Ultralight Stripper AKA "Less is More"

[aggie79]

Very nice work Larry! Beautiful!

See that long board makes me tired. I don't think I have that much energy in me.

I am going to try using a ledge to lay my inner ceiling skin on from the outside, similar to Steve Fredrick's method, but working with what I already have. This will require me to lay my spars flat (the weak way). I hope this works for a 5' wide span.

Larry C

With the curvature of your profile, I think you could almost get away without having any spars. The 3/4" dimension should be plenty stout.

Take care,
Tom

[Larry C]

Amazing craftsmanship. Fascinated by the laminated frames you made at the beginning of the build, but then the floor and now this!

Cheers, Dewi

Dewi,
Thanks for the complements, but I am just an average hacker. My goal is as light as possible a trailer that I can achieve. Also , I like using things I have lying around, and recycling what I can.

Larry C

[Larry C]

You're gonna have one helluva looker on your hands!

Thanks Paul, I am really just using up strips I had left over, and to see if a strip and glassed panel can be as light as thin plywood. The strip walls will be hidden on the inside.

Larry C

[Larry C]

That looks like a nice home-made longboard. I watched some experts do the final fairing on a lifeboat and they had a six-foot-long longboard held by two guys!

In the boatyard I worked in, the boss did fairing of the bottom of racing yachts with a 20 foot length of 3" or so plastic drain tubing wrapped in abrasive roll - so the tubing would bend enough to follow the overall shape of the boat hull, but would grind away any local high spots. It required six guys to use it and one of them had to call out the moves for them all to follow. This nearly always degenerated into the caller trying to 'sing' the moves to a tune, with 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' being a favourite, but that always went wrong.

And now back to our regular programming....

Yes.. Andrew, It's a home-made long board. Actually I made it from local Wild Black Cheery lumber. I would love to see the artisans you mention, fairing a large boat hull. Long board sanding is a art that I have not mastered. I have made several flexible ones to use in small boat building.

I am surprised I don't see many here using them. They also work well for leveling epoxy before final finishing.

Larry C

[Larry C]

Very nice work Larry! Beautiful!

See that long board makes me tired. I don't think I have that much energy in me.

I am going to try using a ledge to lay my inner ceiling skin on from the outside, similar to Steve Fredrick's method, but working with what I already have. This will require me to lay my spars flat (the weak way). I hope this works for a 5' wide span.

Larry C

With the curvature of your profile, I think you could almost get away without having any spars. The 3/4" dimension should be plenty stout.

Take care,
Tom

Thanks Tom, It remains to be seen if I will get away with my 7/16" wide ledge for my 1/8" ceiling, and the 5/8" thick spars. Cutting away so much of my profile's outer laminated frame had me nervous. You don't think there is a possibility of the spars sagging when layed flat?

I really enjoy using the long board. I think it's muck more rewarding than using a belt sander or trying to level with a Random orbit sander. It really has a lot of uses, and I find I use it for many things. Also, remember I am sanding soft cedar, so the work involved is much less than it appears.

Larry C

[Larry C]

I am thinking about changing my door profile. I Think my Ultralight side profile should have a different door, but I would like your opinions. I can still change it to anything I want so If you have an opinion on the best looking door for what I think is a great side profile, please chime in. My side will not have the outside framing like the Mike's original design, I'm just using the side profile shape. Any and all suggestions, opinions are welcome, along with CAD drawings

Here's the original door, looks good with the outside framing:


This is my new door design:




This is just the template against the inside paneling, the actual door will be cut from the paneling and the rest of the sandwich.





Also, I like this door on Tom's exquisite "Silver Beatle" but I am not sure it's right for a 5X8 with rounded front.



Thanks,
Larry C

[S. Heisley]

Larry, with your planned design, I like your demonstrated template door he best. Your teardrop looks like it's going to be beautiful.

[Shadow Catcher]

I will second Sharon. The new profile flows.

[Larry C]

I may have made a critical error? I want to use Grants 12X18 crank out windows. The radius I have in my new door design may make it so the window is too low? Does anyone know the actual outside dimensions of the 12X18 window? I may have to redesign the profile to be more like this:

Thoughts please...



Larry C

[Juneaudave]

Looking good Larry! Don't cheat yourself on door width and height. I quick ran out to measure the windows on my trailer and realized that they are the larger ones from Grant (24 x 15) with 25 1/2 by 16 1/2 out to out... so you are picking up an additional 1 1/2 for the frame.

My trailer is a big larger than the norm and my doors are 32" wide...for what it is worth. How wide are you looking for your doors? I can't tell by the pics...

[aggie79]

Larry,

I like your new profile for the door. It goes well with your overall teardrop profile.

A side benefit of not having corners on the latch side of the door is that the radii will allow a single piece of trim on the door edge and/or the jam. (It was a bear fitting the trim on my doors.)

I have Grant's 18" x 15" windows. The mounting flange is 3/4" - I measured - so the o/o dimensions are 19-1/2" x 16-1/2".

Take care,
Tom

[jonw]

Hi Larry -

I did something similar to what (I think) you're thinking.

I used a double radius to make the door shorter and wider yet still conform to the overall design. The door width at the bottom is the same as Mike's design. I wanted more wall above the door to control flex without needing to build in a header above the door.

[Larry C]

Looking good Larry! Don't cheat yourself on door width and height. I quick ran out to measure the windows on my trailer and realized that they are the larger ones from Grant (24 x 15) with 25 1/2 by 16 1/2 out to out... so you are picking up an additional 1 1/2 for the frame.

My trailer is a big larger than the norm and my doors are 32" wide...for what it is worth. How wide are you looking for your doors? I can't tell by the pics...

Dave,
The doors are 39-1/2" X 28" Wide. I think that should be big enough, but I will probably have to reduce the radius.

Larry

[Larry C]

Larry,

I like your new profile for the door. I goes well with your overall teardrop profile.

A side benefit of not having corners on the latch side of the door is that the radii will allow a single piece of trim on the door edge and/or the jam. (It was a bear fitting the trim on my doors.)

I have Grant's 18" x 15" windows. The mounting flange is 3/4" - I measured - so the o/o dimensions are 19-1/2" x 16-1/2".

Take care,
Tom

Tom,

I guess I should have read the size correctly, 15 x 18, not 12 x 18. The actual flange size being 19.5 x 16.5 is definitely going to change things if I want this window. Actually I won't be using door trim. I am using Steve Fredrick's flush door method.

Larry

[Larry C]

Hi Larry -

I did something similar to what (I think) you're thinking.

I used a double radius to make the door shorter and wider yet still conform to the overall design. The door width at the bottom is the same as Mike's design. I wanted more wall above the door to control flex without needing to build in a header above the door.

Jon,
I do like what you did with your door, especially the continuous curve, but what I am trying to avoid is my window being in the center of the door rather than closer to the top. I know that many people feel that lower is actually better because it allows better air movement closer to your head. However, to my eye, it looks better higher up. I will layout a similar profile to yours with less top radius, but with the same bottom radius to see how it looks. How wide is your door now?

Larry