Hello from Ohio

[Wicked Piggy]

Hello Everyone,

My name is Marty. I live in Northeast Ohio. I'm about a half hour northeast of Cleveland right on Lake Erie. The beach is literally right at the end of my street. My wife and I love to walk the beach at night and watch the sunsets. She looks for beach glass to make jewelry. I have three grown kids and seven grand-kids. We all live close to each other and do everything together. When the kids were little we camped every weekend that we could. Somewhere over the years we became too busy and camping fell away. This year we decided we would start back up. There are 14 of us, if my in-laws don't go. Twenty if everyone goes Now that the kids have grown I would like to do some traveling just me and the wife. We have always tent camped. I don't want to bump up to a big RV or camper. I love being outside. So a teardrop seems like the next progression. Cozy, small, easy to manage and still only a step above the tent camping.

I have been a tool and die maker my whole adult life. The last twenty years I have designed and built all of the automation where I work. My brother and I have an Independent Film Company (529 Films). We actually had a horror film on network television. Now we have music videos playing at Cedar Point Amusement Park for their Halloweekends. I have a small wood shop I started putting together at home over the last year. I have some experience with woodworking but not a lot. I love flea marketing and repurposing things. I'm hoping to start selling some of what I make on line soon. Anyway, I'm hoping that my ability to design and build automation with help with building my own teardrop. I have to say that I'm nervous about it still. I'm on a tight budget this year so I'm going with a 4x8 on a Harbor Freight trailer. If we stick to the plan and use it a lot over the next year or two, then I'll start working on a 5x8 or 5x10 trailer and hand this one down to the kids. The trailer is built and I started painting it black. I read the some people extend the tongue 18 inches or so. I may still do that. My biggest fear is sealing everything. Don't want water inside. I have a friend that builds wood canoes and he said he would help waterproof. I'm looking forward to going through these pages to see what everyone else does. I just love teardrops. I look forward to learning from others here. I've always loved learning from other people and passing on what I learn. Sorry for the long start. It's says to let people know about you, lol.

Thanks for reading

[John W]

Hi Marty! I was where you are about 2 years ago. I was tired of the vagaries of tent camping and wanted a more secure place to lay my aging bones. My carpentry skills were practically nil. I knew which direction to push my circular saw, and I was a whiz at putting drill bits in my drill. And, I still retain all of my fingers! Still trying to master the idea of cut twice measure once or cut three and measure ........you know what I mean. Believe me you will gain the skills you need as you go along. I am the king of "do overs". I started with a very simple angular design, purchased a 5 x 8 trailer and over the period of a year, as time and funds permitted, I built mine. It's nothing as exotic as most you will see on here, and it is a work in progress. I am constantly modifying after each trip. You can do this! The reward is huge. Please share photos with us as your build progresses. With all that being said, my message to you is not to worry about doing it, you will figure a way

I love the fact that you are a filmmaker, a published one at that! That is an accomplishment in itself. If you can put all that together, you can build a teardrop trailer.

Happy trails

John

[Wicked Piggy]

Thanks John,

I am one of those do it yourself people. I've always been mechanical. I'm restoring a 65 Impala SS (sort of, going very slow). I've always fixed everything in my house myself. So I've done everything from drywall, to electrical, to building garages, to what ever else. I don't know why I feel intimidated by the teardrop? But I will do my best. I hear you on the do overs, lol. I have had my share of those. That's how you learn

[VijayGupta]

Ashtabula Co.? I grew up just south of there. Second guess is Geauga Co.

[Wicked Piggy]

Lake County. Mentor, Ohio

[nevadatear]

We were up in your area several years ago. My husband is from Hartville by Akron and we were back visiting and birding by the lake. You two sound perfect for a teardrop. We love ours!

[Shadow Catcher]

Head West to Metamora, Fulton county. My suggestion join TearJerkers, Buckeye chapter is quit active.

[pigcooker]

Hi Marty, Welcome. You will meet a bunch of nice folks on this site.
As Shadow Catcher suggested join Tearjerkers too. More fine folks
there as well. Got questions ? ask away, a wealth of knowledge, is
at your fingertips. I do however, have a suggestion. Mock-up a 46"
wide bed,(with walls) you and your wife need to see if you can sleep
in that space. PLEASE ! do this, B-4 you go any further. Full size beds
are 54" wide, I'd bet you sleep in a queen size (minimum).
Just some cursing avoidance advice. We want you to finish this
project, and have, and share the fun with your family.
I Hope we meet someday, down the road.

Pigcooker, aka, Doug

[Wicked Piggy]

Thanks everyone

Nevadatear, Hartville is about 2 hours south of me. I have been there a number of times. They have a nice flea market there and that is where I got my '69 Caprice.

Shadow Catcher, I'll look into the Tear Jerkers. I've seen the site but haven't looked into joining. I'll do that though. Thanks.

Doug, Thanks for the warning We do sleep in a queen bed. Have you ever seen the funny picture that diagrams a couples sleeping area in bed? If I knew how to post a picture here I would. Still a novice. Anyway, I pretty much sleep on the edge of the bed. My wife sleeps up against me and the other side of the bed doesn't get used, lol. I will take your advise though. If she doesn't like it I can look into building a 5 x 8 on the 4 x 8 trailer. I've seen articles on it and I'm sure there is info here as well. I actually made the mistake of purchasing a set of plans on Ebay a few years ago when i first got the bug. Not very good. They were cheap. I decided to design it myself. Which I have some mock ups in Solid Works. Then I joined this site and I see there is more info than I think I could ever read So I'm kind of starting from scratch other than I have a trailer already. I actually bought wood for making the interior cabinets as well. I was in Middlefield at an Amish wood supplier and found a whole bunch of Spalted Maple. I couldn't pass it up.

Thanks again everyone. I really look forward to chatting with people here.

[VijayGupta]

Ah, my aunt and uncle lived in Eastlake, just over a bit.

Lake County. Mentor, Ohio

You sound similar to us, 3 kids that we camped with, now grown, just getting back into it. We have you beat with 10 grandchildren.

[S. Heisley]

Hey, Marty, welcome to one of the best sites on the Internet!
I was just in Geneva, Geneva-on-the-Lake, Austinburg, and Tiffin this summer. I thought about pulling the trailer; but, decided it would take too long for what I was planning to do; so, I hopped a plane and made it a really quick trip. Maybe someday....

[ctstaas]

Hi Marty, I went to school with a lot of out of staters from Ohio and they were all very cool folks. Besides welding for an iron works , I got to do a lot of machining also and love it. You'll have no problem making a teardrop. One tip, when I cut my walls,I did them both at the same time so they were both the same for later steps. Would you give me some advise on some work other then TDs? I'm at [email protected]. Thanks.
Enjoy, Chris

[Wicked Piggy]

Eastlake is right around the corner. My daughter lives there. 10 GRANDKIDS???!!!! Wow I'll have to start bugging my kids for more

Geneva is about 45 minutes away.

Thanks Chris. I've been doing a lot of reading on this stuff. I'm sure I'll still make mistakes, lol.

[kenafp]

My daughter and her husband just moved from Mentor! Nice place. Sorry we won't be visiting that area for awhile since they moved to Texas.