Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[GPW]

Got the Eternabond tape on the vent ! Gee Whiz!!! Is that stuff STICKY !!! Once it touches anything , don't plan on moving it ... Figuring this stuff should be good .... forever...

Not the prettiest , but nobody will be looking at the roof anyway ...

[eaglesdare]

oh yes, there are times i would LOVE to tell hubby where to go!

you know when i think back, i remember a trip i took in early november of 2010. and i was telling another tearjerker about building the foamie. i know at the time he thought i was crazy. i knew way back then i would would build that foamie. the idea just had everything i wanted or needed. i even think on my first post to this i was excited right away. just had to clarify lots of things i just did not understand.

when i prepare for a trip, i shake it and push and shove it. just to double check. just like going thru and making sure the nuts and bolts are tight and making sure your light are hooked and working. i do the same on the tear it shelf. it is still rock solid, or maybe i should say foam solid as the first day. not showing any signs of wear and tear yet.

i would build so much out of this stuff, if only that darn tree would grow! here is a little funny, i actually do have a tree that is called a "money tree". i talk to it and i water and feed it and it is growing, but so far i don't see any money. wonder if i can sue for some? you know false advertising.

[eaglesdare]

i have read about that eternabond tape. but i have not seen it locally. where did you get yours? can you buy it at lowes?
i have read good things about it and would love to use the double sides stuff, i can see where that would come in handy.

and i think your tear is perfect! the only thing i see wrong, is the top is not painted yet!

[GPW]

I know when I first posted this idea , a lot of folks thought I was Crazy too !!! Probably still do ...
Got that tape for my Big TT so I don't have to depend on the (your word here) cheap caulk they use on RVs ... which must be replaced yearly at great expense if I had a dealer do it ... ($1200.00) On commercial RVs units , they use the worst/cheapest materials and even a little leak (unlike a Foamie ) can be totally Disastrous!!! Ridiculous ... I got mine at a local sheet metal roofing place , cheaper than on the internet and the old guy running the place gave me a demo , and showed examples of roofs he used it on with Great Success... for years .. Naturally I bought too much , so this is a great place to use it .... Easy , but STICKY STUFF
I did as per directions , give the area a quick swipe with a paper towel with Acetone on it... gotta' be real careful , Acetone melts Foam in a heartbeat ...so I had to be Quick and Light ... Worked ... and now it's about to rain again ... no worries , I'm sealed ...

[eaglesdare]

i guess i will have to call the sheet metal place and see if they have any. of course when the time comes. although it won't hurt to call and find out.
it was expensive when i was checking online for it.

[GPW]

Eagle , what I got was Eternabond Roofseal White 4" X 50' RSW-4-50 Paid like 70 bucks for Two rolls ... Way more than what I needed , but I'll find a use for it ... BTW , didn't get the metal roller for it , I just used a big Spoon ... burnished it down ... Not going anywhere now...

[pat g]

Keeps getting nicer GPW! I was thinking of building a vent out of foam. That should not be too hard.

Pat

[GPW]

Thanks Pat !!! Seems like a foam vent could be pretty easy ... You have any ideas as to which type you'd like to make ? Maybe something streamline looking ?

Got my "garnish" ring for the Foamie ($6.27) ... Fit perfect ... What luck !!

[squatch]

Nice vent. I've been thinking and looking for parts for my build. It has to have a vent. Learned that from many years of owning vans. Way back I had an amber colored vent in my van and it really lit the inside up in a nice bright light. I found one for the Foamie build. They have the eternabond kit as well.
http://www.dyersonline.com/heng-s-amber ... rnish.html

Still haven't decided if I want a vent with a fan or not. I guess that could be added to the vent after the fact if needed. I'm trying to stay simple and wasn't planning on adding electric in the trailer. Just a couple of battery powered LED lights.

Has anyone used one of these roof vents side mounted on a teardrop. I could probably live with that instead of true windows. Screen and vent is what is needed. Not sure how they would seal in that position though.

[GPW]

SQ, I'm with you .... keep it as Simple as possible ... For side mounted you might want to go with a boat vent ...better at keeping the rain out than a side mounted roof vent ... AFAIK ...

[mikeschn]

Got the Eternabond tape on the vent ! Gee Whiz!!! Is that stuff STICKY !!! Once it touches anything , don't plan on moving it ... Figuring this stuff should be good .... forever...

Not the prettiest , but nobody will be looking at the roof anyway ...

I think you have that mounted the wrong way. You'll probably need to take the tape off and turn it 180 degrees...

Seriously though... do you think that eternabond tape would be good to tape the walls to the floor?

Mike...

[GPW]

Mike ... WRONG WAY !!!! EEK !!!!

  walls to floor ..... probably not !!! But maybe ??? it's STICKY alright but flexible ... Thinking the glue way would be the best ... But you're keyed in .. glue would be great for that .. Maybe try some of the "structural" foam glue in a cartridge ... May be even Stronger than the Gorilla glue ... ???

[mikeschn]

Walls to floor will be bonded with gorilla glue, and re-inforced with canvas or fiberglass. But I just wanted to hear what you thought about that tape!!!

Gotta go get some breakfast and plan what we are going to do on the foamie today... Probably just small stuff...

Mike...

[GPW]

Mike , that tape makes a great sealer , That's probably all I'd use it for , or emergency patching ... Good Luck on your building today , but you probably know better than anybody else what to do ... Can't wait to see yours done ...

[GPW]

While the Eagle's away, the mice will play ...

Still thinking about a BIG Foamie Camper Trailer done in the simple "Cargo Trailer " style ...
Here's a drawing that comes out @ around 15- 16' long , 6'+ wide on the inside ... and it would easily fit on a decent boat trailer ... Many still available here for a pittance ... (16' would allow use of the full length and width of the Foam sheets , and paneling )

Bigger, more expensive , but less than a commercial CT , and probably a lot less weight ... ensuring an ample gear (Read: Beer) carrying capacity ... This one would use the paneling/ thin ply on the inside walls for more strength .. just more crumbs for thought ... At first I thought 16' was kinda' HUGE , till I went outside and sat in my boat ... (16') A boat that long is really Not so big ... My old Canoe was that long ...

The second drawing (Album) is sort of a bill of materials and a layout guide ... pallet of Foam is now looking like a good investment ...