A big offroad(ish) benroy (B.O.B.)

[SCwood]

Thanks, everyone!

On the water tank I think I'm gonna give a couple small aquatainers a go and see how it works out. I don't anticipate a huge amount of water usage and to mount a tank at this point would involve a fair amount of work. It's do-able, but something I don't want to have to tackle unless I think I really need it.

Made a little more progress this past weekend:

Installed the counter top:


Added a 12v outlet for the fridge:


And then tragedy struck! I was drilling pilot holes to install the fridge slider and went a little too far through the floor. I'll probably plug the hole with silicone.


After that was starting to make a home for the electronics. I'll be installing some LED lights and needed to find a place to mount the IR receiver for the controller. I wound up drilling a hole in the bezel for some 12v/USB outlets and it seems to fit nicely:


The PD4045 and some outlets installed. Nothing is wired up yet, I'll do that later.


The fridge in:


It baaaaarely fits:


Then I added a shelf in the cabin. This is my patented "what do you do when no one is around to help hold things?" shelf installation technique:


Framed in the A/C:


The A/C will vent out a hatch in the side with the help of a couple PC fans. I still need to work out a drain for it.


More soon!

[aseawood]

Then I added a shelf in the cabin. This is my patented "what do you do when no one is around to help hold things?" shelf installation technique:

Good approach, this is why you always keep some scraps of wood lying around! Never know when those last few inches will come in handy.

Looks like you have been making quick progress, keep it up!


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[pchast]

Its coming together nicely!

[SCwood]

Made some more progress this (extended) weekend. Both my brother and myself took off Friday in order to make another trip to the plywood store and got in 3 days worth of work:

Starting on some of the cabin cabinetry:


My old friend, polyurethane:


Mounted some cabin outlets, speakers, and a remote for the stereo:


Working on getting speakers mounted in the galley so we can get wiring in place. If you've been paying attention, both the stereo and speakers were supposed to have a home at the top of the galley, but it turns out there's not enough space, so they've been relocated. Note my favorite pink tool! Ok, I might have borrowed it.


Made a drawer. I was going to use a stainless steel latch for durability, but the black plastic matched better:




Another patented method... this is how to install a drawer after all your help has left:


Cut some holes for shore power, etc.


Then it was time to figure out what to do about mounting switches. I bought some marine rocker switches, but didn't like the plastic mounting bezels that were sold with them, so, time to break out some leftover fender steel and make some mounting plates!


The sasquatch lightswitch is probably my favorite purchase so far. I need to get some black screws though.


Galley getting a little more put together:


The switches in the cabin needed something behind them in order to account for wiring, and I was going to make some plain old boxes, but my brother had the idea to make some fancy boxes with the end grain of the plywood exposed. Starting to layer up some 12mm ply:


Cutting some holes in the wall for the switch boxes:


Creepy?


The finished product:


And then... rain! It was flash flood conditions for about 30 min or so, but the temperature dropped about 10 degrees, so that was nice:


The reading light goes... somewhere around here, plus 10 inches for the mattress. I realize the light should be behind your head, but given where the door and bunk beds will go this is about the only place for reading lights unless I want to mount them over the door. Worst case they'll just be extra interior lights if they're too in your face:


Time to start cutting some channels for wiring. This is the "try not to severely injur yourself" approach:


The channels (everyone survived):


Adding some wire, secured with the pink polka dot hot glue gun again:


The battery found a home behind the fridge slider. I didn't think it would fit, but this frees up some storage space on the other side of the divider.


Installed another shelf in the cabin:


And that's it so far. Next up is finalizing the wiring and then the roof! Probably some cabinet doors at some point, too.

[aseawood]

Very nice use of shop stool/jackstand. It looks like pretty soon you will be able to button up the sides and get the roof sorted out!


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[SCwood]

Made a little more progress. It's not much in the way of pictures, but I got all the wiring squared away and BOB runs off both shore power and battery power now.

Part of finalizing the wiring was to finalize the A/C situation. I wanted it permanently mounted inside the camper so I didn't have to worry about setting it up every time I wanted to use it, so with that came figuring out a way to vent and drain it. So I made a baffle to separate the intake from the exhaust:


I got some PC fans to help vent the exhaust, but needed a way to mount them, so I cut some mounting brackets and attached the fans to those:




Everything in its new home:


There's a switch above the A/C unit that turns the fans on and off. I thought about using a momentary switch that would automatically turn the fans on when the vent hatch is opened, but didn't want to have to go outside if I wanted to turn the fans off in the middle of the night.


This A/C unit has a "slinger fan" that picks up condensation and blows it out the A/C vent, but in humid conditions can create too much condensation to get rid of all the condensation that way, so I routed a drain hose into the wall that will drain down below the frame:




Added a water pump. One side will pump water in from an external container and the other will have a hookup for a garden hose:


And after all the wires were run, everything was hooked up and worked! Well, almost... for about 30 minutes I couldn't figure out why circuit 6 from the PD 4045 wasn't working and then after some testing I figured out that circuit 6 was actually circuit 9...

[clip]

Necessity is the mother of invention when it comes to providing yourself extra hands in a pinch, I too am grateful for the detail and pictures you are providing I've read it through 3 times and still picked up something new. My build looks very similar on paper other than length, even started saving my scraps for the butcher block counter top, if the top gets stained or the wood soaks up any animal juice chicken etc my first job was a butcher and we used a pastry scraper with a burnished edge to pull a curl off then reapply your oil we also used course salt but I doubt you'll get that kind of problem.
the wood working part I know well but was curious about the beam?
I have know welding skills so I'm trading for that part, building the shell then setting it on the trailer later, sounds like it would be advisable to decide what Timbren setup I need and have it and the wheels handy for the trailer builder.

MS

[SCwood]

Necessity is the mother of invention when it comes to providing yourself extra hands in a pinch, I too am grateful for the detail and pictures you are providing I've read it through 3 times and still picked up something new. My build looks very similar on paper other than length, even started saving my scraps for the butcher block counter top, if the top gets stained or the wood soaks up any animal juice chicken etc my first job was a butcher and we used a pastry scraper with a burnished edge to pull a curl off then reapply your oil we also used course salt but I doubt you'll get that kind of problem.
the wood working part I know well but was curious about the beam?
I have know welding skills so I'm trading for that part, building the shell then setting it on the trailer later, sounds like it would be advisable to decide what Timbren setup I need and have it and the wheels handy for the trailer builder.

MS

Glad it's helping! By the beam, do you mean this?


If so, that's what you see above the cabinets in the galley. The hinge for the galley hatch needs something substantial to support it, and I was originally planning on just using a 2x4 or something similar, but the gap I needed to fill was bigger than a 2X4. I had extra plywood laying around so I made that to support the hinge.

[clip]

Yes, Seemed pretty beefy but makes sense now

[SCwood]

Time for an update!

I had ordered some LEDs for the galley but kept getting things mixed up. I had 5 pin LEDs, but 4 pin connectors, so I ordered some 5 pin connectors, but then needed some adapters that I didn't have, etc. etc. I got tired of waiting for things so I did some precision soldering and wired up the LEDs. That was the last step for galley electronics before I could start closing things up.




After that we started framing in the fan:


Added some more roof spars. They're mostly 1' apart, but then 8" on the front curve, and also as necessary to make the edges of the interior ceiling skin line up with spars:


And then went to the airport to pick up my wife...


After we didn't get arrested at the airport we skinned the inside of the cabin and cut out a hole for the fan:


Did some trick soldering through the fan hole to wire up the interior lights:


Added some insulation:


Ran some more wires for tail lights, reverse lights, and charging while towing:


A second layer of insulation:


And then it was time... to make a big rectangle!


I considered using 3m fastbond on the insulation on the side like I have for the rest of the insulation, but it was going to be a pain to measure out all the glue points, so we tested some TB III on the foam and wood and it seemed to hold pretty good, so we just used that all over the side to hold the skin on.


A little light sanding on the roof to bring some high spots of foam down:


and then it was time to start skinning the roof. We originally started with a piece of 5x5 plywood at the bottom, but it ended about 3/4 of the way through the front curve, and it was highly unlikely the next piece would sit flush against the first, so we ripped it off and used a single piece over the entire curve. We still had a little trouble getting the wood to cooperate with the curve. It would bend fine, but then rip out the brad nails that were holding it down as we completed the curve. So we added a small sacrificial piece of plywood on top of the skin and screwed it down while the PL premium dried. I took the screws out after two days and I don't think the skin is going anywhere.



There were a few spots in the top where the edges of the skin didn't line up exactly with the roof spars since we had to move the skin, and the pieces of plywood weren't sitting flush with each other at their seams, so we sprayed some foam insulation in the seams and put some weight on it. The seams seem pretty secure now.


And this is where we are now. It's starting to take shape! I need to finish skinning and then it's on to the hatch

[KCStudly]

Great job and good to see you wearing all of the proper PPE!

What is your impression of the 3M Fastbond? Looks like you brushed or rolled it on like I did (instead of spraying). Did the drying times match the label? I found, in hot and humid conditions, that it took much longer than the 45 min dry times specified on the label; and I'd say that we had the same coverage, judging by the color. Have you had an opportunity to cut any of it out and seen how well it grabbed, like at a window or power port, etc.? Just curious as I had mixed impression while using it. I think some of the issues I had are because you can't exactly roll the foam with a 200 lb roller to set the joint like they call for on the label.

When laminating ply to large areas of foam using PVA (TB2 in my case) I found that I had to get the glue application absolutely perfect, just a thin even rolled on layer with no puddles, drips or roller streaks. The plywood could only absorb so much moisture and the foam virtually none. Too little glue and it was a weak bond; too much glue and it didn't cure. I'd like to hear how your wall glue-up went and if you have any indication of how the bond did in the middle of the field. I know from my tests that small scale tests can be deceiving since there is a greater proximity to air all around the sample. They say that it will dry eventually (may take longer than you would think), so either way we are probably doing fine, but I'd still like to hear more about any impressions you may have.

Again, great progress and it looks really good!

[SCwood]

Great job and good to see you wearing all of the proper PPE!

What is your impression of the 3M Fastbond? Looks like you brushed or rolled it on like I did (instead of spraying). Did the drying times match the label? I found, in hot and humid conditions, that it took much longer than the 45 min dry times specified on the label; and I'd say that we had the same coverage, judging by the color. Have you had an opportunity to cut any of it out and seen how well it grabbed, like at a window or power port, etc.? Just curious as I had mixed impression while using it. I think some of the issues I had are because you can't exactly roll the foam with a 200 lb roller to set the joint like they call for on the label.

When laminating ply to large areas of foam using PVA (TB2 in my case) I found that I had to get the glue application absolutely perfect, just a thin even rolled on layer with no puddles, drips or roller streaks. The plywood could only absorb so much moisture and the foam virtually none. Too little glue and it was a weak bond; too much glue and it didn't cure. I'd like to hear how your wall glue-up went and if you have any indication of how the bond did in the middle of the field. I know from my tests that small scale tests can be deceiving since there is a greater proximity to air all around the sample. They say that it will dry eventually (may take longer than you would think), so either way we are probably doing fine, but I'd still like to hear more about any impressions you may have.

Again, great progress and it looks really good!

Thanks! I think the fastbond works pretty well on flat surfaces, but not so much on curves. That's the reason we had to reposition the first piece of plywood - the fastbond wouldn't hold down the center of the wood on the front curve. I rolled the fastbond on and haven't cut any foam out to be able to check on it, but the wall foam was exposed for a few months when I had only skinned the interior wall. During that time I pulled on the foam once or twice to make sure it was secure and it didn't seem to be going anywhere. I didn't have any trouble with the fastbond drying. In 90 degree heat with almost no humidity and some of the glue in direct sunlight it dried pretty quickly, probably even faster than 45 min.

I bet rolling the TB on foam would've been better. There was one seam on the side where the plywood didn't want to lay down completely, and because foam was behind it I couldn't nail it down. What we wound up doing there was filling the seam with TB, covering the seam with painters tape, and then clamping it. After drying under the clamp for two days it's holding.

[KCStudly]

I had more or less the same experience. I think some of my issues, in my floor at least, came from not sanding the foam down perfectly flush to the stick frame; there is just no way that you will squeeze large areas of foam down to close up even very minor variations.

On the 3M, when I cut the vent hole out of my bulkhead (IIRC a 4 inch hole saw) the foam popped easily off the ply skin, in fact it didn't even seem to be attached. But like you say, all other poking, prodding and pulling evidence seems to by positive.

[aseawood]

I'm glad to hear that the glue held! At this point I am thinking that the more traditional teardrop shape is easier to skin since the curves are much more gradual. I would think that skinning the galley hatch will be a little easier since it is not as tight of a turn.

BOB looks like it is getting close to the finish line, time to hunt down some aluminum!


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[SCwood]

It's been a few weeks, and... more progress!

I finished skinning the cabin, cut the skin flush with a router, sanded all of BOB, and applied two coats of CPES over all of the exterior. It's not much for pictures, but it took a bit of time.


I also got a chance to get to some of the galley cabinetry during the week. The lower cabinet doors won't have a fancy insert, but they're functional. And even though the handles don't actually latch to anything (I wanted the cabinet pulls in the middle of the door) I wanted to keep the same pull style throughout the galley, so I have black latches that don't latch to anything. The hinges provide some force to keep the doors closed, but if it turns out to not be enough I'll rethink my latch situation.


I had to bevel the edges of the doors to get them to open properly:


And this is what the hinge setup looks like. I had to add a few spacers to get everything to open properly. Different hinges would've been better, but I used what was available locally.


Some cabinet doors!


Next up was a trip to pick up some more wood, trim, and aluminum for skinning. I read in a thread elsewhere that Rockwell American sold some pretty long trim... and they did! 21' long trim. But how to get 21' long trim back home when my utility trailer is only 8'? Looking back, I probably could've rented a 16' trailer and made it work, but I picked up a 26' truck, took a day off work, and made the rounds to collect supplies:


So empty... yet so necessary?


My brother keeps suggesting I dress this up as a rocket ship for halloween. I might if it's still around! It's 8' wide .040 aluminum from a local trailer repair shop. I'm not impressed with the quality of the aluminum given what I paid for it. It's severely gouged around the edges so I'll need to make some long straight cuts to make it work (any suggestions on making a straight 12' cut? I'm thinking a jigsaw against a straight edge maybe?). It's also scratched to hell so I may need to do some creative buffing if the inside of the roll doesn't look better than the outside. I did order 10' extra than I anticipated needing so hopefully I can make it work.


This past weekend we set to work on the hatch. We started by routing a master rib in place against the galley wall:


And then using the excess as a template to make a corresponding inside curve:



Then we copy/pasted five more ribs:


Started putting the ribs in place and making a hatch skeleton:


Mocked up the lights to determine where blocking needed to go:


Made a home for the hatch latch. Missing a hole for the handle you say? Yes, we realized that after we made this. Luckily we were able to measure and drill a hole in the right place for it.


Then we skinned the hatch. We attempted to do it in place as many builds suggest is the best approach, but it proved to be pretty difficult. We wound up tacking it in place with some brad nails and then removing it to place some screws and 1/8" plywood strips to clamp it, then set the hatch back in place to dry overnight. It worked out - the hatch wound up straight without any warping.


The next day we routed the skin to shape:


And started insulating and wiring it:


We took more care with kerfing the insulation so it would sit flat against the skin and the fastbond worked much better this time:


A little sanding some high insulation spots:


And it was time to skin the inside of the hatch... with every clamp imaginable:


The big steel bar we used across the seam of the skin wound up sticking a little, which was not the best. A little wood putty and no one will know the difference.


I also got a little crooked with the router when routing the inside skin, but it just adds more character, right?


A little polyurethane and that's where we are now. Oh, we also cut the inside bunk at some point and that is getting polyurethane too.


Next up... skinning with aluminum!