Have construction styles been standardized and listed?

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Have construction styles been standardized and listed?

Postby Steambc » Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:17 pm

Hey All,

Greetings from Connecticut.

I'm starting my journey into Teardrop-Land, and I've noticed that there are several styles of wall construction, from solid to various types of framing. Have the various styles of construction been listed and discussed anywhere? I guess I'm looking for a pros/cons listing of construction methods.

I know I can hunt down resources such as this but I thought maybe there might be a well-known resource within the community for evaluating construction approaches. I promise not to ask you guys to do the research work for me as I construct my camper. I just thought that right off the bat there might be a "go-to" place that everyone should check out before designing.

Thanks!
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Re: Have construction styles been standardized and listed?

Postby rjgimp » Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:22 pm

There is a tab called "Design Resources" at the top of the home page. Otherwise, just start looking through the list of topics. There are hundreds of discussions to read through, both new and old. The site is over 15 years old. Quite a few have come through and documented their experiments for our collective benefit.
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Re: Have construction styles been standardized and listed?

Postby tony.latham » Wed Nov 09, 2022 3:28 pm

So... why do I build with sandwiched walls?

Let me start out by defining this type of construction. A sandwiched wall includes an internal structure –I use heavily skeletonized 3/4" plywood– that is sheathed on both sides with thin plywood. For the interior sheathing, I use 1/8" Baltic birch. On the exterior, I sheath with 1/4" plywood. The voids in the internal structure are filled with foam board.

1. The resulting structure is a torsion box that is stiffer than a single sheet of plywood with close to the same weight. (Warping in the galley area can result in poor sealing.)

2. This method makes it easy to "stretch" plywood beyond the normal 8' length using a simple spline joint in the skeleton cut with a router bit. The exterior/interior sheathing that is glued on acts as a gusset and strengthens the joint.

3. Insulation. I purchased my first teardrop in 2004. It had solid plywood walls. On cold mornings we would always get condensation on the walls. We kept a bath towel in the cabin just to wipe them down in the morning. This would happen even with the cabin well-ventilated. Condensation doesn't form on insulated walls.

4. A thicker wall allows for deep dados (or slots) to be included in the wall for bulkheads and any other cross members. This joinery makes for a much stronger cabin and is easier to assemble since these parts just slip inside the walls. Think mortise and tenon. (And yes, this is easy to do with a simple router jig.)

5. The thicker wall allows for a lip to be formed on top of the wall so that the headliner can be installed prior to the spars. This creates a perfect interior wall/ceiling joint that doesn't need to be covered by trim. (Having done this a few times, I can't even imagine having to install the headliner after the spars are installed.)

6. The thicker wall allows for a Fredricks-style hatch that has a seal system with a gutter that is water and dustproof.

Sandwiched walls are more labor intensive but you end up with a stronger cabin that is insulated with a galley that doesn't leak.

Tony

P.S. Wanna know more? Visit my build log at the bottom of this post.
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Re: Have construction styles been standardized and listed?

Postby nsfr1206 » Wed Nov 09, 2022 3:33 pm

Tony wrote a book too…. It’s available on Amazon and it’s a good resource.


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Re: Have construction styles been standardized and listed?

Postby KCStudly » Wed Nov 09, 2022 6:14 pm

I'm not sure if there is already an all in one source for this info, but we can at least summarize here:

1. Plywood walls - This would be the simplest, fastest method, but also heavy for what it brings in simplicity. As Tony pointed out, not the most efficient rigid structure and very little insulation value.

2. Traditional Construction or Stick Built - Typically 1x2 studs and rails with a plywood outer skin. Skin is usually much thinner than straight plywood construction. Voids can be filled with insulation board and inner skins can be added. Best strength comes when inner, outer and foam are all glued as a laminate. More time consuming than plywood construction, and perhaps skeleton construction.

Skeleton Construction - As Tony described ^.

Foamie - In the most basic form, insulation board covered with glued on cotton canvas, then painted ("Poor Man's fiberglass", or PMF). The idea is to eliminate as much wood and trim as possible to prevent water intrusion and subsequent rot. Hybrid versions can use laminated interior plywood skins (for that traditional wood "cozy feeling" inside) and/or substitute epoxy and fiberglass weave cloth instead of PMF outside.
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Re: Have construction styles been standardized and listed?

Postby Steambc » Thu Nov 10, 2022 11:14 am

Wow, I didn't expect such a plethora of information right off the bat!

Thanks, guys. I greatly appreciate it. I'll be checking out all the links and suggestions.
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Re: Have construction styles been standardized and listed?

Postby friz » Sat Nov 12, 2022 9:55 pm

Stitch and glue deserves mention. My CLC fits my needs to a T. www.clcboats.com

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Re: Have construction styles been standardized and listed?

Postby John61CT » Mon Nov 14, 2022 11:52 am

friz wrote:Stitch and glue deserves mention. My CLC fits my needs to a T. http://www.clcboats.com


Can you link to the pages relevant to building stitch and glue camper / trailers rather than just boats?

Or other relevant HowTo sites / threads?
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Re: Have construction styles been standardized and listed?

Postby MickinOz » Mon Nov 14, 2022 10:38 pm

John61CT wrote:
friz wrote:Stitch and glue deserves mention. My CLC fits my needs to a T. http://www.clcboats.com


Can you link to the pages relevant to building stitch and glue camper / trailers rather than just boats?

Or other relevant HowTo sites / threads?

You only have to scroll down a little on the page Friz linked to find the CLC Teardrop.
However, for those whose scrolling fingers suffer from arthritis like mine, here is the actual page.
https://www.clcboats.com/teardrop
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Re: Have construction styles been standardized and listed?

Postby KCStudly » Tue Nov 15, 2022 10:17 am

Or just click on friz's user name link, then click on his most active link to go directly to his own build thread.
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