Maintaining a Wooden Teardrop

[DaveWeinstein]

One of the Teardrops we're considering is a wooden body.

How much extra maintenance would that entail? The trailer would be garaged when not camping, but it's not like the Pacific NW is known for being dry...

[Redneck Teepee]

I can speak only for a wooden boat which would be very simular. Years ago I restored an old Chris-Craft boat, and at least every 2 years I had to scuff sand and re-varnish to keep it looking good and reseal the cracks that develop in the finish surface with normal use. I'm sure the varnishes have improved somewhat (from 30 years ago) and may not be the case any more. They sure are pretty though. That would be about the only downside that I could see. I'm sure someone here with a "Woody" can chime in.

[Woodbutcher]

I have 2 Woody trailers. Mine are kept in a barn when not being used. You will need to add a coat of finish now and then. But I find it worth the extra work.

[len19070]

I'm with Woodbutcher!





Well worth the effort.

Happy Trails

Len

[bobhenry]

Chubby had a luan face and multiple coats of marine spar varnish, later house paint , then another coat of house paint laced with sparkles to hide some of the blistering and delamination. He was out side in the rain and snow 24-7 for 5 heart breaking years. I will never have a woody again if submitted to outside storage only.









The pictures cover the 6 years of Chubbys life. He is finally inside and safe however I thing his refacing will be with dove grey or a mocah brown FRP panel this summer for a maintainance free finish.

[BobBash]

I was wondering about the long term care of a " woody " trailer myself . I really like the look & I'm thinking that preping & recoating a 5' x 9' Teardrop every couple of years can't be all that bad .................

[nevadatear]

Ours is inside stored. Very little maintence.

[jonw]

I'm going on my 3rd year with mine. IMO the main issues you need to watch out for are:

1) Water damage and/or de-lamination if using plywood (which most of us do) . I used aluminum for the roof so that was not an issue but for the sides and bottom I used marine ply, which is waterproof. I still urethaned all edges, exposed or not just to be safe. Zero issues.

2) UV protection. On mine I used 2-3 coats of satin finish Minwax Spar Urethane (which contains UV inhibitors). There are other products out there as well - just make sure you use one with UV protection. I sprayed it on with a HVLP sprayer which made for a nice even coat without any brush marks or overlap glops. This spring I'll lightly sand and re-apply another 1-2 coats which should be good for another 2-3 years.

I store mine covered over the winter but otherwise it just lives outside.

[len19070]

My second one stayed outside for 4 years.

I would NOT leave a "Woodie Trailer" outside uncovered for long. Garage kept is best, But...

All I had was a good car cover (From a VW Bug) and a blue tarp over that.

Never had a problem



Happy Trails

Len