Build started//Sub 600 lbs / 2 months to build / aerodynamic

[Wolfgang92025]

I am using this



The Dap "Path n Paint" works well for filling voids and sands much better than gorilla glue.

[ghcoe]

I use Dap Fast and Final. Super light weight, goes on easy, sands like foam as long as you don't let it set a week.

[YannG]

Patch n paint wasn't available but fast and final was. You are right, it sands like foam and a pint goes a long way.

I built a door today. That was horrible and I am still not done. It weighs like 10 times more than the wall supporting it. If it was just me, I would have made a door from foam but the boss said otherwise.

[YannG]

Been a few days but consistently worked on it. I canvased the interior and painted before assembly. A final coat will be done inside when I add the canvas strips that will be overlapping each panels.

I added a few pieces of plywood on both sides so I can add tie-down rings. Those will be used to attach the foamie to the trailer.

I need to build some sort of countertop that could be used inside as a table going from side to side and also that I could anchor to the outside of the foamie. I added a few pieces of ply to the right side so I can maybe add brackets or something to match the countertop. Thinking of making it from foam, mesh and pmf. Anyway that will be once I am done with the foamie itself. But throw in ideas if you can think of a simple way to "hook" a 16" x 44" piece of foam to the side of the foamie.

Back to the actual build. I underestimated the amount of wood glue that it takes. I am down 1 gallon for the inside. Just bought a second gallon and hopefully it will be enough for the exterior. That EPS seem to use more glue. Maybe because it is more "porous" for a lack of better word.

I used spray foam to assemble the panels. That worked well.

Tonight I glued the foamie to the floor using the ratchet strap method. I previously drilled through the floor into the walls in a few locations and installed a few screw type drywall anchors covered with spray foam. So ratchet strapped every 2 feet and added a few screws along the walls.

This weekend I will prep the outside and canvas it. Things are progressing.

[YannG]

So canvas is on. Total of 3 gallons of wood glue. Very happy with the result.

Will apply exterior primer this week and paint. I can slowly see the finish line.

Fun project.

[YannG]

[YannG]

[YannG]

Applied primer this morning. Since my canvas was fairly thin, I put 2 layers mostly everywhere. I find the overlap edges to be a bit too aggressive. I would have been happy with 1 edge but because of the 2 layers, I end up with 2 edges on each overlap. I tried to fill those a bit but will have to sand them down.

[YannG]

[GPW]

Looking GOOD !!!

[YannG]

OMG. Things were progressing fast at the beginning but not going as fast as I want now. Not that I stopped working on the foamie. The steps just take more time towards the end by the look of it.

I am finalizing the top coat. The weather is not helping right now. Once that is done, I will be adding the door and windows to make it weather proof. I am a bit tired of putting a tarp over it every day and pulling it off each time I work on it.

Hoping to be done in 2 weeks.

[YannG]

I hit a snag. Delamination. Not too sure why. It happened after a colder night with some rain. The only thing I can think of is material contraction / expansion and not enough glue. When weather was warmer, there was zero sign of delamination. That being said, I filled a syringe with a mix of glue and some water and injected those places. Hopefully it will not get worst. The good thing is that no water went in and it was some heavy rain.

[Terra6]

Looking good and hopefully hit your weight target.
Delamination is a problem but not unusual.
Just look at older rvs. Try to study and assess cause.
Reality of limited adhesion to XPS.
Had an issue on my last PMF using paint due to extreme sun drying my paint before could lay the cloth. And wind drying the paint very quickly. And that was on luaun plywood. Had to rip the whole wall of cloth off and restart.
I loathed doing it but wasn't that bad.
If you have to, won't be as bad as you might think.

[YannG]

Thanks for the kind words. As long as I don't lose a wall on the highway!!!

[GPW]

“History is prelude” …. Yann, we haven’t lost any yet !!! AFAIK .