Yo! Jersey boy on the boards

[Buster1903]

Hello all,
I’m going to start with the fact that I have dyslexia and communicating in the written word is never my first choice. So, please bear with me as voice to text software, self medicating concoctions, and my learning disability all work in harmony to formulate my posts.
I’ve been a member of this forum for about a year now and have read several posts but i’m at the start of my first build and it’s time to ask some specific questions and hopefully for me to contribute back to the forum. I have always been someone who enjoys camping and loves the outdoors also a big fan of road trips so this seems like a natural progression for me.

My build in short:
This is my first build it is a prototype/test bed. I am using it as a learning experience for the build and a trial for short and long road trips. I am trying my best to keep to the K. I. S. S. principle. My base is a harbor freight 1175lb. trailer (new). The design is what I think is called a square back/flat back. My tow vehicle is a 2007 Honda Civic.
My criteria for the build:
1. Cheap
2. Cheap
3. Light
4. Some thought to aerodynamics
5. Cheap
I will try to post a more detailed plan of my build and edit this post with a link to that, well here...

Thanks for having this forum
Buster

[greygoos]

Good luck with your build/ Lots of info on here, plenty of guys and gals looking to help. In my opinion stick to advice from people that have actually built something from start to finish and have actually camped in it. Best of luck Jim. BTW Miss the Jersey shore

[Buster1903]

In my opinion stick to advice from people that have actually built something from start to finish and have actually camped in it.

I agree. I've been reading through a lot of posts today and finding too much 2nd and even 3rd hand info and suggestions.
It is one thing that makes me question everything I read here or on any online forum.

Is there a "member rating" or some other easy way to check if any individual poster knows what they are writing about?

[troubleScottie]

As to user ratings... I do not believe there is anything.

Looking to the left column: under the name is # of posts, when joined, and location. Of course, there is a link to the person, so you see some basics.

It is hard to rank peoples skills. Not having built a trailer does not indicate lack of skill/talent/expertice. Experience may be outside of this forum and very applicable. Having built one/more does not guarantee skill either.

My observation is that a lot of the fine points in construction are missing in these builds. For example, sealing the floor. Many build a floor sandwiching two sheets of plywood with 2xN lumber and insulation. The bottom road facing surface needs to be sealed. Lots of solutions for sealing that bottom face. Few people discuss what they did to the edges, how the edges are integrated into the walls (or not), or what they did with the screw holes or screws that attach the floor to the trailer. These are the most important areas as they represent the areas for water intrusion/failure. Not a lot of "it's been n years, my floor is" discussion.

In addition, given most builds do not need to meet any government standards, there are often many ways to skin a cat. Some are much more robust. Some are more expensive. Some are good enough. You need to decide on your comfort level, your skills and expense.

[Buster1903]

Well thanks troubleScottie and greygoos. This is my first Travel Trailer forum but not my first forum for info. I know they all come with there pros and cons and having common sense with all of it is always the best. And I have found a lot of good ideas and info already and very happy to be here.