Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[GPW]

Or build a Foamie and invite your “goomah” along .... that should get the wife’s attention ...

[GPW]

Possible foam find .... Heard today, an Architect told me the “Green Project” here had stacks of 2” Foam ... I just gotta’ check that out .... It’s bound to be Thrifty ..... Maybe they’ll have some Paint too ...

[GPW]

Just thinking about using plywood skins over foam ...
Pros: It IS a sound structural concept , very Strong , stronger than canvas/foam ...Provides a hard smooth surface ... Looks NICE!!!
Cons : * It is totally dependent on using a High Quality plywood , however thin , the cheaper plywood quickly delaminates, and surface cracks over curved surfaces. (curved roofs , etc. ) This I know from experience.
* Attaching the plywood to foam can be tricky , involving FLAT surfaces and lots of weights .. a job Best done by Vacuum bagging ...
*Does not allow for curved/rounded edges , all edges will be 90deg but joints , and then that must be capped or sealed to prevent water entry.
* Heavy !!! Wood eh? Plywood =~57lb./cu.ft. Foam = 2lb./cu.ft.
* Expensive , you Have to use the good stuff (pricy) , plus the glue to attach it ...
* Difficult to repair should something unusual happen ...whole panels may need replacing due to splitting .
* Requires woodworking tools .. better a woodshop
Draw your own conclusions....

The Original INTENT of the Foamie’ trailer was a Thrifty , quickly built camping trailer , that didn’t require advanced building skills or tools . Strong enough , Well insulated , light enough to pull with a modern car or truck , comfortable , easy to repair/patch ... the Look was NEVER a consideration ... Decoration left to the imagination of the builder ...

Still, there are No rules .... merely “suggestions” ... Build it like You want to ... !!!

[GPW]

Now , having blabbed’ on about that , one idea I really like is using plywood inside the trailer part way up the wall as a wainscoting. that and a bottom moulding , to me, better attaches the foam wall to the trailer floor , and protects the inner walls in the foot/kick area, where it gets bumped into most ... looks nice too ... cheap ply would be fine since it’s inside the encapsulation.

[ghcoe]

Now , having blabbed’ on about that , one idea I really like is using plywood inside the trailer part way up the wall as a wainscoting. that and a bottom moulding , to me, better attaches the foam wall to the trailer floor , and protects the inner walls in the foot/kick area, where it gets bumped into most ... looks nice too ... cheap ply would be fine since it’s inside the encapsulation.

That is one of the reasons I put my frame rails on the inside/top side of the floor. I was thinking that it would make everything stronger for supporting the foam and also a good attachment point for the wainscoting. I will not be doing it on my current build because I am trying to see how economical/light I can make a build and be a good functional design. My intent on when/if I do a wainscoting in the future is to hot wire a channel at the correct height on the wall and then glue in a 1x2 in the foam. It would make a great attachment point and also increase the structural integrity of the wall.

Groove for wainscoting support.

DSCF1759 small.jpg (54.92 KiB) Viewed 941 times

Inner frame rails running along walls

DSCF1753 small.jpg (79.95 KiB) Viewed 941 times

[GPW]

Looking GOOD G’ !!! 

[Mary C]

Been away helping my son tile a shower for a couple of weeks. Ok I am slow, and 63, it took a while, it has been 20 years since I tiled anything. and in between I did many other things including spending a day at the cancer clinic while Kristal got chemo then three days getting the house ready for a yard sale. The shower looks good so to repay me My son put my hitch on!!!! I am so happy. I am putting the trailer together and Louella, I am not going to use tape to hold my trailer on but I am going to put some straps on it under the canvas I am going to put D hooks on the ends. then I can strap it on the trailer. I am going to take it to Texas to my Brothers and take it off the trailer and make all the necessary holes to move the axle back and drill some other holes and weld the frame in a couple of places and extend the hitch and put on a metal reinforcement for the hitch. I have a lot to do and I am trying to get it all done I have to be in Texas in May in Houston and then go to my Brothers in Fort Worth in June then back to Houston for a couple of weeks then back to Ga. A camping trip to Ill in July . I am going to be very busy and I don't have time for it all
GPW if I can and have time I will stop by and you can see the TD and perhaps you can give me some suggestions on a few things I want to do. How is the frog and are the dents from the turkeys disappearing?

Mary C.

[atahoekid]

Now , having blabbed’ on about that , one idea I really like is using plywood inside the trailer part way up the wall as a wainscoting. that and a bottom moulding , to me, better attaches the foam wall to the trailer floor , and protects the inner walls in the foot/kick area, where it gets bumped into most ... looks nice too ... cheap ply would be fine since it’s inside the encapsulation.

I used cheap lauan underlayment on the inside walls and ceiling of my trailer and since it is inside, I'm not worried about water issues and it provided great structural strength without adding much weight. The plywood even finished up really nicely. I just used a polyurethane and it looks great! I agree with GPW that using plywood outside really defeats one of the huge pluses of using foam. Foam is weather resistant. Plywood is prone to failure in weather without a lot of care and maintenance and since it can also leak you're also subjecting to your inner framing (wood) to water and therefore failure. No such issue with foam

But then again, if you're reading this, I'm probably preaching to the choir.

[Jack B.]

What's with preaching to a chair? But then again, why was everybody sitting on the same side of the table at the last supper? Easier for the wait staff but much harder to carry on a conversation. And don't get me started on those big old sleeves dragging through your food.

On to trailer stuff though:

The gauge of the steel beams on the Harbor Freight type trailers is not all that heavy. The local big box hardware store has steel "C" girders(?) for shed building in heavier gauge that come in 8' or 10' lengths in a darkish green powder coat, anodized and galvanized finishes. They have them in about 3" X 2" and also in 3" X 1" (all dimensions here are remembered guesstimates) sizes. I used one right up the middle on my 4'X4' little red trailer when I needed to stretch it to 6' 6" for my clam shell sleeper. I then just bolted the original tongue to/over it for the hitch and forever registration sticker that is on it for here in MN. Consistent bolt hole dimensions and separation. Seems like a fella could use these to build his trailer frame for a foamy. Could be quite a bit cheaper than buying a bolt together with shipping, especially if an axle was come by cheap-to-free. And you get to decide on the dimensions for the platform. Want a 5' 8" X 7' 9" long trailer? No problem. Want it wider in the back than the front? No problem. The frame would be a bit heavier but seems like it would also be quite a bit stronger as strength goes up exponentially.

Just sayin' and wonderin'.

Oh, by the way GP. As of now it looks like I'll be in New Orleans sometime around mid-June for a couple-three days. I've signed on to be the designated driver for four high school grad lads on their see the sights camping freedom trip to Memphis, Pensacola and your fair city. Two old musicians should try and do lunch somewhere don't cha think? Time permitting.

Jack

[Jack B.]

Oopsie! When I said old I of course meant - wise beyond our years. But then you knew that.

Jack

[GPW]

Mary , there are now two toads , it appears one male and one female ... I can only guess this is all leading to a Toad Conservancy ..
The hail damage is much less now , but the discoloration stayed ... so a little paint will help ... only the roof , so that’s not bad at all ... could have been much worse ... as my neighbor's experienced ... Foam turns out to be pretty Tough and if had used a heavy weight canvas, there probably would have been no damage at all ...!! The places where the canvas was overlapped showed no damage at all ... When I built my little Foamie , it was on a strict Budget , and I used what I had laying around , which was a thin Linen Artist canvas .... lesson learned ... on the next one (FoamStream) , I’ll actually buy a good heavy weight canvas for the outer skin ...

Jack ... actually I like the idea of using old boat trailers which are MUCH stronger than the HF offerings ... and can usually be found for less than the price of materials to “roll your own” ... but making your own custom trailer sure is a good idea for those with the skills and tools ... Lunch sounds Good !!!

Recent Thrifty news .... last night at band practice , our drummer announced he found a huge quantity of blue foam sheets on a job (he’s an electrician) ... apparently they ordered waaay too much , so a Lot was left over ... I told him to snag as much as possible ... it’s FREE ... Foam is truly where you find it ....

[eaglesdare]

Mary are you going to CRA in July?

[Mary C]

Wow, two frogs? Maybe little frogs this summer or early spring? hey I still see you are still looking for foam. I just decided to build simple and get it ......r...... done. I am keeping a good record of my spending and the pictures will be forth coming I promise. I am putting together the trailer right now. I have to go to the HF spot to ask my question though.Thats why I am on right now. Just thought I would check in.
Louella, A resounding yes!!!!!! to CRA, paid and planning my trip. I am trying to get the TD built, I hate tents. I always ended up putting them up in the dark and when they get wet ugh, I hate having clothes and sleeping bag wet. Living in the south you pretty much had that senerio lots of times. I have gotten too arthritic to put up with it. I am so looking forward to it. Kristal leaves on the 1st of May to go to Texas for any new treatments. For three months they will be staying in the hospitality apt. She will need me to come out and stay some while Joe looks for a job and I am planning to leave there and go to my brothers near ft. worth for a few days and have him weld on my trailer and to finish up the extra parts of the TD then I will go back to Houston then Home. Then I will go to CRA. I have the feeling I will be back to Houston in late July. Busy time Ahead. Are you planning on going to CRA too? I wrote down my spot number but I don't remember right now I know it is a little ways from the baths. but thats ok I will get bath at night. I like to take late afternoon walks.

Mary C

[eaglesdare]

I do have a ressie. But still not 100% sure if I will be going. I am trying that is for sure.

[Jack B.]

Only problem to me is that every cheap boat trailer I've looked at either needs lots of work done or needs some modification work to fit the form of non-boat usage. I see the build your own with off the shelf framing that you can bolt together as a pretty strong plus, and you get exactly the shape/size you want to design for. Granted it will cost a bit more money but sweat equity ain't cheap either. And if you decide that going over the high bridge in high winds at high noon might be easier with a longer or narrower trailer, it's much easier to re-do what you did from the start.

Down side is you've got to figure out your rubber meets the road and suspension issues. But again it's easy to unbolt and move things around until you find the perfect balance point for axle placement and floor cut outs, if you were to go that route for a bit of extra headroom for seating or an escape hatch. I just keep remembering the Mel Gibson trailer on the beach when the bad guys open up with machine guns and he gets out through the floor to fight another day. Let's see you do that with your off the shelf Winnebago.

Jack