The scenic II.. (Last update --April 9, 2010) Hatch Struts

[Steve_Cox]

The build is looking really great! Well thought out plan!

Did you resolve the A/C air flow problem yet? If not I'd like to recommend a round 75 CFM bathroom duct type exhaust fan on the hot side, sucking the fresh air through, (inlet and exhaust are divided aren't they?) and a couple of blast gates the PVC pipe.

[Miriam C.]

Beautiful work. I can wait to see the finish!

On the air---you might have already done it but you will need intake vents on each side that are blocked from the back exhaust air. I put the foil insulation in the back of the cabinet to keep the wood from getting too hot and drying.

If the pipes aren't enough you can always pan the exhaust off so the area is larger.

[john]

On the air---you might have already done it but you will need intake vents on each side that are blocked from the back exhaust air. I put the foil insulation in the back of the cabinet to keep the wood from getting too hot and drying.

If the pipes aren't enough you can always pan the exhaust off so the area is larger.

and

Did you resolve the A/C air flow problem yet? If not I'd like to recommend a round 75 CFM bathroom duct type exhaust fan on the hot side, sucking the fresh air through, (inlet and exhaust are divided aren't they?) and a couple of blast gates the PVC pipe.

I have put the issue off until rainy weather and, instead, have been busy using the sunny weather for the exterior work. I have, though, given the issue thought and purchased a 4" inline fan. It so happens that the fan slides perfectly into the sewage line I chose to use for a vent. Some mild force is needed to get it in....perfect fit. They claim 80 boosted CFM.



As you suggest I chose to install it in the exhaust side so as to pull the hot air out. As it turns out the diagonal hitch frame member is just perfectly in the wrong spot for me to slide the little fan into my tube from under the trailer. Installation will require a little more work than anticipated.



As for keeping the intake and exhaust separate...they are. I hadn't considered protecting the wood back there. I'll think about that. I like the blast gates.

[john]

Well that was quick. While the glue was drying on a skinning repair that I will report on tonight I installed my inline fan.

I was able to use the left over bit of pipe with the flared end to do the install. I cut the flared end off to use as a slip coupling. Then I slipped the fan into a 6" length of pipe and ran the wires through an existing hole in the fan body and a hole I drilled in the side of the PVC. I was then able to snap the wire protector on the fan body through the hole in the PVC. This wire protector also locks the fan body into place so as not to slide inside the PVC.

Edit----I got the fan for $25 at HDepot.


Pics..........


Fan in PVC tube





Slip coupling on





Fan installed

[john]

Yesterday morning I began to remove the sticks I used as clamps to hold the skin to the spars as the glue dried.

I got to one on the front and when I got it off I was able to see the seam that was under it. I didn't like what I saw.

The spar under the seam was bowed outward by 1/2". If I had not used that spar for the seam I would have been better off. OH well....






I fiddled with other stuff while I let the issue swim around my mind. Then this morning I decided to do surgery.




After I got inside I planed the offending spar flat.





I then reskined the wound and clamped it tight. I hoped to get a continuous curve.





The clamps were removed late this afternoon and, although it is better, the results were not quite what I was hoping for. I now have two much smaller and tolerable "ridges" at the two seams. Although the skin follows edges of the curved wall there is a flat spot in between the seams at the center of the trailer. I can mount my hitch lamp on it.





I have come to the conclusion that seams along a curve are to be avoided. I think I will stick with this repair but I may make another go at it.

[Miriam C.]

Unfortunately if this is bugging you now it will drive you up a tree later. Some things are better fixed from the start. My boo boos drive me nuts but it is too late.............

I really like the fan idea. Great solution.

[Micro469]

How are you going to finish the roof? I would definatly glass those seams . Or put another layer on the roof and have the seam on top... and glass that one as well. Unless you are going to cover it with ally. But natural or paint.... I would recommend fiberglass.

[john]

Unfortunately if this is bugging you now it will drive you up a tree later. Some things are better fixed from the start. My boo boos drive me nuts but it is too late.............

Sometimes boo boos lad me to something unexpectedly pleasing. In this case I could not have gotten what I now have if I had tried for it. Perhaps I am rationalizing this but I think I like where the boo boo lead me. The paint will tell the story.

How are you going to finish the roof? I would definatly glass those seams . Or put another layer on the roof and have the seam on top... and glass that one as well. Unless you are going to cover it with ally. But natural or paint.... I would recommend fiberglass.

Those seams are horrible fortunately they do not represent the others. I will be fiberglassing all the seams in particular the worst. In fact I put the first of my fiberglass on today.

Other updates would include the plumbing. I tested it earlier. It drained quickly into the gray water tank and there were no leaks. I haven't tested the waste valve yet, though. It is a 1" PVC ball valve.

I also built may hatch and entry door.

Most of the time I am just sanding the seams and filling in voids and then sanding again.

[Miriam C.]

I'm a bit slow. I was gonna suggest a window.

[john]

Window

Hadn't occurred to me!

but...

There is a cabinet inside opposite the flat area outside.

[john]

I have gotten lazy with the updates. This is a catch up post.

We have had forecasts of rain for days. I find I have to push myself even more to get anything done when the forecast is bad. I unconsciously say to myself "I'll just get rained out". If I can set the excuses to be lazy aside I often get a lot done between the rains....if it rains. In fact, one day I pushed ahead with glassing/fiber glassing the whole trailer while NOAA was calling for a 70% chance of rain and thunder storms. I regularly took breaks to see where the rain was falling. There was no rain that day. I was lucky.

On other more rainy days I moved inside. My wife pained the interior bead board. She sanded the walls the next day while I was out of town and then together we put on a second coat when I got home.

On another day when dusk was settling in we installed the slate floor. OK fake slate....... OK vinyl squares. The caulk like grout between them goes a long way toward getting the real look of slate.

The filling and sanding needed before the glass work has been atrocious. The sanding after the the glass has been awful as well. I suspect the sanded that will be needed after the second coat of glass will be cake and donuts. Horrible cake and donuts.

On to the pics..............

The boo boo filled and sanded.



I rounded the edges with the router and filled/sanded voids.


Whole trailer sanded



experimenting with fiberglass on the rear corners. The rest of the trailer was glassed the next day.



First coat of fiber glass



Door detail



Door detail




Hatch detail



I used more prefinished flooring for the counter and then began the cabinets. I realized later I left no room for my hatch prop on the right.




Couch/bed material. Comfy





The slate floor....

[john]

I thought I would post a couple of completed pics. I didn't have time to do so before leaving on our camper's maiden voyage. There was a lot to do before we left. We will have been gone for nearly two months.

From NC to Texas and southern Utah. We spent a lot of time in Utah hitting all their southern parks. Nice. Four Corners and Saguaro national Park. A week in Yosemite. Nice. Then to San Fran and Bodega Bay north to Oregon. Nice. Around Eugene we started for home by way of Glacier then Yellowstone and the Tetons. To Little Big Horn then Mt Rushmore and east to the Badlands. Nice.

Approx 12000 miles.


We're a fortunate nation and "nice" is a poor adjective but no adjective covers our riches.



Badlands





Brantley State Park near Carlsbad New Mexico





Tetons




Sonoran Desert




Redwoods




Goose Necks near Monument Valley



25 miles of Badlands gravel. A lot for me.

[rebapuck]

WOW!! What a trip. So, tell us how the camper did. With 12,000 miles under your belt, would you change anything?

How much fun did the kids have? They'll remember this all their lives.

[drcurran]

I've been folowing your progress and all I can say is WOW! I'm so impressed with your work and workmanship. And I can't even get started on mind and it is just a CT conversion! Great job, enjoy the family time.

Dan

[john]

Changes? Yes.

I made the frame with a drop floor. The drop floor is L shaped with the short end ending at the door. The short leg is 4' long while the long leg is 7' long. Both legs are 2' wide.

Two feet is too short for a "hall" width. Three feet would have been better.

Another problem was that the long end of the L forced me to use stubby axles and reduced overall strength of the frame while at the same time increasing the weight of the trailer. I would not run the drop floor under the table/bed again.

If I were to do it again I would drop the floor of the entire frame in front of the axle. The frame would have been lighter, stronger and I would have increased interior volume.


I also used a filler that is causing me problems. I should have stuck with bondo or glass bubbles mixed in epoxy.

In Death Valley (nearly 120 degrees) some bubbles popped up under some fiberglass seams. They have since deflated but are still loose. Easy fix with bondo but I will try to avoid fiber glassing over damp wood in the future.

Finally I should not have used luan for the exterior skin. There are places where cracks appeared through the paint and epoxy along the grain. None are larger than a nickle. For the trip I covered them with aluminum tape as they appeared. Again an easy fix with bondo. The cracking is limited to selected sheets.

I will have to repaint; lucky I have some left over. I may change the color, though.