Niagara by lb0190 - Model Shipways - 1/64

[popeye the sailor]

I as will Larry..........happy holidays to  you !   looks forward to the update!

Edited December 23, 2013 by popeye the sailor

[lb0190]

It's been a while since I've provided an update. Travel, life in general and family have kept me busier than normal but it's starting to calm down enough to let me get back to the shop and my friends at MSW. My plans were to hold off on doing so until the hull planking was complete, but there's enough progress to show some pictures and point out areas that were more difficult than the normally difficult parts...

 

Before I start, my previously posts indicated I was working on the port side, well. I may have had one or two too many holiday spirits, I actually have been laying planks on the starboard side...

 

Looking at the first picture you will see where I was attempting to make a piece of wood for the stem area. I wanted to remove the downward curve in the aft planks in effort to get a run that is more straight. I probably made 3-4 pieces before I could get it close enough to glue in place. I kept breaking the wood or just did not het the shape right. Finally I had a brain storm and decided to make a prototype using heavy stock paper. Once I had the paper shape close, I traced it on the wood and file it to fit from there.

 

The remaining pictures show the starboard side planked, minus the sanding. I have a few spots that looked low enough that I applied some Hobby-Lite filler. Hopefully the remaining high/low spots sill sand out – there are also a lot of pencil marks that I hope the sanding will remove. I tried a pencil eraser on some of them but for some reason would not come off.

 

Next steps

Finish planking the port side

Sand hull

Start working on that long list of “I need to touch that up” items

start deck planing

Edited July 15, 2014 by lb0190

[popeye the sailor]

that's some sweet looking planking Larry!   no matter what side it is,  it's definitely a big step!   really looks as though you've put some thought into it 

[augie]

Welcome back to the bench Larry.

 

I gotta say...that is one heck of a piece!  Talk about compound curves.  She's looking good.

 

For a while there, 'Club Niagara' was pretty quiet.  Good to have you back.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[aliluke]

Well you made it and well done mate - it's a bugger that a ship has two sides . Port, starboard or whatever.

 

Have a good Christmas and I look forward to your new year updates.

 

Cheers

Alistair

[lb0190]

Thanks Alistair. I hope the holidays go well for you.

[Sjors]

Hi my favourite Indian !

 

Great planking job.

Glad that you found your way back to the ship yard.

Next time don't stay away that long !

Or I will send the Cavalry  

A little sanding and filling and a coat of varnish ?

 

[Sailor1234567890]

Still looking good. Keep us posted.

[lb0190]

Thanks guys! Still adding hull planks when time permits...

Yes a little (I hope) sanding, some paint then a coat of wip-on-poly to protect the paint. I may end up spraying on some dull coat if needed. I still have a lot of detail work to do before even considering hull paint;

 

Verify/set proper height of gunports - I believe they are a little short right now

Set proper width of sweep ports - I believe they are a little too narrow

Square up gun port and sweep port corners

Make and install butt strips for gun/sweep ports

Make and install top outside bulwark rail

[Sjors]

That's a long list Larry !

Pictures please !

 

[texxn5]

The planking turned out nice Larry.  This will certainly come in handy when I build my Niagra after finishing the Morgan.  Looks like some tricky curves for this lady...

[lb0190]

Hi Sjors & John,

 

Thanks for looking in. I suspect making the butt strips will be the most time consuming part. I may end up using card stock for the sweeport strips, I'll have to wait and see how it looks. Yes, the curves are a challenge but it gives the ship interesting lines. John, make sure you verify with your plans before you copy anything from my build...   :D   

[texxn5]

No problem Larry, It's nice to see a progressive approach to verify thoughts or ideas as to how to proceed or how something is supposed to look.  It's going to be quite a while before I finish the Morgan, especially once I start rigging.  I won't start on a Niagra until the Morgan is complete.  I enjoy following your build as I know I'll be in the same spot someday.

[DaveGrady1]

Larry

Very impressed with the build so far.  I just received the Niagara as a Xmas present and am looking forward to the build.  I will be following your posts to try and pick up more tips on the build.  Have learned very much already.  I am currently building the MS Bluenose and I am at the building masts and rigging stage.  Very daunting task !!

Dave

[lb0190]

Hi Dave,

 

Welcome aboard and thanks for the compliment! The Niagara is a great model ship to build and has a strong national history. It is a challenging build for me due to my limited experience but I believe anyone with a little experience and a fair amount of patience can complete the build and end up with a nice display.

Edited December 29, 2013 by lb0190

[greatgalleons]

Hey there Larry , your build is coming along nicely, It's so much more difficult to plank the hull in belts as suggested in the instructions, looks great!

[lb0190]

Hey there Larry , your build is coming along nicely, It's so much more difficult to plank the hull in belts as suggested in the instructions, looks great!

Thank you for looking in. I've been following your build also and I'm impressed as well as amazed at how fast your build is moving, with excellent workmanship.

[greatgalleons]

Yes I guess I do work a bit faster than most. Some years I could get up to eight builds done, I've slowed down a bit and have decided to hold off on the rigging on the Niagara for a while. I'll finish it later on in the new year.

Edited December 30, 2013 by greatgalleons

[edmay]

Hello Larry,nice planking,Wishing you and your family a joyous Christmas season,and good health for the new year.Edwin

[lb0190]

Hello Edwin! Thank you and I hope the holidays have been good to you and yours!

[patrickmil]

Hey Larry, I hope the holidays were good to you and your family. Your Niagara is looking great and I am impressed by the very clean lines of your planking.

[gerty]

Nice job Larry !

[lb0190]

Thanks Patrick and Gerty (sorry about the late reply).

Happy New Year everyone. I'm down to lacking only two planks to finish the hull.        

Once the glue dries, on the plank I just installed, I'll start on the final two. I cannot believe it's been a little over six months to plank this hull. This effort was one of those "it hurt so good" kinda tasks    If mistakes makes one better at something, I should be an expert by now.  Pictures are coming, hopefully tonight or no later than tomorrow. Take care everyone.

Edited January 12, 2014 by lb0190

[texxn5]

Great Larry, good to see you back.....looking forward to pictures...

[lb0190]

Thanks John!

 

The last two planks went on much quicker than anticipated. Next is an epoxy coat on the inside of the planks. I know it's not really needed, but since it's single planked, I feel more at ease sanding on the hull with the epoxy adding some strength to the assembly. After sanding, I'll start working on some of the details I left for later, yes... putting odds and ends off have finally caught up with me. Gun,sweep ports need sanded to final deminsion, end planks need to be made and installed on gun/sweep ports and after that I believe it's time to do some painting.

Edited July 15, 2014 by lb0190

[texxn5]

Looks great Larry, congrats on a job well done......nice big milestone to celebrate....here's bendin an elbow to ya..

[lb0190]

Thanks John. With it being my first planking, I'm OK with how it turned out. I'm anxious to get started onthe deck planking but it will be a week or two before I get started on that.

 

I just finished coating the inside of the hull with two part epoxy. It added some weight to the ship and hopefully some strength.

[texxn5]

Hi Larry, yeah, planking can really be intimidating at first.  It's one of those things that you just kind of have to dive into and hope for the best.....especially your first time.....my Morgan was my first attempt, and I surprised myself and it turned out ok.  Mistakes, sure, but it still came out ok.  Makes you feel good when you step back and look at them....The epoxy will definitely add strength.  I was surprised when I got to handling the hull after it was planked and decked and it was solid as a rock....nice feeling....

[lb0190]

I agree completely, it feels solid and looks halfway decent. Now all I need to do is resist sanding the planks down to the bulkheads.

[popeye the sailor]

well done Larry!   the outer hull looks great