Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

After much consideration, spurred by Mike's quest for ideas for a new Forum Design Build, and wanting to do my next "outside the box" trailer using items I have on hand, and using the tools I have learned to use on build #1, I've narrowed my choices to a couple of "tribute" designs. Either based on the CSS Texas, a Confederate ironclad ship, or based on the 1st gen Star Trek shuttle Galileo NCC-1701/7. The ship design, casement structure only, requiring a complex octagonal shape and a layered outer skin to imitate the iron-over-wood cladding, is way beyond my skills, even if squared instead of octagonal. The shuttle design, with simpler sloping front and sides, is a better possibility for me to do. Either design is meant to be skid-mounted and completely removable from the trailer base, and stored on a treated wood raised platform in my yard, when not in use. That way, I'll have the trailer base (my 16ft dove-tailed carhauler)

available for use for cars/cargo/whatever. Yes, I know its not tiny, but given the size of recent CT builds, not verboten here (and it's paid for).... The trailer has treated wood flooring covered with steel diamond plate, so I can easily mount multi-purpose tie-downs, e-tracks, keel rollers, etc... for anything needed to fit the bill. The trailer running gear was completely redone by me in 2007 (and only used sparingly since then, no usage since 2011) consisting of two new 3500lb axles, 4 wheel electric brakes, new springs and hangers. I can build everything into it that I might need, on a 7x14ft flat plane (with 2 foot dovetail droop). Here's a mis-proportioned view of my future build: The pic shows the pods over the fenders, instead of inside (they will be the slides); I'm just experimenting with Sketchpad, and can't get the pictures to match. I researched the forum to see if anyone had completed such a build, and found none, though LoneWolf had shuttle plans in 2006-7, and WannaBe had plans a little later. If someone has such a build ongoing, then I'll go back to the CSS Texas plan (I will only plagiarize to a certain extent, not copying anyone directly!). If I can't get the plans on Sketchpad or AutoCAD correct (small hope here), then I'll go back to graph paper. No winging it on this build! No self-set deadline either!

working on it wrote:After much consideration, spurred by Mike's quest for ideas for a new Forum Design Build, and wanting to do my next "outside the box" trailer using items I have on hand, and using the tools I have learned to use on build #1, I've narrowed my choices to a couple of "tribute" designs. Either based on the CSS Texas, a Confederate ironclad ship, or based on the 1st gen Star Trek shuttle Galileo NCC-1701/7. The ship design, casement structure only, requiring a complex octagonal shape and a layered outer skin to imitate the iron-over-wood cladding, is way beyond my skills, even if squared instead of octagonal.

squared casement CSSTexas.jpg (42.23 KiB) Viewed 2268 times

The shuttle design, with simpler sloping front and sides, is a better possibility for me to do.

The attachment GalileoShuttleCraft_jpg-675x550.jpg is no longer available

Either design is meant to be skid-mounted and completely removable from the trailer base, and stored on a treated wood raised platform in my yard, when not in use. That way, I'll have the trailer base (my 16ft dove-tailed carhauler)

available for use for cars/cargo/whatever. Yes, I know its not tiny, but given the size of recent CT builds, not verboten here (and it's paid for).... The trailer has treated wood flooring covered with steel diamond plate, so I can easily mount multi-purpose tie-downs, e-tracks, keel rollers, etc... for anything needed to fit the bill. The trailer running gear was completely redone by me in 2007 (and only used sparingly since then, no usage since 2011) consisting of two new 3500lb axles, 4 wheel electric brakes, new springs and hangers. I can build everything into it that I might need, on a 7x14ft flat plane (with 2 foot dovetail droop). Here's a mis-proportioned view of my future build:

The attachment Galileo Tribute Trailer.jpg is no longer available

The pic shows the pods over the fenders, instead of inside (they will be the slides); I'm just experimenting with Sketchpad, and can't get the pictures to match. I researched the forum to see if anyone had completed such a build, and found none, though LoneWolf had shuttle plans in 2006-7, and WannaBe had plans a little later. If someone has such a build ongoing, then I'll go back to the CSS Texas plan (I will only plagiarize to a certain extent, not copying anyone directly!). If I can't get the plans on Sketchpad or AutoCAD correct (small hope here), then I'll go back to graph paper. No winging it on this build! No self-set deadline either!

I'll admit to going off on "tangental thinking" escapades, where I come up with an outside-the-box idea and run with it... but most often, nothing at all comes of it. I get sidetracked into reality, darn it, or I realize the cost of doing my wild hare builds/mods/what-have-you is not worth it. I had announced my "battleship, or shuttle build", after becoming bored with no build after two years of constantly living one. OK. I put pencil to paper, and estimated the costs involved, wood and paint (or elastomeric coating/Durabak on this one) and hardware. Not to mention the built in kitchen and toilet. Too much. But now, I am confronted with a new (free) supply of building material, that has me re-considering the Ironclad build. I have just gotten 142 pieces of 44"long x 5"wide x 7/8"thick plywood (no void), leftover from a project at work. Free. When I looked at these scraps, I saw the ironclad exterior. Another Red pill/Blue pill decision point....