Newbie builds a foam toy hauler/camper

[GPW]

That’s SUPER !!! Lots of people here don’t know about carrying planes , but there’s a Model Plane trailer plans in the Vintage section ... Love the old Winnie Mae ... is it Electric ? ...

[Pmullen503]

GPW, good eye recognizing the Lockheed Vega but the livery is that of Ruth Nichols https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Rowland_Nichols who nearly was the first woman to fly the Altantic solo instead of Amelia Earhart. And yes , it is electric powered.

I have given up I.C. in favor of electrics, just too easy!

[Pmullen503]

Lots of people here don’t know about carrying planes , but there’s a Model Plane trailer plans in the Vintage section ...

I couldn't find it, you got a link?

[GPW]

Try This !!! http://tnttt.com/VintagePlans/modelairplane.pdf

[Pmullen503]

Ok. Thanks. I finally figured out the vintage plans are under the "design resources" tab. Duh!

[GPW]

Cool old vintage designs .... imagine they’d work now as Foamie Hybrids , what with all we’ve learned here ...

[Pmullen503]

I was looking at this one:http://tnttt.com/VintagePlans/175caravanpophome.pdf with it's streamlined ends and curved roof. Reminds me of a little of Foamstream.

I noticed it has a canvas covered plywood skin. I wonder it you could skin it in thin(ish) foam and canvas it the same way.

[GPW]

PM, I keep thinking of a panel made of thin chipboard on the inside , Foam for the insulation , and canvas on the outside (just like the FS), or even Chipboard for the outer skin , once you waterproof it , it acts like a plastic panel ...and actually becomes very hard and strong ... some of the older trailers used Masonite for skin, or plywood ... They painted them with White Lead and oil (paint) and then used Aluminum paint ... BTW white Lead makes the best Primer coat , last forever, but is POISONOUS... Lead eh ?

[Pmullen503]

The thing I like most about foam and canvas is that it is intrinsically rot proof. When you go with plywood and especially chipboard, you are relying on the covering to stay waterproof through the years. Anything that can leak eventually will when it lives outdoors requiring vigilance and prompt maintenance. I've built 11 wooden boats over the years and even though they are encapsulated in glass and epoxy, they do require periodic varnishing or even reglassing parts to stay intact.

Maybe if you soak chipboard with oil paint it would become waterproof. I think latex would make it swell and warp. Testing would be needed before I'd risk it.

[GPW]

PM, Polyurethane varnish (the Mix ) waterproof’s chipboard just fine ... The chipboard nose trim panels on the FS were painted with Latex and did waaay better than the plywood did ... I still believe chipboard is a viable trailer material , A substitute for plywood ... which we know ALWAYS fails in Humid conditions ... You can glue the plies with the best glue in the world , but unless the wood “tubes" are sealed , they will swell and split along the grain when wet .. Wood is made of Cellulose , chipboard too, so the only difference is how the Cellulose material is “assembled” ... either grown into a tube , or an interlocking matrix (felt-like ) ... The weight should be similar , with plywood likely being the lighter ...

It seemed silly when we first proposed the idea of a Foam trailer ... But we applied aircraft building principles and it worked Fine !!! There is a certain Logic to the materials choices , and chipboard sure seems like a home run when used properly ... I’ve personally had it with plywood ... and will avoid it’s use in the future ... It’s great for kitchen cabinets , but Not for trailers ... JMHO FWIW

[GPW]

... and more ... ( Oh No, not more ? )
I think once we find a readily available source for 4’ X 8’ sheets of Chipboard , we can better utilize this material to make the Smooth skinned campers everybody seems to want ... It just might come on a Big roll from the manufacturer ...
It may seem troublesome right now when new , but it is much MORE DENSE than canvas ... Frozen Turkey bird strikes , remember ...

Best lead so far ... http://www.papermart.com/brown-gray-chi ... =4661#4661

[Pmullen503]

I wonder how you would do the corners.

What about 2 or 3 layers of Kraft paper? You can get 60" wide rolls and it would go around the corners easier than chipboard. Apply one layer fore and aft and second layer at an angle to that. I cover foam airplanes with it all the time. A coat or two of high build primer and you can sand it to a smooth enough surface for silver paint. I use water based poly as an adhesive. 2 or 3 layers of 75lb Kraft would be very strong and as smooth as you could want.

[GPW]

PM, you know we used Kraft paper years ago over beaded foam wing panels that we’d hot wire . Much cheaper than Balsa skins and we loved the way it would shrink up tight . Actually we proposed the Kraft paper idea ( big thread probably) a while back , but it may have been too radical a thought for those that were just getting used to the idea of building a trailer from Foam ...
We’ve seen various thicknesses of Kraft paper , and it does seem like a good idea for skinning as long as you don’t mind the work of applying several layers ... or finding some that’s really thick ... We actually saw some really thick paper , sold as floor protection , but it was treated with some kind of waterproofing that MIGHT make it not work with white glue and foam ... Nobody tested it , so it may actually work ...
Paper covered foam campers could be Very smooth , strong Enough , and very easy to repair. Cheap too ... more money for Ballast ...

[Pmullen503]

I'll have try a test piece next time I cover a wing. Grocery bags as a source of Kraft paper. Cover one side with canvas, the other with paper and have at with a hammer to check the relative dent resistance.

I seem to recall someone covering a floor with paper. I wonder how well that held up.

[KCStudly]

That was Sharon's MyAway camper. I'm sure she will pipe up here shortly.