construction continues on the Menehune Swoop!

[mallymal]

I'd worry about that water trap.

This is far less dramatic looking but what about something like....



Keep up the good work!!!

[teardrop_focus]

The flare wouldn't necessarily require an internal drain network (however simple) if a *slight* rise were to occur in the center of the roof in the area of the trough and the top surface's (woody-style) edge trim had small holes to release water over the side... those'd be easier to clean, too. Even if it doesn't rain, moisture condensation from high dewpoints needs to drain off.

Just a thought...

Armchair engineering will always benefit from the 20-20 hindsight of an impartial observer.

[wlivesey]

How about a wing??? Please excuse the poor recreation of your profile but maybe something like this would be cool. It would solve the water issue...

[2bits]

+ 1 of both the previous posts! I like Chris' idea because it keeps the form, although some sweet engineering to accomplish, but that's what makes it great eh! Just watch the pooling on the edge trim.

[John T. Hodgen]

Cool,
I love da profile that Bill L. has done----has that Shasta look to it---especially if you added wing profile on top of it for a 3-d effect. A MINI Shasta
Til later by the fire--John T.

[green_eyed_diablito]

thank you all for the input.

bill, i had drawn a winged profile similar to your's when i was kicking around different ideas. i like it! the only difference is that i had planned to enclose that entire winged area, which would have made the galley door concave instead of the traditional convex. maybe TD #2 will be like that!

i have already cut the sidewalls and i went with the upward swoop for dramatic effect. chris, i'm not sure i follow. do you mean that at the trough, the roof's upper surface would be level with the roof trim's top surface?

i sketched and scanned this really quick so you can see what i mean about the drain tubes:

[teardrop_focus]

Ex-zacharay!

I'm hoping you can get the roof luan to arch enough over a slightly-arched spar design in that one location.

D'oh! You may need to use two pieces there, 'cause the stuff won't compound curve very well (if at all. Dammit, my bad...)

[green_eyed_diablito]

today's construction finally made my project a TD, and not just a project! it's so good to see it take shape.

the floor, walls, and spars went up today. everything is nice and square and there were no issues (like i was fearing). i've been working under the awning of our travel trailer because it's been so hot!


i need to get a jockey wheel for the front. it almost came off the jack today while i was underneath bolting the floor to the trailer. i still need to cut the bottom forward spar because it will have a few complex cuts in order to accommodate the headboard i'm putting in.


that black stuff you see on the rear edge is the sealant that i coated the entire lower surface of the floor with it. i've never worked with this stuff on large surfaces...it was like frosting a cake with stinky black frosting.


the infamous swoop. i'm going to try the drain that i drew above because when it comes down to it, i'm a form over function kind of guy.

[teardrop_focus]

Wow... that last pic looks like the tail of a LeMans-spec endurance road racing car!

Swoopy, indeed! That's pretty cool, Miguel.





Gotta hand it to wivesy's illustration, though, for originality... that's great stuff too.

I'm filing this thread under F for "FUN!"

[green_eyed_diablito]

Thanks, Chris!

I won't be working on it this weekend because of prior commitments, but i'll be hitting it hard over the 4th of July weekend. if you still want to come over to help and shoot the ..., PM me.

[teardrop_focus]

This weekend's a trailer rally up near Arrowhead/BigBear!



And I've got a few hours next Sat that I can drop by to say hi. I'd be delighted.

[teardrop_focus]

teardrop_focus

This weekend's a trailer rally up near Arrowhead/BigBear!

I've just discovered more about this. It's in Wrightwood... but there's no 'public open house'... so, if Tanya and I go, we'll have to walk through the campgrounds and look from a slight distance out of respect for the campers' weekend.

I still very much wanna go see 'em.

[green_eyed_diablito]

is it a vintage trailer gathering?

i wish i didn't have any plans. i'd take a ride up there to check them out too.

i'm helping me neice move.

[Duane King]

I just came across this post. I wanted to comment on the "swoop" issue and the potential drainage problems.

I think the profile is fantastic. I like the look of the rear swoop. I don't have anything like that on my trailer, but I still have to worry about drainage. The hurricane hinge I used creates a small dam that traps water that is shedding off of my trailer roof toward the rear. I notice this whenever I take my trailer to a self-service car wash. The 1/4" high hurricane hinge lip can create a pool of water that is about 4" wide. I just run a rag across that area and all the water flows away. As to whether it would be a problem when camping in the rain. . . I'm not sure. I try not to camp in the rain if I can help it. I also store my trailer in a garage, so ongoing winter weather is not an issue.

The straw drainage tubes seems like a simple and elegant solution in your application. I don't think anybody commented on that design idea, so I thought perhaps I would. You've building a snappy profile there and I am going to enjoy watching your progress. I like that form is an important consideration in your thought process. If we only considered function, every trailer would look exactly the same and there would be no style at all. Kind of like today's cars.

Oh well, that is for another post

[del]

First off I like the profile, very cool.

Now any RV with a flat roof, store on a side ways angle (block of wood under one wheel). Water runs off, no problem.

del