Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

So I have the same vinyl inset trim that Mark is using in his recent post that I used for the side of the teardrop that I would like to use on the hatch as well. It would match, and I already have it on the shelf too. (I'm stealing your pic Mark!)



So could I use this for the hatch overhang? My thinking is that whether the overhang is long or short, there is still going to be a gap from the trim side to the side of the teardrop, so the seal isn't there, the seal is well, the seal. So as long as you get a good seal it would be ok, because if you get a bad seal water is going to make it's way in there while you are blazing down the freeway no matter how long the overhang is. That's just my logic, if it is flawed or if there is something I am missing about the importance of a low overhang, I want to know.

Anyone have positive or negative experiences on this? An additional concern would be the dramatic radius my hatch makes which would bending a 1" overhang a "challenge" as they say in Corporate America...

The Dew Drop doesn't have any overhang!

I had originally planned on doing exactly as you're describing. I used a curved piece of plywood for a jig and the trim bent into the curve just fine. When it was done though, it still wasn't long enough to cover up the seal, so I ended up using some stair nosing I got from Home Depot that matched my other trim better. My thinking is that it's the seal that keeps the water out. Covering up the seal is mostly for looks.

Thomas -- I'm not seeing how that would work

Dean_A wrote:I had originally planned on doing exactly as you're describing. I used a curved piece of plywood for a jig and the trim bent into the curve just fine. When it was done though, it still wasn't long enough to cover up the seal, so I ended up using some stair nosing I got from Home Depot that matched my other trim better. My thinking is that it's the seal that keeps the water out. Covering up the seal is mostly for looks.

Ha! we posted at nearly the same time -- I see what he's trying to do now...duh

T, that is what I/we do and your thinking is correct...I use flat top rivets to attach the trim, running them up from the bottom, so the barrel is up in the insert channel and will be hidden by the insert trim...place you seal over the top of the rivets and you should be good to go............
madjack

2bits, thats my Dew Drop in the pic. My original hatch had the same thing you are doing with the over hang. I rebuilt my hatch after a couple of years & did away with the alum trim on my hatch. My current setup thats in the pic works fine, the compression on the seal does its job. After I rebuilt my hatch the alum trim did not fit , so rather than spending more money on another stick of trim I just change it. But thats the beauty of TD;s you can build them anyway you like!! Good luck!1

Cool, thanks for letting me know it was not only yours but it actually works! haha that's always a plus! I just did my hatch the other day using the short overhang trim that I used for the body. I like the way it matches. I will just need to make sure I get a good seal then!