Niagara 1813 by Don Quixote - Model Shipways - 1:64 - First build

[Don Quixote]

I found a web site,

http://www.flagshipniagara.org

 

They have an info@flagshipniagara.org that I emailed. Curious to see if they respond and with what. I have a niece that lives within 100 miles. I'm obsessed now, if I have to I'll ask her to drive down with a tape measurer.

[jbshan]

If the hammock rail was too short to take a full length folded hammock, they would lay them in on a slant:  |/////////|/////////|/////////|

I found examples from later on, after photography had been invented, showing both types, though the railings had mostly been boarded in by then.

Yes, the photos were clear enough to show the rolled-up form of the hammocks.  What you see on my rail is the fold itself and a bit of the lashing.  Mine is 3 ft. because it is along the gangway.  Had there been no gangway it could easily been shorter, as on Niagara.

[Don Quixote]

I got the real poop people! This from the captain of the Niagara, Timothy P.  McLaughlin. He actually went out and measured her for me!

Edited February 29, 2016 by JustBlowinInTheWind

[mtaylor]

Now that is golden info to be sure...   

[Don Quixote]

That anchor was a TUFFY! How much rigging is there?

[jbshan]

You see there's a notch just above the bill of the anchor?  The bill could be brought there and re-lashed, hooked over the rail.

I cut out the fore corners of that first large hatch and stuck the ends of the cable down into the hold.  The cable would be held in place by belaying it to the bitts, and by a few stoppers to eyebolts on deck and on the knee of the bitts, in case the lashings gave way.

Darcy Lever is an inexpensive source for a lot of this seamanship stuff.

[Don Quixote]

Thanks for the input. Please don't think I don't appreciate it, but I now have some 27 months into this. I'm not doing anything over that I don't absolutely need to.

[jbshan]

Thanks for the input. Please don't think I don't appreciate it, but I now have some 27 months into this. I'm not doing anything over that I don't absolutely need to.

Wasn't suggesting that.  Hook the anchor bill over the rail, just forward of the port and relash it using the shank painter you already have there.  It just naturally swings up to that notch.  When you get to the other, loose end of the cables, stick them down 2 little holes you make in the hatch cover just aft of the galley stack, or in the main hatch.  Wrap the cable around the bitts to secure it, adding a couple of stoppers each side if you wish.

[Don Quixote]

Don't suppose you have a picture of that. Or a diagram?

[jbshan]

Here's my Lexington model, the Niagara is all black so it might not come out too well in a photo.  Note how the bill of the anchor rotates up to hook on the rail (this one doesn't have the nice notch as on Niagara).  A simple lashing to a cleat or timberhead will hold it in place.  Eventually it would be unhooked from the cat hook and a stopper line used to secure it to the cathead.

Inboard, belay the cable in the normal manner around the bitts, and the end goes through a hatch by way of two small holes in the forward corners of the grating.  Two or three of a different sort of stopper can be put on the cable inboard of the hawse holes to provide insurance.

There's not a lot on the internet specifically and I will not copy a book and post it.  I believe Lever, 'The Young Sea Officer's Sheet Anchor' or Harland, 'Seamanship in the Age of Sail' should have good illustrations.

 

[Don Quixote]

I have to admit I just barely know the difference between a bull frog and the bulwark... It looks to me like your wood stock and anchor are at more of a 45 degree angle than a 90? I also noticed that my cleat was way too close to the cat-head and should have been closer to the gun port. (I had to refer to the plans to recall the names of that "stuff").

 

I've been looking over a lot of other Niagara builds and it looks like most of us have chosen to simply drop the line from the end of the anchor down the forecastle hatchway. Given my skill level (Or lack there-of) I'll follow that example.

 

I SURE do appreciate all the knowledge I'm gaining from this site! I don't know what I like more, the camaraderie or the ship building:)

[Don Quixote]

OUCH! NOOOOO!!!!   This'll go in the "What did you do today" topic as well. Last week I got a Yamaha amplifier/receiver from a neighbor for $100. 2 years old, normally sells for around $550. 7.1 surround, multi-zone, lot's 'o watts... I do all my work here in the garage (MAN-cave). I bought 7 Polk Audio shelf speakers and a massive bass speaker, mounted them on the walls, got an optical cable (fiber optics) and a new sound card for my computer. Optical out from the computer, into the amp...

 

It comes with a microphone you setup where you listen from and using program built into the amp, going through the TV, the speakers send sounds to the microphone and automatically adjusts itself to the ambiance of the room. The music program I use, Clementine has a built in EQ... Spent 2 FULL days tweaking the sound. Got it PERFECT. JUST what I like. Rebooted the computer and... Nothing. Not a sound. I'm a computer geek first, restore old cars second and touch anything made of wood and distant last. So I use this system called Linux, not Windows. It's not for the faint of heart. Could NOT remember what I did to get the music working in the fist place.

 

Spent the next 2 days screwing up my computer and fixing it again getting seriously frustrated. This is how I made a living! Finally got it all working again. I can reboot the PC and the music still works, I'm happy so... I think I'll clean the garage, right? I need to smoke a few cigars, have a few drinks and relax.

 

Moved the ship off the bench onto a small stand that's out of the way and did a bang up job, garage looked great. Then I bumped the little stand with my butt. Heard a crash. Felt the adrenaline hit the stomach. Sure enough, there's my little ship upside down, 32" below the stand where it was before I swung my butt around...

 

Tears in my eyes, slowly I picked it up, tenderly I turned it upright, eyes closed, worked up the courage to open my eyes... One of the catheads was busted off and 2 cannon's barrels were loose. That's it. Must have done something right in another life. Sure wasn't this one.

[Canute]

You were lucky, Brian. Used up a lot of good karma there.

[jbshan]

No, the stock is definitely at 90º to the shank of the anchor.  You get several pieces all at weird angles to each other and it's hard to see in a photo what's what.

They would have belayed the cable to the bitts, even if the anchor was stowed in its place along the bulwarks, so that if the lashings gave way they wouldn't have the anchor running loose to the bottom of the sea.  Likewise, in the cable tier the bitter end would be belayed around a mast or other substantial structure so it couldn't run all the way out and they lose the anchor.  We don't need to model that, fortunately.

Be glad you don't have rigging set up yet, or the cat would have gotten involved when the ship hit the floor and played with all that nice string tied to the model.

Edited April 20, 2016 by jbshan

[Don Quixote]

How did you know we have a cat?

 

25 pound Mancoon. 32" nose to tail.

[Don Quixote]

 

You were lucky, Brian. Used up a lot of good karma there.

Today I broke a mirror.

[jbshan]

How did you know we have a cat?

 

25 pound Mancoon. 32" nose to tail.

Psychic.  I looked in my crystal ball.

[Canute]

Today I broke a mirror.

 

Brian, I'd go hide under the bed until tomorrow or maybe Friday. You're burning up all your good stuff at an alarming rate.  

 

As an old squadron CO of mine used to say, one "aw, s***" wipes out all previous good stuff. You do'd it, bud.

[Don Quixote]

 

Psychic.  I looked in my crystal ball

Must have some big balls. I'm surprised more than his belly fit.

[Don Quixote]

No matter how I tried, I cannot get any slack so that the anchor hangs down at all. Well, it's better than it was. Now my serving is fraying, so I think I'll leave well enough alone.

 

Thanks, jbshan!

Edited April 27, 2016 by JustBlowinInTheWind

[Don Quixote]

Onward and forward. Working on the bowsprit. Got that done. Hmph. The last 2 pictures are upside down. I can either use a picture editor and fix it or... Go stand on your head! Since the bowsprit tapers, I clamped a hunk of straight wood next to it so I could use a square to mark off where the foot treads go.

 

After making the bobstay from brass, I cut a small slit in the bowsprit where the ends of the bobstay meet and inserted the "iron" bar with the hole and soldered it. So I burned it! I gets painted black anyway, right?

 

See, the way I do this is, I type out what I want to say but leave spaces where the techno babble goes. Then I go back to the plans and see, OH. That's a bobstay, or OH, that's a foot tread or a cap! This way you think I have a clew. Like how I spelled that?

Edited April 27, 2016 by JustBlowinInTheWind

[Don Quixote]

Next issue:

 

looking at the caps. I find 3 sets of 2. The set that matches the plans is .65" tall, but has an oblong hole, not round. The other 2 sets are either too big, or too small. Is it safe to assume I'm to use the .65" pcs and round out that hole? They're with other parts involved in the bowsprit, jib boom...etc. The plans show the jib boom as round.

[jbshan]

Mast caps would look similar.  Eliminate those from your choices.

Lexington appeared when I was at the point you are at.  I did masts for Lexington, based on David Lees' book, so could go back now and do Niagara's spars, but in the meantime Philadelphia came out.  So it goes, I guess.   My avatar leads to a 'build log' showing Lexington's masts, if anybody cares to take a look.  They slot together in the same way real ones would have, which I think is important, as if it can work right, it will look right.

[Don Quixote]

Okay, what the heck is a dumb sheave? Supposed to be on the jib boom and the spanker boom. Plans just show a dashed line on page 4 of the plans and I see nothing of the sort on any of the other builds I'm following.

[jbshan]

A dumb sheave is basically a hole to run a line through.  It has no turning parts so is called 'dumb'.  It's like a dead light, which has no glass to see through, so is 'dead'.

[Don Quixote]

Oh. How "dumb" of me:)  Bahahahaha.

 

So, looking at the photo's from Laxet's build, his is the best shot I can find. It looks like It's wrapped around the bottom half of the bowsprit, then tied over the top. I'd rather put a hole through the bowsprit but then I'd have to seize a loose hanging rope. If any of that even makes sense. Hopefully his pictures explain what I mean.

[Don Quixote]

I'm missing the .008 and .006 rope used to lash the bowsprit to the jib, but once again. Model expo rocks and it's on it's way. I thought about driving 40 miles to Jo Ann Fabrics but I don't know what diameter regular thread is.

[Don Quixote]

Getting cross eyed. Looks to me like they're supposed to go from pins 3 on port and starboard side to a pulley to an eye in the bullwark, back to the pulley to a hole in the dolphin stiker to the dumb sheave in the end of the (flying?) jib boom. Looking at the photo from GreatGallion's build I can't tell exactly where it goes. It looks like it might go from pins 3 to an eye on the cap and back to the spritsail yard?

 

So, where the h*** does it go?

 

Doesn't seem a good idea to go to the striker as it would have to go from outside to the middle under the bowsprit which would mean it bends against the bowsprit. I kinda like the idea of going to the cap and back to the spritsail yard.

Edited May 13, 2016 by JustBlowinInTheWind

[mtaylor]

Hmm... Brian, it looks to me like it goes from pin 3 to the block as part of the tackle  (green).  There's a block to the left that stropped to a hook or tied off that eyebolt I see in the photo on the port side.  The starboard is dark in that area.  

 

There is a block (the one the green line runs through first) is stropped to the line (yellow) that passes through the dolphin striker, then to the block on the boom, and then up to somewhere off the mast... But I could be wrong...  

 

Edited May 13, 2016 by mtaylor

[jbshan]

The topgallant stay comes down from the mast, through the dumb sheave in the jibboom, which is a slot in the end of the jibboom, on another sheet of the plans, through a hole in the dolphin striker, to a block, part of the tackle that hooks to the eyebolt on the hull.  The fall of the tackle is belayed inboard.

You sometimes have to go to more than one sheet of the plans to get all the info needed.

Mark, not disparaging your post, I have the plans for Niagara for reference.

Edited May 13, 2016 by jbshan