Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hello, I decided that I want to skin my build with these 5'x10' fiberglass sheets/panels I purchased from a guy in Central NH. They are strong and flexible, with a little bit of weave texture. My hope is to frame up the camper, attach these panels directly to the frame, then have the interior professionally spray foamed so that the frame and skin are monolithic. I feel this would make it light and rigid. Does anyone see any potential for problems? I'm thinking about gluing the sheets to the frame then using some screws on the perimeter to hold the edges down along where I will ultimately use aluminum trim. The reason for glueing vs screwing is to avoid dealing with painting over fasteners. Not sure if this system will want to make the fiberglass bubble out between the studs. Also, anyone have a recommendation for a durable system to paint the fiberglass? Thank you all for your help. Just beginning construction of our family camper and this site has been great.

then have the interior professionally spray foamed ...

You could sheath the interior (while the walls are still on the bench) with 1/8" ply, glued to your framework. It would be incredibly strong with the right glue. And then insulate with foamboard before flipping and installing your fiberglass.



Otherwise, the sprayed-on foam is going to be tough to make it look okay on the inside... or maybe you have a plan for that?



Tony

tony.latham wrote:

then have the interior professionally spray foamed ...

Otherwise, the sprayed-on foam is going to be tough to make it look okay on the inside... or maybe you have a plan for that?

Thanks for responding Tony. I plan on leaving the galley wall open at that point of the construction, so that after the spray foaming is done and I've removed the excess overspray, I will then install luan or something else lightweight for the interior walls. After the remaining interior work is done, the galley wall will then be installed with sandwiched blue board. Make any sense?

You have me curious! Is this FRP? What is it? Also I'm from southern NH, so if a local supplier I'd love to know who..

I've done some testing with FRP & XPS foam board. I resined them together sandwiching the XPS. It's now my side exterior shelf on the camper. 9K miles and 8 months later, still holding nicely.

I would tend to go opposite direction like Tony mentions. Apply the FG material last. If the spray foam can handle resin (which I don't know), then no need for other fasteners. Also not certain of the benefit of the spray foam over XPS.. Folks here have been bending and curving XPS and the technic's are getting better all the time.

just a suggestion that will make your life for a hell of a lot easier look into fiberglass structural panels. We have found just buying flat sheets of foam from Home Depot is a hell of a lot cheaper than spraying foam. then the total waste of time. Trying to get a flat surface working in a small box area . any voids back fill with can foam The greatest human skin adhesive use gloves . for any curve's https://www.blocklayer.com/kerf-spacingeng.aspx picture is in side a fiberglass structural panel trailer

After the remaining interior work is done, the galley wall will then be installed with sandwiched blue board. Make any sense?

It does. But what really makes sense, is doing as much work on the walls while they are flat on the bench as possible.



Whether building a house or a teardrop, one should consider the strategy of the project. Don't be in a rush to get the walls up.



Tony

RJ Howell wrote:You have me curious! Is this FRP? What is it? Also I'm from southern NH, so if a local supplier I'd love to know who..

I've done some testing with FRP & XPS foam board. I resined them together sandwiching the XPS. It's now my side exterior shelf on the camper. 9K miles and 8 months later, still holding nicely.

I would tend to go opposite direction like Tony mentions. Apply the FG material last. If the spray foam can handle resin (which I don't know), then no need for other fasteners. Also not certain of the benefit of the spray foam over XPS.. Folks here have been bending and curving XPS and the technic's are getting better all the time.

https://nh.craigslist.org/mat/d/fiberglass-panels/7447290023.html He’s in Barnstead. What would you use to glue fiberglass to blue board, then blue board to luan?

take a look at this video it's a fallacy that you have to have a vacuum table

tony.latham wrote: What would you use to glue fiberglass to blue board, then blue board to luan?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsIE8aku1Jo

RJ Howell wrote:You have me curious! Is this FRP? What is it? Also I'm from southern NH, so if a local supplier I'd love to know who..

I've done some testing with FRP & XPS foam board. I resined them together sandwiching the XPS. It's now my side exterior shelf on the camper. 9K miles and 8 months later, still holding nicely.

I would tend to go opposite direction like Tony mentions. Apply the FG material last. If the spray foam can handle resin (which I don't know), then no need for other fasteners. Also not certain of the benefit of the spray foam over XPS.. Folks here have been bending and curving XPS and the technic's are getting better all the time.

Also, the luan interior would be fastened with GRK cabinet screws to the studs, so no gluing. My thought is that the stud, fiberglass, spray foam monolith would be strong enough and not need the interior luan laminated. Plus it will save a ton of time and effort gluing and laminating all these panels. And working the roof into a bend sounds tedious. I don’t have a garage where I can work this all out. My carport will more or less be used to keep the build out of the rain.

saywhatthat wrote:take a look at this video it's a fallacy that you have to have a vacuum table

tony.latham wrote: What would you use to glue fiberglass to blue board, then blue board to luan?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsIE8aku1Jo

I want this project done this summer. Been taking the guy in the video 3 years and it’s not done yet.

JMailbox8 wrote:I want this project done this summer. Been taking the guy in the video 3 years and it’s not done yet

I have done the same style of build , I have 41 hr in to that's even with making my own skins. most of that at 15minets at a time with clean up .
Now on the third month of waiting for the right red cheap paint. But life has a way of getting in the way and priorities.
if you were to sit down and actually pushed through it goes extremely fast .You don't have to worry about getting anything to seal up and when you're done with the wall the Outside Inside Skin completely done you don't have to fight any of the other crap that you would were it wood trailer. Maintenance you could get a cannonball to go through and you wouldn't have to fix it for 20 years because there's nothing to rot There's another Builder that builds the exact same way I have . He has a bare-bones pod welded frame He says he has 60 hours into it and he sells the trailers for $5250 US fiberglass/ foam. Seems like a hell of a great price when you look at some of these $7,000 rot boxes on Harbor Freight frames said he can be that low because the time he save on labor just something to contemplate. One thing to Rembert on your build fiberglass has quite a bit of expansion to it .
Under 20 hr to get to this point from a bucket of resin a few shits of foam with this picture .

JMailbox8 wrote:

RJ Howell wrote:You have me curious! Is this FRP? What is it? Also I'm from southern NH, so if a local supplier I'd love to know who..

I've done some testing with FRP & XPS foam board. I resined them together sandwiching the XPS. It's now my side exterior shelf on the camper. 9K miles and 8 months later, still holding nicely.

What would you use to glue fiberglass to blue board, then blue board to luan?

I tried the resin Tony recommended to me. Raka. http://www.raka.com/epoxy.html Although local suppliers would have the same, they were the best buy at the time.

JMailbox8 wrote:Also, the luan interior would be fastened with GRK cabinet screws to the studs, so no gluing. My thought is that the stud, fiberglass, spray foam monolith would be strong enough and not need the interior luan laminated. Plus it will save a ton of time and effort gluing and laminating all these panels. And working the roof into a bend sounds tedious. I don’t have a garage where I can work this all out. My carport will more or less be used to keep the build out of the rain.

The greatest strength is by making a SIP, meaning both skins are laminated. Your choice, and one side may indeed be enough, but... Are you doing curved F&B or angled?

I'm a proponent of foam construction and my first truck topper was the test for me. Now I hybrid and push it as far as I believe I can. Curved or angled I frame to a minimum or as required to join panels & install/attach items. For the truck I required structure/support for the loft. My roof only has 1/4" plywood band to attach latches and fly.

Question for you: Have you worked through how you will seal the seam at roof & wall? You may decide to go angle F&B for ease of attaching molding..

Way late to the party but as a 30 year carpenter who has worked in cramped areas a good portion of my working life, the inside of your teardrop is quite roomy until you got to figure out how to get you, your tools, your wall material and anything else you need in there to attach them in that space at the same time.

Won't even go into how fun attaching a panel when the only sensible position is standing on your head with one foot on the "ceiling" and one out the door. (That stupid apprentice had the gull to tell me it couldn't be done!!!!!)