Lance and Becky's Sagwagon

[Oldragbaggers]

Thanks Deb. Like I said....time, patience and sandpaper. It'll get there.

[Oldragbaggers]

The teardrop finally came out of the garage for the first time this year. Some time had to be spent first just cleaning up the garage and the teardrop and trying to get a little organized. Then I wanted to get a look at where I am, so I put the doors and vent in (not permanently, just to look) and set the diamond plate on the front. Then I just had to stare at it for awhile and think about what I want to do first, and next.



The hatch is the next thing on the agenda, and by the time I got finished cleaning and organizing it was getting too late to get involved in sanding....so I pulled out my trim that I bought last year from Grant Whipp (nice trim, Grant) and decided to get it formed up for attachment. Last year when I cut my hatch ribs I cut an extra, just in case I screwed one up when I started routing them. Fortunately I didn't need it, so I saved it to use as a form for my hatch trim. I started out by bending it over the form by hand. Then I clamped it down it both directions, top to bottom and on the side. I used scraps of 1/8" ply under the clamps so they wouldn't leave any marks on the aluminum. This works great for straightening out those little puckers that form when you bend it around the curve. (You can see one piece on the form in the background.)



Not enough time for much else today, but it felt so good just to get started again. Tomorrow I will try to get some sanding done on the hatch and the wall where I did the fiberglass buildup last fall. Then I want to get the galley hinge on and see how the hatch is fitting at this point. I am praying that I am not going to need any more fiberglass layup and that careful sanding and the right gasketing will complete the fitting. This is where the rubber meets the road for me. If I can get past this part, the rest will be a cake walk.

Until tomorrow.....

[Verna]

Atta girl, Becky--lookin' great

[KCStudly]

+1 Looking great. Glad to see you are back at it and looking forward to your future progress.

Good tip on flattening those puckers, too.

[S. Heisley]

You'll be camping in no time flat!

[Wolfgang92025]

Becky,

Looking good....
Glad to see the weather is starting to get warmer.
Time to go camping again soon, come on sunshine.....

[nevadatear]

Becky sure wish you lived closer to the west coast. I would love to see your tear, fellow fiberglass worker. It looking like a beauty.

Debbie

[Oldragbaggers]

Today I started by fairing out the fiberglass layup I had done on the edge of the galley walls last year. I wanted to at least get the hatch mounted in place so I could get some idea of how close I am to getting it to fit. Since my brain has been idle all winter (as the teardrop goes) I had to make a quick trip into the house to consult the internet and refresh my memory on how the hurricane hinge goes on. It was great to see the hatch finally mounted in place. (I will try not to dwell too much on the fact that Lance had gone on an errand to the auto parts store, I was impatient to get it into place, and dropped it on one of the corners trying to lift it myself........yes, I crushed it.)



It looks like I only have one small area about 10 inches long that still needs a layer or two of fiberglass tape. The rest is well within the margin of what the gasketing will seal.



I'm really starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel now. I think it was a very good thing that the season came to an end when it did. I had reached a point of frustration because of the hatch and was losing my enthusiasm for it. After a few months of rest, and with the anticipation of the coming camping season, I am able to look at it from a fresh perspective and it doesn't look so bad at all.



We'll definitely be needing a lighter prop pole.



I managed to get in two bike rides this weekend also. Life is good again.

Enjoy your week!!

[Oldragbaggers]

Atta girl, Becky--lookin' great

Thanks Verna. I don't think I'll need your tent for the CRA. I'm feeling pretty confident it will camp-able before then. Can't wait to see you there!

+1 Looking great. Glad to see you are back at it and looking forward to your future progress.

Good tip on flattening those puckers, too.

Thanks KC. I appreciate the kind remarks. Yes, the clamps worked out really well and didn't mark up the aluminum at all. I think that was preferable to beating on it with a mallet.

Sharon, Wolfgang, thank you thank you. I'm looking forward to this summer more than any in recent memory. Will be nice to be camping instead of building. I'm sure the fine tuning will be ongoing for years to come, but basic road ready and water tight will be good enough for awhile.

Debbie, our daughter and grandchildren live in California. A trip out that way is not out of the question if we can ever string enough vacation time together to make the drive out and back. Are you planning on coming to the CRA?

[bonnie]

Becky, looking really good.

[LDK]

Congratulations Becky on a hatch well done!

It is all down hill from here.

[GuyllFyre]

Looking really nice!
At the moment I'm going for usable.
I'll go for looking nice next time around.

[aggie79]

Fantastic Becky!

You're on the downhill portion of your build now. Spring and summer camping should be wonderful.

Take care,
Tom

[CliffinGA]

Becky it looks great and can't wait to see it in July!!

Cliff

[Cummins01]

Looks very nice!