DocBlake

Royal Yacht HMY Fubbs (1682-1781) – 1:24 Scale Stern Section by DocBlake
  This will be my build log for a 1:24 scale stern section of the HMY Fubbs.  Fubbs was one of many Royal Yachts commissioned by King Charles II of England during the Stuart Restoration.  The name derives from a nickname Charles had for his mistress, the Duchess of Portsmouth.  Details of her history and drawings of the kit plans and contents can be found elsewhere.  The reader is directed to build logs by Mike41 (https://modelshipworld.com/topic/34926-hmy-fubbs-1682-by-mike-41-weasel-works-%E2%80%93-stern-section-%E2%80%93-124/#comment-996763     
The model will be built as a limited edition kit produced by Weasel Works.  In all there were 10 kits and Mike Shanks' prototype produced.   There are over 900 parts in each kit, with some options for personalizing the builds (such as choice of timber for framing, etc.)  Even with all the frame parts removed from their billets to save shipping costs, my kit weighed in at 13 pounds!
Weasel Works a group of modelers with different interests and skills  We are not a business at all.  We are exploring what modern technology can bring to the table in model ship building.
There are ten kits produced, as well as Mike Shank's prototype.  We have no plans to sell or produce any more.
Our goal is to produce an attractive model that's fun to build.  We are not historians nor naval architects, and accordingly, have allowed ourselves some artistic license.  Although based on the 1682 version of Fubbs, details from other points in her history have been incorporated into the model, and her framing is not historically accurate, but does reflect well her hull's shape.  Although the Great Cabin's floor cover was most probably painted canvas, we felt the parquet floor was a nice addition to the model, so we kept it in. The transom/taffrail design is from later in her career.
 
My frames are hard maple, cut out by CNC.  Advantage:  No laser char.  Disadvantage: bevel lines not etched for the bevel, so each piece requires a template to be carefully cut out and rubber cemented to the frame piece, then bevelled then cleaned of residual paper and cement.  Mind numbing.  There are over 100 frame parts.        
 

Thanks for looking in, guys!
I began the actual construction of the model by assembling frame 25.  This is the fore-most of the frames and the only one whose cross section is visible.  Originally designed with butt joints, these were changed to scarf joints which more accurately reflect shipbuilding conventions of the time.  I enhanced the scarfs with a little flat black acrylic paint.
The bevels on frame 25 are infinitesimal.  I didn't pre-bevel the parts.  That can easily be done after the hull is glued together.
Next came frame 25A.  The bevels on the top timbers especially are very subtle.  Oddly, these small adjustments are harder than the big angles we'll encounter further aft.  I used a Dremel with a 1/2" drum and coarse sand paper.  The problem here is that in forming the bevel. it's easy to take too much off near and up to the the non-beveled edge, making a rounded surface.  To prevent that I put some painters tape on the final 3/16" of the surface I was sanding which warned me to be careful not to "round over" the surface.  It worked well.  As you can see, the bevel came right up to the unbeveled edge without actually crossing it.  Laser char can work the same way. 
 
 
 

Thanks for looking in, guys!
I began the actual construction of the model by assembling frame 25.  This is the fore-most of the frames and the only one whose cross section is visible.  Originally designed with butt joints, these were changed to scarf joints which more accurately reflect shipbuilding conventions of the time.  I enhanced the scarfs with a little flat black acrylic paint.
The bevels on frame 25 are infinitesimal.  I didn't pre-bevel the parts.  That can easily be done after the hull is glued together.
Next came frame 25A.  The bevels on the top timbers especially are very subtle.  Oddly, these small adjustments are harder than the big angles we'll encounter further aft.  I used a Dremel with a 1/2" drum and coarse sand paper.  The problem here is that in forming the bevel. it's easy to take too much off near and up to the the non-beveled edge, making a rounded surface.  To prevent that I put some painters tape on the final 3/16" of the surface I was sanding which warned me to be careful not to "round over" the surface.  It worked well.  As you can see, the bevel came right up to the unbeveled edge without actually crossing it.  Laser char can work the same way. 
 
 
 

Thanks for looking in, guys!
I began the actual construction of the model by assembling frame 25.  This is the fore-most of the frames and the only one whose cross section is visible.  Originally designed with butt joints, these were changed to scarf joints which more accurately reflect shipbuilding conventions of the time.  I enhanced the scarfs with a little flat black acrylic paint.
The bevels on frame 25 are infinitesimal.  I didn't pre-bevel the parts.  That can easily be done after the hull is glued together.
Next came frame 25A.  The bevels on the top timbers especially are very subtle.  Oddly, these small adjustments are harder than the big angles we'll encounter further aft.  I used a Dremel with a 1/2" drum and coarse sand paper.  The problem here is that in forming the bevel. it's easy to take too much off near and up to the the non-beveled edge, making a rounded surface.  To prevent that I put some painters tape on the final 3/16" of the surface I was sanding which warned me to be careful not to "round over" the surface.  It worked well.  As you can see, the bevel came right up to the unbeveled edge without actually crossing it.  Laser char can work the same way. 
 
 
 

Royal Yacht HMY Fubbs (1682-1781) – 1:24 Scale Stern Section by DocBlake
  This will be my build log for a 1:24 scale stern section of the HMY Fubbs.  Fubbs was one of many Royal Yachts commissioned by King Charles II of England during the Stuart Restoration.  The name derives from a nickname Charles had for his mistress, the Duchess of Portsmouth.  Details of her history and drawings of the kit plans and contents can be found elsewhere.  The reader is directed to build logs by Mike41 (https://modelshipworld.com/topic/34926-hmy-fubbs-1682-by-mike-41-weasel-works-%E2%80%93-stern-section-%E2%80%93-124/#comment-996763     
The model will be built as a limited edition kit produced by Weasel Works.  In all there were 10 kits and Mike Shanks' prototype produced.   There are over 900 parts in each kit, with some options for personalizing the builds (such as choice of timber for framing, etc.)  Even with all the frame parts removed from their billets to save shipping costs, my kit weighed in at 13 pounds!
Weasel Works a group of modelers with different interests and skills  We are not a business at all.  We are exploring what modern technology can bring to the table in model ship building.
There are ten kits produced, as well as Mike Shank's prototype.  We have no plans to sell or produce any more.
Our goal is to produce an attractive model that's fun to build.  We are not historians nor naval architects, and accordingly, have allowed ourselves some artistic license.  Although based on the 1682 version of Fubbs, details from other points in her history have been incorporated into the model, and her framing is not historically accurate, but does reflect well her hull's shape.  Although the Great Cabin's floor cover was most probably painted canvas, we felt the parquet floor was a nice addition to the model, so we kept it in. The transom/taffrail design is from later in her career.
 
My frames are hard maple, cut out by CNC.  Advantage:  No laser char.  Disadvantage: bevel lines not etched for the bevel, so each piece requires a template to be carefully cut out and rubber cemented to the frame piece, then bevelled then cleaned of residual paper and cement.  Mind numbing.  There are over 100 frame parts.        
 

Here are the finished mast, boom gaff and bowsprit.  Made of mahogany with 3 coats of poly and the tips painted white.

Thanks for looking in, guys!
I began the actual construction of the model by assembling frame 25.  This is the fore-most of the frames and the only one whose cross section is visible.  Originally designed with butt joints, these were changed to scarf joints which more accurately reflect shipbuilding conventions of the time.  I enhanced the scarfs with a little flat black acrylic paint.
The bevels on frame 25 are infinitesimal.  I didn't pre-bevel the parts.  That can easily be done after the hull is glued together.
Next came frame 25A.  The bevels on the top timbers especially are very subtle.  Oddly, these small adjustments are harder than the big angles we'll encounter further aft.  I used a Dremel with a 1/2" drum and coarse sand paper.  The problem here is that in forming the bevel. it's easy to take too much off near and up to the the non-beveled edge, making a rounded surface.  To prevent that I put some painters tape on the final 3/16" of the surface I was sanding which warned me to be careful not to "round over" the surface.  It worked well.  As you can see, the bevel came right up to the unbeveled edge without actually crossing it.  Laser char can work the same way. 
 
 
 

Royal Yacht HMY Fubbs (1682-1781) – 1:24 Scale Stern Section by DocBlake
  This will be my build log for a 1:24 scale stern section of the HMY Fubbs.  Fubbs was one of many Royal Yachts commissioned by King Charles II of England during the Stuart Restoration.  The name derives from a nickname Charles had for his mistress, the Duchess of Portsmouth.  Details of her history and drawings of the kit plans and contents can be found elsewhere.  The reader is directed to build logs by Mike41 (https://modelshipworld.com/topic/34926-hmy-fubbs-1682-by-mike-41-weasel-works-%E2%80%93-stern-section-%E2%80%93-124/#comment-996763     
The model will be built as a limited edition kit produced by Weasel Works.  In all there were 10 kits and Mike Shanks' prototype produced.   There are over 900 parts in each kit, with some options for personalizing the builds (such as choice of timber for framing, etc.)  Even with all the frame parts removed from their billets to save shipping costs, my kit weighed in at 13 pounds!
Weasel Works a group of modelers with different interests and skills  We are not a business at all.  We are exploring what modern technology can bring to the table in model ship building.
There are ten kits produced, as well as Mike Shank's prototype.  We have no plans to sell or produce any more.
Our goal is to produce an attractive model that's fun to build.  We are not historians nor naval architects, and accordingly, have allowed ourselves some artistic license.  Although based on the 1682 version of Fubbs, details from other points in her history have been incorporated into the model, and her framing is not historically accurate, but does reflect well her hull's shape.  Although the Great Cabin's floor cover was most probably painted canvas, we felt the parquet floor was a nice addition to the model, so we kept it in. The transom/taffrail design is from later in her career.
 
My frames are hard maple, cut out by CNC.  Advantage:  No laser char.  Disadvantage: bevel lines not etched for the bevel, so each piece requires a template to be carefully cut out and rubber cemented to the frame piece, then bevelled then cleaned of residual paper and cement.  Mind numbing.  There are over 100 frame parts.        
 

Royal Yacht HMY Fubbs (1682-1781) – 1:24 Scale Stern Section by DocBlake
  This will be my build log for a 1:24 scale stern section of the HMY Fubbs.  Fubbs was one of many Royal Yachts commissioned by King Charles II of England during the Stuart Restoration.  The name derives from a nickname Charles had for his mistress, the Duchess of Portsmouth.  Details of her history and drawings of the kit plans and contents can be found elsewhere.  The reader is directed to build logs by Mike41 (https://modelshipworld.com/topic/34926-hmy-fubbs-1682-by-mike-41-weasel-works-%E2%80%93-stern-section-%E2%80%93-124/#comment-996763     
The model will be built as a limited edition kit produced by Weasel Works.  In all there were 10 kits and Mike Shanks' prototype produced.   There are over 900 parts in each kit, with some options for personalizing the builds (such as choice of timber for framing, etc.)  Even with all the frame parts removed from their billets to save shipping costs, my kit weighed in at 13 pounds!
Weasel Works a group of modelers with different interests and skills  We are not a business at all.  We are exploring what modern technology can bring to the table in model ship building.
There are ten kits produced, as well as Mike Shank's prototype.  We have no plans to sell or produce any more.
Our goal is to produce an attractive model that's fun to build.  We are not historians nor naval architects, and accordingly, have allowed ourselves some artistic license.  Although based on the 1682 version of Fubbs, details from other points in her history have been incorporated into the model, and her framing is not historically accurate, but does reflect well her hull's shape.  Although the Great Cabin's floor cover was most probably painted canvas, we felt the parquet floor was a nice addition to the model, so we kept it in. The transom/taffrail design is from later in her career.
 
My frames are hard maple, cut out by CNC.  Advantage:  No laser char.  Disadvantage: bevel lines not etched for the bevel, so each piece requires a template to be carefully cut out and rubber cemented to the frame piece, then bevelled then cleaned of residual paper and cement.  Mind numbing.  There are over 100 frame parts.        
 

Royal Yacht HMY Fubbs (1682-1781) – 1:24 Scale Stern Section by DocBlake
  This will be my build log for a 1:24 scale stern section of the HMY Fubbs.  Fubbs was one of many Royal Yachts commissioned by King Charles II of England during the Stuart Restoration.  The name derives from a nickname Charles had for his mistress, the Duchess of Portsmouth.  Details of her history and drawings of the kit plans and contents can be found elsewhere.  The reader is directed to build logs by Mike41 (https://modelshipworld.com/topic/34926-hmy-fubbs-1682-by-mike-41-weasel-works-%E2%80%93-stern-section-%E2%80%93-124/#comment-996763     
The model will be built as a limited edition kit produced by Weasel Works.  In all there were 10 kits and Mike Shanks' prototype produced.   There are over 900 parts in each kit, with some options for personalizing the builds (such as choice of timber for framing, etc.)  Even with all the frame parts removed from their billets to save shipping costs, my kit weighed in at 13 pounds!
Weasel Works a group of modelers with different interests and skills  We are not a business at all.  We are exploring what modern technology can bring to the table in model ship building.
There are ten kits produced, as well as Mike Shank's prototype.  We have no plans to sell or produce any more.
Our goal is to produce an attractive model that's fun to build.  We are not historians nor naval architects, and accordingly, have allowed ourselves some artistic license.  Although based on the 1682 version of Fubbs, details from other points in her history have been incorporated into the model, and her framing is not historically accurate, but does reflect well her hull's shape.  Although the Great Cabin's floor cover was most probably painted canvas, we felt the parquet floor was a nice addition to the model, so we kept it in. The transom/taffrail design is from later in her career.
 
My frames are hard maple, cut out by CNC.  Advantage:  No laser char.  Disadvantage: bevel lines not etched for the bevel, so each piece requires a template to be carefully cut out and rubber cemented to the frame piece, then bevelled then cleaned of residual paper and cement.  Mind numbing.  There are over 100 frame parts.        
 

Ship History:
His Majesty Yacht (HMY) Fubbs was laid down at Greenwich shipyards by Phineas Pett in 1682.
By Royal Navy standards yachts would be the size of a typical harbor dispatch vessel or lightly armed gunboat. HMY Fubbs sported a keel length of only 63’ with at a specified 148 tons fully loaded. With a 21’ breadth and only 9’6” depth in hold these small ships carried a crew of up to 30 and could be armed with 8 – 12 3 pounders.
Royal Yacht duties primarily consisted of tending to the affairs of the royal household. Charles II must have enjoyed yacht class vessels as he had 23 of them during his reign – more than any other English king. HMY Fubbs was the most lavish of his fleet of Royal Yachts. Visually, the hull of a Royal Yacht has the look of a 6th rate but is more akin to a ketch-rigged sloop.
 As such, she has a mizzen mast that passes through the small great cabin and no true orlop deck at all. As will be shown later, the stern ports are too close to the waterline and are not actually accessible from inside the ship. What look like stern quarter galleries are more like quarter badges. Most contemporary modelers and many artists tend to imagine HMY Fubbs as a larger ship than it really is due to the illusion created by the artistic style of the ship.
Charles II employed well known Baroque period artists Van de Veldes younger and senior. Their artwork had a direct influence on the highly decorated HMY Fubbs.
 HMY Fubbs was named after the mistress of Charles II, the Duchess of Portsmouth, Louise de Keroualle. “Fubbs” was the nickname for Charles II mistress with the meaning of a chubby contemptuous child.
HMY Fubbs remained in service for more than 80 years before being broken up in 1781. During that time, it went through 2 refits. One in 1701 and again in 1724. During the 1724 refit, most of her carvings were salvaged and replaced by painted frieze work.
The Model:
The concept of the stern section was developed by Mike Shanks and DocBlake. They acquired the drawings and reference material used for the HMY Fubbs 1725 rebuild kit from Bob Hunt at Lauck Street Shipyard. Mike Shanks created the drawings using this and other resources. Mike has a well-equipped shop with laser, CNC, and 3D printing capabilities which he used to build the prototype for the model. Jodie Grein developed the artwork and 3D drawings for the décor, Mike used the artwork along with all the parts for ten kits. This model is made from one of the kits. Weasel Works is a private club, and the kits are not available to the public.
The frames for the section are a style used by Portia Takakjian in the 1725 rebuild drawings she made, and Bob Hunt used in his kit. Although not historically correct they produced an accurate representation of the hull.
Kit Contains:
This is a few photos of the parts included in the kit.

Thanks for the kind words and the "likes"!
 
Here are a few more shots of the model as a "whole", rather than a series of closeups!

Thanks, guys!
I'm essentially done with the model.  I added the channels, deadeyes and chainplates to the outboard bulwarks,  rigged the long gun and added various casks and buckets to the main deck.  I puzzled a while about how the mortar on the rotating "Lazy Susan" was rigged.  There are eight attachment points for block and tackle on the mortar pit walls, and four on the mortar itself.  It would require only two sets of block and tackle to maneuver the mortar to any point in the 360 degrees around it (except directly forward or directly aft:  "You'll shoot your mast out, kid!"  LOL!).
I added the mortar tackle and then addressed another question about the mortar.  Why no shell rack for the mortar shells near the mortar pits on the main deck?  Surely the bombs weren't left to roll around the deck, unrestrained!  The shells would need to be brought up before a siege began, so  I designed a small shell rack that would fill the bill.  It's not glued down, so if you all think it's too "busy" let me know!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks for the kind words and the "likes"!
 
Here are a few more shots of the model as a "whole", rather than a series of closeups!

Thanks for the kind words and the "likes"!
 
Here are a few more shots of the model as a "whole", rather than a series of closeups!

Thanks, guys!
I'm essentially done with the model.  I added the channels, deadeyes and chainplates to the outboard bulwarks,  rigged the long gun and added various casks and buckets to the main deck.  I puzzled a while about how the mortar on the rotating "Lazy Susan" was rigged.  There are eight attachment points for block and tackle on the mortar pit walls, and four on the mortar itself.  It would require only two sets of block and tackle to maneuver the mortar to any point in the 360 degrees around it (except directly forward or directly aft:  "You'll shoot your mast out, kid!"  LOL!).
I added the mortar tackle and then addressed another question about the mortar.  Why no shell rack for the mortar shells near the mortar pits on the main deck?  Surely the bombs weren't left to roll around the deck, unrestrained!  The shells would need to be brought up before a siege began, so  I designed a small shell rack that would fill the bill.  It's not glued down, so if you all think it's too "busy" let me know!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks for the kind words and the "likes"!
 
Here are a few more shots of the model as a "whole", rather than a series of closeups!

Thanks, guys!
I'm essentially done with the model.  I added the channels, deadeyes and chainplates to the outboard bulwarks,  rigged the long gun and added various casks and buckets to the main deck.  I puzzled a while about how the mortar on the rotating "Lazy Susan" was rigged.  There are eight attachment points for block and tackle on the mortar pit walls, and four on the mortar itself.  It would require only two sets of block and tackle to maneuver the mortar to any point in the 360 degrees around it (except directly forward or directly aft:  "You'll shoot your mast out, kid!"  LOL!).
I added the mortar tackle and then addressed another question about the mortar.  Why no shell rack for the mortar shells near the mortar pits on the main deck?  Surely the bombs weren't left to roll around the deck, unrestrained!  The shells would need to be brought up before a siege began, so  I designed a small shell rack that would fill the bill.  It's not glued down, so if you all think it's too "busy" let me know!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks for the kind words and the "likes"!
 
Here are a few more shots of the model as a "whole", rather than a series of closeups!

Thanks for the kind words and the "likes"!
 
Here are a few more shots of the model as a "whole", rather than a series of closeups!

Thanks for the kind words and the "likes"!
 
Here are a few more shots of the model as a "whole", rather than a series of closeups!

Thanks for the kind words and the "likes"!
 
Here are a few more shots of the model as a "whole", rather than a series of closeups!

Thanks for the kind words and the "likes"!
 
Here are a few more shots of the model as a "whole", rather than a series of closeups!

Thanks, guys!
 Progress report:  I installed the boarding stairs, sweep port lids and the swivel gun pedestals.  All that is left on the outside are the channels, deadeyes and chain plates!

Thanks, guys!
I'm essentially done with the model.  I added the channels, deadeyes and chainplates to the outboard bulwarks,  rigged the long gun and added various casks and buckets to the main deck.  I puzzled a while about how the mortar on the rotating "Lazy Susan" was rigged.  There are eight attachment points for block and tackle on the mortar pit walls, and four on the mortar itself.  It would require only two sets of block and tackle to maneuver the mortar to any point in the 360 degrees around it (except directly forward or directly aft:  "You'll shoot your mast out, kid!"  LOL!).
I added the mortar tackle and then addressed another question about the mortar.  Why no shell rack for the mortar shells near the mortar pits on the main deck?  Surely the bombs weren't left to roll around the deck, unrestrained!  The shells would need to be brought up before a siege began, so  I designed a small shell rack that would fill the bill.  It's not glued down, so if you all think it's too "busy" let me know!