Maybe It Should Be A Boat

[anon1]

Hello Everyone,

As the typical story goes, I've been lurking here at your forums for a while now (about two years). My initial design was of the teardrop shaped cub/modernaire with a few major modifications to the design. I had a year of research and development that included 1/12 scale 3D wood and cardboard models and various flat 2D paper cutout layouts in elevation and plan views. Once the overal design was decided on I went to SketchUp for complete modeling and AutoCAD for detailing of sections, connections, and full-scale measured miters and other special pieces. Excel spreadsheets for tips/tricks, weights/costs, and detailed breakdown of each component produced a workbook of material needs, cutlists, projected weights and costs, etc, etc, etc.

Then the whole design changed due to locally available material sizes and my own time constraints. The shape, major features, and overall construction methods and finishes all changed and the revisions were fast-tracked through my modeling and detailing (It was time to shoot the engineer and finally begin construction of something).

The project is being built under less than ideal conditions: on a carport in a sub-tropical climate during rainy season using pretty much hobbyist grade tools by one person with very limited woodworking experience. The build starts with some highly-modified Harbor Freight cheapness, adds some nice strong wood and Kreg pockethole joinery, salvaged RV windows, and should finish with more of an "Ikea utilitarian instead of fine cabinetmaker" design.

I've got some pictures documenting the progress but nothing like some builds (but I do have some blue tape). 2plus inches of rain a day, a few days in a row, gives me the time to finally make this first post. With having raw unfinished wood in place I've got a regular batten-down-the-hatches routine now. That sometimes happens several times a day during build-time.

Here is where I'm at right now:

[Juneaudave]

I'm betting this will turn out nice!!!

[anon1]

Thanks Juneaudave, I hope so. I've seen some really nice, professional looking, campers built here and am mine comes out ok and not all .

[Roly Nelson]

Wow, keep it simple, go ahead with the cardboard models, and then start a build on one of those, "questionable" Harbor Freight trailers. "Excel spreadsheets for tips/tricks, weights/costs, and detailed breakdown of each component produced a workbook of material needs, cutlists, projected weights and costs, etc, etc, etc ". Keep it simple, you will be camping much sooner and you won't be having to fret about making mistakes or many other problems of a first time builder. Just start bollting the frame together, fasten a solid trailer floor, glue and screw the sides in place, bend the roof ply in place and a few of the other necessary items, and befor you know it, you will be camping with the rest of us. After all, remember, you can't build just one. Good luck on your build, keep in touch, ask questions, take pictures, make your first trip to So Calif, and we'll swap teardrop building lies.
Roly

[anon1]

Hi Roly,

I don't really do simple well. I've got a background in architecture/engineering/project mgmt and keeping it *not* simple is kind of how it is. Besides, I've already got the HF trailer modified with relocated axle position, underslung axle to lower it, gas shock absorbers, relocated/replaced the center cross-members to the outside rails as stiffeners, added a center tube and angles to the tongue for stiffening and extending, four corner stabilizers, and two electrical conduits from a tongue box one for the trailer brake/turn/marker lights and the other for electrical to an underfloor electrical closet.

I currently camp without a trailer and slapping one together quick isn't necessary for me to go camping. I will likely build just one unless someone else wants help with one later or something catastrophic happens to this one.

You might not want to hear all about the part where I loaded the frame in one foot cross-sections down its length with approximate weights in order to get a realistic amount of settle in the suspension in order to space the new shock mount holes an appropriate distance apart for the amount of travel in the shocks.

Here is the trailer frame mostly completed after a few fairly simple modifications. It now has some wood attached. I'll start a thread in the build journal place with photos and try and catch up to where I'm at now with it.