Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I am still in the planning phases of my teardrop (planning to use the generic benroy as a starting point) and have been reading every available post regarding construction do's and don'ts on this site and others. I have encountered at least two builds where the builder did not notch the side walls as part of the galley hatch construction.

This peaked my interest and did additional research. On http://www.teardroptrailerparts.com/Hinges___Aluminum_Trim.html, HT05 and HT06 descriptions indicate that there is no need to notch the side walls.

So will I get myself into trouble if I don't notch the side walls? Of course I must ensure that the appropriate gap at the top and bottom of the galley is maintained so that the silly thing will open and close appropriately.

Your thoughts?

Thanks....

Johnny

I'm not notching. I am going to use the parts from teardrop trailer parts. I have been to his shop, looked at how he builds his campers and am going to copy it.

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If you have time, a detailed explanation of how you are planning to build would help this newbie a great deal.

bobwhite215 wrote:I'm not notching. I am going to use the parts from teardrop trailer parts. I have been to his shop, looked at how he builds his campers and am going to copy it.

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I'm not quite there yet, so I don't have it all figured out. I am going back out to Vintage Technologies sometime in the next few weeks to pick up doors. I will be taking pictures of his builds then.

In the meantime, check out the pics on his website

Teardroptrailerparts.com/offset_t_molding.html

Teardroptrailerparts.com/offset_hurricane_hinge.html

Teardroptrailerparts.com/hurricane_hinge.html


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johnny_swindle wrote:I am still in the planning phases of my teardrop (planning to use the generic benroy as a starting point) and have been reading every available post regarding construction do's and don'ts on this site and others. I have encountered at least two builds where the builder did not notch the side walls as part of the galley hatch construction.

This peaked my interest and did additional research. On http://www.teardroptrailerparts.com/Hinges___Aluminum_Trim.html, HT05 and HT06 descriptions indicate that there is no need to notch the side walls.

So will I get myself into trouble if I don't notch the side walls? Of course I must ensure that the appropriate gap at the top and bottom of the galley is maintained so that the silly thing will open and close appropriately.

Your thoughts?

Thanks....

Johnny

Johnny:

I have used Steve Fredrick's Teardrop Shop Manual for all three of my builds. http://www.campingclassics.com/shopman05.html

It's about 250 pages with lots of photos and explanations. I can't over-rate it. I've found it invaluable.

After camping in teardrops for the last twelve years and finishing three, I couldn't tell you what a "side wall notch" is.

A Fredrick's-built hatch is tight.





Tony

Thank you Tony....

I will have to invest in the manual.

tony.latham wrote:

johnny_swindle wrote:I am still in the planning phases of my teardrop (planning to use the generic benroy as a starting point) and have been reading every available post regarding construction do's and don'ts on this site and others. I have encountered at least two builds where the builder did not notch the side walls as part of the galley hatch construction.

This peaked my interest and did additional research. On http://www.teardroptrailerparts.com/Hinges___Aluminum_Trim.html, HT05 and HT06 descriptions indicate that there is no need to notch the side walls.

So will I get myself into trouble if I don't notch the side walls? Of course I must ensure that the appropriate gap at the top and bottom of the galley is maintained so that the silly thing will open and close appropriately.

Your thoughts?

Thanks....

Johnny

Johnny:

I have used Steve Fredrick's Teardrop Shop Manual for all three of my builds. http://www.campingclassics.com/shopman05.html

It's about 250 pages with lots of photos and explanations. I can't over-rate it. I've found it invaluable.

After camping in teardrops for the last twelve years and finishing three, I couldn't tell you what a "side wall notch" is.

A Fredrick's-built hatch is tight.





Tony

Is this a question of the hatch sitting on the walls or between when closed?

QueticoBill wrote:Is this a question of the hatch sitting on the walls or between when closed?

I think that's the discussion, if I'm understanding correctly

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However you decide to build, there needs to be a lip (somewhere) to redirect the water which will try to get inside the galley during a rain & while towing in wet weather. I decided to use a small partition of 1/2" baltic birch to do this, but there are many variations to think about.

Here's the edge protruding above the side panel & the opposite side shows the strut attachment point which was added.




The view from the front & above, showing the red oak spars in place. The 1/2" creates a "lip" for the water to back-up against during a rain.


This is the finished edge with trim in place. The gasket goes against the metal trim but is attached to the bottom side of the hatch. This is a very close fit & needs a lot of care & planning to make the fit work properly. Any water which creeps through this gasket area has to hit the 1/2" ply which is sticking up, then run down to the bottom & drain to the outside.