US Brig Niagara by Laxet - FINISHED - Model Shipways

[Laxet]

On sheet 5, upper right corner, there is a drawing of jibboom outhaul tackle. I can find no reference on this sheet that shows where this line is belayed. On the belaying plan, they show an outer jib downhaul. Is this the same thing? If not, where the heck does this line go? If it is, then for crying out loud, why change the terminology? This thing is tough enough without throwing riddles in.

[Laxet]

So here is my bowsprit. The jibboom martingale turned out to be a non-issue after all. I didn't actually attach the hoop that joins the flying jibboom to the jibboom. I just slipped it off & made the line with sliding servings. Once I placed the line, I tightened everything up & added a touch of glue. I also added a few blocks on the spritsail yard. I think this is about all I can do. I guess I'm gonna have to actually install the bowsprit. Scary thought. I think I'll wait until I have all hull work completed.

[milosmail]

Outhaul and downhaul serve different purposes on a triangular sail, but both affect the amount of 'belly' in the sail. It depends on wind conditions and angle to the wind as to how they are adjusted (I have raced boats for years, and generally we do not adjust these lines much). 

So, they are different lines. Keep in mind that where lines were secured varied a great deal; frequently changed depending on the master or the captain's preference. So, pick a spot that seems natural to you (no crossing lines - that's a big no-no as it causes a lot of wear in real life), and secure. You might go as far as adding a cleat if needed....

No one knows where these lines ran on the original ship, but I suspect the run of lines on the model correspond to those on the replica on Lake Erie today.

[kenr]

Laxet

I have the benefit of an older damaged Niagara to refer back to

I attached the jibboom outhaul tackle to one of the belaying pins

on the bow pin rail

 

Regards

Ken

[Laxet]

Thanks for the clarification. It seems odd that they don't call out a belaying point though. I know they did that stuff in real life but it doesn't seem appropriate for a kit.

Edited August 21, 2014 by Laxet

[Laxet]

Thanks Ken. That's probably where I would have put it.

[milosmail]

I looked at sheet 5, and I concluded the following: as the outhaul was not connected to any sail on this rig, it must have served as a brake to keep the jib boom from moving aft under load. I would believe these two lines would be secured to a bulkhead after running through the chock rail. They might also have been attached to the bowsprit in some fashion inboard of the chock rail. They would likely have been a piece of seldom adjusted rigging - but I am guessing here.

[Laxet]

Wow. That's pretty impressive. I know nothing about sailing but what you said sounds good to me. I'll wait till it's all mounted & then decide where to belay it.

[Laxet]

I was able to get some boxwood. I bought two small sheets. I had a heck of a time cutting it on my little 4" Jim Byrnes table saw. The stuff is really hard. I can see why it was recommended. I will use it to carve cleats. I cut a bunch of 1/4" blanks that are 3/32" square. I have carved one so far. This will take a while. According to my count (& I may have missed some) I need 31 for the bulwarks & bitts, & another 14 for the masts. That comes to close to 50 of the little beasts. Boy will I have sore fingers when I'm done.

[Laxet]

I started on the tops today. Something to relax the mind. Don't have to think too hard or work too hard. Here they are so far.

[Guest Tim I.]

They look very crisp and clean. Nice work!

 

- Tim

[rfolsom]

Looks great Dale;  I can't wait until I'm at this point...

 

Might be awhile due to my other "distractions"....

 

~Bob

[Laxet]

It's always something. I had heard, but never paid much attention, that the cut from a laser cutter is not square. It actually cuts with a taper. This became very obvious with the trestle trees. You can see it clearly in this picture.

[Laxet]

After deepening the grooves for the cross trees, these things were a mess. I didn't know if ME compensated for the amount that needed to be sanded to make them square. Luckily, I had another set after ordering replacement parts for something else. I took them & sanded them on my bench sander to square them up, then refiled the grooves to make them fit. They look okay.

 

The reason I had to file the grooves is because they are only 1/16" deep, & the plan calls for 3/32" thick crosstrees. You need that thickness to get the proper taper of the cross trees. Here is the result. I think they came out okay as well.

Edited August 23, 2014 by Laxet

[kenr]

Hi Laxet

I may have missed the reason earlier in your log but

why make all the cleats. The kit comes with 40 white metal

cleats  No sheaves that I can see but certainly cleats

 

Regards

ken

[Laxet]

Not my kit. They're not even called out in the parts list. Prints say make out of strip material. Don't forget, I bought this kit 16 years ago. Maybe they've added them since then. If so, let me know. I will ask them for some. 40 isn't enough by my count though.

[Laxet]

I just downloaded the current parts list. Sure enough, there are cleats listed. By golly, I'm gonna get me some. I'm also going to do a side by side comparison & see what else I didn't get.

[Laxet]

Besides the cleats, the only other thing different (aside from some minor wood strips) was a spool of .051" black line, so I dashed off another request for parts to ME. They are going to be glad when I finish this kit.

[Guest Tim I.]

Not my kit. They're not even called out in the parts list. Prints say make out of strip material. Don't forget, I bought this kit 16 years ago. Maybe they've added them since then. If so, let me know. I will ask them for some. 40 isn't enough by my count though.

 

Dale,

 

On my Prince de Neufchatel build (that is currently on hold), I made my own cleats despite having the white metal ones supplied. 

 

 

Do you have a Dremel tool? If you do you can take a strip, turn it 90 degrees and create depressions at intervals to take the place of the major shaping. They are not exact to the white metal ones, but if they are pinned they might be stronger. If you want me to, I could post pictures to add clarity to my description of the method / process.

 

- Tim

[Laxet]

I do have a dremel. I would like to see your pictures. I was thinking the dremel was the way to go after making 1 1/2 cleats by hand last night. Thanks Tim.

[Laxet]

Today I attached the cheeks. Didn't glue the tops on yet though. Just in case.

[Guest Tim I.]

I do have a dremel. I would like to see your pictures. I was thinking the dremel was the way to go after making 1 1/2 cleats by hand last night. Thanks Tim.

 

Ok, I will look for them. Not sure if I photographed the process. If not I will do so and post them before tomorrow evening.

 

- Tim

[kenr]

Hi Laxet

Are you going to paint the masts  cheeks and tops?

 

Regards

Ken

[Laxet]

[quote

Are you going to paint the masts  cheeks and tops?

 

Regards

Ken

 

Hi Ken,

Yes. I will follow the painting suggestions provided, they say buff & black, so that's the next thing. I think I should probably wait until I build the rest of each mast & use an airbrush. That is why I didn't sand of the laser burn marks. I knew I would paint over them.

 

Tim,

Thanks. I appreciate it.

[rfolsom]

Hmm.. had to dig into my Niagara box to make sure I had the cleats.  (Box was under some Victory parts and plans....  where did they come from? )

 

But I do have a bag of cleats...  As I posted earlier in your log, (post 78) my belaying pins were the wrong size, but the part #'s matched the list, and Model Expo fixed the problem; no questions asked..

 

My kit is only about two years old btw, and packaged in the blue boxes that Model Expo uses in their recent kits.

 

Mast tops look great!

 

~Bob

 

[Laxet]

Well, I've asked ME for some also. We'll see what happens. I still say 40 isn't enough. Counting all the ones on the mast & boat davits & bowsprit, I count way more than 40. I guess I'll still have to carve some.

 

And now for something completely different. Today I attached the pin rails. I guess it seems sort of random, but I've got to get this hull done so I can start rigging. Cleats are holding me up big time.

 

Another crappy picture attached.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Laxet

[Laxet]

The plans say red pin rails, but the real (replica) has natural ones, & I like the looks of natural better.

[Laxet]

Did a bunch of little cleanup things on the hull today. Added eyebolts, brace rods for the catheads, drilled holes on the stem for the bobstays, etc. started making the sea stairs. This is how I decided to do them. I am filing the slot in each. Then I will cut them & round the outside corners. Each is 1/4".

Edited August 26, 2014 by Laxet

[Laxet]

Sea stairs. They took me all afternoon. What a pain. Here they are after carving. Notice how I accidentally painted some green. They should have been black. Luckily, it became obvious as I went to attach them.

[Laxet]

Here they are attached. I used a piece of tape for alignment. Try not to notice the short step. That is actually the second one I glued there, but the second one was just as short as the first one. SIGH. Tomorrow I'll glue on the other side.

 

Boy. Things really look worse under high magnification. I'm going to start shooting my pictures from six feet away. Then everything will look *REAL* good.