Slow Build in Oz

[MickinOz]

Was in two minds about posting this.
No one enjoys admitting their build isn't perfect.
However, it's more in the spirit of the forum to post your problems and what you do to fix them.
So here it is:
The missus said, "I'm going out to visit the grand son, wanna come?" He's 5 months old and the novelty of being able to pass the kid back to mum or dad for a nappy change hasn't worn off yet.
I left the trailer in the drive, still hooked up to the ute.
It was just starting a few drops of rain as we reversed out.
The missus asked if I should put it away.
"No," I said. "Gotta find out if it it's OK in the rain sometime, may as well be now, not on a trip."
So we went to the kids' place, ooh'd and aah'd over the baby for a while, reiterated my threat to teach the kid to do all the things my son did that tested me when he was a teenager, and came home an hour or so later.

It rained (lightly - it is South Oz after all) most of the time we were away.
So I opened the hatch for a look.
Water inside!

Devastated.

Closer inspection, it looks like the water is coming straight through, under the forward edge of the hurricane hinge.
Looks like the bond between the Sika 252 and the hinge has failed.
This is a trait I have noticed with this material. It's great when it's a fillet filling a corner where two panels meet, but flat surface to flat surface with a thin layer in between, it lets go of the side with the weakest bond. Very easily.
It's like the movement in the joint is too much in terms of percentage stretch for a thin layer.

I consider unscrewing the hinge lifting it and putting in some more Sika Flex, but I've done it once pretty carefully and it has failed.
So I figure I'll try the easy way first.
So, I'm off out side to remove any squeeze out with a tile tool I found that is the perfect shape for the job.

Then I'm going to lightly sand the surfaces and tape up and install a new fillet of sika.

Reseal Hinge.JPG (37.49 KiB) Viewed 3504 times

[MickinOz]

My "cure" seems to have worked. I installed a fillet of sikaflex as illustrated. I repainted the roof section leading down tto the hinge. Sanded the old paint, put on 1 coat of Zinsser primer, two coats oil based enamel. Seems to have done the job.
It's not raining, but liberal application of rainwater from a watering can seems unable to penetrate.

[edgeau]

Good on you. Posting problems and fixes is really valuable content for others.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[MickinOz]

Life has been a bit busy.
Work is going crazy and I find myself with little remaining energy after a long week.
Just to top it off, I bought another boat the other day. He who dies with the most toys wins, they say.

I spent most of Easter trying to get the boat ready for the winter season. Here in South Oz, there is a usually fairly productive winter fishing season.
So I greased control cables and steering, swapped out a few mild steel fasteners, inventoried the safety gear.
That wasn't hard - no life jackets, no oars, no flares, no anchor rope and chain, no fire extinguisher, no floating flashlight/torch, not much of anything.
Easily rectified though.
I had a brand new set of Australian Oak oars in the shed (garage sale )
Bought a dolphin torch (garage sale. )
Had rope in shed.

I've long wanted a single handed centre console boat. In a lot of ways, pretty much a teardrop philosophy.
Small, light to tow, easily handled by one person, but surprisingly roomy and functional.
Needs to be an "off roader" though.
We get a lively wind driven bay chop here that really tests some boats.

I'm not a big fan of aluminium boats, so when a little 13 feet 8 inch fibre glass cat was advertised locally, I acted quickly.
I'm now the happy owner of a 4.2 metre centre console "shark cat" with drive on trailer and twin 25 hp mercury motors.

It's a "sharkcat" in the same sense my trailer is "Benroy".
i.e. my trailer is shaped a bit like a Benroy, but old Ben never saw it.
Same with my cat - it's shaped like a Sharkcat, but old Bruce Harris never saw it.
Cats work well in a chop, those that were drawn right. We'll see.

Went to a garage sale today - found myself a nice little timber case I think will work just fine as a utensils case in the 'drop.
$4. Can't grizzle.

Case 1.JPG (46.56 KiB) Viewed 3275 times

Case 2.JPG (40.53 KiB) Viewed 3275 times

[MickinOz]

Rockin' a severe case of too much to do, too little time.
I knocked off from work pretty late last night (Friday night). Wife had dinner on the table when I got home, so I ate that, then suggested we grab the 'drop and go sleep out at a RV park about 8 miles out of town.
She said, "see you in the morning."
So I grabbed some breakfast supplies, a quilt (it's starting to get a little cooler at nights), and a couple DVD's and went by myself.
Had a great sleep, and learned a little more about my galley needs and wants.
1) Galley works much easier if the table and chairs don't have to be lifted out of the way - I bought some ply but haven't got around to making time to build a tongue box, but I've just about decided it isn't optional, unless I'm happy putting stuff in the bed of the truck.
2) Little 2 burner stove works pretty well, but being unregulated cylinder pressure, adjusting one burner affects the other - gotta learn the magic touch.
3) Coffee is one tbsp per cup, plus "one for the pot", perc gently for about 12-15 minutes. That makes a very satisfying brew.
4) Breakfast is much safer if one pays proper protection to the local magpies. Good thing they are by far my most favourite bird.
5) DVD player was a little loud mechanically - wasn't like that during the test run - maybe it doesn't like travelling?
6) Cabinet sliding doors bunding a little - may be some wax or silicon spray in their future.

Park.JPG (158 KiB) Viewed 3217 times

[Shadow Catcher]

We had a problem with our galley hing leaking and it was cured by using a section of rubber roofing.
Good job btw.

[MickinOz]

Update - fixed two problems in one go.
Looking for the source of the horrible scratching noise the port side cabinet door was making as I slid it open, I found that the safety label on the back of the TV was peeling off the case and the free end was pushing on the face of the door. This label is actually on the back of the section where the DVD player is contained.
I pushed it back down into place, where it has stayed for now, and the horrible dry scratchy noise the door was making as I opened and closed it miraculously went away.
Hmmm, said the little voice in my head.
So I put a DVD in the TV and hit play.
Suddenly the mechanical noise of the DVD player was back to what I expected it to be!
The reasonably stiff plastic label was apparently transmitting the sound of the DVD to the door which was acting as a bit of a sounding board.
Seems so, anyway.
No doubt that dodgy label will peel again, at which point it's going in the bin.

[MickinOz]

Started a box for the draw bar this weekend.
Using up off-cuts where I can, so the box is around 11 inches wide inside, 53 inches long, and 16.5 inches deep.
Not very big, about 135 litres, but enough for the folding camp table, two folding chairs, axe and shovel, wheel brace, jack, poles if ever I need some, etc.
Lid will just drop over the top and pull down with a couple draw latches.

Box 1.JPG (120.53 KiB) Viewed 1416 times

Box 2.JPG (98.64 KiB) Viewed 1416 times

[MickinOz]

Got a call from a workmate over the weekend.
"You at work tomorrow?"
" 'Fraid so"
"You know where I always park me ute?"
"Yep, walk past it every morning on my way in."
"Well tomorrow, lift the door on the canopy and look in the back, there's a present in there for ya."

So I did. And there was.

Four ol' skool polished aluminium hubcaps.

Hubcap.JPG (167.98 KiB) Viewed 1353 times

Dunno exactly how I will fit them to the modern rims, but I'll find a way.

[MickinOz]

Box is coming along.
Pretty much at the point where I can fill the staples and give it a good soak in the mix.
Lid is made and fits nice. Put some blocks on the side for the latches.
Thinking of leaving it clear finished.
Photos not so good now. Days are getting shorter and by the time I get home from work the light has gone.

Box 3.JPG (54.98 KiB) Viewed 2017 times

Box 4.JPG (50.94 KiB) Viewed 2017 times

[TimC]

I'm having a great time following your teardrop adventure. Keep up the reports. They give me ideas for my own.

Tim

[MickinOz]

Thanks Tim.

Mounted the box after work Friday night.
No photos yet.

I wanted to use some carriage bolts down through the floor of the box, around the drawbar tubes and though a plate underneath.
No one here in town had any "just right" galvanised steel plates.
Then I realised - if I'm setting carriage bolts into the 15mm floor of the box, then plywood plates under the drawbar are going to match it for strength.
So I cut plates from 17mm plywood and found a new use for an old vegemite jar. Put some 2:1 mix in it, throw in your drilled 4 inch by two inch plywood plates. put the lid on, shake 'em round and leave them to soak up as much mix as possible.
Takes "saturate with the mix" to a whole new level. Definitely no questions re: sealing the holes.

The reason there are no pics is because as soon as that box was on, we threw the chairs and table in it, stocked up with breakfast makings, and hit the road. Went to the Yongala pub for dinner and a yarn, camped overnight at the RV park, breakfast next day, quick side trip to Peterborough for a look around then home via Jamestown.
Rained a little - no leaks.

Got our first "head turning" moment in Jamestown.
Idling past the caravan park, checking it out as a possible future place to stay, a bloke standing outside a motorhome called his partner to come see the teardrop.
Smiles and waves. Musta liked it. I did - I was starting to think my labour of love was invisible.

[DJ Davis]

Mick,

Great job on your build. No sense having a schedule or a deadline, just get it done right. That's the beauty of a TD - it's a blank canvas to make your own with the features that suit your lifestyle.

My next major project, besides house stuff, is to build a "standy super tear." I've got about eight months until I retire and in that time I'll be working on my design/plans. I would like to start the new build the end of this year, but we'll see what life deals us.

Enjoy the camping experiences!

DJ

[MickinOz]

Thanks DJ - I too am looking for retirement.
I may get lucky though. Seems its possible I might be able to negotiate a half time gig.
That'd be perfect. We'll see what the future brings.

Anyway, last weekend's overnight trip saw a tiny bit of rain.
I was just out inspecting for water damage, None found.
But I realised I hadn't photographed the box on the drawbar.

Drawbar box 1.JPG (64.9 KiB) Viewed 1798 times

[western traveler]

Looks good Mick and I am sure it felt good turning a few heads...