'71 Starcraft Wanderstar- "The Hilton"
Thought I should post this up because the "Search" feature doesn't return any results and there might be some useful info for older Starcraft owners or those that are mad enough to embark on a complet...
Forum Discussion
Previously, I had vacated all of the vents for the plumbing. Some were mislocated and some were redundant. IIRC, there were four vents coming through the roof. I chose to install one straight vent for the black water tank and will put the newer, passive type under the sinks. I needed to get the black water vent hole drilled before the bath/bunkspace partion can be installed as it is very tight between the stool and the partition.
I started by drilling a 3" hole through the flooring and the three layers of insulation. I then drilled the last aluminum belly skin and the plastic tank with a 2 1/2" hole saw. The aluminum was then nipped and removed to allow the Uniseal tank fitting to mate to the tank. I will install the actual vent pipe after the partition is in place.
I need the bath/bunkhouse partition to be very strong to carry the weight of the bunks and occupants so rather than use 3/4" studs and paneling, I am making the partition out of 3/4" CDX plywood. I first cut the bunk platforms out of two sheets of the plywood and that left two 17" pieces that will form the bulk of the partition. The partition will be clad with paneling on the bath side but will just be painted for the back of the bunk space. The following is how I joined these two sheets using dowels.
First, I drilled into the edge of one sheet, holes sized to the dowel diameter and drilles to a depth of half the dowel plus 1/4". The 1/4" is to allow for glue compression. I used a piece of masking tape on the drill bit for a depth guage:
I then inserted dowel indexing centers into the holes:
The two sheets were then brought together with clamps so the dowel marking centers made the indent in the second sheet's edge. My work platform and the two sheets are not perfectly flat so I added some weight while doing this to keep the surfaces mated correctly:
The resulting index mark, highlighted with pink marker:
The second sheet was then drilled, glue applied to both sheet edges and the dowels, clamped and a few weights added for proper mating:
After the glue has set, I will clad the bath side of the plywood with paneling, cut out the storage hatch opening, and install the plywood partition by anchoring it into cleats that are screwed into the floor, back wall, and ceiling.
I started by drilling a 3" hole through the flooring and the three layers of insulation. I then drilled the last aluminum belly skin and the plastic tank with a 2 1/2" hole saw. The aluminum was then nipped and removed to allow the Uniseal tank fitting to mate to the tank. I will install the actual vent pipe after the partition is in place.
I need the bath/bunkhouse partition to be very strong to carry the weight of the bunks and occupants so rather than use 3/4" studs and paneling, I am making the partition out of 3/4" CDX plywood. I first cut the bunk platforms out of two sheets of the plywood and that left two 17" pieces that will form the bulk of the partition. The partition will be clad with paneling on the bath side but will just be painted for the back of the bunk space. The following is how I joined these two sheets using dowels.
First, I drilled into the edge of one sheet, holes sized to the dowel diameter and drilles to a depth of half the dowel plus 1/4". The 1/4" is to allow for glue compression. I used a piece of masking tape on the drill bit for a depth guage:
I then inserted dowel indexing centers into the holes:
The two sheets were then brought together with clamps so the dowel marking centers made the indent in the second sheet's edge. My work platform and the two sheets are not perfectly flat so I added some weight while doing this to keep the surfaces mated correctly:
The resulting index mark, highlighted with pink marker:
The second sheet was then drilled, glue applied to both sheet edges and the dowels, clamped and a few weights added for proper mating:
After the glue has set, I will clad the bath side of the plywood with paneling, cut out the storage hatch opening, and install the plywood partition by anchoring it into cleats that are screwed into the floor, back wall, and ceiling.
