US Brig Niagara by 6ohiocav - FINISHED - Model Shipways - Scale 1:64

[GuntherMT]

Darrell,

 

Your Niagara is looking great.  Just caught up with it from about 2 months back, and your rigging is progressing nicely and looking fantastic!  I agree with you that Chuck's rope (and blocks and specialty blocks like the hearts for that matter) are awesome and really make a huge improvement to your model over what the kit provides (i.e. garbage).

[mikiek]

Thanks Darrell and right back at ya.  I have some letter decals I am going to try. I'll have to remember where I got them - I believe Amazon. They're a thin block type font, yellow and I think they are the right size. I may start working on that.

 

Hanging rope? I'm still thinking I like the look of the first mast spar in each hole with shrouds and just stop there. It'll make for a heck of a lot smaller display case

[mikiek]

Oh yes - mooring cleats? Definitely a modern day thing.

[ca.shipwright]

See if you can locate someone doing 3D commercial printing. They can make very small items.

[6ohiocav]

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.

[mikiek]

I found those letter decals

[6ohiocav]

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.

[6ohiocav]

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.

[GuntherMT]

Well... here's the real thing..

 

 

The difference in rakes is pretty noticeable even at this less than perfect angle.  It's your ship, so it's certainly up to you, but the photo's of the real thing show a fairly significant rake and it's easy to see that the masts are at different angles.

 

Do a quick google image search on 'brig niagara' and you'll have hundreds of photo's to go through to decide what you want to do!

[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.

[Sailor1234567890]

The reason for raking masts differently like that was quite well known back in the day. It splays open the space available for sails without blanketing one another. In other words, your sails will not tend to overlap one another if the tips of the masts are further apart. Cutty Sark's masts are raked 1 degree more for each mast moving aft if I recall correctly. If you rake them all the same (except I suppose in a schooner with 3 more more masts) something will "not sit well" to your eye.

[6ohiocav]

Thanks Sailor123...,

 

That makes sense and I will shove on as the plan provides.

[6ohiocav]

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.

​

Edited January 12, 2017 by 6ohiocav

[6ohiocav]

TOPSAIL YARD, LIFT AND HALLIARD

 

I worked on the topsail yard for the main mast.  I pinned it to the mast, and attached the lifts and halliards. I still have to attach the parrel.

 

Topsail Yard lift:  I used .012 rope, seized to the end of the yard with a 1/8 block stropped to the end (which I believe would be used for the clew line if rigged with sails), then routed through 1/8 block in the shrouds, and then will be belayed to the deck.

 

Topsail Yard Halliard: I used a long single strand of .018 rope. I started by running it through the Starboard 1/8 block in the shrouds, then down to the 5/32 block seized to the center of the yard, and then up to the 1/8 block in the port shrouds.  Both ends of this rope will be belayed to tackles attached to the channels.

 

I am now getting close to stepping the mast. The spaghetti mass of ropes is starting to get a bit out of hand. I still have to seize some blocks for the spanker mast, and generally work on preparing the mast for the booms. As I found on the foremast, once stepped, the process of attaching all of the lines will move at a spirited pace.

[mikiek]

Beautiful work Darrell!

[6ohiocav]

SPANKER GAFF AND BOOM

 

Before stepping the main mast, I prepared the spanker gaff and boom, and the rigging blocks and such for the mast.

 

I dressed up the gaff and boom with cleats and chock blocks.  I inserted small pin heads to replicate carriage bolts, then sent it off to the paint booth for primer and two coats of flat black paint. I then seized thimble lashings and blocks per the plans.

[ca.shipwright]

Very nice Darrell. Thanks for sharing the order in which you did all this. It will come in handy for my build.

 

Regards

[mikiek]

Good idea with the pinheads for that carriage bolt look. Used strategically, those can  add a lot.

[6ohiocav]

LOWER MAST SHROUDS, STAVES, FUTTOCK SHROUDS, AND YET MORE RATLINES

 

I reached yet another milestone – I stepped the main mast.

 

I seized the deadeyes to the end of my shroud lines using my jig, and then lashed them to the channel deadeyes with .012 lanyards (tan rope).

 

I then lashed the upper and lower staves using black sewing thread. The staves were made of cherry stripwood that I milled and finished in tung oil.

 

I then worked on the futtock shrouds. I used 3mm brass hooks (blackened) and .025 rope. I seized the hooks on with a whipping. I wrapped the loose end of the shroud lines around the upper stave and seized the end to a shroud line with my black sewing thread.

 

​Then, MORE RATLINES!

 

I am obviously getting a little better at doing this.  The work on the mainmast is much cleaner than the foremast. Practice does help.

 

Of course, it is still time consuming. These simple exercises on the starboard side took all weekend, and I have to do it all again on the port side.

[ca.shipwright]

Nicely done! It does go slow with the rigging doesn't it?

[6ohiocav]

Mike,

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

I have found that it just takes a lot of time to tie hundreds of knots. Once I get the shrouds done, and the last course of ratlines, hooking up the remaining stays that are hanging off the mast should go pretty smartly, at least they did on the foremast. I can almost see a bit of light at the end of this long tunnel.

[mikiek]

Looks fantastic Darrell!  I'll say it again - your perseverance amazes me. 

[Tigersteve]

Looks great! Best Niagra on the block. Lol I know those are clove hitches for the ratlines, but what type of knot did you tie at the end of them? I'm not sure if my question is clear.

Steve

[6ohiocav]

Thanks Mike for the encouraging words.

 

Steve, I understand the question clearly. The end knots are single half hitches with a spot of CA to hold it together. I tie the half hitch such that the rope that leaves the knot heading to the first shroud line wraps "underneath" the knot to create the proper shape of a hanging ratline.  I do the same at the end. I hope this makes sense. If you don't do this correctly, the rope will have an inverted hang to it. I discovered this by trial and error.

Edited January 24, 2017 by 6ohiocav

[6ohiocav]

PORTSIDE MAINMAST LOWER SHROUDS, FUTTOCK SHROUDS AND LAST OF THE RATLINES

 

I finished the portside lower shrouds. I lashed up the staves, installed the futtock shrouds, and tied my LAST RATLINES… I hope.

[jbshan]

I do not in any way recommend this

 

I do not in any way recommend this,

but the ratlines historically ended with a spliced eye that was lashed to the outer shrouds.  Also, the end of the shrouds, after being lashed to the upper deadeye, had a little leather cap, 'to keep their heads warm and dry', as one of my correspondents says.

Try either one of those and your eyes will certainly cross.

 

I do not in any way recommend this

 

I do not in any way recommend this

[mikiek]

Joel - did the cap cover the entire upper deadeye - top, bottom, both sides?

 

If placed on after the lanyards it would then cover the lanyards as they went in/out of the deadeye.

 

Just asking - seems like some wet card stock could be molded around a deadeye.

[mikiek]

What's left Darrell? You have to be getting close to done.

[6ohiocav]

Hi Joel,

 

I actually tried to create eye splices with the .008 rope, and to be honest, I could not find a pin tip small enough to split the fibers well enough. I also had to do it under a magnifying glass while the rope was clamped to a small vice. I cannot even imagine how one would do that on a ship at this scale. And considering that each of the lower shrouds would require 30 splices X 2 and considering there are 4 in total, that would be 240 splices.

 

I therefore have to agree with your admonitions.

[jbshan]

Just a little cap, Mike; big enough to cover the end of your thumb.  It's in one or other of your books.

 

Darrell, I just thought you'd like to know what you've been missing. 

Edited January 25, 2017 by jbshan