If foam alone is good enough for walls..

[GPW]

Back to the main topic ... Just like to say (again ! ) that my little Foamie has sat Outside in the weather for what, two years now and is still in Perfect shape ,save the hail marks , which a little paint will take care of ... 2“ foam with a thin Linen canvas on the outside , bed sheet on the inside ... still dry as toast , no leaks , no rot .... The test of Time !!! Built as a “Minimum" camper ... Works !!!

[josephhanson]

My current build (63 beeline hybred) is seven feet wide six feet tall and fourteen feet long. It has 3/16 ply inside, 1-1/2 foam and then it's covered in canvas. I used 2 x 2's where needed in the walls. The whole trailer is sturdy and even better, pretty lightweight.

My first trailer was built with 1/4 ply inside, 1-1/2 in foam, 1/4 outside and then covered with filon. It was six feet wide, six feet tall and eight feet long. It weighed in at 1800 lbs.

I'm thinking this fourteen foot trailer will weigh close to the same. Weight is a consideration with gas prices these days. The foamies are pretty frugal in the weight department.

Just something else for you to think about.

Enjoy your build.

[Mary C]

I am using canvas over foam and cotton material on the inside for my walls, NO wood. I bet mine will outlast me!!!!I will save about $75. doing that. I priced everything even the box of screws and everything. I am building thrifty. I was in an area a couple of days ago and saw foam being used in construction was told to wait till Wed to see if they have any left overs. If you stop and ask you might get lucky if you don't you won't get anything. I have to get the trailer built by Monday, test it out Tuesday and go to see if they have any leftovers on Wed. Nothing ventured, Nothing Gained.

Mary C.

[bonnie]

I am using canvas over foam and cotton material on the inside for my walls, NO wood. I bet mine will outlast me!!!!I will save about $75. doing that. I priced everything even the box of screws and everything. I am building thrifty. I was in an area a couple of days ago and saw foam being used in construction was told to wait till Wed to see if they have any left overs. If you stop and ask you might get lucky if you don't you won't get anything. I have to get the trailer built by Monday, test it out Tuesday and go to see if they have any leftovers on Wed. Nothing ventured, Nothing Gained.

Mary C.

That is so true. And half the adventure is venturing out into that world.

[KCStudly]

... half the adventure is venturing out into that world.

Great attitude!

'Tis better to be brave than meek, me thinkest.

[Irving]

Thought I might get a better response on this here:

So I am building my walls with 1.5" foam and 1/8" hard fiberboard on the inside and most likely 1/4" OSB (chip board) on the outside. I am going to be covering the entire outside and bottom with canvas and tightbond 3.

I'm still a bit hung up on using the OSB board. I almost bought a bunch of 11/32" plywood but decided it was too heavy and put it back.

Should I be talked out of using 1/4" OSB board? Any good reasons not to use it? It is just so cheap at $9.50 for a 4x8 sheet and it's quite lightweight. I'm having a tough time finding inexpensive 1/4" plywood in my area.

[bonnie]

Thought I might get a better response on this here:

So I am building my walls with 1.5" foam and 1/8" hard fiberboard on the inside and most likely 1/4" OSB (chip board) on the outside. I am going to be covering the entire outside and bottom with canvas and tightbond 3.

I'm still a bit hung up on using the OSB board. I almost bought a bunch of 11/32" plywood but decided it was too heavy and put it back.

Should I be talked out of using 1/4" OSB board? Any good reasons not to use it? It is just so cheap at $9.50 for a 4x8 sheet and it's quite lightweight. I'm having a tough time finding inexpensive 1/4" plywood in my area.

Just my 2Cents -- You don't need anything on the outside except the canvas. You don't really need the fiberboard, unless you want it. My walls are 1". They are covered with fiberglass/resin. I did not build that portion of my build, but I can tell you they are going no where. The 2" foam walls covered in canvas have held up very well. I think 1.5" foam/canvas/paint would be more than strong enough.

As I said, must my 2Cents.

[wagondude]

1+ to skipping the 1/4" osb. If your worried about impact resistance, 1/8" would suffice. But a couple of layers of heavy canvas would also do just fine. The impact (hail) damage on GPW's little foamie proved to be self healing. Just a little touch up of the paint and you won't even be able to tell it happened. Others have logged many miles on the road with no damage reported.

[Mary C]

Why are you using wood on the outside? what will it accomplish? Did you read the Thrifty thread and read some of the foam and canvas builds? That is what convinced me not to bother with wood, just ran up the price. The wood in your case would serve a purpose? Please explain I am not being sarcastic, just an curious that you picked up something in the threads that I did not. perhaps you are using it because ........ ........... The canvas on top with titebondII or paint will stiffen up and adhere to the foam and make a very hard shell. it becomes very strong. You need to just try it get a little can of paint a piece of shipping foam and some material just cotton and experiment and see for yourself. I am not going to add anything I don't need or can afford to pay for. I know traditional builds have wood and screws and bolts and of course nuts but, I want to keep the price down and keep it simple. I am going to get 3 more pieces of foam and I will get glue and I am building mine. After doing a lot of soul searching I am changing the profile a little and making it a little less rounded and a little more squared on the back. I am still having a hatch only not so angled. No wood except under the bottom and that will be bolted to the trailer. the top will be held down with straps I am building into it.

Mary C.

[Irving]

So I adhered canvas to the underbody of my base today. Used watered down titebond 3. In several spots I began to notice dark purple looking spots like in this picture. I'm paranoid that it's mold or something because the canvas stayed wet for too long. But that just seems absurd. Could mold actually grow that fast? I kept the woodstove and a propane heater going in my shop to try and keep the temperature up so the glue could cure correctly. It was as low as the high 40's at times and as warm as 60 degrees at times. Anyone else seen dark purple spotting develop in their canvas as the titebond dried?

[Wolfgang92025]

Foe some reason I don't think its mold.

More like it is ink/dye from the info on the foam that got wet and bleed through the canvas. That's my 2 cents worth......

Edit...
Take a piece of scrap foam, smear some glue on it, and see if the glue starts to change color...

[Irving]

Foe some reason I don't think its mold.

More like it is ink/dye from the info on the foam that got wet and bleed through the canvas. That's my 2 cents worth......

Edit...
Take a piece of scrap foam, smear some glue on it, and see if the glue starts to change color...

I bet you're right! Thank you.

[Mary C]

It is possible that the ink on the foam had some extra spots It probably is not mold but in the future wipe down the foam with a mixture of one to four, Clorox to water mixture on a rag. I am doing it just to be careful. so I am funny I wipe down everything with it though. you could use Clorox wipes too. I don't believe it is mold either. Did you dispense with the wood on the outside?

Mary C.

[Irving]

It is possible that the ink on the foam had some extra spots It probably is not mold but in the future wipe down the foam with a mixture of one to four, Clorox to water mixture on a rag. I am doing it just to be careful. so I am funny I wipe down everything with it though. you could use Clorox wipes too. I don't believe it is mold either. Did you dispense with the wood on the outside?

Mary C.

Underneath the canvas that you see is plywood. This is the bottom of my trailer. I am using 7/32" ply on the sides. 1/8" hardboard on the inside. 1.5" foam interior. I am framing it just like you would build a totally solid body teardrop (perhaps a few less pieces of framing), but I will be relying upon the thick foam for a lot of structural support because of how thin my plywood is. So it will likely weigh somewhere between a true foamie and a thick plywood sided tear.

[Irving]

How many gallons of titebond have some of you had to use for your whole tear? I used 1.5 gallons just for the bottom.