Mark's Weekender-XL build

[Gold5one]

I built a small shed 5 years ago using 1/2" CDX- again I shopped for the best face veneer I could find. I painted it with a combo stain/paint
( & sealed all edges) and have let the Florida weather do it's thing- It's a little faded, but no delam anywhere-
I think having a clear face veneer is the key- and exterior glue, which Florida CDX uses. Also seal the edges and back side knots. Ask me in 5 years how Weekender2 is doing.

[Gold5one]

Day 52,
We had some clouds come though with a few sprinkles- my work commenced about 10am.
Finished the rear plywood- sides are now 100%. I still have a door to build. The rear wall is covered in Sureply 5mm primed underlayment from Lowes. I realized it's not a load bearing wall, so no need for strong plywood. As an experiment, I wanted to compare how the Sureply holds up. If it fails, I can replace it and it saved me about eight lbs. I masked and repainted the top plywood edges with water proofing sealer. Then I installed 2 coax cables and ground wires for Ham radio antennas.

[Gold5one]

Day 53,
Today was a day for staining and painting- tomorrow I will work on the roof covering. The rain has been delayed until the weekend.

[Gold5one]

Day 56,
Still working on the roof- the plywood is done.
I got out a scale to find out what the hitch weight is- well, it's 82lbs, leveled and with only some tools inside. I have a 41/59% axle balance ratio. I added 6" to the frame in front of the axle, so I have a 102" trailer bed, not 8ft.
So, is 82lbs good or bad?

[Gold5one]

Day 57,
A pretty good day, 70 degrees.
Finally, I finished the roof covering. This was one of the harder jobs for one person. The PVC panels are pretty flexible and I had to wait for a calm day to do it. I ran the panels crossways and trimmed one end- they overlap about 12" ( 2 overlap seams) starting at the rear and going to the front. I used the same ProVantage adhesive on the plywood to bond the panels. The PVC seams had a bead of Sikaflex 212 at the inner & outer edge of the overlap seams ( about 1" in from the edge) and a generous 1" wide bead of PVC glue in the center of the overlap ( last step- it sets up quickly) Then I pushed the overlap together and smoothed it out. I tested the glue on a couple small pieces of the panel and I couldn't pull the seam apart without tearing the panel.
Tomorrow morning I will install all the 90 degree aluminum edging with more Sikaflex and lastly the top edge is covered with Dicor self leveling adhesive, with will completely seal the edge of the roof panels. I hope the 1/8" of panel gap that I allowed around the perimeter is enough for for summer expansion. Later, I will need to put some kind of coating (coolseal?) on the roof for some UV protection.
I put a lot of thought into this roof- the die is cast. I will find out this spring how well I did. I won't finish the inside walls and ceiling until I am confident that I don't have any leaks.
I used one layer of 5mm luan running long ways and then a second layer of 1/16" luan running crossways after I decided that one layer was too flexible. Secondly, the two glued layers will be more likely keep the roof crown from sagging over time. I can get up on the roof, if I ever need to.
In case anyone is wondering, the water in the background is a gulf access canal connecting to the Caloosahatchee river.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caloosahatchee_River


glue - it's used locally for irrigation piping- severe duty stuff.

[Gold5one]

Side view of roof PVC panel 12" overlap seam-

[Gold5one]

Woodland Oil stain is no more--
I forgot to get the bosses input on the camper color and the wife does not like a woodland brown MMC ( mobile man cave) in the side yard. We picked out a new color of paint and I sanded down the finish with a power sander, then applied the paint this afternoon. A light color is probably better for me in the summer- a rolling sauna wouldn't be any fun.

[bdosborn]

I got out a scale to find out what the hitch weight is- well, it's 82lbs, leveled and with only some tools inside. I have a 41/59% axle balance ratio. I added 6" to the frame in front of the axle, so I have a 102" trailer bed, not 8ft.
So, is 82lbs good or bad?

Your hitch weight should be between 10-15% of your trailer weight, with 15% being better than 10%. You're probably a little light of where you want to be but you can always add weight to the tongue via a tongue box if you come up light.

Bruce

[Gold5one]

Day 60,
I installed the 4 windows and the crank out vent/fan yesterday- today I started building my door. It may not be the final door, but it will do for now. Tomorrow I will apply a 2nd coat of paint and hope to install my door, if I get the epoxy done.

[Gold5one]

I finished my door yesterday. Luan covered in fiberglass cloth and epoxy. 2nd coat of paint is done and I worked on trailer light wiring- installed the plug on my car and tested it. Another cloudy day - might hit 70 today. I will try to install my door and the tail lights today- maybe, maybe, I hook the MMC up and see how it pulls.

[Gold5one]

I had an epiphany this morning as I was mowing my grass-
One of my unsolved problems was, "how to cap the edge of my roof and do it inexpensively", the Bob Henry way.
A $4 stick of PVC pipe solved my problem.
I took a piece of 3/4" PVC pipe and ran through my table saw - I found that a 50/50 split was just right. I drilled 1/4" holes every foot, ran a bead of Great stuff spray foam down the center, flipped it over and centered it on the edge and screwed it down. I used the drywall screws I had on hand and I'll replace them with galvanized ones later. I also sealed all the roof panel edges with Sika Flex 212 RV sealant before I put the cap on. An hour later I trimmed off some of the foam bleed out. More Sika Flex 212 along the top edges and the final step next week is Dicor self leveling sealant over that. My roof edge is exactly 10ft, which works perfectly for 10' pvc water pipe. Has anyone done a roof this way before?
I installed the tail lights and backed up my car- plugged the connectors in and tested the lights-- stop, tail light, turn signal-- it all works! I still need to install the side marker lights.
I'm taking the family to Disney this weekend, so the project will sit until Tuesday.
curb side view

roof view-

[bobhenry]

Now just use a little of the pvc cleaner and get the writting off of the pipe and it will look great.

[Gold5one]

I have worked 4 hours so far today- mounted the door, installed the lock and covered the wheel wells inside. It's sunny and 83 degrees today- I'm taking an iced tea break.
Tested my 5000 btu A/c and the high starting watts is 490, running watts on low fan speed is only 387- about 3.5 amps. The 2.7 Cu Ft fridge pulls 120 watts starting and 90 watts running. I see no problems running the fridge off my 850 watt inverter and a marine battery. I have a 120 watt solar panel and assuming a 40% duty cycle, I might be able to run the fridge 24hrs a day off the grid, if the sun shines.
The A/C might run off the inverter when I am parked for lunch, if keep the marine battery charging off the car alternator.
I went with a simple lock- and I'll use a slide bolt inside.

[KCStudly]

Most try not to use a bolt or latch that can't be undone from the opposite side of the door. It has happened that these things find a way to latch themselves when going down the road, or sleeping in side.

For safety, you always want to be in control from whichever side you are on. Murphy never sleeps.

[Gold5one]

If someone has never used this style of latch, they might not know that you can't get locked inside with this lock-
---use the key to unlock and rotate the center to the left, remove the key, unlatch the hasp, then immediately rotate the center back to the right and it will lock again. That way the hasp can't lock the door. I have one of these on a garden shed and I have never missed my supper yet.
ps-
I have a DH window in the rear that I can use as an emergency exit. (already tested it & I can get out)