Hi!
I've decided to build a trailer. Several things came together to force the decision. First, I fly radio control airplanes and the planes were getting more numerous and larger, so much so that I had trouble fitting all my gear into the mini van. Second, my other hobbies are canoeing and wilderness camping. Lately, I've taken up cold weather camping. Now I used to go camping with my buddy who had a large extended Dodge van. We could fit all our gear and several boats on top. The van (AKA"the mothership") was also important as an emergency shelter when winter camping and was always snow shoeing distance away if something bad happened. The old dodge van finally died and was replaced with a small car. With mileage in the single digits, I can't blame him. So I decided it was time to act.
I had these requirements: 1.Be able to securely carry my larger aircraft. 2. Have racks on top for carrying several canoes and Kayaks. 3. Be able to function as a shelter when tent camping got too real. Here's what I came up with. I had an old HF 4x8 trailer that used to be my boat trailer for a wooden sailboat. Since the sailboat finally rotted past the point of fixing, the trailer was available. The camper will be 4'x4'x9 1/2'. I'll mount my Yakima racks on top for boat hauling. Inside I'll have two long sliding shelves for holding aircraft. The front will have a sealed compartment for gear and fuel. When the shelves are removed the inside will be available for sleeping. Drawing below.
I started by removing the bunks and platform for the sailboat and treated any rusty spots with rust converter. I'm building a new torsion box platform with 2x4 framing with 3/8" ply glued and screwed down. The cross members were half lapped into the side rails. The laps dont go all the way to the ends to prevent water from getting into the joints. I got the cross members in and I'll add another 2x4 down the middle. 1 1/2" EPS will fill the voids. Once the top is glued down the platform should be fairly rigid.
Comments, suggestions, and criticisms will be greatly appreciated. I have an Idea of what I want to build but the details are still a little hazy.