Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I have been developing a plan for a meditation hut to build in the Maine woods. I came across the designs for Tim Kasten's Retreat Tiny House, Rae Enslin's Vardos and Steve Cox's "Little Gypsy" and they captured my imagination.

I am now working on a concept design for a mobile meditation hut. The hut will be used primarily at one location for most of the year. Occassionally, I would move to a remote location for extended isolated meditation retreats.

As I worked through Rae's Vardo photos I started drawing ideas using SketchUp. As I played around with roof ideas, it occurred to me that it would look really nice if the hut had a pagoda roof in keeping with the meditation theme.

The hut would be a pop-up based on Rae's second Vardo design. The upper tier of the pagoda roof would be detachable to make trailering easier. I haven't figured out what that second tier would be used for but ideas like storage boxes, a gravity water fed system, or a locker for heating and ac are sort of what I have been thinking. Here is the basic idea.



I posted a few design views and the CAD drawing for the curvature of the roof in my personal gallery.

I am still thinking through how to lift the roof. I have seen ideas like gas springs and linear actuators. Part of the problem is finding gas springs or actuators with a long enough stroke. I have read about doubling them which seems OK. It seems to me that a system of levers set up as A-frames at the ends could lift the roof using a pair of come-alongs.

I would appreciate any thoughts on design and/or building anyone would like to offer.

I believe he was on the forum, but take a look at this website that shows the construction of a teardrop trailer, where the sides and roof raise:

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/teardrop/teardropindex.html
Tom

Tom, thanks for the pointer. This gives me a better understanding of the cable approach.

Ken,

Hello again, glad Tom had a link to the lift mechanism that had been discussed on the forum before. I had seen it, but had no idea where it was. Tom.

So, if you meditation hut is for the Maine woods, is it going to have a wood stove in it?

You had mentioned doing the roof curves with a stitch and glue technique, It will be nice to see the cross-over from boat building to trailer building. Will be interesting for sure.

The first stitch-and-glue trailer! This *will* be interesting!
Steve, there's a Guy coming your way.

Prem

I was planning to use a wood stove. I have lots of free wood lying around where I plan on home basing the hut.

I found a tiny stove designed for a sailboat called the Sardine. It measures 12" X 12" X 11". You can find it with a Google search on "Sardine stove". Here is a picture.



I got to the idea of stitch and glue as I read all the discussions about composite walls and monocoque construction. It seems to work in fairly big boats so I figured it would work in a little trailer.

Right now I am looking for somebody who will build the trailer for me using Rae's second Vardo as the basic pattern. I am also working on designing my walls. I am toying with using a composite approach instead of Rae's approach of using tongue and groove siding.

I will keep posting as my idea develops. I can use all the advice you folks are willing to give me particularly any advice that will keep me from putting my foot in it.

Ken

Ken,

Awesome. Thanks.

BTW, if you install one of those SAH-WEET little woodstoves, be sure to put some metal sheet with an air space between any combustible (wood wall) and the stove. That photo looks scary. Definitely not to code. LOL

Prem

You are right, just think, if this guy gets a burn through there is water on the other side. That would put out the fire but ruin a perfectly good boat.

Ken,

Yeah. His boat would end up at the bottom of the marina. (I just saw a copper tea kettle similar to his that was appraised at $1,500 on Antiques Road Show.)

I think that woodstove would be more fun in this if one were living at the marina:

http://www.frappr.com/?a=viewphoto&id=5381897&pid=10760671&myphotos=1

Is that kinda the woodsy feel you want for yours? Cedar ship lap strips for the interior walls would feel very cozy. But for Maine in the winter on the outside, I think I would prefer something of less "impermanence."

Prem

Yes, I am going for something more permanent. Also, something that is less labor intensive to install.

saintk wrote:Yes, I am going for something more permanent. Also, something that is less labor intensive to install.

4 CLAMPS 4 MINUTES

FREE HEAT ( Priceless ! )

You solved another problem for me.

Where did you get the tiny potbelly stove?

saintk wrote:You solved another problem for me.

Where did you get the tiny potbelly stove?

EBAY

Run a search for "cast iron salesman samples" or "cast iron pot belly stoves" .

I got lucky got mine for $75.00 have seen identical ones go as high as $500.

SEE JUST WENT LOOKIN' FOR YA

http://cgi.ebay.com/SPARK-CAST-IRON-HEATER-SALESMAN-SAMPLE-TOY_W0QQitemZ290373676549QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item439b9eae05

That is great!!

Even at this price this is cheaper than the Sardine stove I was looking at.

Thanks for the tip.

Nice:

http://tinyurl.com/yachtstove

Prem