Not Quite a Teardrop.....

[Mayberry]

Well it's not a teardrop, but I had this brainstorm. I've got a boat, and I can't take the boat and a camper at the same time since I've only got a Jeep to tow with. So I figured why not utilize the boat trailer to carry a camper? I outfitted my "boat shed" with lifts so I could lift boats off of their trailers, so I could "hang" the boat and slide the trailer under my "camper module" that I "designed". It's not exactly a teardrop, but what do y'all think?

[Mayberry]

On second thought.... it looks a bit much for the Jeep to pull. I still think it's a good idea tho...

[schaney]

I like the multi-purpose trailer idea, although I agree it looks to big for a Jeep to handle. My TJ only had a 2000 lb tow capacity.

Just scale back the size some Another thing to consider is distributing the weight in a way that you have a reasonable tongue weight.

[sseaman]

Why not get a second trailer, boat trailers can be found pretty cheap.

[Mayberry]

Well, I'm on an extremely tight budget, so only having one set of springs, tires, bearings, etc... to maintain is appealing. I would also only have one trailer to register each year instead of two. I do know people with multiple trailers that "share" a license plate, but it would be just my luck.....

[Ron Dickey]

Great good thinking we thought out .... keep working on it maybe andrew can help you with that he is real good at that stuff.

I was much in your direction when I started but with little cash. I had planed to have mine remove so I could use the trailer as a utility trailer now that it is one ... I probably will never take it off for now it is held on with 2 bolts and it was origanally from a boat trailer. see my gallery.

Ron D.
Go for it.

[Mayberry]

Well, here's revision 2. 10 1/2 feet in length, 6 1/2 feet wide. Should be manageable by the ol' Jeepster, eh?

[big earl]

nice design mayberry, I am almost finnished with my first build, and I already want to go a little bigger, will you be making the bed a goucho?

[Mayberry]

nice design mayberry, I am almost finnished with my first build, and I already want to go a little bigger, will you be making the bed a goucho?

Thanks. The bed will actually be bunks, a bottom double (maybe queen) and an upper big enough for a pair of 10 year olds.

[brian_bp]

That's an interesting design, and in an eight-foot wide body I bet it would work. At 6.5' wide, a side-by-bath (especially in that arrangement) and kitchen is pretty optimistic. I would lay it out full-size in masking tape on the floor for a reality check; if that seemed workable I would mock it up in cardboard.

The body size is essentially the same as the classic moulded fiberglass "egg" travel trailers (such as a Boler 1300 or Trillium 1300), so those designs (and their current incarnations, such as the Scamp 13, Casita 13', and Trillium Outback) can serve as inspiration.

[Mayberry]

Hey, thanks! I hadn't really taken wall thickness into consideration, and the engineering was by Miller Lite heh heh heh. Those floor plans have given me ideas.

[brian_bp]

Now for a suggestion which is further "out there"....

Since it's a boat trailer, and must remain a functional boat trailer, it presumably has angled bunks and accommodates an object with a vee-shaped bottom. How about a vee-shaped bottom, with custom-made freshwater and wastewater tanks under the floor, in the vee? The waste tank dump valve would logically be where the prop should be.

Am I making any sense?

[brian_bp]

An issue to consider...

The boat is presumably quite rear-heavy (motor on the back) and the trailer axle position is correspondingly rearward. The floor plan should keep the heavy stuff together (better stability) and far enough rearward to work with the axle position - like the rear kitchen and bath plan shown.

Most small trailer plans have a central to forward kitchen and front bath, but can possibly just be turned around, depending on door versus tire interference.

[Mayberry]

I had actually thought of that, nestling tanks toward the center of the "v hull". Dump valves were to exit down the center to the rear, or "where the prop is". You must've been reading my mind! I was going to leave it all open though, no V bottom to the module. I like to keep things out in the open where I can keep an eye on them and service them easily.

[Mayberry]

Hey Brian! Actually the boat that is on there now is almost neutrally balanced. There isn't much tongue weight at all, which I know is not good but my drive to the boat ramp is only 1 mile so it isn't really a problem. The "module" will most likely outweigh the boat, so the tongue weight will be increased. The boat tows fine with no sway, so that is part of the reason why I drew the camper the way I did to keep the weights similar. The door/ tire might be an issue, but I'll just rearrange the galley to accomodate a rear entry if that's the case.