Newt's Toy Hauler - 7x16 Bravo Scout

[Newt182]

Really looking nice. I was noticing the bungees and thought you may be using them to hold cabinet doors shut. Some ideas that worked for me. In any case, there are other types of baby locks also and they will keep cabinet door and drawers closed on the road. You can also find these types at Wal-Mart in the baby section.

I found these work well for the cabinet doors and can go across your knobs and hold then together also:

I have these installed on the lower cabinet doors, they hold well but I use the bungee cords just for extra piece of mind. I am putting them on the upper doors as well. The drawer on the base cabinet does not have anything holding it closed so I may look into the ones you suggested for the drawers. For now I use the bungee.

Cabinet Latches

liberty-cabinet-latches-c08820c-uc-p-64_1000.jpg (47.95 KiB) Viewed 6144 times

[Newt182]

Oh man I'm digging the "E" Track storage/racking system you came up with! Same with the carpeted walls - looks great and has to give a little bit of sound suppression. Thanks for sharing these ideas!

Thanks, I took a lot of my ideas from these two builds...

Professors 7x14 Toy Hauler http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=61680
Poppy's Toybox / Toyhauler Build http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=53941

The E-Track platform is great, as you can see it's used for both a bunk and storage and using it with the the front 2x4 brace it supports the Kayaks. Also when used as a bunk it can be moved higher so that another air mattress can be setup on the floor under it.

[Newt182]

I finally got around to building the cabinet in the top of the V nose. I followed flboy's design and it seems to be very sturdy, I just need to get some latches to keep the doors closed.






I also picked up some RGB LED lights on Prime day and add them to the side to light up the camping area.

[Newt182]

As I wait for warmer (and drier) weather, I'm starting to think about what updates I want to do the the CTC. So I started working on a design for a sofa/sleeper that would conceal the fresh water tank and water pump.

Currently the tank is located just as it is in the picture below and the water pump is underneath the toolbox. I did enclose the tank with a crude box made of 2x3s and some thin plywood but I don't have a picture of it.



I'm thinking of moving the toolbox to the other side and figure out a way to attach it to the wall in a way that is could be uncoupled and rolled out of the way if needed. Then I would like to flip the tank on it's side, build an enclosure very similar to the one that Karebru made in his build (awesome work by the way) and have an actual compartment for the water pump, fill dish, etc. (currently I do not have a fill dish in my CTC, I just have a make shift fill system and bring the hose inside to fill the tank.)



I want to be able to use the enclosure as a sofa which I plan to also add a removable table in front of, but if it's long enough why not make it another place to sleep as well. So i'm thinking of two pieces of 3/4" plywood on a hinge as the seat that could fold out and be used as a platform for an air mattress, or perhaps a futon mattress.







I'm looking for input for ideas on some sort of legs for the overhanging side. I've been considering using PVC legs that just get removed when in the sofa position or making legs and attaching them to hinges that would run along the back wall when the platform is folded in the sofa position and covered by cushions.

[SilverStreaker]

You've got a great looking CTC. Congrats!

[Newt182]

New plan! As I play around with this in SketchUp I get more ideas, so now i'm thinking of making this area into a dinette that uses the table as a support between the seats to convert it into a sofa/small bed. Also providing room for a mini fridge as that's also in the plans this year along with some solar panels.

Has anyone built something similar to this?

[aggie79]

I have not built a booth/dinette like you are picturing, but what you are trying to accomplish is pretty standard practice in the RV world.

A CT conversion has been on my to do list for some time. Unfortunately my to do list and bank account can't reconcile themselves. So... I have been planning for the conversion for some time. My research found out that a 10-degree to 15-degree tilt back (from perpendicular) on the seat back will make a great difference in comfort over a 90-degree seat to seat back angle. It does, however, add some complexity to the construction.

Another consideration is the cushion foam density. For seating, most people like a firmer foam than what you would use for sleeping. A compromise would be to use medium-firm foam for the cushions and to use a 2" memory foam topper for sleeping. The topper would also help span the "joints" of the individual foam cushions.

I look forward to your design and construction.

[onehoser]

Another consideration is the cushion foam density. For seating, most people like a firmer foam than what you would use for sleeping. A compromise would be to use medium-firm foam for the cushions and to use a 2" memory foam topper for sleeping. The topper would also help span the "joints" of the individual foam cushions.

I went with 4" of medium density foam which is great for sitting but too firm for sleeping so i added 1-1/2" of gel-foam on top and that made all of the difference in the world

[Newt182]

I have not built a booth/dinette like you are picturing, but what you are trying to accomplish is pretty standard practice in the RV world.

A CT conversion has been on my to do list for some time. Unfortunately my to do list and bank account can't reconcile themselves. So... I have been planning for the conversion for some time. My research found out that a 10-degree to 15-degree tilt back (from perpendicular) on the seat back will make a great difference in comfort over a 90-degree seat to seat back angle. It does, however, add some complexity to the construction.

Another consideration is the cushion foam density. For seating, most people like a firmer foam than what you would use for sleeping. A compromise would be to use medium-firm foam for the cushions and to use a 2" memory foam topper for sleeping. The topper would also help span the "joints" of the individual foam cushions.

I look forward to your design and construction.

Yeah, i could see adding a bit of a tilt to the chairs and it wouldn't be difficult to add. The idea is based on flboy's dinette design but the measurements I've been using are based on the booth dimensions drawing below as well as cushions I can get locally. There is an At Home store near me that has a lot of different sized cushions like the one linked below. Since I use my CTC to camp off grid while out riding ATV's and such I though outdoor cushions would work well as they would be easy to clean if they got mud on them. Also, I'm not talented enough to make my own cushions. Hammer and nails Needle and thread

https://www.athome.com/paisley-grey-deep-seat-2pc/124252665.html#q=DEEP+SEAT+CUSION&start=1





The design seems pretty simple, I just need to make sure that I have support under the table to support the weight of someone laying or sitting on top when in the Sofa/bench configuration.

[flboy]

Newt, Follow up from PM: Here is a pic of the fridge on the shelf. The stereo on door over fridge is open above fridge so good convection. If you look close, you can see the orange ratchet strap that goes around the fridge and shelf holding it in very well from any type of movement. Also easy to remove that way.



Kind of distorted from the fisheye lense, but you can see how the fridge is just in the stackup and it is just strapped to the shelf and stereo above is open over top the fridge behind its swing up door. That is also how I get in to tighten the fridge strap or loosen it. Breathes well. I had thought about putting a vent opening on the side right above where you can see the TV... but really no use. I could not really sense any build up of heat in that cabinet. It has enough gaps and etc.. to breath. Even around the stereo door, it is not airtight.








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[aggie79]

I was fishing around for this web link in my reply to you about a dinette but couldn't find it. I have since located this build of a dinette in an Airstream restoration: http://vintageairstream.com/cabinets-dinette/.

[Newt182]

Newt, Follow up from PM: Here is a pic of the fridge on the shelf. The stereo on door over fridge is open above fridge so good convection. If you look close, you can see the orange ratchet strap that goes around the fridge and shelf holding it in very well from any type of movement. Also easy to remove that way.

Thank for the info Don, I may build a similar enclosure for my fridge and use straps to hold it in place as you did.

[Newt182]

This has been a fun project and I've enjoyed building and using my little home made toy hauler but the time has come for something bigger and one that has a full bathroom and shower. Just bought an XLR Boost 27QB and plan to do some as much camping as I can this coming year. Now to put the CTC up for sale.



Anyone have any suggestions on how to put a value on a CTC trailer like this? I realize I'll never get out of of it the time and effort I put into it but will all that I've added to the trailer I figure it has to be worth more than a new trailer of the same make and size has nothing right?

[travist]

Looking great!

Enjoy seeing this come together. Dinette is a great idea. As a different idea for cabinets. I installed cam locks in my kitchen all with the same key, so they are locked during the drive, and then unlocked during camping, which means I don't have to pull open the doors with those standard clasps, making them nicer to use when camping and pretty simple to lock up for travel.