Lessons learned...mistakes...and must knows!

[Davagio]

Hi everyone i titled this post the way i did because i would love to have one post i could look at so i could get ya'lls input on building a teardrop or tiny trailer.

I personally do not have much experience with a building trailers, i do however have minimal knowledge about remodeling older trailers and things i have found out
only through experience (thats what im asking from you) and to share your experiences and lessons learned in one post so newbies like me,and others can look in one spot.

I will start even though my experience is on a current remodeling job im doing on an old school 72 Kayot

Lessons Learned:

Lesson#1 I bought a trailer that looked very clean and in good shape...The guy told me he put a new roof on it, however when i got it back to my house 2 days later i noticed above the bunk bed Black mold.His idea of a new roof was patching the hole where the rain was coming in for years! So i ended up replacing the entire ceiling front to back -Check for Water Damage.....inside drawers and behind things and especially the folded up bunkbed!

Lesson#2 Electrical stuff! For goodness sakes i think i have rewired and redone almost everything that was suppost to be working! check running lights, turn signals, and brake lights before! (sometimes its more than just a burned out bulb (i currently have about 7 out of 12 running lights and side markers with ground problems

Lesson #3 Painting old dirty laminate!!!!!! I hope you never have to experience this but if you do like me use TSP detergent to clean the walls or get a sander with some harsh 40 grit sanding and sand that crap before you even try....otherwise you will literally have to wait 3 days for it to actually stick without scratching right off!

Mistake #1 Buying this trailer

Mistake #2 Dont hook a hood range wrong! You know the one with a light and a fan.....you will fry those knobs that you cant buy anymore (at least for my trailer).

Mistake #3 Dont try to resolder old copper pipe! just buy a new piece with compression fittings....He forgot to winterize it and left me with three big leaks! yeehaa

Must knows....If you decide to remodel a 40 year old camper keep plenty of Coors light on hand and qit your day job because you now have a whole new set of problems!

Mainly i was hoping someone could give me some information on new builds...but this is all the information i have to offer as of now

[Gage]

Good common sense could have prevented all of the above. Next time leave the beer at home when getting ready to buy a vintage trailer
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Oh and it doesn't need to be in one place. Just ask the question and ye shall receive an answer.

[Woodbutcher]

Good information there. Sometimes when we go looking at something new we sort of get blinded by the excitement. Things are shiny and the desire to use this new thing overshadow a good objective investigation. We can all learn from your example. Most of us can overlook some things just because we want this new thing. We have all done it! (Well most of us anyway)

On the new build, it is easier if you ask your questions as you go. Information will differ based on what you are building, size, style etc. We are a very helpful group so ask away.

Have fun and let the sawdust fly!!!!!

[JuneBug]

Saturday we went to look at a 2008 T@B for $4000 that popped up on craigslist. Initial phone conversation was a little garbled: it has a salvage title, the original owner (his buddy) had jack knifed it during a sudden stop, and there was some damage on the driver's side front corner and insurance had totaled it, as is, won't go a cent below $3800, yada yada. We're game: It's a pleasant Saturday and we're up for a drive. This model T@B has a rear galley, and I noticed in the craiglist photos that there was a bit of delamination on the counter top, so on high alert for water damage.
In the driveway it looked really, really good, although whatever tar-like substance they had used to cover the damage on the front corner looked kinda nasty.

Bad sign number one.
Went inside while the husband was looking around and chatting with the seller. Floor is mushy, mushy, mushy.

Bad sign number two.
Lifted up the galley hatch. Not only has the counter delaminated a bit, but there is a tiny mushroom growing on the little section of carpet along the bottom of the cabinets. I reach down to touch the carpet -- soaking wet from recent rains.

Bad sign number three.
Back inside the cabin (not totally clean, but in good shape) I start lifting up the lids under the cushions -- eek! Did not smell moldy but most definitely water damage. The AC is running in the cabin, ostensibly to show that it works well, but maybe to mask any musty/mold smells.

I sensed that the seller was obviously aware of these problems (which was why he was selling), but was not going to tell us about them.

But, BUT, BUT......I can see how it would be so easy to talk myself into saying how fun it would be to fix it up and what a great deal and make an impulse decision to buy.
We drove away without a little gray trailer behind our van. Really hoping that the little trailer goes to someone with some serious resto skills who can bring it back to life. Hope no naive buyer got ripped off.

[Dean in Ct.]

I'm only a third of the way into my build and the important thing I have learned is stick to the basic #'s. My trailer allowed a deck width of 4' 6" so that is what I'm building. I did not figure how much waste that would mean from using 4' x8' sheets. I guess most of my transverse bulkheads and cabinetry will be 5/8" pine which looks nicer to me, just a bit more labor. That's what I have learned so far but I have a long way to go!
Good luck!
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[DragonFire]

I'm on my second vintage trailer. I fixed leaks in the first one..18 footer. Had it 7 years and never leaked again.

Decided to downsize and got the Grasshopper....suspicious of hatch...yup, leaked. Replaced the hatch..no leak there but in the next series of storms it leaked 3 other places. Fixed those. Drove though rain to get to the Dam Gathering, it continued to rain all day and half the night...rained buckets, cats, dogs, goats, pigs...you get the picture.

No leaks.

But the door is and has been a little wonky. I'm going to replace the door knob hardware (you know what I mean...I just can't think of the word for it now...) and it should b e fine. It's fine now. I think it wasn't totally level and a bit skewed so the door wouldn't shut from the inside. Just a little door sag.

Other than that..I have one front side running light that doesn't work. Everything else is fine (knock on wood)...

Good luck with your trailer and try to think of your repairs as 'bonding' with your trailer. I felt guilty that I bought a ready made trailer when everyone was out building from scratch. I don't feel bad anymore. I have spent days sealing my Grasshopper. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I really love my trailer. Stick with it, pick people's brains or just vent here when you need to, and keep going. You'll get that rig on the road before you know it...and you will be patting yourself on the back for sticking to it and doing it right!

[Davagio]

Thank you all for your input so far i do appreciate it....i cant wait to get this thing done that way i can start on a new build.

To be honest i never have bought a trailer pulled a trailer drove an RV nada anything!! So when i saw this for the price i couldn't refuse....now i had to do it all over again i would have bought it fixed the lights the leaks and sold it!! but hindsight is 20/20 as they say.....However i will say i knew nothing about trailers hookups how they ran on propane, how the toilets and showers worked or how everything worked pretty much. I bit off a big bite when i bought this with all the electrical water damage canopy problems and whatever else im forgetting at the moment..............i guess we can just call it education, and the tear should be a breeze to wire

Thank you all once again for your stories as i learn from reading them. I live in the thing for now its my first home with no mortgage payment