Foamie weekender/nano/sunhopper mod newbie needs help
Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 9:56 am
Newbie - inexperienced builder. Help. I just ordered a Northern Tool 5x8 trailer. My wife said she is stocking up on herbal anti-depressants for me. Help me save face and prove her wrong. I am hoping that a modest designed foamie build will be do-able for me. I will need a lot of help. I have spent days reading various threads. I need some specific advice on what I want to do. At this point I am very flexible on the design. I made this simple diagram to try to give you an idea of what I am thinking.
I want it to be light, easier to build that the ones that take 3 years (I would rather be camping), not too expensive, done in stages so at some point I can go camping and continue to work on it as time allows, canvas skin, probably wood floor and reasonable fuel economy. This diagram is far from accurate but I hope it will help us share ideas. What I think I want:
1. Something like a foamie weekender (4x8 body) but with a vertical back galley. Maybe it will slope down a bit on the roof at the back. That is what I tried to draw. Please ignore those flapping triangles. They really don't exist just a way I could draw this. I have to get better at some, drawing software. Will a little slope in the back help with aerodynamics or should I just skip it? I am not concerned about aesthetics here just fuel economy. The nose more like the nano-weekender but it may not slope at the bottom if I have a cargo box shaped to handle the air flow.
2. A simple galley with a vertical door, which I hope will be easier to build and less likely to leak. I would like a section of the galley to be open to the cabin like I think is in the sunhopper, which I love, BTW.
3. A flat roof, maybe? I don't know why the weekender and nano have a bend in the roof. Is that really important or is it fine to just be flat?
4. Spend more time cutting foam with a kitchen knife than making sawdust. But really not much wood. I really need your help here on where wood makes sense and is needed for safety reasons. Like what wood is really needed in the roof, the cabin, the galley? I know that is a big question but I have to start somewhere.
5. At this point I am thinking to get prefab doors and windows (not sure I need windows yet) to save my sanity. I would love to save money and make my own but I think in the long run I will be happier with the prefab ones. That being said any suggestions on putting those in a foamie? Wood framing? Wood thickness? etc.?
I could write a book here but I think this is a good start, at least I feel much better now that I started something. I really appreciate all suggestions and support.
Glad to be part of the community.
Mark
I want it to be light, easier to build that the ones that take 3 years (I would rather be camping), not too expensive, done in stages so at some point I can go camping and continue to work on it as time allows, canvas skin, probably wood floor and reasonable fuel economy. This diagram is far from accurate but I hope it will help us share ideas. What I think I want:
1. Something like a foamie weekender (4x8 body) but with a vertical back galley. Maybe it will slope down a bit on the roof at the back. That is what I tried to draw. Please ignore those flapping triangles. They really don't exist just a way I could draw this. I have to get better at some, drawing software. Will a little slope in the back help with aerodynamics or should I just skip it? I am not concerned about aesthetics here just fuel economy. The nose more like the nano-weekender but it may not slope at the bottom if I have a cargo box shaped to handle the air flow.
2. A simple galley with a vertical door, which I hope will be easier to build and less likely to leak. I would like a section of the galley to be open to the cabin like I think is in the sunhopper, which I love, BTW.
3. A flat roof, maybe? I don't know why the weekender and nano have a bend in the roof. Is that really important or is it fine to just be flat?
4. Spend more time cutting foam with a kitchen knife than making sawdust. But really not much wood. I really need your help here on where wood makes sense and is needed for safety reasons. Like what wood is really needed in the roof, the cabin, the galley? I know that is a big question but I have to start somewhere.
5. At this point I am thinking to get prefab doors and windows (not sure I need windows yet) to save my sanity. I would love to save money and make my own but I think in the long run I will be happier with the prefab ones. That being said any suggestions on putting those in a foamie? Wood framing? Wood thickness? etc.?
I could write a book here but I think this is a good start, at least I feel much better now that I started something. I really appreciate all suggestions and support.
Glad to be part of the community.
Mark