Hi, I'm Jack

[JMJ]

Ive been considering building a teardrop, and discovered this very informative site. Without a doubt, I lack the skill set of so many of the members here, but what the heck? I Plan to closely follow the "Benroy" model that Mike so generously uploaded. I do have one design change I want to consider, but not sure of the pitfalls, if any. I would like to replace the 3/4" plywood deck with 1/4" aluminum sheet. I live in the Pacific Northwest, and it has been known to rain a bit! I believe an aluminum floor would be better for repeling water. Any thoughts on that would be appreciated. Thanks, Jack

[ChefConroy]

Also a newbie in the PNW, venturing into building my own and facing the same concerns.
Aluminum would be balls-effing expensive, unless I'm missing a source. Have a look at marine-grade plywood. Most lumber yards carry it. Crosscuts in Seattle has a fantastic selection. Bare in mind, this stuff is in the range of $150 a sheet. But it'll get the job done.

I ended up going a different route, because I'm doing a 6'6" wide Kampmaster; so I'm joining two sheets of ply to form the base. I found some lovely 1" thick 4x8 sheets of Douglas Fir plywood at Ballard Reuse for $20 a pop. So I had to make sure it would be protected from the PNW elements! Thankfully, I found this stuff which will protect against moisture, bugs, mold/rot, etc: http://www.amazon.com/Green-Products-210-328-Preservative-Copper/dp/B003VKK44I/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1446485597&sr=1-4&keywords=copper+green+brown+wood+preservative

So, I applied that per the instructions on the label, added a coat of Rustoleum Automotive Primer (I'm restoring an old camper chassis as the base to my project, so I had some kicking around), and finished off with a coat of Rustoleum spray-on truck bed liner (probably going to add another coat or two) to act as a rock and debris guard.

But if you just need a single 4x8 of ply, I'd just go the marine ply route.

[tony.latham]

Jack:

Welcome to the forum.

Sealing the plywood floor of a wooden teardrop is one of the least challenging issues. There are of course several ways of doing it.

There must be a few wooden boat builders in your 'hood. They'd tell you to epoxy the floor before it's bolted to the frame (and seal the bolt holes too) and forget about it. There have been many-many teardrops built with plywood floors that were sealed with roofing tar and rot isn't a problem. I also think that "The Mix" is a fine waterproofer. It's greatly thinned oil-based clear polyurethane finish. Any of these methods, properly done will result in a teardrop that the floor will be viable long after the original builder has gone down the road.

But every home-built teardrop is as individual as the builder is. And that's the way it should be.

Tony

[jcricket]

Also a newbie in the PNW, venturing into building my own and facing the same concerns.
Aluminum would be balls-effing expensive, unless I'm missing a source. Have a look at marine-grade plywood. Most lumber yards carry it. Crosscuts in Seattle has a fantastic selection. Bare in mind, this stuff is in the range of $150 a sheet. But it'll get the job done.

I ended up going a different route, because I'm doing a 6'6" wide Kampmaster; so I'm joining two sheets of ply to form the base. I found some lovely 1" thick 4x8 sheets of Douglas Fir plywood at Ballard Reuse for $20 a pop. So I had to make sure it would be protected from the PNW elements! Thankfully, I found this stuff which will protect against moisture, bugs, mold/rot, etc: http://www.amazon.com/Green-Products-210-328-Preservative-Copper/dp/B003VKK44I/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1446485597&sr=1-4&keywords=copper+green+brown+wood+preservative

So, I applied that per the instructions on the label, added a coat of Rustoleum Automotive Primer (I'm restoring an old camper chassis as the base to my project, so I had some kicking around), and finished off with a coat of Rustoleum spray-on truck bed liner (probably going to add another coat or two) to act as a rock and debris guard.

But if you just need a single 4x8 of ply, I'd just go the marine ply route.

Jack,
I am not sure if there is a menards near you. Here is one in Cheyenne Wyoming, about 2 hours from me. Look at this stuff they carry for marine grade plywood
http://www.menards.com/main/search.html ... ne+plywood
Any members here have reviews or comments on this stuff????

[dvdholl]

This is my first post as I'm a newbie also. This discussion is pertinent as I'm trying to figure out my flooring. I've been daydreaming about building a teardrop for a couple of years and this fall I saw a used pop-up for sale. I've stripped it down and a friend of mine narrowed it down from the 75" to 66". 1/4" aluminum is definitely out of my league, but I was wondering about pvc/plastic sheeting that would come in a wide width and then I could glue a thin sheet of plywood on top. Otherwise, I was looking at using thin plywood and overlapping the sheets diagonally. I'm sensitive to weight with my 66x115 frame. Any advise would be appreciated.

[dales133]

As tony said ply lasts fine if some precautions are taken.
You could sandwitch some aluminium aheet between the chasis and the floor glued around the perimeter if you liked

[AZ_Desert_Rat]

Hi Jack,
Welcome aboard mate ...


I see a ton of discussion on build materials for home built trailers and agree with Tony that if one takes precautions, plywood will last well ... they have been building boats out of plywood for years ...


My CT Conversion came from the factory with 3/4" plywood (I can only assume that is NOT marine grade) and was sprayed with an automotive undercoat as received ... so far, I have seen no deterioration of the coating or wood. I am not sure I would have used undercoat, but it has worked on this trailer, a 2014 purchased late 2013...