Beyond the End teardrop (Tony Latham-style build)

[orourkmw]

An update:
Vertical supports up, supported by quarter round (still need to clean up thickened epoxy), floor epoxied, and the fuse block in place:


Bottom cabin shelf installed with lip, and upper shelf with lip built, but not installed pending installation of headliner:


And headboard cabinet with sliding doors and shelf built (along with my messy shop!) (plus note reading lights are installed):


I've also built what Tony calls the "night shelf", and will install it tomorrow. And got the roof spars dado'd. The reading lights I installed have built-in USB "B" ports. I bought "C" adapters that can plug right in to the "B" ports, because that is what my new iPhone 12 requires for charging.....and I found with the new phone I had to go through an extra step with my photos to convert them from .heic to .jpg.....progress, I guess...

Anyway, I plan to get the headliner in week after next, when I have help, and then we leave for a month to go camping. We made reservations several months back to go to Medicine Bow, Canyonlands, Death Valley, Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Joshua Tree, and spots in between....and are watching all the biblical fires and floods in California....

[orourkmw]

A battery venting question, please. I’ve seen in the archives a thread about venting an AGM battery in the cabin.
https://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=73594&hilit=Battery+vent&start=15
I added a LiFePO4 battery to my truck camper, and pulled out two flooded lead acid batteries. I am planning to use one of these 100 ah batteries in my TD build. If I put in the bottom of the galley, behind the water container, can I simply put a hole in the wall and cover with a marine vent such as Tony identified in the previous thread? Or should I buy or build an enclosed box and run a tube to the vent? It would be in the left compartment in the hatch photo I posted yesterday.

Another concern is access to the battery for maintenance, such as adding water.

[tony.latham]

A battery venting question...

The problem of course is that they give off a bit of hydrogen when charging. And perhaps some corrosive fumes. I think the big issue is if the battery is overcharged and it really off-gasses. Which in this day and age, shouldn't happen. Chargers have gotten a lot smarter.

Obviously, a vent should be high in the compartment since hydrogen rises.

I ran an FLA battery in a wooden unvented tongue box for years. The interior was epoxied so I didn't have a corrosion problem. I was cognizant that an intermittent shorting wire could lead to a big problem.

The easy-peasy solution is an AGM. But money is money and they don't give them away. I get that.

If it were me, I'd install the battery without the vent and save my quarters for an AGM. My battery is held in place with this box:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07665L6YV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I cut the ears off and painted it. It's screwed to the bulkhead and the floor. It's not a huge project to remove the battery.



Tony

[JoeGrz]

Tony is right about the venting. There is not enough off gassing to worry about unless something goes wrong with the charging. If it does, the amount of ventilation air necessary to disperse the hydrogen is minimal. Even the smallest of fans is over-kill for exhausting. Also, from what I remember, if it gets to the point that it starts significantly off gassing, you will have other problems to be worried about.
The build is looking great. I'm with you on your comment about the airplane hanger. Every time I worked on mine, I had to back the car out, set up the benches, and get the tools and materials out. When I finished up for the day, I had to tear it all down and put it back so I could start over tomorrow. If it rained, the worked stopped since we didn't back the car out that day since the rain often comes with hail in the summer.

[orourkmw]

Thanks, guys. I won't worry about the venting. Another question, though. I am building the drawers in the galley per the Jay Bates method, and using the push button latches. The ones I bought are supposed to fit 15-20 mm thickness doors, which should be fine for my 3/4" (19 mm) Baltic face. However, on the first one I installed, I found the button is recessed in the hole, so I chiseled out the back where the mechanism sits so that the button would be flush, and so there is enough handle to grab when the button is unlocked. It took me a good while to chisel it out (~3/16"...2 plys), and I found it pretty tedious to be very careful so that the edges stayed clean....mebbe i ain't got the skills. Is there another way to do this that I'm missing? I can't find seem to find the answer on youtube. These are the ones I'm using:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1THQL7D?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

[orourkmw]

OK, I'm an eejit...I realize the button unscrews and adds length. I can locktite in place. Sorry
Mike

[cjlangellier]

Thanks, guys. I won't worry about the venting. Another question, though. I am building the drawers in the galley per the Jay Bates method, and using the push button latches. The ones I bought are supposed to fit 15-20 mm thickness doors, which should be fine for my 3/4" (19 mm) Baltic face. However, on the first one I installed, I found the button is recessed in the hole, so I chiseled out the back where the mechanism sits so that the button would be flush, and so there is enough handle to grab when the button is unlocked. It took me a good while to chisel it out (~3/16"...2 plys), and I found it pretty tedious to be very careful so that the edges stayed clean....mebbe i ain't got the skills. Is there another way to do this that I'm missing? I can't find seem to find the answer on youtube. These are the ones I'm using:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1THQL7D?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Would it be possible to make a jig the shape of the mechanism for a small top bearing router bit? Grab a piece of scrap wood, trace the mechanism shape on to it and cut it out using a jigsaw. You'll just need to make sure the top bearing bit is short enough that the bearing can ride on the jig and you can set the appropriate depth on your router.

Edit: looks like you figured it out before I hit respond!

[orourkmw]

Thanks, Cody... I was thinking along the same lines when I realized that the knob I was holding in my hand was loose....it would have been nice to have instructions included...
Mike

[orourkmw]

Yay! Got the headliner on! It feels good. Here are a couple of interior views, toward headboard, then toward rear shelves:






You can see light when you look toward the top rear, but I am going to close that out with accent lights on a crosspiece (meaning, I stopped the 1/8" Baltic Birch at the hatch spar cutout, so there is a 2.25" x ~60" opening to fill).

And I've been starting to build out the galley. Got the first drawer in. I actually have a very small hinged compartment underneath that drawer, because we carry a folding grill that can go over a campfire to let you cook directly off the fire. I am following Garth's lead in putting the fuse box back here, as well as having the cooler mounted on the sliding rails with the long side facing toward the middle. The rails are rated for 500 lbs and indeed are heavy, but that's a lot of weight hanging out when it's extended.

(Wow! That pic sure makes things look like they are out-of-square! I may not be as good as CapeBuild, but I'm not that bad!)

On a disappointing note, my wife and I had planned to make a month-long trip out West in our truck camper, but my 86 y.o. father has kidney problems that will likely require surgery. We need to be here. On the plus side, I'll probably be able to squeeze in more work on the TD around the edges. Next: finishing the galley and installing the roof spars. Better order my fan, and figure where I am going to get the aluminum sheathing for the roof.
Mike

[tony.latham]

Yay! Got the headliner on! It feels good.

And it really looks good!

Tony

[orourkmw]

Thanks for the encouragement, Tony. You, on July 15, 2019, re the headliner:

"I can't imagine doing this without the ledge on top of the wall."

I'll echo that. The thing was like a big floppy noodle, but my wife and I managed it.

One question, please....you refer to the cabin light, but I don't see pics in the book or on "#4"....is this referring to your reading lights, or do you have a light that you can access from, say, standing outside the door? I was contemplating bar LED lights that would go just above each door and wire straight through the headliner.
Mike

[tony.latham]

One question, please....you refer to the cabin light...

Just the one light inside the cabin. We've never had a need for a porch light. If we're outside–-monkeying around after dark such as doing campfire time--it's the hour to put the headlamp on. When I get up to pee at zero-dark-thirty, the last thing I want to do is turn on a light that will wake my wife up and ruin my night vision in bear country--or show any two-legged neighbors what I'm up to.

It's just a preference thing. Keep in mind a teardrop "porch" light will not be like your porch light at home. It'll be right at eyeball level.

Tony

[orourkmw]

Tony, where and how exactly does your 7-way wire enter the cabin? I can’t seem to find the Info in anyone’s posts…
Mike

[tony.latham]

Tony, where and how exactly does your 7-way wire enter the cabin? I can’t seem to find the Info in anyone’s posts…
Mike

For the trailer? It really doesn't... except for the charging wire, which I don't ever use. But it feeds from the chassis junction box and enters the galley (from underneath) near where the battery is.

Does that answer your question?

Tony

[orourkmw]

I may not even use a tow vehicle charge wire. But your third taillight and license plate lights must be connected to the vehicle. I assume that there is a cable gland that comes up through the floor in the galley right at the battery? Or am I misunderstanding?
Mike