Hey all,
There is another, albeit smaller, side to this whole RV thing - those crazy folks who build their own for whatever reason. Whether you've scratch-built it from the ground up, assembled a kit, or (like me) scrounge up appropriate frames and go from there: let's hear about it.
I'm on number three.
The first was simply a utility trailer that got an enclosed box for a fraction of the cost of the used toy haulers I was looking at. It was carrying mountain bikes and race gear, so the GVW didn't matter and all the commercially built units were overkill for what I needed. A guy my dad worked with had a dump trailer he didn't need anymore...and so it began.
Number two was a more adventurous project. I started with a tent trailer deck and built a steel stud frame and sheathed it, first in OSB then in 1/4" ply when that failed dismally. I camped the trailer as a bare shell a few times, but the noise when the wind blew wasn't conducive to a good night's sleep. It's still on my 'ideas' pile, but it wold have to be FAR more rigid than that 'technology demonstrator' was.
Those two were pre-internet and pre-digital (for me at least) so there are pics but they are in a box in the basement and haven't seen the light of day in a long time...lost at sea.
Then I got a great deal on a 24' 1977 Dodge C..."had I known then what I know now..." nuff said.
That was how I found this forum.
A couple other projects and work since then and now I'm at a stage in my life where I want to go back to school and get the education I should have gotten years ago. Part of that 5 year strategy is staying in a trailer to keep my accommodation costs down....the rub is that I drive a compact pickup and don't have said trailer.
For this boatbuilder, the solution was a cinch...
My principal build requirements have been low build cost, low towing weight, four season (no canvas) and a permanent bed.
So far, I am building to all of those except for a minor concession in the bed - it will convert to form one side of the dinette.
I started with a tent trailer - $50 on craigslist. Once the body was off, the build could begin:
The deck is a sandwich of 3/8 ply, 1" foam, and 1/8 doorskin on top to provide some puncture resistance. At the moment, I'm sheathing the top of the deck in epoxy and 6oz cloth (pics to follow). The body will be foam and epoxy and will be shaped like a horse trailer - the head will be u in the nose and the bed will be in the back with a slide out in the back wall for a footwell. I will have to fab the (manual) slideout mechanism. My plan is to use heavy duty drawer slides, but any insight there is appreciated.
This is the completed but not yet glassed deck:
.
For the appliances, I scrounged up a free camper on craigslist. For the cost of a case of beer and the dump fees ($60), I got a stove/oven, two way fridge, lantern, windows, and a bunch of other bits. I still have to replace the heating element in the fridge (works great on gas) and the furnace valve body was beyond my desire to fix it, but otherwise everything works great and just needs to be cleaned up a bit.
Today, I'll be glassing the rest of the deck and next weekend I'll start assembling the cabinet carcasses and bulkheads. I was going to get the shell done first (the way you build a house) but the overhang off the back will be easier to build if I have the bed framing in place first. All will be built with 1" foam and then glassed. I haven't decided to make a weight concession with the galley countertop and dinette table and go with 3/4" ply or to use foam with an upper skin of 1/4" ply. Either way, they will be small enough that I can make both from the leftovers.
That's my build to date...let's hear about yours !
There is another, albeit smaller, side to this whole RV thing - those crazy folks who build their own for whatever reason. Whether you've scratch-built it from the ground up, assembled a kit, or (like me) scrounge up appropriate frames and go from there: let's hear about it.
I'm on number three.
The first was simply a utility trailer that got an enclosed box for a fraction of the cost of the used toy haulers I was looking at. It was carrying mountain bikes and race gear, so the GVW didn't matter and all the commercially built units were overkill for what I needed. A guy my dad worked with had a dump trailer he didn't need anymore...and so it began.
Number two was a more adventurous project. I started with a tent trailer deck and built a steel stud frame and sheathed it, first in OSB then in 1/4" ply when that failed dismally. I camped the trailer as a bare shell a few times, but the noise when the wind blew wasn't conducive to a good night's sleep. It's still on my 'ideas' pile, but it wold have to be FAR more rigid than that 'technology demonstrator' was.
Those two were pre-internet and pre-digital (for me at least) so there are pics but they are in a box in the basement and haven't seen the light of day in a long time...lost at sea.
Then I got a great deal on a 24' 1977 Dodge C..."had I known then what I know now..." nuff said.
That was how I found this forum.
A couple other projects and work since then and now I'm at a stage in my life where I want to go back to school and get the education I should have gotten years ago. Part of that 5 year strategy is staying in a trailer to keep my accommodation costs down....the rub is that I drive a compact pickup and don't have said trailer.
For this boatbuilder, the solution was a cinch...
My principal build requirements have been low build cost, low towing weight, four season (no canvas) and a permanent bed.
So far, I am building to all of those except for a minor concession in the bed - it will convert to form one side of the dinette.
I started with a tent trailer - $50 on craigslist. Once the body was off, the build could begin:
The deck is a sandwich of 3/8 ply, 1" foam, and 1/8 doorskin on top to provide some puncture resistance. At the moment, I'm sheathing the top of the deck in epoxy and 6oz cloth (pics to follow). The body will be foam and epoxy and will be shaped like a horse trailer - the head will be u in the nose and the bed will be in the back with a slide out in the back wall for a footwell. I will have to fab the (manual) slideout mechanism. My plan is to use heavy duty drawer slides, but any insight there is appreciated.
This is the completed but not yet glassed deck:
.For the appliances, I scrounged up a free camper on craigslist. For the cost of a case of beer and the dump fees ($60), I got a stove/oven, two way fridge, lantern, windows, and a bunch of other bits. I still have to replace the heating element in the fridge (works great on gas) and the furnace valve body was beyond my desire to fix it, but otherwise everything works great and just needs to be cleaned up a bit.
Today, I'll be glassing the rest of the deck and next weekend I'll start assembling the cabinet carcasses and bulkheads. I was going to get the shell done first (the way you build a house) but the overhang off the back will be easier to build if I have the bed framing in place first. All will be built with 1" foam and then glassed. I haven't decided to make a weight concession with the galley countertop and dinette table and go with 3/4" ply or to use foam with an upper skin of 1/4" ply. Either way, they will be small enough that I can make both from the leftovers.
That's my build to date...let's hear about yours !
Gentlemen !
Things are definitely picking up but I'm never too busy for you fellas.
The build is clipping along nicely...though a lot has happened since I last posted. To catch up:
The galley
It's all framed in now and I've started slopping some paint around. There are two kick@ss LED dome lights in the hatch and four lights under the upper shelf shining down. More downlights will go underneath the counter top to light up the storage below, just on the right side since the cooler is in the left side. In the right side will be a naptha stove, fuel jug and the "kitchen" tote that I use for truck camping. The fuse panel on the right side will be boxed in and will include an AC outlet.
And this is what will feed it:
On the left is the battery switch. I salvaged that from a couple ambulances I scrapped out 20+ years ago.
I have the other one...somewhere ๐
Next to it is a basic 1kW Xantrex that I got a screaming deal on.
The battery charger below that is a new acquisition - it's a ProMariner 3-bank charger that has a bit of a history...
A customer complained that his batteries weren't getting charged. As it turns out, he had his batteries replaced a while back and they installed AGMs in place of flooded batteries. This charger doesn't have a profile for AGMs and but they sold him the new batteries anyway...at $500 a pop.
It was easier to rationalize $800 for a new charger that could AGMs vs switching him back to floods for $500 plus losing the $1500 he had already spent. As a result, I wound up with the old, dead unit.
I'm no electronics whiz by any stretch, but I replaced a blown cap, one that was questionable, and two glass fuses and whaddya know, it works like a hot damm !
The box it's bolted to is the battery box, accessible from outside. Between the battery box (2 batts) and the front of the box (left in pic) there is just enough room for another battery. That's where the battery for the trolling motor will live and will be charged off the third bank of the charger.
I still don't have room for solar, but....
When the weather's good for generating solar, I will never have more than a weekend off. When I have time off, it's winter on the west coast and the sky is grey/white for months at a time. I don't have the real estate on the roof for panels but I do have space on the roof racks and in the tongue box for a generator and a jerry can.
This is the battery box, sized for two group 31 deep cycles. That will give me 200 A*h of battery which is more than I'll ever use for weekending but there's a reason for the overkill.
When we change out a battery in a boat after 4 years or so, it still has 'some' life left in it. I get the best of the dead ones for the core charge ($20) and use them till they die. If I wind up using the trailer enough to justify it I'll buy new batteries, but until then...
So...I know you're asking "But Deadeye, the battery box holds two but it's a three-bank charger."
Between the battery box and the front wall of the tongue box, there is just another room for a third battery....for a trolling motor for the boat on the roof racks, of course !
This is how I sealed the galley hatch hinge.
I made a curb of 1/2" ply to mount the forward hinge leaf to, so that it would never be in standing water. That got glued down with sealant and screwed through every other hole. The remaining holes were for aluminum strips that would hold down a piece of fabric-reinforced gasket to keep rain out. I don't see why it wouldn't work...but it hasn't been tested yet.
I also did a curb when I put the roof hatch & skylight in:
I think that's pretty much up to date now. I want to camp in it for the third weekend of May (long weekend here) but I have long since given up making hard deadlines, so we'll see...
Things are definitely picking up but I'm never too busy for you fellas.
The build is clipping along nicely...though a lot has happened since I last posted. To catch up:
The galley
It's all framed in now and I've started slopping some paint around. There are two kick@ss LED dome lights in the hatch and four lights under the upper shelf shining down. More downlights will go underneath the counter top to light up the storage below, just on the right side since the cooler is in the left side. In the right side will be a naptha stove, fuel jug and the "kitchen" tote that I use for truck camping. The fuse panel on the right side will be boxed in and will include an AC outlet.
And this is what will feed it:
On the left is the battery switch. I salvaged that from a couple ambulances I scrapped out 20+ years ago.
I have the other one...somewhere ๐
Next to it is a basic 1kW Xantrex that I got a screaming deal on.
The battery charger below that is a new acquisition - it's a ProMariner 3-bank charger that has a bit of a history...
A customer complained that his batteries weren't getting charged. As it turns out, he had his batteries replaced a while back and they installed AGMs in place of flooded batteries. This charger doesn't have a profile for AGMs and but they sold him the new batteries anyway...at $500 a pop.
It was easier to rationalize $800 for a new charger that could AGMs vs switching him back to floods for $500 plus losing the $1500 he had already spent. As a result, I wound up with the old, dead unit.
I'm no electronics whiz by any stretch, but I replaced a blown cap, one that was questionable, and two glass fuses and whaddya know, it works like a hot damm !
The box it's bolted to is the battery box, accessible from outside. Between the battery box (2 batts) and the front of the box (left in pic) there is just enough room for another battery. That's where the battery for the trolling motor will live and will be charged off the third bank of the charger.
I still don't have room for solar, but....
When the weather's good for generating solar, I will never have more than a weekend off. When I have time off, it's winter on the west coast and the sky is grey/white for months at a time. I don't have the real estate on the roof for panels but I do have space on the roof racks and in the tongue box for a generator and a jerry can.
This is the battery box, sized for two group 31 deep cycles. That will give me 200 A*h of battery which is more than I'll ever use for weekending but there's a reason for the overkill.
When we change out a battery in a boat after 4 years or so, it still has 'some' life left in it. I get the best of the dead ones for the core charge ($20) and use them till they die. If I wind up using the trailer enough to justify it I'll buy new batteries, but until then...
So...I know you're asking "But Deadeye, the battery box holds two but it's a three-bank charger."
Between the battery box and the front wall of the tongue box, there is just another room for a third battery....for a trolling motor for the boat on the roof racks, of course !
This is how I sealed the galley hatch hinge.
I made a curb of 1/2" ply to mount the forward hinge leaf to, so that it would never be in standing water. That got glued down with sealant and screwed through every other hole. The remaining holes were for aluminum strips that would hold down a piece of fabric-reinforced gasket to keep rain out. I don't see why it wouldn't work...but it hasn't been tested yet.
I also did a curb when I put the roof hatch & skylight in:
I think that's pretty much up to date now. I want to camp in it for the third weekend of May (long weekend here) but I have long since given up making hard deadlines, so we'll see...
Moderator edit to re-size picture to forum recommended limit of 640px maximum width.
Hey!
Sorry to hear your camper build didn't see the end but it looks like you're charging on in a new direction...so am I but I guess we need to catch up a bit first.
I had separated the shell into a few pieces and stowed them until I had the space to carry on. As of August and our move into a much bigger place (3000 sq ft vs 900) I was in a position to carry on, but the pieces didn't survive the move. Truth be told, by the end of it I just wanted to be done with moving and figured I could rebuild whatever I needed to while correcting all those little compromises that had been nagging at me.
One of the changes will be to use a coring foam like Divinycell or Klegecell and polyester resin in a more conventional layup. In retrospect, the savings in using XPS foam (blue/pink) as the core were more than eaten up with the cost of epoxy, the quantity of which I had underestimated. As time went on, it seemed like I was putting more money in glass onto a core which wasn't everything it could have been.
I had also had some issues with the floor delaminating so it was like the old dilemma of what to do when you're building a house and you realize there are problems with the foundation.
The one I'm building now is stick-frame and ply and I'm sheathing the outside in glass (you know there had to be glassing involved somewhere!)
I've sanded, etched and painted the jalousie window frames from the Glacier and am using the roof vent and inverter from it as well. I kept the appliances I refurbished for the Glacier for the next build, which will be a similar full-height, lightweight project...although on a wider platform. I also kept the door I made up though I don't know whether I'll use it or not. The next one will likely be built for some level of off-roading and, since the Ranger's days are likely numbered, the next truck will be a 4X4.
My primary tow vehicle for this one will still be the Ranger though it's off the road right now. It needs a clutch and, after having done the last one laying under the truck, I'm going to pull the motor and tranny out together and do it on the ground. At the same time I'll do the timing belt and head gasket since it's out.
Of course, it's crossed my mind more than once to put a 5.0 back in instead of the four-banger....
In the meantime, we bought an Escape back in March. It has the 2.0 turbo....and a tow capacity of 3500 pounds ! I could never feel comfortable towing that much weight with it, but the trailer as it sits right now is only about 500 lbs. We still need to get a hitch installed on it, but that's not a big deal.
When I started the Glacier, I was under the impression that, if I made if comfortable enough, she-who-camps-with-me might get into the whole camping thing. We've been together 20-odd years and it turns out she was just humoring me when she came camping...I almost wish she'd been having an affair instead, hehe.
Anyway, that made me look at my priorities again and I realized that all I really needed was a kitchen and bed for one person that was always ready to roll. Less time setting up camp means more time on the lake or chasing deer...
So this is what those priorities became:
The new platform gives me a bed that's 52" X 79" and still enough depth in the galley for a 24" deep counter top with a cooler stowed underneath it.
I just finished the glassing on the roof tonight (hence the work light) and started pulling wires inside to get ready to insulate and panel the interior. The hatch at the back opens to the galley and the entire inside of the cabin is a mattress. The tongue box holds two deep cycle batteries for the trailer and another for a trolling motor for the 7.5' Livingston dinghy that will be on roof racks. Also in there is a 3-bank battery charger and 1000W inverter. At this point I foresee no real need of AC power but I'm sure that if I install the outlets they'll get used... I also have no plans for an entertainment system but I'm still wiring for speakers as well as 12V and 110 for it.
There's no way I can fit the solar panels on top of this roof (I brought all of my Tetris skills to bear in trying to make it work) so they'll get save for the next one. I've been thinking about mounting them to hinged ply panels like the suitcase kits but that's a project for another day.
We have a month-long shutdown at Xmas so I want to be able to camp in it by then. I don't expect it'll be 'finished' but...are they ever ?
Sorry to hear your camper build didn't see the end but it looks like you're charging on in a new direction...so am I but I guess we need to catch up a bit first.
I had separated the shell into a few pieces and stowed them until I had the space to carry on. As of August and our move into a much bigger place (3000 sq ft vs 900) I was in a position to carry on, but the pieces didn't survive the move. Truth be told, by the end of it I just wanted to be done with moving and figured I could rebuild whatever I needed to while correcting all those little compromises that had been nagging at me.
One of the changes will be to use a coring foam like Divinycell or Klegecell and polyester resin in a more conventional layup. In retrospect, the savings in using XPS foam (blue/pink) as the core were more than eaten up with the cost of epoxy, the quantity of which I had underestimated. As time went on, it seemed like I was putting more money in glass onto a core which wasn't everything it could have been.
I had also had some issues with the floor delaminating so it was like the old dilemma of what to do when you're building a house and you realize there are problems with the foundation.
The one I'm building now is stick-frame and ply and I'm sheathing the outside in glass (you know there had to be glassing involved somewhere!)
I've sanded, etched and painted the jalousie window frames from the Glacier and am using the roof vent and inverter from it as well. I kept the appliances I refurbished for the Glacier for the next build, which will be a similar full-height, lightweight project...although on a wider platform. I also kept the door I made up though I don't know whether I'll use it or not. The next one will likely be built for some level of off-roading and, since the Ranger's days are likely numbered, the next truck will be a 4X4.
My primary tow vehicle for this one will still be the Ranger though it's off the road right now. It needs a clutch and, after having done the last one laying under the truck, I'm going to pull the motor and tranny out together and do it on the ground. At the same time I'll do the timing belt and head gasket since it's out.
Of course, it's crossed my mind more than once to put a 5.0 back in instead of the four-banger....
In the meantime, we bought an Escape back in March. It has the 2.0 turbo....and a tow capacity of 3500 pounds ! I could never feel comfortable towing that much weight with it, but the trailer as it sits right now is only about 500 lbs. We still need to get a hitch installed on it, but that's not a big deal.
When I started the Glacier, I was under the impression that, if I made if comfortable enough, she-who-camps-with-me might get into the whole camping thing. We've been together 20-odd years and it turns out she was just humoring me when she came camping...I almost wish she'd been having an affair instead, hehe.
Anyway, that made me look at my priorities again and I realized that all I really needed was a kitchen and bed for one person that was always ready to roll. Less time setting up camp means more time on the lake or chasing deer...
So this is what those priorities became:
The new platform gives me a bed that's 52" X 79" and still enough depth in the galley for a 24" deep counter top with a cooler stowed underneath it.
I just finished the glassing on the roof tonight (hence the work light) and started pulling wires inside to get ready to insulate and panel the interior. The hatch at the back opens to the galley and the entire inside of the cabin is a mattress. The tongue box holds two deep cycle batteries for the trailer and another for a trolling motor for the 7.5' Livingston dinghy that will be on roof racks. Also in there is a 3-bank battery charger and 1000W inverter. At this point I foresee no real need of AC power but I'm sure that if I install the outlets they'll get used... I also have no plans for an entertainment system but I'm still wiring for speakers as well as 12V and 110 for it.
There's no way I can fit the solar panels on top of this roof (I brought all of my Tetris skills to bear in trying to make it work) so they'll get save for the next one. I've been thinking about mounting them to hinged ply panels like the suitcase kits but that's a project for another day.
We have a month-long shutdown at Xmas so I want to be able to camp in it by then. I don't expect it'll be 'finished' but...are they ever ?
Mike, you speak the truth about life getting in the way, lol. Camping was great - good friends, good weather and the fish were hungry...what more could one ask ?
Heya westy, I hear you on the 'rustic' thing ! It used to be a handful of pasta and some chopped up salami, which always encouraged me to become a better fisherman.
As to the solar, I don't really even care if my little array provides useful power so long as it lets me go a little longer between charges and keeps 'em topped up while in storage. I've just got the one battery right now but I think I'll be wiring the switching and fusing for 4 isolated group 31s. Even so, making my coffee every morning with 'free' energy is pretty sweet...
I guess as we get older and craftier, we figure out how to have it all rather than just bulling our way through stuff on brute force and ignorance - though I speak only for myself of course ๐
Once I've got space to work I will definitely be carrying on with the build and I'll update here as well. For now, the parts are nested under a tarp - it's actually surprising that most of the shell is stacked right there.
Heya westy, I hear you on the 'rustic' thing ! It used to be a handful of pasta and some chopped up salami, which always encouraged me to become a better fisherman.
As to the solar, I don't really even care if my little array provides useful power so long as it lets me go a little longer between charges and keeps 'em topped up while in storage. I've just got the one battery right now but I think I'll be wiring the switching and fusing for 4 isolated group 31s. Even so, making my coffee every morning with 'free' energy is pretty sweet...
I guess as we get older and craftier, we figure out how to have it all rather than just bulling our way through stuff on brute force and ignorance - though I speak only for myself of course ๐
Once I've got space to work I will definitely be carrying on with the build and I'll update here as well. For now, the parts are nested under a tarp - it's actually surprising that most of the shell is stacked right there.
