FoamStream...

[tpstorey]

I’m now thinking the “sizing” ( thinned TB2) of the canvas is a very important step to assure complete waterproofing . Basically it’s like “the Mix” but for canvas ... allowing all the fibers to be saturated with glue ... For me it was the unsized fibers that held water later ... I really think with the drip edge installed , you won’t have to do much of anything as water will not get onto those areas , not from rain anyway .... Water splashed up from the road , that’s another story ... But on my all steel cargo trailer , the board floor is just raw wood underneath and looks in fine shape ... Curious !

I thought I remembered reading somewhere else that paint doesn't stick well to TB2. If the canvas is completely saturated with TB2, would you then prime with Glidden Gripper before paint?

[GPW]

No problem when it’s thinned for a “sizing” (25%) ... But a primer is always good ...

[GPW]

Back to this ....despite rainy (nasty) weather , Now everything protected by the temporary drip edge is Bone Dry !!! For our climate , and future durability , we will be using a drip edge of some sort on all our future builds ... It really really Works !!!

[Wobbly Wheels]

Now everything protected by the temporary drip edge is Bone Dry !!! For our climate , and future durability , we will be using a drip edge of some sort on all our future builds ... It really really Works !!!

I love it when a plan comes together !

[GPW]

W2, Amen to that eh !!! I don’t know why I didn’t think of the "Jedi drip edge trick" before ... Wet as it is here and all ...

Ps. Just FYI , the temporary drip edge is still working perfectly , and the gorilla tape is holding up already much better than common duct tape , all stuck firmly (holding the Aluminum tape “drip edge” part ) to the FoamStream skin ... Since it’s so COLD here now ( <70F ... cajun Freezing point ) , we’re going to wait till Spring to do the new permanent drip edge ... more time to search for the easiest and most effective material ...

And speaking of easy , we gave a lot of thought how to get “the mix “ up under that floor material (OSB) to more thoroughly soak the nose /floor area for even further protection ... Without expensive spray equiptment .... We knew brushes don’t really do well for overhead , rollers are unwieldy and don’t get everywhere, so the only cheap and easy alternative left is using the Mix in an old household squirt /spray bottle ... Just squeeze the handle and squirt the mix up onto the area to be saturated . We’ve yet to try this yet but will be doing so on the FS “update” ... crumbs for thought ?

[GPW]

Weekend Update : Weather finally getting better , thoughts run to cleaning up the FoamStream and installing that much needed DRIP EDGE ... I talked with my friend Vinne (the guitar maker) and he recommended Cedar (fence boards )or even better , "Treated wood" ... ( it is Outside ) We can get “ treated, clear and dry" as they call it .... Nice stuff really ..but we still handle it carefully . We’ll (Vinnie) cut the edges on a 45 degree angle (parallelogram) and screw it onto the protruding ends of the crosspieces under the floor ...all primed, panted and caulk applied behind it ... Then a thin fabric “tape “ run over the top seam , glued and painted .. just more “insurance” That’s fine for the sides and back , but the front being rounded will require something different . Thinking Aluminum flashing and Eternabond tape ...KISS ... That way if it becomes badly dented , it can be replaced fairly easy ... Won’t be really big or obvious ...
We can remove all the canvas wrapped underneath that was holding water , or we can just ignore it now since it won’t be getting soaked constantly ...
And yes, it really needs a good wash after this warm rainy winter...

Gotta’ get all this done before we start on “that next trailer” ...and before June First

[GPW]

Guess this thread has now turned into a Foamie’ Maintenance section... or what to expect if you leave your Foamie’ outside under normal (Wet) conditions ... and brutal solar radiation exposure in the summer from our local star ... I must admit , this is the first time we’ve had to do any maintenance at all really ... and that could have been prevented by adding a simple drip edge from the very beginning .... but who knew eh ???? That’s how we learn ...

Ps. the inside is just fine save some spider webs which will have to be vacuumed out ... They do seem to get everywhere ... and noticeably absent is the usual dead lizards, frogs, and wasps, that have gotten into the other trailers ( especially the commercial trailer) so that’s Good ... No leaks , no stains , no problem ...

[Ned B]

Depends on how you look at it, I'd say it was a success story, minor repairs on a trailer you have if you ever need to bug out.

[GPW]

Ned , at this point my commercial trailer was in shambles and far beyond my ability to fix it by myself , and waaaaaay too expensive for me to be able to afford having the dealer to fix it , which would have amounted to almost the price of a new trailer .... What a racket !!! ... The two year warranty expires and you are on your own ... trailer goes to S**t and they just sell you a new one ... increasing your Loan , so now you’re paying for the old one (junk) and the new one (more junk) ...

Considering the Commercial trailer ended up costing me $20K , and lasted two years , and the FoamStream, cost me ~$850.00 and has lasted an equal or longer amount of time , I’d say yes, it was a success... I’m very happy and now I don’t have to tow a 4000lb. trailer .... sold as an “Ultralight" ...What an expensive joke that was ( on me )
The little touch up stuff we have to do now is nothing ... and will be fun to do some trailer work ... I love making and working on trailers ... Foamie trailers ...

Ps, we’ve been extremely LUCKY with Hurricanes so far ..... nothing requiring a bug-out ... touch wood ... Our goal is to be ready ...

[GPW]

We got to spend a pleasant afternoon with Kenneth W and his wife Dixie ... We talked and talked about foamie' trailers , and Ken did a really Nice job on his All Foam Foamie ... Sad to see them go but we had a nice opportunity to get acquainted ... And here are the Pictures ...

[Ned B]

How cool is that!

[GPW]

He said he is going on 10K miles already , so that says pretty much everything ... It did look very comfortable inside (queen size mattress) ... Most everything was FOAM .... a real achievement ... I’d better let him explain all about it ... It was just Nice to see their Foamie in person, up close , and meet some really Nice people from up North ... ( they were in T-shirts , and I still had a jacket on for most of the day .... 70 F )
ps. And if he got it down my bumpy arse' dirt road , I know he could go anywhere... Road’s really BAD lately , with trailer swallowing size potholes amd washboard on all the rest ... He had the large HF trailer that he had modified ... Lots of great details without much complexity ... the Foamie” Spirit !!!

[GPW]

With weather steadily improving , we’re planning on starting the “ Spring Trailer cleaning “ (easy ) and install that drip edge ... Here’s the latest idea as it applies to my current situation ... ( see drawing) , and if anybody can think of something better please let me know...
The other picture shows the several attachment points along the bottom .... the ends of the floor braces ...

[GPW]

I sent my buddy Vinnie the picture of the drip edge ... His guitar company is right near a great old school lumberyard ... and they have the nicest wood ... You go in , take a number , get some coffee, have a seat , then you go sit down at a desk and tell the old guy what you want ... He then leads you to the stack of what you want and one of the employees pulls the wood for you , and if you don’t lke that, he’ll pull some more till you find the boards you want ... Then you pull your truck around and they load it for you ... Best of all, it’s Cheaper than the Home Depot or Loews and it’s Much better wood ... We’ve settled on the idea of a "clear and dry” ( no knots ,no slime ) PT wood for the drip edge ... no problems putting it outside ... Now all I have to do is bring it to Vinnies place and cut it on his big table saw.. ... The last question is what sealant, caulk, rubber, whatever to use between the drip edge board and the FS wall (canvas) ??? We plan to install a canvas flashing over that .. Applied to the FS using canvas repair principles , (Glue , then paint) ... That’s the plan ...

Maybe this year we’ll get around to making proper curtains for the potty area...

[GPW]

Or what about the idea of not “sealing “ the drip edge board to the sidewall at all , just using the large screws holding it attached , then maybe take a leaf from KC’s book and use some fiberglass tape over the top for the “flashing “ (instead of plain canvas) ... TB2 would stick it fine , and it wouldn’t tear with any unexpected expansion , as we’ve seen on rare occasions ... You guys have any ideas ???