Advice on first build

[squidlips]

Hi all and hope you had a Merry Christmas!

Well, I have kept an eye on this site on and off for a few years now and plan to commence a build in Jan 2016. I have been mesmerised by the number of variations and quality of work on this site and have often bookmarked various builds to a point where I could spend the rest of my life building and still not complete all those on my wishlist!

After consideration, I would think I may be best to start with a generic build such as the weekender or generic benroy. I received an injury a few years back and that tends to affect my cognitive ability at times, so I really love the detail that Mike has included in the generic benroy plans. Although my workshop skills are satisfactory, sometimes my brain seems like it's running 2 mins behind the rest of me so the detail would certainly help me a great deal.

A few things that I am pondering are:

- I will generally be camping with my 13 and 8 year old daughters. Ideally, they could fit inside with me, even if it is a bit of a squeeze.
- chassis size should be 8x5 or 9x5. I don't really want to go larger
- I don't need to cook inside
- a space for a porta potty would be a luxury but not necessary first build
- I will definitely be taking a kayak on the roof wherever we go
- I will more than likely need to build my own trailer as I am in Australia and we don't have the HF option
- the trailer will need to have springs as more advanced options here are ridiculously expensive
- I need to work in metric as I can't follow inches....
- I intend to run a dedicated 12v deep cycle battery for those times when main power isn't available. Batteries will be charged via solar
- the finished trailer will be stored in my garage so shouldn't be 10' tall!
- my neighbour who is a welder, auto-electrician and domestic electrician has offered his help

I would love to hear comments and advice, particularly about pros/cons of 8x5 vs 8x9, best use of space etc. I'd also love it if anyone can offer metric plans for me to look at.

Thanks for your time,

Marty

[noseoil]

I would think that the 9x5 option would be best, as the extra foot of room would be very handy. From what you've said, more space is better.

About the metric conversion, just try to lay everything out around known things you will use. What size cooler can you use? Is there going to be a 2 burner stove in the galley? What size mattress is available to fit inside the walls?

Start with the biggest thing first (the mattress?), then figure out how much room is left for the other stuff you need when the hatch is closed. Do a full scale mock-up first! Use a pencil & eraser (the most important design tool is the eraser) to draw everything full scale on the sheet, then ponder it a while. Don't cut any material for the camper until the frame is built & the cardboard is complete & you like the way it looks & works. Cardboard is cheap, material & mistakes are frustrating & expensive.

Looking forward to your build & progress pictures. Welcome!

[gudmund]

make the foot panel between your feet and the rear kitchen/cooler area removable for the use of "any" queen sized mattress you want or can afford to buy. Trying to install a "real" mattress in though a side door is near imposable but by having the kick panel removable in the rear of the trailer, it just makes it a easy slide in/out simple idea that when done as it is being built will make future changes/modifications more accessible along with gaining a more affordable chose in mattress options. Buying a custom made 2 or 3 piece mattress just to be able make it easier to slide it in though the side door is not cheap. Just an idea. Take care.

[booyah]

5x9 is what you probably want. I say this with a 5x8 :-)

I cant fit a bigger cooler than the 48l I have in my galley, and I can only fit that one because I sacrificed a few inches of bed space. I did do a "kid bunk/luggage shelf" in my design rather than internal cupboards and I dont regret that decision at all. My 11yo likes to sleep on it, and her sister (7) will have to take it over soon.

[halfdome, Danny]

Marty, A 5' wide trailer is a tight fit for 3, especially since children keep growing, plan accordingly.
Our teardrop is 5' x 10', we wouldn't want it any smaller and we are not large adults.
Danny

[Vedette]

I agree with Danny.
Those extra inches are precious!
Especially if you are adding a third person to your sleeping party.
Good Luck with you build.
And Happy New Year down under.
Brian & Sandi

[Vedette]

I agree with Danny.
Those extra inches are precious!
Especially if you are adding a third person to your sleeping party.
Good Luck with you build.
And Happy New Year down under.
Brian & Sandi

[Shadow Catcher]

You do not have to stick with the conventional design, ours is a 6X10 Grasshopper design, lots of interior room and storage.

[wagondude]

If you find a model of your chosen design in sketchup. It would be as simple as a click in the right field to convert to metric. As Mike has the files on the Weekender and Gen Ben, I would bet he could easily convert them for you.

[dales133]

300mm = one foot.
25mm = 1 inch.


Thats about all you need to know to use the benroy plans as a guide.
I built mine and id never seen one ,touched one but basic conversions are all you need.
8x4 = 2400x1200 for example.
Your best off building with local sheet sizes as much as possible as opposed to actual sizes

[squidlips]

I would think that the 9x5 option would be best, as the extra foot of room would be very handy. From what you've said, more space is better.

About the metric conversion, just try to lay everything out around known things you will use. What size cooler can you use? Is there going to be a 2 burner stove in the galley? What size mattress is available to fit inside the walls?

Start with the biggest thing first (the mattress?), then figure out how much room is left for the other stuff you need when the hatch is closed. Do a full scale mock-up first! Use a pencil & eraser (the most important design tool is the eraser) to draw everything full scale on the sheet, then ponder it a while. Don't cut any material for the camper until the frame is built & the cardboard is complete & you like the way it looks & works. Cardboard is cheap, material & mistakes are frustrating & expensive.

Looking forward to your build & progress pictures. Welcome!

Good advice - thanks noseoil! I have started that process and of course have found that I either have to upsize or sacrifice.

[squidlips]

make the foot panel between your feet and the rear kitchen/cooler area removable for the use of "any" queen sized mattress you want or can afford to buy. Trying to install a "real" mattress in though a side door is near imposable but by having the kick panel removable in the rear of the trailer, it just makes it a easy slide in/out simple idea that when done as it is being built will make future changes/modifications more accessible along with gaining a more affordable chose in mattress options. Buying a custom made 2 or 3 piece mattress just to be able make it easier to slide it in though the side door is not cheap. Just an idea. Take care.

Thanks gudmund! That's one of those little pearls of wisdom I would never have thought of until AFTER the build was complete and I was cursing at the mattress trying to jam it in!

[dales133]

You will get a fullsize foam matteress through comercial doors though.
Ive had mine in and out a couple of times

[squidlips]

Thanks Danny, Brian and Sandi and Shadow Catcher. I must admit the temptation to build 10x6 is strong! I've even being eying off the Campster 12 plans with envy.

My biggest concerns in going large are:

a) my budget is limited to around AUD$3,500 - AUD$4,000 max (US$2500 - US$2850) over a 12 months period;
b) I need to have the project complete within 12 months; and
c) I need to keep the momentum going in order to maintain focus.

I took an advance on my veterans pension to get the $$$ to begin the chassis build. Over the last 6 months or so I have also been making budgeted payments on hardware cards and gradually these will be posted to me over the life of the build. Roughly $500.00 each quarter. This will allow me to slowly buy what I need to continue. So I am serious about getting it done, the hardest part for me these days is the initial planning. Once I pick up the tools, I think I will do ok.

Is there currently any 10x6 builds that have pre-prepared plans you could recommend? One of the reasons I like the idea of the weekender or generic benroy is that Mike has done an amazing job at detailing the plans and steps. That means that for me, it takes a huge amount of stress out of the build and will help minimise errors. I expect that this build will be the first in a number and so I will be more confident in planning what I need on subsequent builds.

Thanks to Bill too for the metric/inch conversions. I am aware of these but am equally aware that somewhere along the line I will find that I have messed the conversion up!

[dales133]

Mines loosely based around mikes plans ....they were a massive help in taking the leap and you need to make it your own too
Sound basics tho