Conch Fritter Woodie - Finally gets its topsides painted!

[daveesl77]

No pics today as the stuff I was doing really doesn't do much with pictures. Got the interior cabinets sanded, stained and seal coat of poly. Got the shelving cut out, sanded, stained and 1 coat of poly on them. Cut out my ductwork top risers and some other parts of the ducting finalized. Have to take Stinky the Cat to the vet tomorrow, so might not get much done, but it is coming along pretty well. Hope to have all of the cabinets/shelves installed and ventilation ducting finalized this weekend. Then I can finish up the 12v wiring and lighting. Next major step is building the small galley hatch and installing the galley system. After that is exterior trim, build the lower exterior compartments, final coats of poly and whatever else I have forgotten.

I think it might be road ready in about 3 weeks or less. I am so far ahead of what I originally thought this would take to build, with the realistic time frame being Feb-Aug and the best case for being Feb-June. If it weren't for all the weirdo stuff I've done, yeah I could probably build one in 2 months or less. Now we just want to enjoy Conch Fritter for a couple of years.

dave

[Atomic77]

Glad you're making good progress... Wish I could say the same! But that's ok... I"m really glad you are going to get to enjoy it so soon! The build has been a great experience but I"m ready to go camping!



Good luck for the next few weeks... You're in the home stretch!

[daveesl77]

Got the base cabinet/shelving/ductwork done today. Still need to wrap the ends and faces with 1/8 ply, finish the doors. On the right side backing panel is 3/8", as it holds the converter and inverter. On the top, the duct on the left is return and the one on the right is supply. Both exit through the floor, behind a crossmember. Both will end up having 12v fans in them. On the bottom part I'm fabricating a dual purpose vent mount, so I can either use it as straight ventilation or as an AC adapter, each duct is 5" x 8" opening on the bottom and 6x12 at the top. There will be another shelf on the right side, just above the powerstrip. Once the covers are all in you won't see any ductwork, wires, etc.. The fridge runs off of 120, but I can also run it from the inverter.

Excuse the giant mess in the floor, but I'm a sloppy builder. Oh, and still haven't run any of the trim over the wiring, nor have I installed the switches, 12v plugs and such.


dave

[Atomic77]

Messy is where the work is getting done! Looks like a lot of room inside!

[daveesl77]

Conch Fritter goes on its first drive. First drive consisted of driving the 1 mile around the lake. IT was time to bring her down from her birthplace at the top of the hill, in the temporary garage to her final build location on an actual concrete pad next to the house.

Trim isn't installed, door handles not installed, galley hatch is just leaning up...but it is officially a Teardrop/Tiny Travel Trailer! It looks so much smaller now that it is hooked to the truck than in the temporary garage.



Those things in the door windows are the Conkies. Even the trailer tongue lift is temporarily mounted and tied up with rope. Do not pay any attention to the EPDM roof covering that is overhanging. It ends up being glued down behind the "wings" trim and then sealed. Also, by accident I did the last layer of poly with gloss instead of satin. Probably don't have time to sand it down and do a satin coat before we leave next month on the trip, but I might.



On the front of the trailer I'll be building a tongue box, doubt if I'll get it done before the NY trip, but it will end up looking like a pirate chest. I'm glad I extended the tongue though, makes it easier to back up with the extra distance to the trailer wheels. I can't believe how light this is. I'll be adding the tongue box base though, to hold the battery and propane then start the weight shifting game as I finish the galley and bed install.



It is getting there

dave

[KCStudly]

Looking good on a big milestone!

[pchast]

[OP827]

I like that cozy cedar warm look. Nice work.

[Chuckles]

Fantastic job...
Just wait until you get camping... you are going to have to beat the other campers off with a stick. Everyone will want the nickle tour

[Gunguy05]

Looks great! There's nothing like seeing it in the mirror behind you.. Or walking out of a gas station and seeing it behind your car.

Better get ready for those gas stations. We were gassing up Friday and I ended up giving 2 tours before we headed out.

You will definitely get some strange looks while you are out and about, for sure.

[daveesl77]

Got the primary electrics all hooked up and tested. Yippeee, no sparks, explosions or smoke. It all worked and worked together. I may be getting old, but I guess I can still do the wires. 120v systems - check. 12v systems - check. 120v - 12v - check. 12v -120v - check. Solar - check. Still need to add in a few LEDs on the lighting, but the primaries all worked. Now on to the galley hatch and the installation of the underbed galley system!

dave

[Atomic77]

Things are moving fast now! Great job and beautiful build!!!

[daveesl77]

Thank you Michael. I think it still looks funny without the exterior trim pieces installed. It sits up high and the lower trim will cover the small extension compartments I'm adding in and will lower the profile a bit. Plus it needs its "wings".

Yeah, it is coming along. I actually got in my 12v Chinese blower fans today to install in the ductwork. I wasn't expecting them for another couple of weeks, so this helps a bunch. Means I can install them and then put up the duct grill work. I've done a 6 hour test on them and they are pretty quiet and put out as much air as my 10" O2 fan but a heck of a lot smaller. One will exhaust air out from the top and the other pulls air into the cabin, with both ducts terminating underneath.

dave

[nevadatear]

From one d&r woodie owner to another, looking good!

[daveesl77]

Thank you so much Nevada! Wow, yours is beautiful! While we hope to be on the road in about 3+ weeks, Conch Fritter won't be finished but will definitely be camp-able. Goal is to be doing a 2 day test camp in 2 weeks (fingers crossed).

dave