Thoughts on the weekender

[Socal Tom]

If I were to build another it would be a weekender shape. In fact you have me wondering how much it would cost me in time and money to take off my existing shell and recreate it as a weekender.
My existing rig was based on a shell built by someone else. The root is only a single sheet of
Luan, so it needs skinning anyhow. The hatch doesn't align properly, so I need to redo it. It's a 5x8 and could really use another 10 inches in the galley. I also need to redo the interior skin.
It doesn't seem like it would be much more work to start with new sides and roof, and with the weekender design I can add the space to the galley without stretching the trailer.
Tom

[LWW]

Mike has some very nice plans on here somewhere. It's what I used along with some ideas from "Desert Dawg". Larry

[Kharn]

I'm quickly approaching making sawdust for my Weekender.
The big attraction for me was the ability to use 1/2" panels everywhere, my goal is to Kreg everything so that there are extremely few exterior penetrations to seal and worry about, plus using MDO instead of normal wood products to greatly reduce the chances of delamination and rot down the road. Another important feature was the storage area head of the bed.

[LWW]

kharn. What do you plan to seal it with. I know you want to do it as cheap as possible. When I built mine I went for the most likely way of never getting water on the inside of my plywood. Larry

[Kharn]

I haven't decided if I'll fiberglass or not, I'm probably going to CPES the edges. I'm getting the MDO with primer baked onto one side, and I'll use that side as the exterior to make it even more weather resistant, plus doing my best to make sure no cut edge is ever exposed where water could sit on it.

The MDO spec sheet for the brand I'm getting says two coats of 100% acrylic latex primer and two coats of 100% acyrlic latex paint (basically, the most expensive/high performance exterior primer and paint you can buy at Home Depot or Lowes) are sufficient for applications exposed to the weather 24x7, but I may take extra precautions such as coating that with truck bed liner on the areas most likely to get rock chips or other debris from the TV's tires.

I'm not necessarily looking for the cheapest, I just don't want to go overboard with tons of effort that the MDO's properties duplicate.

[LWW]

Sounds like a good plan.

I used 1/2" exterior grade plywood on mine using 1 1/2" strips in all corners for screws and glue. Then after it was all together I used expoxy, West System, and one lay of 8 oz FG cloth to tie everything together completely covering all sides and top. I'm not worried about water intrusion even in a hurricane it s dry inside. Came out to just over 1100 lbs with just a single matterest. and about $750 into it. I already had the trailer, an old boat trailer.

I would have to say anyone wanting to build a camper and wanting to do it quickly the weekender is definitely the way to go. No complicated curves and because everthing is flat panels easy to cut and expand. I built mine 5' wide and never regretted it. If I do it again the next one will be either a Foamie or 1/2" plywood using the stitch and glue method like the boat builders use.Larry

[rowerwet]

the cheapest finish that is waterproof and permanent, is painted fabric, sometimes called poor man's fiberglass. I used it on my tear, the painted canvas will tear the top layer of wood off if you peel it back. I put it on three years ago and it is as good as the day dried.
If you use TBII to stick the fabric to the wood it will be cheaper than exterior paint, you can get oops paint to go cheaper than TBII (titebond II) TBII is harder to work with than paint, but both are easier to work with than fiberglass and epoxy.
It all depends on the finish you want, mine has texture from the cheap drop cloth canvas I used, I like it that way. A finer grade fabric gives a smoother finish.

[rowerwet]

still more expensive and time consuming, It will also need to be painted and may have issues with wrinkling in the cold, like aluminum it doesn't really stay stuck, more floats and is held in place with trim.

[Jdw2717]

I debated a weekender when I was planning but settled on the teardrop shape in the end. I like the look of the weekender and would maybe build one if I was to make another trailer.

[LessisMore]

great info here!
I am brand new and would like to build a weekender, BUT until I can, I am starting with a 5x8 Cargo trailer I already have to get used to the issues and challenges and then when I am ready a Weekender.

Les45, your build is AWESOME

[Breytie]

I am busy with a weekender.
I am building to keep weight down as much as practical. All panels but floor are 1/4" marine ply. Cabinetry is a mix of 1/4 and 1/2". 1" cleats do the square connections and 1x2 the angled ones. I found the angles between the panels was and is pushing my abilities and tools to their limit. It is quite difficult to get and keep everything squared and angled up while cutting beveled edges. Errors compound at a scary rate. So think carefully before you commit to a Weekender.
My next build will be a classic curved teardrop - I have had it with corners and angles.

[Kharn]

A plywood clamp, a good circular saw and a digital protractor were how we cut all of my panels' bevels.
The stick frame was on the table saw, making sure we always had the right side "up" on each piece got pretty interesting at times.

[rowerwet]

the only reason I would build a weekender would be if I was building in 2" foam board. otherwise 1/4" plywood makes any curves I need super easy.

[HMK]

I love the design of the Weekender and especially like the looks of The Super Bee. Awesome build!

[glenpinpat]

I am about to start build #2. First build was a curved traditional style, the second will be a weekender style for both practical reasons and design resigns. I also like the square look, maybe it was from owning a vanagon for years Super Bee looks awesome!