7 x 16 Steelhead Chaser

[mtguy]

ges

For the past few months I have been researching a CTC build on this website. I have spent a lot of time, so I feel like I know many of you guys personally & all the great CTC trailers each of you have built. I only hope I can do half the job you all have done completing each of your conversions.

I'm a steelhead fisherman located in Montana where we don't have any steelhead in any of our rivers. We do have great trout fishing if you like combat fishing & being over run by guides guiding dudes. I have a 35' Montana 5th wheel trailer located on the Clearwater River in Idaho where I & my dog have been spending 6 months of the year steelhead fishing. It has been a good base camp for the last 5 years, but steelhead run returns have been shrinking every year on the Clearwater. I decided I need to chase these fish closer to the ocean in OR, WA & BC but refuse to lug a 14,000 lbs trailer to do it. I feel there are many more advantages using a CTC so I will sell the Montana this spring.

As you can see from the pictures attached I have received my 7x16 cargo trailer last week. Unfortunately, the snow at my house is over my waist. I have to wait until the Spring breakup & runoff to start my build. Until then, the trailer guys are storing it for me free of charge. I ordered the trailer with a 30" V-nose, 18" extended tongue, 2 windows (one is an escape window I hopefully can get my ass out of), 2 roof vents, 12" extra height to bring the ceiling up to 84", an RV door, barn doors, undercoating & tandem axles. Unknown to all of you, my research into your advice & experience offered to other builders helped me zero in on how I should order the trailer. I hope I go most of the bases covered to avoid the big hit.

My plans for the CTC take into consideration some of the issues I have with the Montana 5th wheel like contending with having to put antifreeze into the water system every time I need to go home to pay the bills, easier towing, better heating & insulation, reduced operating cost, more maneuverability, & reducing campground fees (these guys are charging what I use to pay for motel rates).

I have a detail hand written drawing of how I want to lay the CTC out (sorry, no fancy Sketchup only something that works for me). I feel a queen size bed would work (my lab doesn't hog the bed), porta potty, shower, gas range, instant hot water for a shower, cooking & sink, Dickinson Vented Propane Heater, AC & Dc electric, converted 3.5 cu freezer into a refrigerator, & other water needs will be limited to jugs under the sink area.

A major concern for me is insulating the trailer because I usually fish in the Winter months when outside temps are in the teens to low 20 degree range excluding wind chill factors. Currently, I'm planning on using Corning Foamulator XPS in the floor, walls & ceiling. The walls & floor will each have 3" of foam at R-15 & the ceiling will have 5" of foam at R-25. I'm not sure if I'm overdoing it when you consider my planned use of the Dickinson heater which can heat twice the space I have in the CTC. Any thoughts/comments/suggestions regarding my insulation plans or for that matter any of my plans would be greatly appreciated.

I'm not sure about the pictures attached. They looked too large in the message preview mode even though I used TinyPic to reduce their size. I also wanted to arrange the pics differently but didn't know how to do it...Don

[hankaye]

mtguy, Howdy;

Welcome to the fun!!! You appear to have been doin' yer homework. Now that you've commited ya might send
Gonefishin a PM and get his opinions about insulation as he's driven all over your area and so on...

Your plan has merit as all do, waiting for the results with the obligatory pix, which by-the-way these show up
real good.

hank

[mtguy]

Thanks for the suggestion. PM sent...Don

[McDave]

Hey mtguy,
Nice trailer, sounds like you have done your homework. So I am familiar with the weather in Montana as well as Idaho, Wyoming, the Dakotas, some of Washington and the Medford up to Coos Bay areas of Oregon. I guess my experience has been you can never really have too much insulation. That being said, I would focus on the floors and ceiling mainly. Walls are also important but less so. You may also want to research air gap, thermal bridging, and vapour barriers. I found the majority of the loss in my trailer came from the side door and rear ramp. I did not insulate the floor but wish I had. I do have a wall to wall wool rug that really improved that problem, and hope to insulate floor this summer or fall. I haven't really used my CTC for camping much in the winter, because as you know we are waist deep in snow and once the temps are below zero everything breaks all the time, so it is hard to leave home for long and not worry about the boiler, frozen pipes, cars and tractors starting, snow load on the roof, livestock, the elderly neighbours etc., etc. . I did get a chance to go ice fishing a couple weeks ago at Ft. Peck (Hell Creek) and we brought in a few Northerns so that was fun. I have several heat sources I can use but so far the catalytic propane heater works best when boondocking. It is called the Wave, 5000 btu I believe. Radiant heat is very nice and quiet and no elect. required. Just be sure to provide a vent for fresh air.
OK. Well it sounds like you have a plan so I'll leave you to it. I'm here if you need my help.

McDave

[mtguy]

Thanks for your reply & suggestions. I have saved a lot of your comments & suggestions you made to other members during their builds.

I agree you can't have enough insulation that's why i'm considering R-15 in the floor/walls & R-25 in the ceiling. I never considered the side door for insulation. Good point to consider how to insulate. I have used wool blankets in the large trailer & have helped over the side door area.

I narrowed my choices for a heater down to the Wave & Dickinson heaters. I opted for the Dickinson's direct vent configuration & ability to heat twice the space I need to heat. I will still have a cracked window just in case.

While I have done a lot of research, there are still areas I need more information. I know flboy suggested doing a roof water test on the trailer before beginning insulation work. Do you know how this is done? Just spray water where the roof & side walls meet then look for leakage in the trailer? If leaks are found, do you then seal the roof & inside of the trailer where the roof & side wall meet with Dicor? Or, just the roof area?...Don

[McDave]

Hmmmm... Not sure on the leak test but redneck logic would point towards either a lawn sprinkler on the roof or car wash pressure sprayer? Might be tough to simulate both conditions, at speed and at rest but if it passed those two tests I'd feel pretty safe.
My ramp door was hollow and side door had some Styrofoam, but the real problem was the seal and overall fit of the doors. I had to beef up the ramp cause it was bent from heavy loads going right down the center, so it is pretty good now. The side door is getting better, but it looks like the hinges were not aligned with the frame from the factory. Still working on it...

McDave

[flboy]

While I have done a lot of research, there are still areas I need more information. I know flboy suggested doing a roof water test on the trailer before beginning insulation work. Do you know how this is done? Just spray water where the roof & side walls meet then look for leakage in the trailer? If leaks are found, do you then seal the roof & inside of the trailer where the roof & side wall meet with Dicor? Or, just the roof area?...Don

Mt. Guy, You got it. While I had all the plywood off and widows in, vents in roof (most holes cut) and before I insulated, I just took a garden hose to it. Just make sure no water is getting in. To my surprise, I had some leaking along the roof where the factory went too thin with the Dicor and it was getting under. That is the time to find it. If you see any coming in, seal from the outside.

[mtguy]

Thanks for the info, flguy. Will sealing primarily be done on the roof or will some sealing need to be done on the inside also? Is Dicor Self-leveling Lap Seal the product to use for additional sealing out & inside the trailer?

I appreciate you sharing your CTC build with all of us newbies. I have a lot of your suggestions & ideas saved to help me with my build...Don

[flboy]

Thanks for the info, flguy. Will sealing primarily be done on the roof or will some sealing need to be done on the inside also? Is Dicor Self-leveling Lap Seal the product to use for additional sealing out & inside the trailer?

I appreciate you sharing your CTC build with all of us newbies. I have a lot of your suggestions & ideas saved to help me with my build...Don

Dicor is the self leveling lap seal for the roof. That is all I used to seal it up where the roof meets the sides. No sealing should be necessary from the inside. Dicor would not work in that case anyhow. It would just run down the wall.

Glad my build blog could be some help. Good luck with your build.

[mtguy]

Thanks for clearing up the water test, much appreciated. Now all I have to do is wait for the 36" of snow to melt to perform the water test!

I'm not sure if I understand bracing or backing trailer walls when attaching fixtures such as 30 amp service, outside receptacles, lights, etc. My understanding is a 1/2" or 3/4" rectangular piece of plywood is cut to fit between the wall studs where the hole will be cut. No insulation is placed between the metal wall & plywood. The plywood is then screwed into the metal studs to provide support for the plywood & fixture. Are holes then drilled/sawed from the inside or outside the trailer wall to provide a solid place to mount your fixture?

Or, is a hole cut through the metal wall with or without the plywood in place? If the plywood is not in place when the hole is cut, it could be screwed back into the studs & the fixture then attached to the plywood through the wall.

I've also seen some bracing/backing put into the wall by cutting out a rectangular hole in the rigid insulation to embed & hold the plywood backing in place. Again, when & how is the hole then cut for the fixture? Is there a preference as to which method is better?

[mtguy]

I finally got a break in the weather & was able to pickup the trailer on Friday.

Removed half of the wall plywood today. I noticed 2 sidewall vents on the trailer. One is located on the left side (drivers side) of the trailer near the roof with the second one located on the right side (passenger side) near the floor. If these vents are not going to be used, can they be sealed or must they be kept open since the manufacturer installed them for some reason?

When installing insulation and for additional work that will be performed later in the build, does the trailer floor need to be leveled (jacks, blocks, etc )?