Michael's Teardrop Build

[messenger14]

Yesterday I was able to get the hatch frame pretty much completed. For the ribs I basically just traced the outline of the rear radius on a sheet of 1/8" ply and transferred it to a sheet of 3/4" ply. From here I made 4 rib cutouts with a jigsaw. I then placed them together and using the router with a trim bit, I evened them out to match one another.

This was actually a pretty simple part of the build. I thought it was going to be more difficult then what it really was.







Next on the agenda was the hurricane hinge. I had to trim a smidgen off of one end to make it fit the 58" width. To trim the hinge I used a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade. Worked like a charm. A little butyl tape to seal it and finito!

[messenger14]

The hatch is built! I used 6oz fiberglass plain weave cloth and three coats of epoxy to finish it. The hatch is made with 1/8" plywood and covered with the fiberglass (should be nice and strong as well as super light weight.)

The next step will be to sand with 150 grit, prime with Interlux PreKote then top coat with Interlux Brightside.

I will then attach it to the hurricane hinge.

Used the "dry method" applying the cloth



The cloth wetted out...just need a few more coats to fill the weave.

[KCStudly]

Your glass job looks nice.

I'm curious, have you test fit it since the weave went on?

My hatch, currently under construction, has enough flex (not a lot, but some) that I would be concerned about the glass locking in some shape, such that I would have tried to put the glass on while the hatch was fit to the galley. In fact, I plan to do as much of the foam and outer canvas skinning as I can with the hatch installed.

I suppose your glass reinforcement is only a single layer and shouldn't really add much rigidity in that respect, but I'd be interested to hear if you have any issues once you fit the hatch back on the cabin.

Any thoughts on this?

[messenger14]

Your glass job looks nice.

I'm curious, have you test fit it since the weave went on?

My hatch, currently under construction, has enough flex (not a lot, but some) that I would be concerned about the glass locking in some shape, such that I would have tried to put the glass on while the hatch was fit to the galley. In fact, I plan to do as much of the foam and outer canvas skinning as I can with the hatch installed.

I suppose your glass reinforcement is only a single layer and shouldn't really add much rigidity in that respect, but I'd be interested to hear if you have any issues once you fit the hatch back on the cabin.

Any thoughts on this?

To be honest, I didn't think of that but you bring about a really good point. When I built the hatch frame I used four 3/4" spars and added supports between these vertical spars so the frame is very ridgid. After placing the plywood on I then test fitted the hatch and it fit pretty nicely. As you stated, I only used one layer of 6oz glass so it should be able to flex if needed.




I did make a little boo-boo when fitting the ply to the hatch frame. There is a small gap between the ply and one of the side spars on the frame. I'll upload a picture later. This I plan on just filling with a little bondo...no biggie. Anyways, off topic.

I will let you know when I attach the hatch and if I have any problems... knock on wood and say a prayer that I don't because this hatch takes mucho time to build...especially with the fiberglass and epoxy! Not cheap stuff.

[messenger14]

Over the weekend I was able to get the hatch installed. This was a pretty simple process. A fellow tear dropper confronted with a question about the hatch possibly flexing after the fiberglass/ epoxy cured. To answer this question...no. I did not notice any warping or twisting from the fiberglass curing process. I will say however, that using a heavyweight cloth ( + 10 oz) may increase the risk of twisting or flexing.

After installing the hatch I then added some 7/16" thick white weatherstripping to help seal the hatch. I was pleasantly surprised to find this in white which blends in well with my off white color walls!

Overall, I pretty satisfied with the outcome and with the fit of the hatch.

Here's on the to-do-list:
1) finish hatch underside
2) install 120lb gas struts (ordered from Amazon today!)
3) install 12v light on hatch underside
4) figure out how to hide ugly visible seam on the hatch door (this is where two pieces of ply had to be joined together and which is visible even after much sanding.)

[sheila0344]

put a piece of trim over that seam like ' I meant to do that' ?

[messenger14]

put a piece of trim over that seam like ' I meant to do that' ?

That's pretty much my motto. When you mess up, just cover up

[messenger14]

So while working on the hatch I needed to figure out a way to attach a round pipe to a flat surface ( trailer floor). So what I did was use a caster and attach the aluminum pipe to where the wheel used to be. This allowed me to not only attach the pipe to the floor but it also allowed me to rotate the pole supports.

When the supports aren't being used they fold nicely in place on the TD galley floor. Here are some pics: