Foam wall and roof thickness

[RogHodge]

The question is this- how thick to make the walls and the roof-

My design is quite small in profile- it fits completely within one 4x8 sheet - mostly. The width is going to be 5’

I believe that 1.5 inch would be sufficient for both roof and walls. I thought eagle used 2â€

[GPW]

" just because it’s foam that shouldn’t be license to overbuild like the woodies do! " .... Ouch !!! We do try to co-exist with them , even if they do overbuild.... Sometimes the obvious is best left un stated for propriety ...

The thickness is merely there to keep the skins apart, and provide insulation ...the structural integrity depending on how far apart they are ... Best to err on the side of more thickness than not... or you could use a thin ply or paneling on the inside for more Strength and a more conventional appearance (like those other guys we spoke of previously ... ^....)

Personally, I like the 2" , as I could round the edges for a smoother appearance to an otherwise foam "box" (mine)... desperately difficult to get here for some silly reason... but you can always laminate two or more thinner pieces together ...

" but I only want sufficient strength to be adequate" ... but what about Bears ??? That will surely come up in most any Foamie discussion ... probably half of the Big thread ...

[tjsabo]

but you can always laminate two or more thinner pieces together ...

That is what we did( 1" foam ) on our build to offset the seams and hopefully make a stronger wall but make sure you test your glue first we tried a spray on glue( locktite ) on the sample it worked great but not so good on our wall so we had to use gg 2 10oz bottles per 14' x 6' wall and use a lot of weight

Tim

[eaglesdare]

you are correct, i used 2" on the walls and 1" for the roof. i used the 2" because of the strenght, did not bend (like 1"), it was more solid.
i used only the 4 x 8 size also.

[GPW]

Eagle ,only a 1â€

[bonnie]

I'm planning on my shell being 2" throughout. I will be using some bracing and several areas where mount points will be added. That said, if I wanted to do internal cleat to mount the floor to the walls, Do you think using thinner foam and wood would hold properly to the solid foam wall?

Can't find the link right now, but I got the idea from a chart of wall floor attachments from this site.

Am I over tinking this?

Bonnie

[GPW]

Bonnie , Initially there was much concern about the foam shell blowing off the trailer straight away (the Brits) , a thought we later found out to be unfounded , through experience ... I just glued my 2â€

[pete42]

GPW the "skins" shown in your drawings is the cloth and not wood am I correct is this assumption.

pete

[RogHodge]

Dr Hodge’s letter of apology-

I sincerely regret besmirching the good name of the fine craftsmen and women who choose to use the abundant and appropriately suitable God given natural and renewable resource as the primary building material, specifically Trees. I have unfairly denigrated both the builders by using the crass, inappropriate, and easily if not on occasionally intentionally used for comical and colloquial purposes term, specifically Woodies. Additionally I have by inference and without proper and quite necessary education, training and/or experience applied to myself the authority to judge the engineering, strength, design, and weight properties of the proficiently crafted teardrops, tiny travel trailers, caravans, and other roadworthy towable sleeping vessels that these fine men and women have created by their very hands. If they should choose to, and yet it would be completely understandable if they would prefer not to, it is my deep desire that they may graciously extend to my miserable existence their forgiveness. I am sorry. While I have neither the authorization nor authority to speak for any one on this forum, I, with all humility and heartfelt sincerity, wish to extent my desire to co-exist, and cooperate with all members and lurkers, both past present and future. May their brakes be cool and powerful, their gas mileage be blessed to provide extended range, their sleep be sound and peaceful, and the bears that encounter their fine rolling homes go hungry as they are thwarted by the impenetrable shinny skins.

[RogHodge]

Now then- 1â€

[GPW]

Yes, cloth/canvas , heavier the better IMHO ... I was even thinking more about heavy Jute (potato sack ) fabric which is Very Strong , cheap, and would produce a nice natural weave effect ... Hemp fabric would also be very Strong , probably hard to obtain (except in CA ) , but if it caught on fire , would look (and smell) like an Old Cheech and Chong movie ...
Many natural fibers would be really great as a skin ... waaay stronger than common cotton canvas... easier to obtain , probably get it for free if you look around ... here in NO, I see a lot of coarse fabric sacks piled up on the wharves waiting to be hauled away as trash .. Nice coarse fabric , some bamboo trim and you’d have a Nice looking Tiki Hut sorta’ TD... Maybe a Gilligan’s Island theme (built from “Castawaysâ€