A Minnesota Build - The Lily Pad

[mcspin50]

No pics to share but I transported the 5x5 sheets of bending ply up to Park Rapids. we got the hatch skinned on the outside, mounted lights so Chuck could finish wiring to WFCO8725. Planned the route for the inlet. Scratched our heads over how to trim the doors. I have a list of things left to order. Next day off is Thursday so it'll be more progress. Woohoo!

[peggyearlchris]

Wow really nice build. I have been off the site for way too long. You are doing a beautiful job. I just had knee surgery and started reading about your build. I have been thinking about doing my # 2 build. I would. Like to do it with my son now that he is out of High school and going to college. He really likes camping in my teardrop but it only sleeps two. I am thinking of a redneck beach theme trailer.Something for the beach and fishing and kayaking. Happy camping. Peg

[mcspin50]

Building continues in fits and starts. My 2 jobs plus a week-long camping trip to Door County, WI, and a week paddling and portaging in the Boundary Waters with my sons, daughter-in-law, my friend and her son, has made getting together with Chuck and Carol a mite difficult. They continued to make progress while I was AWOL. Such great people!! I'll never be able to thank them enough! Here's a few pics of progress so far (a few more in my gallery).
Chuck finished the electrical, lights, outlets and got the roof fan installed.



Roof was skinned and varnished so we could lay down some 3M spray adhesive to attach the padding and auto vinyl to the outside roof and hatch (which was wired for a galley light, skinned and varnished to perfection by Carol).



I ordered trim, door handles, gaskets, door hinges, drip caps and roof and door moldings, which arrived just before I left for Door County. When we finally opened the tubes this week, not all the items I ordered were there, so we had to work around what wasn't there.
Chuck and I did a LOT of head scratching and calls to Frank Bear to figure out how to install the doors. We were missing the door gasket so were hesitant to trim too much before we knew how much to trim. We also spent some time fixing my not-so-straight cuts on the door panels, but were able to get window holes cut, and door jamb trim installed so it's looking like this...



and this...



I'm actually starting to think I might be able to finally camp in the teardrop this year!

I've got the last of the parts coming, but I work 9 days in a row so it'll be a little while before I can get back up to Chuck and Carol's for another build session. I can hardly wait!

[S. Heisley]

She's lookin' really good, Lil. You're almost there!

It's a good thing that you still have energy. 9 days of working in a row would be hard for this ol' gal.

[mcspin50]

Thanks Peg and Sharon!
Peg, I think, once the Lily Pad is done, I'll be happy with just the one build. That's what I said after giving birth to my first son.
And Sharon, if my "little feels like big" project is anything even a little bit close to how yours turned out, I'll be a happy camper.

[Wolffarmer]

That is looking great.

Randy

[PKCSPT]

Love the wood grain

[mcspin50]

Thanks Randy and Karen! I'm pretty pleased with how it looks too.

Lookee here!!



The Lily Pad is ALMOST roadworthy. Spent part of Sunday and most of Monday at Chuck and Carol's and in that time we were able to install windows, trim and hang the doors as well as get the door handles working. Whew! The windows were tricky in that the trim ring was slightly bigger than the window's inside rim (which of course is the part we measured to cut the hole) so we had to ream out enough plywood to make it all fit. It sure would be nice if the windows came with a simple instruction sheet saying, "cut rough opening X" x Y" with z" radius corners.
The T-seal molding I bought from Frank Bear was just too dense and beefy to fit my doors so we scrapped it for some EPDM D Rubber Tape for Ace Hardware. I suppose if I had cut the doors perfectly and was able to have a consistent 1/4" gap, the T-seal might have worked, but I think this seal will work fine.
Simple instructions with door handles would be great too as the outside handle has a collar that needs a larger opening to inset it in the door, then a smaller hole for the bar that connects it to the inside handle. Maybe that's obvious to many who do lots of woodworking, but for those of us who jump in with both feet but little working knowledge, it sure would be wonderful to have some simple instructions. Oh well, it's done and they work!
All that's left is finishing off the front bottom edge, the hatch bottom trim and handle, and installing the draw latches to hold the hatch tight to the body. Those should be here in a day or so. Oh, plus a lot of caulking with silicone! And a few bits of aluminum trim on the door hinge side, and perhaps a bit of wood trim along the bottom edge to cover the few gaps between body and trailer. Oh, and finish installing battery and partition in the galley...(Is this the 99% done part I keep reading about? ) No time to work on it until next Monday, but I (dare I say?) might be pulling it home that day.
If Carol and Chuck hadn't volunteered their labor, brains, time, tools and space to work, I know I wouldn't be seeing this day! Carol even fed us while we all worked through the days. She makes the best Northern Pike salad sandwiches! She caught them off the end of their dock and canned them with a few spices and a touch of tomato soup concentrate. Mixed with mayo and pickle relish. It's yummy! What wonderful folks!

[aggie79]

Beautiful!

[mcspin50]

It's been an exciting month for the Lily Pad...one that two years ago, I thought I'd never see.
On the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail, they talk about trail angels..folks who leave supplies on the trails for hikers, folks who provide places for hikers to shower, sleep, wash clothes, and more. Well, I found two teardrop angels Chuck and Carol, or rather they found me, thanks to another teardrop angel named Tim who posted on the Tearjerkers forum a call for help to finish the Lily Pad.
In about 4 months, Chuck and Carol helped me bring the Lily Pad from a half-done shell to completion. Electrical, hatch, skinning, doors, latches, hinges, aluminum trim, battery and sink drain all done!



Even the funky little marine window in the front. And the gas struts (Installed after the inaugural camping trip).







But this now leaves me with a dilemma each time I go camping...which one should I take? The Scamp or the Lily Pad?
I'm a happy camper!

[mcspin50]

Getting ready for another season of camping and realized I hadn't posted pictures of the inside.
Here's the headboard end with the little marine window. Love it for looking out in the morning.


Here's the TV/storage end.


This is one more shot of my galley. I discovered on my last camp out when it rained, I have what appears to be leaking along the hinge when the hatch is open. I'm gonna have to figure out where it's coming from. Someone suggested an overextended hinge. If that's it, how does one cure it?


This last pic is of my new-to-me Langford Northwind 17' 10"Kevlar/gelcoat canoe, and shows how well it matches the teardrop. Bought it last fall after the last St. Croix Chapter gathering at Crow Wing SP. Will be taking it (the canoe, that is) into the Boundary Waters this July along with my kids and another rental canoe(or possibly another used purchase).

[Redneck Teepee]

Just read your whole build thread Lil, I can say I am thoroughly impressed with your skill and determination.
Great job on a beautiful end result........Happy Camping! Larry

[mcspin50]

Thanks Larry. I'm a lucky camper to have help finishing the Lily Pad.

And I found one more picture I thought I should share. A final bit of decoration. Allons-y!

[Wolffarmer]

Cool

[S. Heisley]

Your teardrop and canoe look good in the wild!

It would be interesting to see what likes and dislikes (advantages & disadvantages) you have for each of your trailers, now that you have both a standy and a teardrop.