construction continues on the Menehune Swoop!

[green_eyed_diablito]

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

thank you, duane. i think my drain will work. and like you, i don't camp in the rain either...not that it rains too often in SoCal.

[green_eyed_diablito]

failure. i had some 1/8 hardwood ply, so i though i'd experiment to see if it could make the curve. it didn't. it went in nicely during the test fit, but when i pushed it away from the spars so i could add glue, it boke.

today i found some bendable poplar ply (at a really cool, 60-year-old lumber company in Long Beach). i've never worked with bendy plywood and i'm impressed with the small radius this stuff can conform to.

[green_eyed_diablito]

i love working with the bendy plywood! i cut it to width with my table saw, but when i cut the second piece to length, i was able to use a utility knife. it's like butta! i will install edge trim along the contour of the ceiling.



i built a headboard with a 10-degree lean so i can read in bed...i usually end my nights with a book and a glass of Maker's Mark. the shelf will have a 12-volt outlet.



the EPS was easy to work with, but it was messy. cutting it with my table saw made the backyard look like a snow storm had passed. my wife said the stuff even got in the house

three holes are visible in the lower spar. these will be my wire runs.

[aggie79]

Man, you are haulin ___ (donkey) on your build. Makes my pace look glacial by comparison.

I like the angled headboard cabinet and will be doing so in my build.

Looking great!

Tom

[green_eyed_diablito]

thanks, Tom. it helps that i telecommute from home two days per week. i work on the trailer during lunch and get right back on it as soon as i log off.

[planovet]

From failure come results. Nice job!

[green_eyed_diablito]

thanks, Mark. those failures sure are hard to accept...but we learn.

more construction pics today!

i ran the wiring. there will be a deep-cycle marine battery mounted on the tongue with a solar panel for re-charging.





the galley cabinet faceframes are in. all the joints are blind-doweled.



i had enough bendy ply left over to skin about 3/4 of the roof. i'm waiting for the lumber company to get more (hopefully by the end of this week).



and of course, one needs sustenance when one is working hard

[planovet]

Stella, nice choice

Keep up the great work and keep the pictures comming

[Miriam C.]

Are we having fun yet? Looks like you are doing a fantastic job.

[S. Heisley]

I love that you're building your teardrop under the awning of your land yacht!

Be careful not to drink too much beer. You'll want to keep your fingers so you can hold the beer bottle!

[green_eyed_diablito]

thank you, all. it's good to get the encouragement.

sharon, working under the awning has kept me from melting...it's been hot! a friend came by and said that the land yacht looks like a mama hen with its wing covering her chick.

[green_eyed_diablito]

i got a little more done today. man, it was hot out.

galley cabinets...i still have to build the doors. the dark spots in the vertical cleats are knots, not bolts (i don't like any fasteners showing anywhere). the empty space on the left will hold a stowed camp stove.

the stile just above the stove space was originally from the same length of wood that the stile above the drawer came from so they'd match, but i screwed up the cut and had to use a piece from another length of poplar. i didn't pay attention to the color.



cabin cabinets...still have to build doors for these too. the seam running across the ceiling will be covered with a trim piece.

[green_eyed_diablito]

behind the scenes update:
WOO-HOO! i finally got all my bendy ply today! the lumber yard sold me their last two sheets a few weeks ago and was dragging their feet on ordering more. they were nice enough to order the three sheets i needed and they even threw in a free 4'x8'x1" sheet of MDF. i'll use it to make the forms i'll use when i steam the roof trim pieces.

[kennyrayandersen]

behind the scenes update:
WOO-HOO! i finally got all my bendy ply today! the lumber yard sold me their last two sheets a few weeks ago and was dragging their feet on ordering more. they were nice enough to order the three sheets i needed and they even threw in a free 4'x8'x1" sheet of MDF. i'll use it to make the forms i'll use when i steam the roof trim pieces.

That stuff bends WAY easier.

OK, I know it’s way too late, but I kind of like the wing idea too – you could have capped that in glass and not had any leaks. It might have simplified the interior construction just a bit as well. But either way it’s looking great. Just make sure the ‘straw’ thingy don’t get plugged up. Standing water, is hard on stuff, so I hope it’s not an issue for you.

[2bits]

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

Beauty in simplicity... Put a 1" or 2" wooden block/ramp under one tire!