Well, the plans are starting to come together, I REALLY like the lines of the Trailer for 2, plan on using the Red Trailer 5x8 folder as the base. The 5x10 Teardrop trailer seems like a bit of overkill, plus I get the impression that it's not very easy to reset the wheels on it. I plan on doing a skinned wall, I'm going for as light as is practical, but not at the expense of structural integrity.
Here is my basic plan, I would really appreciate it if you could let me know if I'm in the ballpark with the material choices, or if I've gone too light or too heavy. (Having spent 13 years in the Army before taking an early out, I have a tendency to figure that if a 1x3 is good, then 3 2x4s must be fantastic)
Base - 1/2 inch ply with 1x3 frame and stringers (?) spaced appx 16 inches OC
Walls - 1x3 and 1x2 stock, want to maintain a 3 inch edge around the perimeter, 2 inch stock doing the rest of the framing. Might use some Oak where the door mounts in, just for the strength. (probably unneeded, but that's why I'm asking).
Wall Skins - 1/4 inch (5.2mm) Moisture Resistant Luan for the outer skin, and 1/8th inch Luan Door skins on the interior. I figure that with a good strong glue bond this should give me more than enough strength.
Roof - 1x2s to act as stringers, maybe use a 1/4 inch ply on the outside, with the door skins again on the inside. I'll double up the stringers at the hatch, use an oak one there for strength again.
Finish - I really like the looks of a woody, it just seems so perfectly right. My best info here is that it's hard to go wrong with the CPES from Rot Doc, so I think that's almost a no brainer, with a spar varnish over the top for UV resistance.
Other Details - since I'll have to join some pieces along the top and the side, I'm planning on using a router to do about a 3/4 inch lap joint (I KNOW I can pull that off), so that they aren't a potential source of leaks, and make sure that they overlap on a stringer, so that I can pop some small brads in there to help convince them to stay, or possible run thin molding strips over the joints. I know that the bulkhead for the galley adds a significant element of the structural ingegrity, so I'm probably going with 1/2 inch lumber core ply there. I have either no idea how I want to lay out the galley, or I've got 100 ideas, I'm not sure which yet.
As much as I'd love to have a beautiful woody trim on the outside, I suspect that I'll use alu. angles to protect the end grain and eliminate leaks.
Well, that's it for now... I THINK my plan is basically good, but I also thought that I had a good plan the time I told my buddies "Hey Guys, Hold my beer and watch THIS!!! Any advice or guidance is greatly appreciated.
I've already figured out that there are as many ways to do a build as there are members, but unlike some sites I've been on where people are strongly involved in their hobby / interest, there seems to be a remarkable lack of flaming and personal attacks. You may not agree with the way somebody did some detail of the build, but you never seem to be disagreeable about it. That's truly enjoyable.
Thanks in Advance
Steve W
