Road Foamie - done for the year

[GPW]

Oh Yeah !!! Sharp looking trailer now Mel !!!

[DJT]

Those wheels are awesome! Looking really good!

[atahoekid]

The wheels are a bit different but then again, I've never been accused of being conventional.

It took all day to mount the floor to the frame. I figured out that I'm much too old to work on my back looking at the underside of a black floor all day even when I have a creeper to roll around on. That took about three times longer than I thought it would. Oh well, it's progress... slow but it's progress. Next up will be building the galley and the bed platform, then the front bulkhead shelves. It's a bit strange building inside out but I think it's the best way to incorporate the inner bulkheads to support the walls.

[atahoekid]

Hey GPW, I was going to PM you this question, but I started this thread in the hopes that someone might find it educational so anyway... I was originally planning to use foam coat from Hot Wire Foam Factory but just did all the math and the products come close to $400. That's not going to happen!!!! In the long thread you had mentioned using fiberglass cloth and the TB2. Three questions 1) Is 1.4 oz heavy enough? 2) The cloth comes 50 inches wide. My walls are taller than that. Do I overlap the fiberglass or can I just butt it edge to edge? 3) Has this actually been tested by anyone?

This might be my new direction with the Road Foamie if the answers are favorable

Thanks for dispensing all of your knowledge. You da man!!

[GPW]

Mel, I just used the fiberglass tape and T2 , which worked fine and has held up well in brutal summer heat , sun and storms ... I'd overlap the seams in fiberglass cloth , Stronger !!! Twice as thick ... and since fiberglass is Strong , the lighter weight might work well ... But I'd still use the reinforcing strips too ( Fglas tape for this ) ...

[squatch]

Looking great so far. Love the used pop up frame idea. Never occurred to me to use one of those. They are practically throw away items at times around here. Pop ups with bad canvas are often FREE! Much better size for a bigger teardrop such as a standie. Often they already have leveling jacks in the corners.

That's the good and bad point of procrastinating on a build. You get so many new idea's that you never get started because of changed plans.

[atahoekid]

Mel, I just used the fiberglass tape and T2 , which worked fine and has held up well in brutal summer heat , sun and storms ... I'd overlap the seams in fiberglass cloth , Stronger !!! Twice as thick ... and since fiberglass is Strong , the lighter weight might work well ... But I'd still use the reinforcing strips too ( Fglas tape for this ) ...

Yeah, I think reinforcing fiberglass strips sounds like a good idea. I'm assuming that overlapping the edges will create a noticeable seam, so I'll need to get creative with hiding them, but that's part of the cool part of using foam. You can use the foam in so many different ways,

Thanks for the info.

I recall that you had done the fiberglass reinforcement now that you mention it, but there's been so much great information on this topic, I can't remember all of it.

[atahoekid]

Looking great so far. Love the used pop up frame idea. Never occurred to me to use one of those. They are practically throw away items at times around here. Pop ups with bad canvas are often FREE! Much better size for a bigger teardrop such as a standie. Often they already have leveling jacks in the corners.

That's the good and bad point of procrastinating on a build. You get so many new idea's that you never get started because of changed plans.

Thanks, I'm hoping the rest comes out as nicely.

The trailer for a pop up is pretty hefty so you can probably build a foam trailer as big as you like without worrying about it. As far as procrastinating, I had to wait to start my build since I promised the wife a complete bathroom remodel before I started on the trailer, but I'm glad for the delay, I had not been watching this foam building topic, but decided to read it one day and the light bulb went on. This is the way to build, without a doubt!!!

Think carefully about it but don't wait too long. This is some fun stuff! If I could make enough money doing this, it'd be a fun way to make a living...

[GPW]

We've seen many disheveled Pop Up trailers in the area ... Have to check those out ...

I swear if I was 20 years younger , I'd start up a little trailer business on the side !!! Willing market here for simple EVAC vehicles... I know I could make a Lighter, more reliable, and Thrifty trailer than the commercial RV factories make ..

[pat g]

Hey Mel,

Nice work on the trailer. Good luck with the build.

Pat G

[squatch]

We've seen many disheveled Pop Up trailers in the area ... Have to check those out ...

I swear if I was 20 years younger , I'd start up a little trailer business on the side !!! Willing market here for simple EVAC vehicles... I know I could make a Lighter, more reliable, and Thrifty trailer than the commercial RV factories make ..

Take that idea one step further. Buy a couple hundred acres a few hundred miles from the coast and start an evac teardrop campground! Sell them the trailer and give them directions to a place to park it with toilets and hot showers. Cheaper than a motel and lot's more fun. Every time the wind howls you make money. Just think how many folks you could bring into the teardrop fold

[atahoekid]

Squatch, I suspect that you have a very entrepreneurial personality. Personally, I think I am an entrepreneurial chicken. I would like to start a business of my own but I hate the idea of being without a steady, regular paycheck. I've passed up a couple of opportunities for businesses. OH well hindsight is 20/20.

Pat G., Thanks, I'm pretty confident that it will turn out well, but time will tell.

[GPW]

Being self-employed for 41 years now , I'm always open to suggestions ... just getting too old to want to start another business... Trying to enjoy retirement at home .. Sheltering in place ...
After these many years , I finally have a steady paycheck ... SS .... which is just enough to fund my "projects" ...
That and I'm still painting ... got a commission to paint the local birds for the Woodlands Conservancy ... Here's the first one done ... a juvenile crested night Heron ...

[eaglesdare]

i am now officially jealous~! please give me lessons!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GPW]

Anytime Eagle !!! Shall we start an Art thread ??? There still is the idea in the back of my head about painting Foamies with murals , much like that first Foamie TD model I built ... Silly as it may sound , that one model alone has generated much curiosity and potentially a few sales ... My OFB has a few people with cash in hand waiting ... urging me to make more painted Foamies ... Now retired and achieving "bovine passivity" , finding it "difficult" to make these for sale .... sounds like Work ... WORK !!!!