Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Friends,

Roof not on yet....spent nearly a whole morning trying to find the insulation I needed....but, I anticipate starting roof tomorrow...

I would like some advice on the ply joints in the roof. Here is what I am thinking of doing....

1) putting Fill It Epoxy filler in the seams and sanding smooth.

Do I need to do anything else by way of sealing the seams?

Jim

kayakrguy wrote:Friends,

Roof not on yet....spent nearly a whole morning trying to find the insulation I needed....but, I anticipate starting roof tomorrow...

I would like some advice on the ply joints in the roof. Here is what I am thinking of doing....

1) putting Fill It Epoxy filler in the seams and sanding smooth.

Do I need to do anything else by way of sealing the seams?

Jim

Jim,

I made sure my joints fell on a spar, and I glued them up good to the spar.
Then I filled in the joints with epoxy filler and sanded it smooth.

Finally I put a good coat of paint on it.

So I think you are on the right track!

Mike...

Mike,

Thanks for the reply...

I've got the spar spacing figured out for the ply as you said. Did you screw the ply down as well as glue?

Have you tried to do a seamless roof?

Steve Frederick's build shows doing that. I don't have a table saw or I might be tempted to do that.

Jim

I used big headed nails in the Baja Benroy, which I also sunk and filled with epoxy filler.

On the Escape Hatch I countersunk the screw holes and filled those with epoxy filler.

The plans for the Generic Benroy call for a seamless roof, like the one Steve Did on the Lil Diner. But it's not truely seamless. Steve still had to fill it in with epoxy and then finish it with spar urethane.

So plan on using something, irregardless of your construction technique.

Mike...

Mike,

Thanks again! I think the message is that glue and screwing is the way to go to be sure the roof stays on--seams or not....got it...

Jim

If you can make the seams fall on a flat section it will make it easier to make them disappear.

STech,


Thanks for that advice...we are trying to do that. I think we have the spacing figured out so that will be possible.

Jim

Kayak excuse me for jumping in but I have a similar question related to the roof. How do you join/ seal where the roof and walls meet? I have not decided between a metal or wood roof, can someone address each application?

Thanks

if you have joined panels and then infilled with the epoxy filler does this mean that you cannot do a clear urethane varnish/finish over the wood? Do you have to paint? I guess the same question would be true if there was a seamless roof but with epoxy filling in the screw holes etc?

War Eagle wrote:Kayak excuse me for jumping in but I have a similar question related to the roof. How do you join/ seal where the roof and walls meet? I have not decided between a metal or wood roof, can someone address each application?

Thanks

Eagle, people use different stuff, but I used 3m's 5200 marine "adhesive" which comes in a small tube. (HD carries it.) I simply filled the gap/seam and spread it a little with a screwdriver.

Anything you use there is going to be hidden by some kind of molding anyway, so it doesn't have to look real pretty. I used the 5200 because it's meant for wet conditions, it stays flexible so it doesn't dry out and crack, and also since it's flexible, it's just right for the kind of stresses that those corners are going to be exposed to when turning/towing.

kayakrguy wrote:


Have you tried to do a seamless roof?

Steve Frederick's build shows doing that. I don't have a table saw or I might be tempted to do that.

Jim

I used a cordless circ-saw to cut the width, a router to "join" the sections, 'glassed the seams while on the table, then applied to the roof...No table saw involved! In fact, I only use a table saw to mill cabinet door parts, and rip spars!! Otherwise, no bench tools!
Joining the sections eliminates the requirement to hit a spar, and the joint won't open on the curves!

You did read the manual, didn't you???