Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[Hamilton Felix]

Thanks. We plan to start out super basic, just a “hard tent,” but I’m well aware that two people inside a tight tent can cause a lot of condensation. Life here in the Pacific NorthWET seems to revolve around keeping warm and dry.

[GPW]

HF, here in the Swamps ( high Humidity ) , Good ventilation is everything … ( Fans/vents )

[GPW]

Guys I went over to my friends Guitar making shop ( New Orleans Guitar Company ) … He showed me a hatch he made for his new boat … 1” foam with fiberglass on each side …. he remarked “ I can stand on it “ … and proceeded to do so placing it between two boards on the floor ….the 250 lb test … No Problem … Even I was surprised ... It wasn’t pretty but it sure was strong …. and Light …

[Hamilton Felix]

Still thinking about that ventilation. Yesterday, in Home Depot, we were looking around. We had decided that the low budget approach was to make our doors by cutting them out of the foam, lining the opening with wood, reducing the door a bit, and putting enough wood around it to let us mount hinges and latch (I need to do a bit more figuring for a door seal). Windows could be cut out of the door and added, as we found something affordable that fit.

As we walked by a large display of pet doors, Kathleen said “this is going to sound stupid, but would any of those fit?” We looked them over and discussed the issue of adding screen and the window (I have some plexiglass around the shop). Pet doors are likely not an answer, but it was a good reminder to think outside of the box, to keep our eyes open for more than just things clearly labeled as windows - and this was just before we went to Habitat for Humanity. We didn’t find anything for the foamie project, but I did get a 6’ baseboard heater for $2 and Kathleen got a huge and very desirable $60 cookbook for a buck. I sometimes wish we lived closer, so I could check that place more often. But most of the time I wish we lived even farther out in the sticks.

Couldn’t resist buying another five (4.92) of Glidden Gripper. We believe in stocking up, and we do have houses to maintain. Decided to do the waterproofing of some wood we have, so bought three gallons of mineral spirits and a gallon of oil based polyurethane varnish.

When looking at foam in HD, we saw PL300 foam glue by Loctite. I know the standard here is Gorilla Glue or Gorilla Construction Adhesive. But I wondered how this stuff, which is advertised as specifically for foam, would compare for foam to foam joints.

[GPW]

HF, nothing like being prepared !!!

Now you make me want to stock up on the real Gripper ..

[John61CT]

better be quick

[Hamilton Felix]

Any thoughts on that PL300? Costs half as much as Gorilla construction glue, and it claims to be specifically for foam. But we are not building houses here. Which one will have a bit of flex while bouncing down the road?

[John61CT]

Dunno, but I think so much flexing in the surfaces, Not a problem if the edge joins are rigid.

As long as they're damn strong.

[GPW]

And then consider a Foamie camper is a LOT more Flexible than a conventional trailer …and being a LOT less weight than other trailers , it really doesn‘t rebound ( bounce ) liike a heavier trailer would … Naturally trailers intended for off road use would benefit from a proper suspension for the intended purpose .

[Hamilton Felix]

Good point. Less weight, less stress. And, since the real strength comes from bonding the fabric to the foam to create a composite, I doubt it matters much which of these methods of joining the foam boards is used. I’m just curious which of the glues is better. I have been impressed by original Gorilla Glue. If you expect and allow for its expansion/squeezout, it does have the ability to push itself farther into the wood than I could reach when applying it.

[pchast]

I would suggest that you avoid a miter for the wall to floor joint.
Although there is more surface to glue, the tendency to slide out
of place and possible greater pressure on a point are undesirable.

[Hamilton Felix]

Good point. That would be overkill. I like to keep things simple.

[Tyrtill]

My semi v nose trailer makes me agree with don't do miter joints. Keep it to 90 degree angles and try to keep in mind which way the force is generally going to be applied to the joint. Try to design it so that force will keep the joint together rather than try to shear it.

On my semi V nose when you push on the front it forces the side walls out which is not ideal. If it were a square front the force would be transferred into the sidewalls much better.

[Hamilton Felix]

Good points. We will count on the PMF to give it strength.

I just realized: I’m modding this trailer to be a flatbed, the exact size to set the foamie on. The perimeter steel is placed to easily bolt down the plywood deck - but the foamie will be 2” thick, so any bolt down points will be inboard of the perimeter and not likely to have metal under them. Well, I will just plan about 8 or 10 bolt down points, set 3/4” plywood into the foam at these points, and figure bolting to the trailer deck will do.

I did see mention of building a couple of tiedown straps into the PMF. I was toying with the idea of doing that. I have some nylon straps around here somewhere.

[Hamilton Felix]

Haven’t been able to post lately. Posted “just testing” today, and it worked. Yay! Figured I’d edit that into the post I intended. Nope, General Error again. Removed the image I’d attached; still General Error.

Well, that worked, so let’s try again: Nope, General Error. Maybe it’s just enforced brevity. Can’t post more than a few lines.


Finally got the old Jayco frame modded to the dimensions I want. My welding is horrible. I never was a Welder, just use one now and then for about half a century, and I’m sadly out of practice. One of these days when I’m retired, maybe I’ll take a class. Oh well, an angle grinder and heavy paint can cover a multitude of sins.

Got it primed Thursday, painted Friday. Doing it with a 2-1/2” trim brush takes time, and it definitely “looks fine from 30 feet,” but the cost was right and the metal is protected.

The Jayco had four leveling jacks. I figured a way to mount two on the rear after my mods. With the tongue jack, that should be adequate, and not too much of a weight penalty. I think I’ll salvage the other two jacks before the metal I cut off goes into the scrap heap. Might want ‘em for another project.

Hey, success!