US Brig Niagara by cdrusn89 - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1/64 scale

[cdrusn89]

While this is not my first model ship it is my first attempt at a build log. My previous kits were all fore and aft rigged fishing schooners so this is my first real attempt with square rigged sails and all the yards, rigging etc. that comes alone. I have scrolled through many build logs and will follow what I have seen numerous times by starting with a picture of the kit box sitting on my workbench. I plan on working the ship's boats first as I am waiting for my new Byrnes disk sander to arrive and the ship's boats look like they will be a challenge while I wait.

[cdrusn89]

So here is my first pass at the stern yawl. And I haven't sanded through anywhere (yet). My tube of Bondo 801 arrives tomorrow so I will sand a bit more before putting on the first coat of filler. The plans indicate that this boat is lap-stack planked and I have some material that is also supposed to arrive tomorrow. With regard to the other two boats, I have instructions from Hubert Sicard's site (Wooden Ship Modeling for Dummies) for building them using a frame-on-bulkhead approach which appears very similar to that used for the seine boat in the Benjamin W. Latham kit. I managed to pull that off (although I did cheat somewhat and double plank it) so I may give that a try once I get a little further along on the yawl.

[Tom E]

Count me in.

I'm building the same kit and still learning this craft.

Will follow with great interest.

 

Tom E 

[cdrusn89]

Bondo arrived early and I was able to get a first (and second) layer of fill on the yawl boat. Still a few places that need attention but given that the sides will be recovered for the lap stake I am not inclined to make additional efforts on the exterior. Also cut the tabs off and am working on the keel that I will add before adding the additional planking.

[cdrusn89]

Tom,

 

Welcome aboard. I am going to Erie in September to take a ride on the Niagara replica and get a bunch of pictures of what the "real" Niagara looks like today.

 

Gary H

 

[cdrusn89]

The yawl boat has had its final filler "clean-up" and the keel/rudder has been added. Next a coat of primer on the inside and the lap-strake planking when the materiel (.0206 thickness HO scale 1 X 3s and 1 X 4s from Northeast Scale Lumber) arrives. Not sure why the redish tint. The filler is pinkish but there isn't enough there to cause this.

Edited June 21, 2018 by cdrusn89

[cdrusn89]

As for the launch(es) the first one is "on the building ways" utilizing Hubert Sicard's site (Wooden Ship Modeling for Dummies) instructions for doing it this way. Here is how it looks with three rows of planking on both sides. One of the potential issues with this method is you wont know until all the planking is complete how much difficulty will be encountered getting the hull "turned out" of the cradle. There is always the possibility of glue getting where you don't want it.

[cdrusn89]

Good news and bad news. First the good, "turned out" the hull from the cradle without undue difficulty and it doesn't look too bad after a coat of filler was added and then sanded down. The bad news, the hull is considerably wider than the one made from the "bread and butter" pieces in the kit and wider than the plans show. See picture below. I attribute this to my failure to correctly follow the directions and reduce the contours of the formers created from Mr. Sicard's plans to account for the rib and planking that would go on top of the former. Am creating a new set of formers now with due regard for the thicknesses involved.

Edited June 9, 2018 by cdrusn89

[JerseyCity Frankie]

This websites got tons of Niagara photos, all sharp and clear:  https://www.fourmilephotography.com/FlagshipNiagara

[cdrusn89]

Thanks Frankie

 

GLH

[cdrusn89]

After several tries I finally gave up trying to build the Niagara boats using formers as shown in Hubert Sicard's site. The major difference in the appearance of boats built using the kit's bread-and-butter material and using formers is the appearance of the planks on the boat's interior (see picture above). However, it turns out once all the internals (thwarts, seats, gratings, etc.) are added there is very little of the boats interior that can be seen. In addition, my attempt at doing the stern yawl and doing the lap-strake planking from the start was pretty much a failure. Using 5/64's wide planks I was unable to keep anything like a consistent (or at least smoothly varying) overlap and it came out pretty ugly (see photo below - the one showing bare wood).

Sooo, I decided to use the kits bread-and-butter materials to build the ship's boats and have finished the first of the launches. I made the rudder so it can be detached as I find it hard to believe that the rudder was left attached when the boats were carried in the davits. Wave action (it can get pretty stormy on Lake Eire) could have unseated the rudder or beaten it to death. I also added a towing ring at the bow as I believe these boats were probably towed frequently.

Edited June 21, 2018 by cdrusn89

[cdrusn89]

So here is the stern yawl finished in a fashion similar to the #1 cutter shown above. The rails are actually white not cream or buff as the look in the picture (at least on my monitor). I added the towing ring and moveable rudder as on #1 cutter. Simulated lap-strake siding created using "O" scale 1 X 4s (approx 0.02 X 0.08). (I just noticed that one of the thole pins on the port side has come adrift - I will fix before putting the yawl in "storage"). Working the #2 cutter and reading ahead for pointers on building the "real" ship.

 

 

Edited June 22, 2018 by cdrusn89

[cdrusn89]

While waiting for some material to arrive to finish the second cutter I started preparing for construction of the "real" ship. It has been my practice when the bevels for the bulkheads are provided in the drawings to rubber glue the bulkhead drawings to the respective bulkheads and bevel the bulkheads, at least roughly before installing them on the false keel. The less work that is required when the bulkhead extensions (aka stanchions or timberheads) are all exposed on the false keel the better. Unfortunately in this case the plans only show the bevel on one side of the bulkhead drawings. Since I am too cheap to use Adobe Acrobat I had to find another way to "flip" the drawings to create a mirror which would be used for the other side of the bulkhead. My solution was to scan the bulkhead drawings, one by one as pictures (aka .jpg files), import them into PowerPoint (making sure to reset the imported picture to the original size) and then copy the slide and use the "Flip Horizontal" command to create a mirror of the original. Then print out the slides (making sure to uncheck the default, at least on my version of PP, "scale slides to fit paper" selection) and use one picture for each side of the bulkhead. Below are the two pages for bulkhead "A". 

[cdrusn89]

Here are all the bulkheads with the drawings rubber glued to one side and all the sides marked with which way the face. I tried to use the laser cut-out bevel to advantage putting the longer side toward midships but doubt there would be any great consequence if no attention was paid to the degree or two of bevel that the laser cutting produces. I also rubber cemented to aft portion of the profile to the false keel to show where the bearding line is on the aft portion - the only place it is other than 1/16" up from the keel. I had to make two mirror copies of this too, one for each side of the false keel. Here is what they look like before any sanding is done. The bulkheads without drawings (G, H and I) do not have any bevel so they can go directly onto the false keel.

Edited June 24, 2018 by cdrusn89

[cdrusn89]

I took the advise from several sources and sanded/chiselled the rabbet joint into the false keel before joining the false keel and the three pieces of the "real" keel. Having done this I clamped the false keel to the workbench added carpenter glue and clamped the real keel pieces to the false keel and will let them set-up overnight. I also utilized 1/16" brass rod for reinforcement for the joint. I will cut them off flush when the glue is dry. FYI, that is parchment paper (with the waxed side up to keep any glue from sticking to the hobby mat. I find parchment paper easier to work with than wax paper, although you do have to be careful to get the right side up.

[JerseyCity Frankie]

Cutting the rabbit FIRST is CLEARLY the best method. Like an imbecile, I followed the instructions and glued the keel,on THEN laboriously cut the rabbit. I can’t fathom why the kit instructions ask you to do it the most difficult way?

[texxn5]

Nice start and good photos which mean a lot for this Forum.  This is a fun build especially since it's a real ship that we can go aboard and photograph. I've been on board 4 times in the last 6 years.

Enjoy,

John (texxn5)

 

[cdrusn89]

John,

      Thanks - photos are done with iPhone X. I have a Canon EOS 60D SLR but have not gotten clearance from HQ yet for a macro lens so the iPhone will have to do until then. I am going onboard the Niagara for a day sail in September. Have previously sailed on the Pride of Baltimore II as a guest crew. Firmly established that I am no longer (maybe never was) cut out to be a tall ship crew man.

[cdrusn89]

The glue job on the false keel/real keel came out fine, just a few places where the glue needed to be removed. I also marked the reference line on the false keel. Sanded the bevel on each of the bulkheads, removed the bulkhead drawings (mostly), marked the reference line on the bulkheads and the side of the bulkhead that faces forward so the next step is actually putting the bulkheads onto the keel. Am going to reread some of the build logs on this step before proceeding - do NOT want to screw up this part.

[cdrusn89]

The "real ship construction has begun. I fashioned and installed (on the bulkheads only, nothing is permanently attached to the center keel yet) the forward filler block and, taking the advise from several build logs) a second filler block between BHs A and B.I have the knightsheads on each side of the bowsprit (standing in for the bowsprit is the 5/16" X 5/16" piece that will become the bowsprit). Letting this dry (and working on the second cutter). Will add then other timberheads and the laser cut support when this is dry. Filler blocks were cut from balsa wood 2" X 4" X 12" slabs. Balsa is really easy to sand and since I don't have a scroll or band saw that is a good thing. I would not want to try and shape the blocks that came with the kit without a "power assist". Below are pictures of the knightshead and filler blocks installed.

[6ohiocav]

Gary,

 

Looking good. I like your idea of using the bowsprit wood strip to support the knightheads for gluing. I will file that one away.

 

Good luck going forward.

[cdrusn89]

Bulkhead A and bow filler pieces, knightsheads, timberheads, and support pieces assembled and ready for installation on center keel. Doing this work prior to gluing BH A to the center keel is definitely the way to go IMHO. Much easier to avoid "unintended consequences" elsewhere on model. Here are three views of the completed structure.

[cdrusn89]

Stern filler is considerably more of a challenge than the bow. I had a hard time, even with all the build logs to look at, figuring out what this was all supposed to look like when completed, especially the quarter stanchions. Hopefully I have everything figured out correctly. The first filler block and the stern timers went together "okay". Even with the notches in BH Q and the support beam across the six stern timbers, things did not look very symmetrical. Getting the inner filler pieces "matches" took a lot of sanding and checking. I used a homemade sanding stick made from a tongue depressor with one end squared off and some 80 grit sandpaper contact cemented to it as my primary shaping tool. When I got to the really curvy parts I had to revert to 180 grit wrapped around my index finger.

[cdrusn89]

Since there are many sources which indicate that a second filler block between BH A and B is a useful addition I built one and then decided that if two are good, three is better so I made a filler for between BH B and C as well.

Edited June 30, 2018 by cdrusn89

[cdrusn89]

Completed the stern structure on BH Q. Have to add the gun port fairing still and will leave the arch board "as is" until planking the stern is completed. Also created filler pieces for BH P and O since I had plenty of spare balsa and it was kind of fun sanding away.

[cdrusn89]

Here is the final version of BH Q before installation on center keel. Added the framing around the gun ports. I used the inner timbers on the drawings as the starting point for measurements. I believe I got the timbers in the correct place. Am not so sure about the quarter stanchions so thought measuring from the center would be more accurate. Will have to wait until the stern is planked to "know for sure" who accurate I was.

[cdrusn89]

Thought it would be a good idea to drill pilot holes for the eventual mounting screws before mounting the bulkheads on the center keel so I used the drill press to put in two 1/16" holes approximately equidistant from the stern and fwd end of the straight keel section. That will make them centered under the straight part of the keel.

[cdrusn89]

Hull structure is complete, waterways and planksheer installed but not yet finish sanded or painted. As suggested in several build logs I have been adding 1/16 X 3/16 or 1/32 X 3/16 pieces outboard of the planksheer to fill in the gap between the planksheer and where the bulwark planking will go.  I added diagonal internal supports to the bulkheads after the waterway/planksheer installation to provide additional strength to the center keel/bulkhead structure. I prefer the diagonal reinforcements to longitudinal ones because they are easier to install and do not require precise cutting to "just" fit between the bulkheads. As long as you have the capability to cut precise 45's you only have to get close on the measurement. I used 1/4 X 1/4s that I had laying around from something else. And I only broke one stanchion that I couldn't find the missing piece for - broke substantially more than one that were successfully (more or less) repaired. Next to add the 3/32 X 3/32 piece across the top of the stanchions and frame in the gun ports and sweep ports.

[cdrusn89]

Here are the planksheer faring pieces - will be faired along with the rest of the hull after the bulwark planking is completed - need to protect the stanchions before fairing.

 

Also some pictures of the completed hull structure.

[Jim Rogers]

On 6/30/2018 at 6:50 AM, cdrusn89 said:

Since there are many sources which indicate that a second filler block between BH A and B is a useful addition I built one and then decided that if two are good, three is better so I made a filler for between BH B and C as well.

Good thinkin’