Red Dragons - The Build (Updated 3/17/10)

[dmckruit]

Its been while since I updated my build thread. Had to get the trailer done for its maiden voyage, and was able to get it campable literally a day before we left. Anyway, to the pics:

Finished putting the masonite on the roof:



Then I put the foam sheeting on:





Then I put the aluminum on the roof and mounted the battery box:



Then I started working on the hatch:





My brother and nephew came over and helped me get the rest of the aluminum on and the trim. They also helped me finish the back hatch and get the fenders on.

We worked until 12:30am on Wednesday, July 23rd. We were due to leave on Friday, July 25th for Pirateland in Myrtle Beach, SC.

I drove the trailer to work and back on Friday the 25th, as a trial run. Trailer handled fine.

[dmckruit]

Made in only to West Virginia on Friday night. We stayed at the Whisper Mountain Campground in Roanoke, WV. It was a very nice campground and not many people were there. It is on a back road along interstate 79. Did not have any problems with the trailer. Didn't even need the air conditioner as it was cool enough in the evening. There was a lot on gnats though and we had to set up in the dark. A lantern in on my shopping list for the next trip.

I did have issues making coffee in the morning. I bought a nice two burner hot plate from target that worked fine, however I had problems with my coleman perculator. Coffee came out weak and had grounds in it. I will have to perfect my perculator skills on the next trip, or get the coffee that comes in the filter bags.



The campground looked like it hasn't had much rain. The pond was pretty dried up and the creek bank looked like it has some flooding.

[aggie79]

Looks great! I bet you had a great time on your first run - can't wait until that happens for us.

Can I borrow your brother and nephew?

Tom

[dmckruit]

Then the next morning (Saturday) we embarked for Pirateland in Myrtle Beach, SC. Trailer handled wonderfully the whole way down and back.

Here are some pictures of my setup at Pirateland:







And pictures of my soon to be completed galley:



I went out to get party lights so that we could play cards at night. I found that at Walmart they sell 8 foot strings of party lights for $15 a piece. To expensive for me, so I went to the hardware department and got a clamp on light and a yellow bug light for under $10. We had a lot of light and the bugs didn't bother us too much.



The only issue I had was the NewCool refrigerator that I had got from Walmart. They manufacturer claims that it would keep cool to 37 degrees. I put a thermometer on the top rack and was lucky to get to 58 degrees. MadJack was right, these things are crap. I want to get a refrigerator with coolant for my next trip. These are more or less a cooler. I was only storing drinks in this, so no harm was done.

[dmckruit]

Spent last evening cleaning out the teardrop for the first camping trip of the year. Took out the mattress and scrubbed everything down with spic and span, plus opened the windows and turned on the vent fan. Nothing was musty, just a little dusty. Also, checked the tire pressures and the battery and put it on charge.

The night before I finished sewing up the curtains which I started on Sunday night. The fabric I used to cover the foam mattress had left over scraps and I had just had them pinned up over the windows. So I made curtains out of the scraps and bought a few curtain rods at Sprawl Mart this morning along, with a battery operated lantern, and a tv antenna.

Teardrop still needs finished (inside trim, and galley needs completed). I reckon I'll get to those in the last few weeks. Also need to fix the electrical outlet in the front of the cabin. Apparently, we put a screw through the wire when skinning the outside. Kept tripping off the GFI when the teardrop was plugged into shore power (I disconnected that line from the breaker after it was discovered). Need to take off the inside ceiling panel to fix it, so it hasn't been on my priority list.

Will post some pics later this week (camera batteries needed charged).

Planning on going to Rose Point Park Campground near New Castle, PA this weekend (March 19 & 20, 2010).

[Cliffmeister2000]

dmckruit, I'm glad you added to your build thread! I totally missed it as you were building, but read the entire thing this morning! Great looking trailer! Can't wait to see finished photos of the inside and the galley!

[rladams39]

Just read your entire thread, Your build looks great.

One note on percolator coffee, you have to use LARGE ground coffee, the regular grind is to fine, i use a perc every morning, when you get the grind of the beans right you will be amazed at how good the coffee is.

Also if your perculator has a clear knob on the lid you can watch bhow dark you coffee is getting while it percs.

[dmckruit]

Thanks for the info on the coffee. I did find end up going to the store and ground my own Eight Oclock bean style coffee. It still ended up taking quite a while. Lately, I have been using the individual coffee (tea type) bags.

I have been meaning to upload more pics but everytime I go to do that the batteries are dead in the camera.

I just got my garage cleaned out and have more room to continue working on my build. I need to finish up the galley and a little bit of trim work left on the inside and on the outside.

Going to Ocean City, MD this coming weekend (not with the tear though). So I will have to continue working on it when I get back.