The Plan ... so far

[angib]

One problem with your sketch is that the rubber seal gets stretched when the hatch opens - it's tempting to say "it's rubber, it'll stretch", but it's an extra bit of distress applied to it wthat must shorten its life.

The alternative is to put the rubber above the piano hinge, which is not as attractive and then requires something extra to hold the rubber down, so that's not ideal.

I do like the way you've got the galley bulkhead butting up to the hatch hinge beam - so much stronger than just a big beam fixed at the sides.

Andrew

[asianflava]

Nice drawing! Just make sure you plan for the hatch sealing. You may have to cut a notch in the side since the hinge has no offset.

[GPW]

Flava'...Ouch !!! That notch /hinge offset jumped up to bite me in the ... I thought I had it worked out ???? DUH !!!! In such ways are we humbled ....
I wonder if dropping the side doubler the thickness of the hatch roof +some weatherstrip would be easier than the notch thingie ' ... doubler thing sounds easier (no cutting ) , but notch allows roof to overlap the sides ... Hmmm???
Ang... I was worried about that too , either a synthetic material or rubber bent (looped under into the slot )to allow for stretch ... Over is exposed and really won't work for me, not in this Sun ...Gotta' be some way to do this ...I could really depend on the weatherstrip sealer in the notch which would be thick enough to compress really well and seal the hatch/hinge line by itself (it was the backup )...
I have a 6 foot stainless piano hinge , that I drilled yesterday every 3".. I really need to use what I have in order to stay in the budget . hahahahahaha

This is why on the next one (as soon as I get this finished) I'm going with my modern sketch(Flash TD) /porch thingie' /back door type design , eliminates ALL of these silly problems ...and with the right paint job , has all the nostalgic "flava" of a Traditional TD ...

[GPW]

You got me before my second cup this morning .... mulled over the sketches all day ... everything's fine ... the skin of the hatch overlaps the sides by 1" and is level with the sides... the notch is already formed by the addition of the skin to the front (body)...side+ 1/4"= notch .. the hatch with the skin on it is level with the rest of the roof ... Viola' !!!
The old timers sealed their piano hinges with a flap of canvas... bet we could find something better ???? and since my hatch/roof is almost a 45deg. angle , I might attach the flap on the high side only ???/ just an idea??... I sure would appreciate if you guys have a better idea... any ideas , I'm running out here ....

Ang ... It was the best idea I could come up with .... 3 layers of 3/4" ply just HAS to be strong , and I've got a fine piece of Maple to cut up and use as the body and hatch spars... That should be strong enough eh ??? I've heard mention of the hatch spars breaking ??? What's with that ... wind gusts when the hatch is open ... extremely bumpy roads??? ??? I dunno' ???

[GPW]

Progress: I got the solar panels (45W )from HF ordered , plus a small charge regulator .... that should work nicely as backup ...
The trailer welding is supposed to happen today ...Schmaybe'????
Got the cut list for all the other components done and laid out to conserve wood as much as possible ..I'm thinking of building the cabinets /galley wall , outside of the TD so it' be easier to fab perfectly square ...then just stick the whole thing in for assembly ...Yes, no ?
Got the trailer swing away jack (Wal mart ), and some neat LED taillights ... I have some angle brackets that fit the taillights so the mount will be easy onto the ply sides ... they included a cheezy plastic lic. plate bracket , gotta' find a metal one ...
After reading all this , I'm going "Lightweight" sorta' approach ... no fancy cabinets woodwork(just shelves with fronts) ... just good solid BASIC construction .... Hooks for LED lanterns instead of wiring ... LONG heavy duty AC extension cord...Futons that double as matresses/sofas... a bean bag chair for sure...portable TV(color) , AC...Basic...!!!

Do you guys know if mounting a small cheepo AC is a critical thing .... I was worried if vibration (of towing ) would damage these ac's... Seen the slide out mounts ,, are they padded ??? And should I mount the ac on a different side than the shore power hookup ...cause of dripping (humid here )??? Sorry , just part of my "million questions"!!!

[GPW]

Well I take it , nobody's had trouble with their little air conditioners bouncing around...

THE TRAILER IS WELDED !!!!!!! Yesterday afternoon , after my nap , My friend Tommy the welder (retired ) called and said bring it on down .... Didn't take him 30 min. to weld everything solid .... Way COOL !!! I've got about 50 days left , and now that's done I can start assembling all the things that are already made up ... sub assemblies...Things should go more quickly now .... Have to get out there today and prime the welds (more Rustoleum )and later paint the trailer Black ...Thursday we'll start sticking the pieces on ....

Made a huge list of the things we'd need for the "BAYOU BUGOUT"...Got most of the things stockpiled now and have large plastic bins in which to store them ...Mine and hers ... guess which one is bigger....???hahahaha

Found a really nice piece of full size 2" x4" teak for the cabin spar (hatch) in my bow wood ...and some red oak 1" x3" for the hatch spar in my guitar wood ... Cool , that saves a few bucks , and teak sorta' goes along with my "nautical theme " ...Made a full size sketch of this hatch hinge area again ... looks workable ...and by the way , Im still under my 1500.00 budget ... My wife says all those years of collecting things (the fine art of salvage ) is finally making sense .... to her ....

[GPW]

Here's the latest sketch of the hatch /hinge area for your perusal ,actual size (or close) ... I appreciate the comments ... You can see with the sharp angle (drawn from the wood )I might be able to usa a waterproof Flap-like device over the piano hinge...like the oldtimers did ...

[GPW]

As you know , the trailer was welded and primed and painted last week ... Rustoleum rusty metal primer and "professional" Black...swing away jack installed ...Yesterday we installed the floor and bolted it down with (11 ) 3" 3/8" carriage bolts and nylock nuts and washers ... Monday , the sides go on .... good thing there's a drought here, the Bayou Bugout doesn't fit in my Studio ... got a tarp ...just in case...

I have a "military " hitch on my trailer ...gives me fits trying to hook and unhook ... you guys have any secrets ??

[GPW]

today is the day it all comes together ... help arriving at 09:00.. will take pics of the progress ... Feeling Good !!!!

[GPW]

Yesterday was a butt buster , got alot done , more Fun if it hadn't been 90 degrees...
Mad Jack , Got pics for ya in the personal gallery ... Enjoy ... !!!http://www.mikenchell.com/forums/album_personal.php?user_id=2349&sid=51fa8481a55a2144b3b4fde2bd9f3931

[Miriam C.]

Wow. You got a lot done in a day there.

Looking like camping soon.

Miriam

[madjack]

G, looks like y'all had a real big day, looks like a lotta "get 'er dun" was dun...keep it up and y;all may have an escape pod ready for June1st...thanks for da pics
madjack

[GPW]

Mad Jack , Thanks to you and all the guys , for your wisdom , experience and encouragement , I was able to pre cut and mark most of the pieces in advance of the build day .... Had a old friend helping(we've built stuff together in the past) , so that made it really easy ...
Now with the big stuff out of the way , all the detail Thingies ' should amply fill up the rest of our time .... I have simplified many things since drawing the original plans , after reading the lightweight threads , left alot of stuff out ... I'm even thinking of eliminating the interior rear cabinetry and replacing it with those hanging woven storage "sea bag/hammock " looking things... certainly save alot of weight and complexity....more room for "her worship " and her "stuff"... after all this is a "Bugout ".... the next one will be the "Kustom " TD with all the goodies.... and unlike standing outside in the 90 deg. sun , I can build the next one in my studio ... (smaller than this 72 sq ft Beastie ...) All for Fun and Fun for all.....

[GPW]

Continuing on the lighweight / simple theme, I drew up a simple electrical layout , basically an 8"Wx10"Lx6"H ply box ... a shore power plug comes in the side(through the TD side) into the box , goes to a GFI& (4 outlets) in the interior cabin, through the Galley wall , and another (4)box in the Galley ...nice place to put the toaster too ...
The Boss has approved of my simpler lightweight ideas...she says we won't be in it that much anyway .... she'll be out shopping .... Women ????????

[GPW]

Another busy day yesterday ... got the drivers side window cutout, the rear galley wall hatch cut .... big enough(18"x24") to drag the cooler up front into the cabin , or crawl out the back ,just in case..hatch flips down into cabin on a hinge ... you know !!!
Installed the galley shelf and braces, SIMPLE and lots of room ...and the hatch /hinge arrangement is working out just fine , got the doubler fit and mounted .... Nice !!!and if I had chosen to add cabinets , would have been not only an attachment for a bottom shelf in the back , but is invisible .
The arch is cut and installed , breaks up the cabin interior nicely and performs a structural service too .... repeats the curves of the TD for all the aesthetics...
Got 4 hatch ribs cut out , made a Master rib first and checked the fit perhaps a dozen times on both sides ...Now by the time I get the last one (one more ) cut out , I'll group sand(all clamped together) all these boys and probably change the fit in the process.... hahahaha
Today , it's back to the Wal-Mart for more supplies ....got a roof vent to cut out and ac to fit and frame, cutout for wall box (110v) ... and that just about takes us to the end of the woodworking ...at least the building part ...now the filling holes, sanding /finishing...... something I find more tedious than the cutting hammering part ...hahahahaha next , the filling and fiberglassing , but in the meantime , I'm going to "slather" the whole thing with my favorite 75% mineral spirits /25% poly mixture to help seal the wood ... I was thinking about using the new water based , but I dunno '... never tried it .... old stuff works ...and is cheap

Mad Jack , I'll have more pics for ya' soon ...