Terms - Stick Frame, Skeleton Wall, SIP

[Watercamper]

Thank you all for your replies. I've spent part of the day reading about foamies. I even just did a q&d (quick and dirty) calc on the weight savings comparing a sq ft of foam build to the same using 1/8" ply skins. Impressive saivngs!

Maybe you can help me out. I'd like to read through/see photos of a basic foamie build but all I keep finding are these very large threads that seem to be somewhat experimental. Is there a simple tried and true method? It appears that there is: build foam walls, attach to floor. Add spars. glue on roof to foam walls. etc. Add TBII full strength, add canvas, watch canvas shrink, watch foam crack (oops). Coat with diluted TBII. Start on interior. Figure out how to keep the canvas full of glue from falling on your head, etc. But - I haven't been able to find the basic, generic build.

Oh, and I did read on a posting about building a foamie that the initial weight of the wall was 14 lb. After the addition of glue and canvas, the dry weight was 20, a little over a 40% increase. Does this sound about right? (The value was for canvas on one side of the wall only).

[GPW]

WC, Bring this to the Foamie' section , and we’ll be more than happy to explain Everything !!! Foamies' were Experimental ... now well proven .. I have Two ...

[rowerwet]

you got the basic idea of a foamie build down, the problem is, everybody is trying or suggesting "improvements" to the basic idea.
reduced to the basic form,
1. figure the side profile you want, this is the time to figure door and fender placement based on weights, or go with a tried and true design (weekender or benroy for ease of build)
2. once you have the profile, decide on the width (5 wide is most common)
3. make your floor (having your trailer already makes this much easier)
4. decide on the type of glue you will use to join panels together (many options, you decide, this is where you will hit information overload)
5. make the sidewalls
6. make the roof (kerfing, bending, or laminating all figure large here for any rounded profile)
7. skin the tear, (a perforating tool really helps lock the glue into the foam) (this is the other information overload step, with many budget friendly options, and some not so budget friendly) make sure the "sock" fabric wraps down under the bottom of the floor for structural integrity!
8. fill the weave, keep adding paint until the fabric is saturated, this will ensure your descendants will have to figure out what to do with "that neat trailer they built" after you are gone.
9. ignore all the comments about bears, and low flying geese and turkeys, avoid low flying hammers, endure seeing your creation being punched again and again by non-believers expecting their puny fist can make it crumble, camp, enjoy, repeat.

[GPW]

Once you go Foam , you’ll always have a home !!!

Row, tell em’ about the ballast ...

[wagondude]

Then just add in the Trail Top concept to confuse things a little more. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=58690 . It is just in the design and prototype stage now, but if someone buys the concept for production, it could really take off.

[rowerwet]

Once you go Foam , you’ll always have a home !!!

Row, tell em’ about the ballast ...

then add a few hundred pounds of your favorite beverage, to keep things on an even keel... for me it will be Barq's

[mikeschn]

Ballast should be your favorite beer. Probably as many cases as it takes to fill the bottom of the teardrop. I hadn't thought about Root Beer until Rower mentioned it, but yea, that would work too!

Mike...

[KCStudly]

Hey Mike, In your neck of the woods I would have thought it would be Vernors!