Tom & Shelly's build

[tony.latham]

The solution you show ...

That solution is gone with the wind (for you) since it isn't made anymore. But it does take a damn good wind.

I need to give Kelty another bump about the lack of available galley tents.

T

[Tom&Shelly]

The solution you show ...

That solution is gone with the wind (for you) since it isn't made anymore. But it does take a damn good wind.

I need to give Kelty another bump about the lack of available galley tents.

T

Please do!

If they (or another company) don't start making them again, I wonder how difficult they would be to copy? Shelly can sew, and our balloonist friends have sewn their own envelopes and know how to get material similar to modern tent fabric. (Of course, they don't use the screen fabric in balloons ) Someone must sell tent poles similar enough that they could be made to work...

Anyway, a project for the future.

Tom

[Tom&Shelly]

As a matter of fact, as I look closer, the tent pole arrangement looks nearly identical to our 4 man Kelty tent, arranged at an angle. Now that's something to think about!

I'm going to review that thread from a few weeks ago, but, Tony, do you happen to have any pictures showing detail from the other side: how the tent attaches to the hatch/teardrop?

Tom

[tony.latham]

...do you happen to have any pictures showing detail from the other side: how the tent attaches to the hatch/teardrop?

I don't think I do. It just sits on the top of the hatch and is secured with lines to the fenders. But if you get serious about this I can set it up and take more photos. We are going on a four-nighter next weekend.

One of the things I really like about it is the pole hooks. (I find running poles in sleaves a bit of a pain.) With the hooks, it's quick to set up. There is one short-sleeved pole at the top that. It's about 4' and is 90º to the teardrop.

Tony

[Tom&Shelly]

...do you happen to have any pictures showing detail from the other side: how the tent attaches to the hatch/teardrop?

I don't think I do. It just sits on the top of the hatch and is secured with lines to the fenders. But if you get serious about this I can set it up and take more photos. We are going on a four-nighter next weekend.

One of the things I really like about it is the pole hooks. (I find running poles in sleaves a bit of a pain.) With the hooks, it's quick to set up. There is one short-sleeved pole at the top that. It's about 4' and is 90º to the teardrop.

Tony

Thanks Tony! No hurry. (And please don't make a special effort!) I expect we may look at this in a year or three, after some experience with the teardrop itself. One thing Shelly mentioned last night is that we made the teardrop to avoid having to set up/tear down that very same tent every time we changed campsites. (Not that it was really a lot of effort. But, we sometimes had a choice of waiting for the dew to evaporate, or put it away damp and making sure we set it up later in the day to air out.)

Yes, our tent also has the pole hooks, and I expect we could buy more from Kelty, or find something similar, if we take on this project. We also have that cross pole, and I find that the only tricky part of set up. For our tent, it has to go into pockets in the rain fly, and it has to be bent a bit to fit.

Have fun on your trip!

Tom

[Tom&Shelly]

We'd ordered a tube of Masterseal NP-1 Stone color to see if it would be compatible with our teardrop color, to seal around the doors. Received it early this afternoon, and right away tried to use it. Luckily for us, there was a bead of dried sealant on the inside of the tube to check the color when dried: It matched well enough!

Unfortunately, it turns out much of the rest of the tube was also pre-dried. Seems the folks at "Half Price" (purchased through Amazon) sent us an old tube.

Having nothing to lose, Shelly cut the tube in half, and we found much uncured sealant inside



but...how do you apply it neatly? Shelly experimented, and finally found one of her doll house tools (I think it was actually for working clay) worked well enough. (The tool is to the left of the tube in the photo above). She would apply it, and it would look like a heck of a mess, but then she would smooth it with her finger, dipped in mineral spirits, and then wipe the excess with rags soaked in mineral spirits, and it came out looking fine



Took her an hour and a half (while I helped), but it looks like we'll get away with it

Part of my help was cutting rags for her, of which she went through a lot



Totally worth it! After all, it's Summer, and we're not going out much, so who needs a shirt?

I put the cut up tube in a baggy in the hopes we might be able to use some more of it, but I think we'll need a new tube for the passenger doors (when we're ready to finally seal them). Won't order from Half Price, who are about to get a single star.

Tom

[Tom&Shelly]

The battery capacity meter also arrived today. Too bad I can't test it yet, since our electrical system isn't far enough along.



But I am forward looking to read the Chinglish manual after evening meal!

Tom

[tony.latham]

Shelly experimented, and finally found one of her doll house tools...

You two are quite the team. Are you planning a trip next month or am I being too optimistic?



T

[Tom&Shelly]

Shelly experimented, and finally found one of her doll house tools...

You two are quite the team. Are you planning a trip next month or am I being too optimistic?



T

Thank you Tony! Shelly says she married me so she could use my tools. (I married her for her money: she was one of those highly paid public school teachers!)

Next month is too optimistic! With the pandemic still going on, we're trying to be patient and enjoy the rest of build process (along with a few other projects). We still have the entire galley to construct. May as well take our time and spend the Summer on it. Of course, we have the luxury of heading south in the Winter months and finding good camping at lower altitudes not too far away. In places that are too hot right now, I expect we could find nice spots to be alone, especially on weekdays. We postponed our trip to the Northeast to see my family, but if there is a vaccine and states open up fully, we might start that as early as possible in the Spring.

Speaking of building the galley, we watched your Youtube tour of your galley last night. Very nice, and helpful! You probably talked us into those latches. Think we agreed on a general layout for our galley, but need to go through the design details. We now plan to go Steve Fredrick's route of leaving the cooler in the truck. We'll also have a few removable bins to store food, so we can put them in the truck or bear bins when appropriate. Haven't decided on a counter yet. With the extra time, I'm tempted to experiment with table top epoxy.

Tom

[Tom&Shelly]

But I am forward looking to read the Chinglish manual after evening meal! Tom

In fairness, the instructions are reasonably well written, and easy to understand. This is the battery capacity monitor Bruce Osborn and Tony Latham pointed to on another thread

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CTKYFTG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The meter is 59 mm in diameter, so a bit larger than a cigarette lighter style volt meter. We're planning to mount a PD4045 in an electrical compartment in our galley, and will find a place for this mounted near it.

Tom

[noseoil]

Just make sure to label the wires, it's easier that way...

[tony.latham]

In fairness, the instructions are reasonably well written

I downloaded the instructions and am a bit confused with this statement: 写得很好

Tony

[Tom&Shelly]

In fairness, the instructions are reasonably well written

I downloaded the instructions and am a bit confused with this statement: 写得很好

Tony

It's Mandarin for よく書かれました

Tom

[tony.latham]

It's Mandarin for よく書かれました

That's not what MY editor would have told me about my scrawls.

T

[Tom&Shelly]

Just make sure to label the wires, it's easier that way...

Hi Tim!

Yes, we have them labeled. I'm planning on building an electrical "hub" above the counter in the galley, and am hoping to make it look reasonably neat. We'll see...

Tom