Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Has anyone built a camper using the stitch and glue method that boat builders use? Would like to build a small canned ham using this method. Can it be done? Any build threads?

Not stitch and glue, but GPW's FoamStream used internal ribs and has somewhat of an inverted boat shape.

Also not stitch and glue, but Dave Campbell's "Go Ahead, Call Me Crazy" build is replicating a very early vintage aero style "shingled" aluminum TD.

Between the two of these you should be able to get some inspiration.

Chesapeake light craft has lightweight camper in the works (http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=63766) that looks like it might be stitch and glue. Stitch and glue with thin plywood works partly because the all the pieces are curved so the shape is inherently stiff. A typical canned ham shape with flat sides might need some internal bracing to provide support for the flat sides (or you could make them curved too.)

A trailer in the style of a Bowlus would be a good choice for stitch-and-glue, though it will still need internal frames. I've doen a preliminary set of plans for a replica Bowlus Papoose like this:



And while it's not exactly stitch-and-glue, here is the test model made from joining strakes cut from the CAD drawing of the body:





That's the official hold-and-sticky-tape build method.

A related technique might be considered as well. "Dynamite" Payson wrote a couple books about building what he called 'instant boats.' He used the same bent plywood construction as in 'stitch and glue,' but used small strips of wood (approx. 1"x1") to back the joints, gluing and screwing to tie things together. The strips have to be cut with appropriate bevels to get good glue bonds. The advantage to my way of thinking would be that it would be easier to pull ply in to contorted shapes with the use of screws. That being said, I have never built with either technique. I did, however, build a plywood on frame kayak which is very similar. Pulling the plywood into shape was not always easy. If you're interested look for the title 'Instant Boats.'