22' travel trailer rebuild from the frame up - NEED HELP!
I have an 87 Fleetwood Prowler Lynx that is finally showing it's age. I have some rot in a number of places and it's very outdated. I am seriously considering tearing it down and completely rebuilding it from the frame up. This way I could have a travel trailer that is exactly the way I would want it to be.
I have extensive construction experience and also a lot of experience with building wood furniture and cabinetry, so doing a complete rebuild is entirely within my skill set. I also have several decades of CAD (computer aided drafting) experience to make the design and planning of the rebuild accurate and more manageable. I intend to plan this out 100% (or as much as possible) so that I can calculate cost and also plan the construction time. So right now I am in the planning stage and am trying to gather as much information as I can so that I am as prepared as much as is possible before beginning. This way I can hopefully prevent and major issues from biting me in the butt after I start construction.
I will be looking to reuse as much of the hardware in my current trailer as much as possible. The roof top A/C unit still works great as does the elec/propane refrigerator, propane heater and stove/oven. The water heater also works fine but I will be inspecting it for corrosion and may replace if necessary.
The things I am looking for help in are those things that are specific to RV construction. I figure it is best to start from the outside in. My current trailer has aluminum siding/roofing and I am debating between using aluminum siding/roofing (since it had lasted so long) or going with a fiberglass reinforced plastic panel like Filon. I'd like to know the pros and cons of each. I'd also like to know about how to handle corner/roof joints for alum and FRP siding.
I have extensive construction experience and also a lot of experience with building wood furniture and cabinetry, so doing a complete rebuild is entirely within my skill set. I also have several decades of CAD (computer aided drafting) experience to make the design and planning of the rebuild accurate and more manageable. I intend to plan this out 100% (or as much as possible) so that I can calculate cost and also plan the construction time. So right now I am in the planning stage and am trying to gather as much information as I can so that I am as prepared as much as is possible before beginning. This way I can hopefully prevent and major issues from biting me in the butt after I start construction.
I will be looking to reuse as much of the hardware in my current trailer as much as possible. The roof top A/C unit still works great as does the elec/propane refrigerator, propane heater and stove/oven. The water heater also works fine but I will be inspecting it for corrosion and may replace if necessary.
The things I am looking for help in are those things that are specific to RV construction. I figure it is best to start from the outside in. My current trailer has aluminum siding/roofing and I am debating between using aluminum siding/roofing (since it had lasted so long) or going with a fiberglass reinforced plastic panel like Filon. I'd like to know the pros and cons of each. I'd also like to know about how to handle corner/roof joints for alum and FRP siding.
