The 5x8 RollsRice begins...

[RollsRice]

7/14/13
So I was able to epoxy the outer shell this weekend. I put two coats on it so I know it is good and treated. I was also able to add the hurricane hinge and mount the hatch. I had to cut the floor in the rear so the hatch would fit tight. I should have seen that before hand. I thought I would leave that and the hatch would go over it for water runoff. But a little thought would have shown that to be false.

I need to buy some chalk and run bead along all the points. There is also a half inch difference between the left side and the right side. I messed this up early on, but did not catch it. Now I am paying for it. I will have to rig some gaskets to prevent leaks, but I’m sure I will have some.

I have used Thompson’s deck sealer to the galley and the shelves of the cabin. So even if it leaks, which it will, it should not ruin the wood, at least not for a while.

It’s funny, but today it is raining. It helps remind me that rain, water, is the main enemy. It’s all about the leak. Yeah, it will work just fine on a dry, hot day. It’s the raining weekend while you are trapped inside that you are building the thing for. I can imagine sitting inside, watching the water drip down ruining my wood. That is exactly what I am tying to prevent.

Basically the outside is done with the exception of the doors. I will need to build a frame for the inside to make them fit snuggly.

The lesson I have learned, and I repeat it here. Once you are tired, stop. Do nothing. You start making bad decisions and those decisions last.

I finished out the cabin and it looks nice. The bar is in place and has a border making it road ready. I also have a border on top of the A/C to hold DVD and whatever else. I realized that the doors, once installed, should have blinds that descend from the ceiling. This will create the minimum footprint while allowing them to be drawn halfway to allow air flow when the window is open. I will hide the fixture behind some crown molding.

I will use some molding to create my runners for the hatch on the exterior. That will add a nice look going down the road.

[RollsRice]

7/22/13
The big lesson for this build was tools. Not the kind you buy at the store. It’s the spacer, the jig, the little thing you make so that things will work out just the way you want them to. It’s the thing that goes around the back wall so that you know exactly where to screw in the holes for the shelf.

[RollsRice]

7/27/13
I spent my first night in the trailer. Very comfortable. The only issue is when I turn over in my sleep. The shelf is exactly at knee height and I bang it. I started the evening with the A/C, but after a couple of hours I switch over to the fan. That was much better. It was quieter and maintained a nice cabin temperature. I need to add some coat hooks to hang shirts/coats.

I’m going to screw plastic drawers underneath to hold shoes. I put my boots in there and they fit fine.

I should probably create a check list for departure before leaving the camp site. It should include the jacks, all the draw strings, tables, etc.

The mattress is very tight which is good. That will hold any sheets I put on there. There is plenty of shelf space to put the phone, wallet, etc.

I cooked dinner and breakfast in the galley. I just took whatever I needed from the kitchen in the house and then kept it in the trailer. Now I have everything I need.

I need to secure the speakers to get them out of the way. I might actually add another table top just to make it easy. You would be surprised how quickly you room out of room. I need to get the drawers situated so that it all works.

I hooked up the disco maze light and it worked like a champ. I have a place to clip the trash bag that works really well. I use an auto light for the galley which is perfect. I can move it where I need it, including around the trailer as it has a long cord. The bottles from the bar fit nicely on top of the A/C unit making a nice rear bar. The music was more than enough for any camp ground.

It all folds up quickly for going down the road. I added a big steel bowl for cleaning dishes. It fits on top of the ice chest going down the road.

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[RollsRice]

7/28/13
I cut the hole for the A/C bigger. I made it as big as I possibly could. And I replaced the decorative screen which was a little restrictive with regular screen door screen to help air flow.

Now the A/C works fine with the hatch closed. The galley does not heat up at all. I put a plastic lid underneath and it reduced the leak, but it is still there. I triple coated the area with Thompson’s, so I should be covered. I will cut the plastic box, make it deeper and try again.

I put wood putty over all the blemishes on the outside. I need to do my first sanding to see how it looks. I also need to practice with the fiberglass. I will put that over the seams and sand it out. Then it is off to gasket land. I think I will do a primer. There will be several colors underneath with the fiberglass and plastic wood. The primer will cover all that.

I have pulled it several times now and it really pulls well. Everything is secured now, no movement along the road.

I am going to take a cookie sheet and make it into a vent for the A/C on the side. It will be a conversation piece. I will paint in brown and see how that looks. If it doesn’t look good, I will paint it shiny black when I do the fenders.

Depending on the fiberglass, I could be moving on very quickly from here. I’ll work in the evenings when I get home. It should move pretty fast. I might even make the August birthdays.

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[RollsRice]

7/30/13
I spent about an hour last night sanding the trailer with heavy grit knocking off the liquid wood I used Sunday over the pits and swirls. I was able to do half the trailer in that time. The hatch had the ugly side out, so that took a lot of sanding. The bottom line is I can sand the entire thing in less than 6 hours.

I also bought a black light last night for the cabin. That will be fun and compliment the disco light in the rear. The ladies will be ripping their clothes off when they see this!

I need to play with the fiberglass and see how that goes. I need to watch a U Tube video. If I can get those seams and corners done next weekend, I might actually be able to paint it the weekend after that. That would be awesome. I could actually be on the road by the August birthdays. That would be too much. I should really shoot for it.

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[RollsRice]

8/2/13
I have spent less than an hour each night sanding the trailer. It is good to go now. Everything is nice and smooth. I managed to nick the doors a little so I have to buy some black touchup paint when I’m done.

I will be applying fiberglass in the morning over the seams. The key here is small patches at a time. The stuff sets up quickly. Maybe Sunday morning I will go back over it with a sander and smooth it out.

I need to fashion a vent cover using a cookie sheet. It just happens to be the perfect size.

I very well may be painting the thing by next weekend. I could actually prep it during the week and paint a coat each night. That would get several coats on there by next weekend. I think it is ready to go with the exception of the bicycle rack.

I’m sure I will find some things, but I am very close.

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[RollsRice]

8/5/13
I worked with fiberglass for the first time this weekend. Messy, sticky, nasty. It starts getting on your gloves and then things stick to your gloves. It’s a real pain. Roof tar and fiberglass equals no fun.

I did the strip on the roof. I poured 2 inches to each side of the seam. I’m sure it won’t leak. Now I need to sand it and see if I can make it look good.

I think I will pour a much smaller footprint on the other seams. Too much product. I have no idea what I’m doing for the roof edges. I might just pour resin along the screws and call it done. I think I can hide it with trim of some sort. I guess it depends on how well it sands.

Clearly the trailer will not be ready for Austin. I don’t want to rush it now. It will probably leak, but I need to finish it off with a nice look. In the end, that is all you see.

So September it is. I will drag it up to see the Daryl Starbird collection in OK. Seems fitting for such a project.

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[RollsRice]

8/5/13
OK, so I sanded the fiberglass. Not so great. I will cover it with wood filler to make it smooth. The fiberglass will keep it from leaking, but it is hard to work with. The other areas are not as important as the roof. If it leaks, it leaks. I will just put a shelter over it.

I will buy some more filler, do the rest of the seams and work around the screws. Then a little bit of sanding and on with the paint. Even if I have to re-do it every other year, it’s all on the same surface, same color. It should be easy to do.

8/12/13
I painted this weekend. Oil base paint is a pain to work with. It is sticky and messy and takes a long time to dry. It is unforgiving too. You can’t just wipe it up. I re-taped the doors to make sure they would come out clean. I was glad I did. It is so much easier doing it that way.

I worried that I had not sanded enough. After putting on the primer you could still see places where the filler showed. I sanded and filled twice. I wondered if I should do it yet again.

Then I realized that I would not be able to make any real improvement. Now, someone else might have, but not me. I had gotten it as good as I could, even though it wasn’t that great. That was a big decision. I had to accept my short comings.

I painted the roof first. The color that matched the top of the car was too dark. I did a couple of strokes and didn’t like it. So I went back and got a lighter color beige. I am so glad I did. It looked a hundred times better.

Always paint the trim first, especially with oil base. It gives you the most room to move around without getting on freshly painted surfaces. I dabbed the brush on the wall first to get the bulk off the brush and then painted the trim. This was good in that I didn’t have any runs in the paint.

I didn’t tape the edges where the two colors meet. I just used a roller. I made sure there was no excess paint on it and went really slow so there would be no splatter. The edges came out really good and it was easy.

I put two coats on. Oil base takes a good 8+ hours to dry. You really need to let it sit overnight before it becomes really dry and hardened. Originally I was going to smooth it out with a brush for that clean look, but I decided to leave the nap. That was a good decision. It hid some of the bad filler work.

I have to say it looks really nice. The semi-gloss looks good and it is solid.

So the only thing I have left are the rails for the hatch. I will put them on tonight when I get home from work. I will measure for the holes and drill them first. I want to make sure I don’t screw them to the hatch before all the holes are drilled to make sure I don’t split one of the rails. If I do, I have to paint a new one, etc.

After that is done, the trailer is done. I can’t believe it. All that work and now it is over. It looks great, much better than I ever thought it would.

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[RollsRice]

8/20/13
I have a few things to do, but it is basically finished. I took it to Whiz-Q and weighed. I came in at 870 pounds with a full load. Not only did I come in on budget, but I made my weight limit as well. It could not have turned out better. Happy, happy, happy.

I pulled the trailer to Austin and it pulled like a dream. No issues. It was a great success at the August birthday party. The women thought it was cute. The men liked the functionality. Everybody wanted one. I was able to get 20 mpg pulling that thing at 70 mph. You can’t beat that!

So this project started with zero skills and me daring myself to do it. I have learned many lessons along the way. I now know how to cut a straight line. And I look at things differently as well. Now I notice the curve of something and think about how it was constructed.

I have dared myself to do many things in this life and I have to say that has been mostly a good thing. I flew and landed a plane without lessons, I drove a race car at 155mph, and I climbed an oil rig to 220 feet above the ocean just to name a few. And now I can add teardrop trailer to the list.

So the bottom line is this. Two friends have died and another was diagnosed with cancer during the build of this trailer. Those events are a stark reminder that if you are reading this thread and thinking about building a trailer… do it. Do it right now. Tomorrow may not come.

And if you already have a trailer and don’t remember the last time you took it out…go somewhere this weekend. Get out of the house, live life, make a new friend, tell some lies or maybe even the truth (if you have to).

And if you happen to pass a cute little teardrop going down the road being pulled by a crazy guy in a convertible, give me a little honk and a wave.

See you down the road ;^)

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[celticquetzel]

Really awesome. And very inspirational. Thanks so much for sharing.

[S. Heisley]

Good job! Thanks for sharing.