Done drawin', got an Esterel!

[SonofT@B]

Love it! Can't wait to see the inside pics. We only got to about 90 over the weekend here.

[navigator]

Spent another three nights in the Esterel on the mountain, this time it got down to 29 degrees at 6AM, into the low 60's during the day. Snow lingered in very few places, and none in camp.

Discovered the furnace works using the converter, but not on battery. Where we are camping power is supplied by a large diesel generator, which is turned off at night. A bit nippy by the time AC is restored! Suspect the problem is low voltage to the furnace (which has electronic ignition, no pilot) due to too-small wires from battery; the blower works, but no flame.

We stayed pretty warm, though, and much more comfortable than when surrounded by canvas! Despite the wind hitting 32mph, no breezes got through, and the trailer never felt unsteady.

Major issue: The rear dinette converts to a full-size bed, which is what we used; the power convertor is under it, against the rear wall In order to change from shore power to battery, you have to flip a switch on the convertor, which is really hard to reach! On your knees, with a flashlight and a pole to extend your reach... Also, the convertor does not charge the battery. Will be replacing that thing with an automatic-switching unit that has a built-in charger. (And put in larger wires from the battery.)

The first photo shows a profile of the trailer, where you can see how low the tongue is, just ahead of the door. Also note the spare tire under the rear. We're going up again next week, for eight days, and will get some "lived-in" interior shots then.

[SonofT@B]

Wow and we had 96 degrees yesterday with heat index of 102! What a difference. Still love your little unit and it looks to be in good condition. I saw an original Shasta with the wings pull through the parking lot at the Kroger here yesterday. Looked like some one had just purchased it and was taking it home to clean it up. Made me drool.

Gotta love some of those little retro campers!

[navigator]

No new pics, but some updates...

Trailer was great for the eight-night campout, especially with just two inisde. This time the temps were into the low 70's during the day, upper 50's at night. After getting home, I started reworking things...

Took out the convertor it came with and moved a newer electronic model to the other end of the trailer, where it will be accessible. Added a circuit distribution center, a combo 120/12 breaker/fuse box I found on eBay. Also moved the power cord to be stored next to the convertor.

Moved the furnace to under the front seat, to free up the space under the bed. It's a Duo-Therm, so there was just a small hole to cut in the side for the vent.

Ordered a pair of 11.75" x 40" cargo doors off eBay and put them in on each side, under the bed. Now that space is very easy to get to to store chairs, the awning, etc. Took out the rear dinette and made a matress support to fit, using plywood and some square aluminum tubing. Even got permission to take out the "kitchen" cabinet (sink/cooktop/fridge). Not sure what I'm going to put in its place, but it will be just storage, as cooking is done outdoors.

The suspension is just bolted on, so I'll put a 2" square tube between it and the frame to get a bit more clearance, and not mess with the tongue. In two weeks we take it up a narrow, twisty dirt road for a three-day outing, we'll see how it does on that road...

Need to put in a larger water tank and an instantaneous water heater, so we can be civilized with hot showers.

[kennyrayandersen]

Pretty sweet little unit! Thanks for the pics!

[navigator]

This weekend's trip should be interesting, it's monsoon season and rain has been pouring on the mountain...

Found this German video of the interior of an Esterel that's 2' shorter than mine. To close th etrailer, the wardrobe by the door folds down, then the top of the "kitchen" cabinet folds over and rest on it.

http://www.myvideo.de/watch/7355487/Wohnwagen_Esterel

[LuAnn]

Cannot wait to see pictures of the inside and outside of your refurbished Esterel. I have one, as well, and just love it. I have had it for 8 years, would love to have a longer one, but cannot find one. Do you have the hanging lights in yours? I am especially interested in the cargo doors you installed, what a GREAT idea. Thanks, LuAnn

[navigator]

Still no shots of the inside, never think of it when we're using it... Pulled the trailer over 2,000 feet up a swithbacking road, no probelm at all. The long tongue helps out on those hairpins.Weekend went well, rained a bit every day, one day for over two hours. No leaks! In the photo (taken during a downpour), you can see one of the cargo doors. They were very handy, well worth adding. The awning is set low so it would not hold puddles.

No bears this time, either! Yesterday one wandered into town; it was 25 years old and blind, weighed about 80 lbs. Game & Fish euthanized her.

I do have the hanging lites, which my wife likes, but I don't. They take a lot of storage space, when the job could be done by something smaller. Last week there was an Esterel on CL in Oregon, guy was asking $4,800! Ad is 'deleted by poster,' maybe he sold it...

[LuAnn]

That cargo door is sweet! Do you have the name of the Ebay user that you bought it from? If you ever decide to remove the hanging lights, I would be interested in buying them. Thanks! LuAnn

[LuAnn]

I found the cargo doors on Ebay, I guess I should ask you the depth of the one that you purchased, and what you used to cut the hole in the side to accept it? You appeart to be very handy at all this, obviously, I am not. LuAnn

[halfpastsix]

I used to have one of those! I pulled it with a 1litre Fiat Panda 4x4 no probs. As for the surge brakes, leave them. If you keep them maintained and adjusted, they will last forever. I don't like electric brakes, too complicated.

[pete42]

We all know about hindsight right?
Back a couple years I could have purchased an Esterel
but it wasn't what I wanted at the time.
thinking it sold for around $2000 not sure may have been cheaper.

oh well not the first time I have messed up.

pete

[navigator]

The doors are from 'willisdlr', or search for 'pewter cargo door' (pewter being the color). The size is 40" x 11.75", which will fit under the existing seating. They are good-quality doors, with radius corners and rubber seals. You would have a problem with the seat supports being in the way, but since I re-worked the whole rear end, they were not an issue for me.

I cut the holes using a jigsaw (sabre saw) with a fine-tooth blade. The walls are bonded fiberglass/styrofoam/plywood, and cut quite easily. There are 1x2's about every 2' in the wall, a bit tougher to get through but not a problem. Mine ended up with the rear of the opening being along the edge of one of the 1x2's. Put tape on the bottom of the saw to prevent scratching/marking the fiberglass around edge of opening.

The brakes work well, I especialy like the parking brake feature. After coming home last weekend, one of the wheels was almost hot, will have to check the adjustment on that one.

I love how quickly and easily the trailer erects. the pain is then putting up the window coverings, etc. Would have been nice to design a way to latch each wall at all three points with one turn of a knob, something that shouldn't be too hard to engineer. Haven't tried it, but I suspect it could be opened or closed in a heavy rain without getting the interior wet. And much roomier than an A-Liner/Chalet!

[LuAnn]

You mentioned that you took the refrigerator out, did you ever try it to see if it worked? If so, can you give me a clue as to what settings (with the 220 feature) to use? Thanks! LuAnn (thanks for the info about the cargo hole, you are right, the bed supports are in the way and I cannot use it).

[navigator]

Yours uses 220 volt? That's the European standard, but the ones imported were converted to US-standard 110 volt. My fridge does work, and kept things plenty cool (40 degrees) with the thermostat set in the middle. It is a Dometic RM 182B, standard issue for VW Westfalia vans.

You could re-work the seat supports, so you could have a cargo door, but that would be a bit more involved. Have some angle or square tube steel cut and welded to make two large "U" shapes, wide enough to support the bench lid. Be sure there are plates under the uprights to prevent poking through the thin floor. Use that to replace the wooden uprights, putting one against the side wall, and one at the hinge line.