The "Ark"

[fpena1962]

My design so far, it is very much still in the planning phase so changes can and probably will be made. This is my first design and build so input from others who have more experience would be nice. Have plenty of time, and don't plan on starting this for a while, have other projects I must complete first.



I'm not much of a camper myself but my family really loves it, so I want as many comforts as possible, like heat, AC, electronics, ect. While the kids are being stung by bees, bitten by snakes and chased by bears I want to be in a nice air conditioned box playing my high end gaming computer or watching a movie.

I have 4 different things in mind here with this build-

1- A camping rig of course. Needs to sleep a min of 4.

2- An entertainment center, A big screen, Computer, Xbox and a nice stereo to annoy everyone with my classic rock.

3- A power station. I need enough electrons to run that entertainment center and I would like to use it to supply parts of my house with power during these Public Power Shutoffs we have here in caliunicornia.

4- A home office, someplace I can sit in solitude in the off season and play games or design with CAD. That is why I put the extra 1 foot on top, I call it a clerestory, even though that's probably not what it is, with it I can sit in there in an office chair and not bonk my head.

5- Yes I know I said 4 but one other possible use is as a buggout rig, I can put a lot of food and ammo in there, and with Fascist Bullies peacefully destroying certain cities in our great country, it might be needed at some point.

I have scoured the web and this forum checking out others designs and borrowed heavily from them, so many that I cannot remember now who I got the ideas from, if it was yours, thank you. Obviously I was heavily influenced by the Bruder, very cool looking rig.

Gonna be expensive, and probably heavy, the power system especially, I have room in there for 6 100 amp Battleborn batteries and as many solar panels I can fit on it.
The construction is going to be all plywood, I plan to use 2 pieces of 1/2" for the skeletonized frame and 2 pieces of 1/4" ply on both sides of that, or maybe 1/8" ply for inner and outer layers , overkill? With of course 1" of rigid insulation in all the voids. The entire thing will be built this way.



I would really like to fiberglass the entire thing inside and out and then a layer of bedliner on most if not all of it, feasable? or overkill again?

Both the galley area and the front cabinet area is all going to be made with 80/20 aluminum extrusions. What can I say, I really like the look of the stuff and I had an erector set when I was a kid and never got over it.



Really want constructive criticism here, I would like it to fullfill its intended roles and last a good long time so if I am doing something I may regret later please tell me-

Dimensions are 6'4" width, want to be able to sleep in any direction, 13' long, again I want to sleep a min of 4 people.

[rjgimp]

Sweet! Welcome to the asylum! I particularly like reason #5 -the bugout machine. California has become an odd place in recent years, to put things mildly.

I would encourage you to consider skipping the plywood altogether in the walls. If you already plan to insulate with rigid foam and skin the walls with fiberglass, you can actually make structural panels this way- think of a Scamp trailer. A larger trailer like you have sketched out even loaded to the gills with all the goodies you mentioned might only need a single axle under it. GPW built his Foamstream (walls made of foam with thin wooden 'ribs' inside and shaped like an Airstream) on a single axle boat trailer. It's about 6 by 12 and tall enough to stand in and I don't think it came out much over 1000#.

[Pmullen503]

Your galley has no protection from rain without a tent or awning.

The swing out rear door frame will need serious structure. It will act like a sail on windy days.

My toy hauler is like that and it's a pain.

[tony.latham]

I agree that the rear door swinging is a problem. I might suggest you put the hinge on top and install gas struts to support it.

Fiberglass/epoxy and then a bed liner is an easy thing.



Glass the walls horizontally on the bench.



Much easier than vertically.

Tony

[fpena1962]

Thanks for responding, much appreciated.

RJGIMP- Are u saying I can fiberglass right over the insulation with no ply at all? I never considered that. It would be strong enough to anchor doors, windows ect.? It must be if others are doing it, thanks for the idea I will seriously consider it.

PMULLEN503- Thanks I have not considered the wind either. I have no intention of using it in the winter months so just wasn't thinking rain, but we get pretty good winds here and 100+ heat as well so having it open upwards instead would give shade to the galley area.

Anyone have a clue what the Bruder is made from?

https://bruderx.com/brochure/exp-6/

They state on the website "Made from 30mm thick closed cell epoxy bonded composite" I am thinking its something like Coosa Board but not sure.
If it is Coosa no wonder that thing starts at $150000 coosa is expensive stuff.

[tony.latham]

Are u saying I can fiberglass right over the insulation with no ply at all?

I think he's talking about laminating FRP or something on the outside. (?)

Me? I'm a believer in an internal skeltonized structure. You need meat in there for all sorts of reasons.



I too am scratching my head about the double-axle configuration. It's un-needed weight and complexity.

Tony

[fpena1962]

tony.latham- Thanks for the links much appreciated. A rottiserie would be nice, like they use for car restoration, they mount front and rear and u can spin the whole thing so whatever surface your glassing is always up. U would be on a ladder though.

I will be using a single axle trailer that one was in the skethup warehouse, I was just being lazy and didnt want to make one up myself.

[rjgimp]

I was just being lazy and didn't want to make one up myself.

<self deprecating sarcasm font>

Uhhm, gosh... that never happens around here!

[rjgimp]

RJGIMP- Are u saying I can fiberglass right over the insulation with no ply at all? I never considered that. It would be strong enough to anchor doors, windows ect.? It must be if others are doing it, thanks for the idea I will seriously consider it.

Essentially, yes. If you do so without wood at all, hanging doors and windows can be a challenge but apparently is possible as several have done it. Most who forego plywood in the walls will still embed wood framing around door and window openings and strategically glue/embed wood "hard points" in the walls where they plan to hang a light fixture or a coat hook or some such. This is the way to go if your goal is light weight and/or high r-value.

It appears the majority around here do it the way Tony does. A wall shape is cut out of 3/4" plywood and then several large holes are cut out of it leaving a wall "skeleton" with two large openings for a door and window and several smaller ones that get filled with rigid insulation. The outside gets a weatherproof covering (fiberglass, aluminum, PMF. etc...) and the inside gets finished however you like. Many go with some 'pretty' 1/4" or 1/8" plywood. I suppose that works fairly well. Tony even wrote a book about it, so he's a bit of a celebrity now.

Regarding fiberglass, for a number of different reasons many folks around here make use of its buck-toothed, hillbilly redneck cousin Poor Man's Fiberglass, which uses canvas instead of the glass cloth and various combinations of glue, primer, and paint instead of epoxy. GPW has made a few foam trailers with PMF as the skin. Look at his Foamstream build thread. He used a boat trailer, installed a plank floor, then built about a 6' by 12' sausage shaped capsule out of foam (like an Airstream) and then covered it with canvas and paint. He lives in NOLA and it just sits in his driveway constantly at the ready as a bugout rig in hurricane season.

[aggie79]

I've always admired the construction method and techniques of Fred's (Alaska Teardrop's) Northern Lite Traveler: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?p=956711#p956711.

Although this build is small, it could be scaled up to a larger build. I've considered building a trailer similar in size to what you've proposed using the Northern Lite Travel construction method with the possible change to aluminum composite material (ACM) instead of aluminum for the outside skin. I think the ACM could allow you to reduce the number of aluminum framing components even more so than the aluminum skin. For an interior finish, I've considered ACM or using "old-school" automotive-style door panels for non-wet areas.

Take care,
Tom

[saywhatthat]

Fiberglass/ foam seem to be a no brainer. easy to do with RIGHT foam aluminum composite material is a pain in the ass to fix. build from the out side in very light sanding cost less .You are make a cheap ass new Sawtooth Unlimited style o wall

[tony.latham]

I just revisited your design. The extra joint on the roof could be problematic. Maybe you've got it figured out.

Using sandwiched walls, it would be easy to stretch your walls using a spline joint in the skeleton and eliminate that joint.





Tony