Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

My new modernistic style teardrop which I have named a "Riviera" by Guffkraft, is now finished. I resumed construction after returning from Minden and a Riviera convention in Arkansas. It took about 150 hours spread over eight weeks but we got 'er done.
I took a little test tow yesterday and she pulls just great. Stopped by the scales and she weighs a relatively svelte 925 lbs. with the battery. I have added about a dozen more photos to my build album which you can see at http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/guffdrop/my_photos

Our first outing is scheduled for the TOW group gathering at Camp Lane outside of Florence OR on the 9th and 10th of Sept. After that we are headed on a 7500 mile journey cross country to Philadelphia and back.

Jerome

Congratulations! Looks great. Glad you finally got it finished........................now go use it.

Jerome,
That is absolutely beautiful! Great job!



Scott F.

...absolutely marvelous .................................
madjack

Looks great! What did you use to give it the riveted look. I thought they were screws but I couldn't make out the slots.

Congratulations! Looks Great and I bet that it feels Great too! Time to enjoy!

Kerry

Awesome, Jerome!

The "rivets" are actually aluminum drive nails that have a spiral shank. They screw themselves in as they are hammered down. I got them from George at the Teardrop Fixit Shop in Victor MT.

Jerome

Jerome,
That is a beautiful trailer!!!
Excellent!!!

great job Jerome,
Are your fenders painted, or stainless?

Those are steel fenders, 11" wide, bought from ebay. The finish is paint in a color called "cast aluminum", an engine enamel from Dupli_Color.

Jerome

You certainly have a right to be proud. The modernistic is my favorite style and you did it very well. I especially like the way you kept it clean and simple but still have well thought out basic functionality. I've been saving some of your pictures into my "ideas folder". Good luck on your cross country trip.

Looks great! I am starting a TD with a similar profile. How did you join the front aluminum skin to the chassis where it meets the tongue? My TD will also cover the chassis frame, and I can't really figure out how the front and back skins attach to the frame....do you have any pictures maybe of the underside of the front and back...maybe a picture is worth a thousand words!

Thanks for the help for a Newbie!

The bottom middle of the front skin is not physically attached. It is held on by screws at the outside edges and then secured by the top edge molding. In the middle it is a tight friction fit between the floor framing edge and the top of the tongue so it can't go anywhere. The bottom of the back curve is also held by screws at the edge into the sidewalls and the edge molding. In the middle section it is stuck to the bottom of the back floor edge by an extremely sticky moisture barrier tape normally used to waterproof door and window openings in homes. The tape is also secured by screws into the floor framing.

Jerome

DGuff- Thanks for the help...I have been trying to figure out a way to make the front and back skins cover the frame, but offer an easy way to create a lasting seal to keep moisture from sneaking up between the aluminum skin and the body...the sides are easy, as I can simply wrap the aluminum over the bottom of the sidewalls and under the chassis (the sidewalls come down to cover the chassis sides) and use a weatherstrip of some type along the underside. But the front ellipse is more difficult as it needs to wedge between the chassis frame and the tongue...

I would be interested if anyone else has other ideas...
Thanks again!