Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

by **inventing_man** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 5:48 pm

Thanks Tom To bad the post was abandoned with no closure .
The driving line here is using stuff I already have to keep cost down as much as I can . I have a camper shell on the back of my truck and camp in that now, But want something better. I sold all my gas hog toys. Big truck , Bass Boat and camper a few years ago . Bought a small truck, and bought a 2 man boat and built the one man boat , so we can fish togather or split up and cover more area and not use any gas, or Be Forced to have insurance, inspections, and pay personal property tax and all that jazz anymore. I have the HF trailer licensed all ready as a utility for 25 $ a year , and that's all I plan to hand over to the Govt . Before I sold all the "stuff" I was paying over 1500 dollars a year and the price kept going up , just to keep it road / water legal . Not to mention the gas it took to run it all. It's just ridiculous ! If this works and I can build it for the price of a tank or 2 of gas the Bass Boat would have eaten up , I can literally fish and camp out in air conditioned comfort and even cook my catch on the Spot ! while NOT sweltering or freezing on a rig that cost 20 grand ! Not to mention running to the launch if a storm blew up ! Now I wont have to worry with storms , Just anchor out and tie up and close up and wate the storm out . I'm really tired of getting ripped off and paying through the nose to a tax happy govt's and tag along leach industries like insurance and Gas Co's . I'm looking for WAY more for WAY less. :thumbsup:

by **inventing_man** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 8:43 pm

Might be what it looks like

by **GPW** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 5:39 am

IM , why not build it like a little houseboat and tow it like a boat , where you can launch OFF the trailer ... Never thought dragging the trailer and wheels along into the water was a good idea ... JMHO... Think Boat ...

by **droid_ca** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:58 am

by **GPW** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 9:48 am

Droid , COOL !!! That would be an easy one to do in foam and glass !!!! :thumbsup:

by **inventing_man** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 10:38 am

GPW 2 reasons to use the trailer . Its main frame strength and weight to help keep the camper boat upright and stable . I would have to build a super structure anyway . Why make more work and add more weight you need to tow ?
And easier Getting it out of the water . A boat can sometimes be difficult to square up with the trailer in cross winds or current . This ship will be on 3 wheels ( drop down tong wheel as 3 rd wheel) and it wont matter its angle as long as the ball hits the receiver . When the winch line pulls , the boat camper is going to straighten up anyway with the line of pull going directly to the ball every time .
I use this trailer to launch a 2 man boat with already. Its been in the water a bunch as well as on the Hwy .. Just keep the wheel bearing greased and purged of water and its all good .
Its the next best thing to a Anfib self propelled Crawler Boat Camper which i have thought about too

by **inventing_man** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 10:41 am

Droid Are you making these CGI's? They are awesome man ! :applause:

by **Dusty82** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 11:02 am

DJT's concept is not only doable, it's been done. I have no pics of it (wish I did) but my grandparents had a houseboat with that same configuration when I was a little kid.

Square pontoons ran along each side, like DJT's drawing, and were hinged along the top edge above the wheel well. A large deck was hinged to the front of the rig, and another was hinged to the rear. When dropped down into position, those decks/pontoons were pinned into place along the bottom edges of the pontoons. I was pretty little when they got it (maybe 5 or 6) so I don't know what the underside of the "trailer" section looked like. They kept it wet-moored up at Howard Prairie Reservoir in Southern Oregon, so I don't know if I ever saw it out of the water more than once or twice anyway. Heck, for all I know, it's still up there.

With the pontoons folded up, the whole rig was towed with their Chevy 3/4 ton pick-up. Years after they sold it (I was in my 20s,) I was talking to my grandfather about it, and he said that with all the pontoons folded down and ready to cruise, it had a 24' X 24' footprint, and was the most stable thing he'd ever floated on. I do remember that it had an outboard on the back, and the helm was inside the rig, up front, on the curb side.

by **GPW** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 6:19 pm

IM , here we have brackish or full salt water ....a trailer would need some protection being dipped like that ...

by **inventing_man** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 7:39 pm

Yes it would . Stainless Steel or Extruded composites.

by **droid_ca** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:01 pm

no sorry they are some designs that I found online
this might give you some more ideas
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=885

by **inventing_man** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 10:35 am

I'm going to attempt some 1" and 1 1/2 inch PVC "wire" framing to get patrons from . Its flexible , heat form-able and easy to join, with a wide assortment of fittings to pick from. And best of all, Cheap!
If it works out good enough, I will glass in the PVC on the inside and use it as a wire chase to conceal the inside wiring .
I also found a fastening strip called a polyfastener . That could have a lot of uses to attach awnings, curtains screening and the tent extensions ., You name it , Neat Stuff !

http://www.northerngreenhouse.com/products/other/polyfastener.htm