planking with wood from Hobby Mill.