Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[GPW]

With the Foamie inside out of the rain , I was able to install the inner door framing ... some nice Sapele for the framing and Ash for the threshold ... giving me a 1/2â€

[GPW]

So I made the mistake of showing the wife the TD progress ... First thing she says is , “It doesn’t fit on the trailer “... Uh duh !!! It’s only sat in the driveway like that for a month or more ...
Then she says , “ I thought you were going to get a HF trailer , I see they have them on sale ! “ Now what she saw was their little baby trailer (159.00) ... I told her the one I needed was much more expensive ... (300USD+) So she says “ just write a check for it “
Last month it was “use what you have “ ... This month , it’s "get one" ...
Now after 37 years together , you’d think I’d understand what’s going on .... but I don’t ...

[pat g]

OOPS! I meant to say Hope you AREN"T floating away GPW!

BTW I think your wife is a keeper. LOL

Pat G

[GPW]

Pat , haven’t floated away yet ... This rain is like having a Cold , it doesn’t stop, just goes away gradually ... Tomorrow is supposed to be the same , but I just can’t see it happening , but that’s exactly what I said last night ...

I’ve kept her this long ... WT ?

So let’s take a poll .... Should I get the HF (1179# ) trailer and save the boat trailer for yet another Foamie build ? ... Or “Use what I Got ? “
That will be FIVE (5) trailers in the yard .... I wonder if she’ll notice ...

[Tiredoldwhiteman]

Sorry to jump in months behind the action; just a fascinated lurker.

I’ve been playing catch-up with this thread and I have yet to have made it to the end (don’t you just hate reading the last page of a novel halfway through?)

Re: the discussion concerning beaded Styrofoam, the white stuff covered with canvas.

While I’m certain this has long been posted, watch 32:00-34:40 of NOVA’s: “Making Stuff Stronger, “ at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/makin ... onger.html . When you watch it you'll see what I mean.

Talk about “old schoolâ€

[mikeschn]

That's a no brainer. Get the 1179# trailer!!! And quickly, before she changes her mind.

Mike...

[crumbruiser]

Get the trailer before she changes her mind.
Frank

[GPW]

Well the rain finally stopped ... The wife is wanting to go out to eat ... and coincidentally right next to the restaurant is a HF store... Now isn’t that convenient !!!!

I’m going to go for it !!! Got a 20% off coupon ,hope they go for it !!!


I couldn’t open that make it stronger video , all I got was a transparent black screen and an ad for a bank .... grrrrrr!!!!!!

[eaglesdare]

like the door. i also agree with others, to get the trailer. or did you get that trailer last night, since your went out to dinner?

[eaglesdare]

hey gpw, i think that link mentioned above is the one from pbs that has the fruit loop bird's beak in there, along with the the spider web's. the shells and other things. we have seen that one earlier.

so you did get slammed by the storm or what? is there flooding down there? or did it just rain?

[GPW]

Eagle , Thanks !! I’ve put off finishing that door framing far too long ... (Hint hint )

The video , OK , I remember that one ...

The storm was a major Soaker ... the winds never got really bad here in the woods (protected by the trees) and since we’re @ 10’ ASL the yard is already drained ... Now that may not sound like much , but around here that’s like living on a mountain ... Normally a leaf falls and something around here floods ... Some areas /roadways are still closed .... mostly beyond the flood protection levees or areas where the feds never finished the job (or bungled it as per usual ... )
All in all it wasn’t That Bad ... and we did need the rain , just not that much at once ...

Too nasty still last night , Dinner (Lunch actually ) is Today ... and I am going to get that trailer... I’ve been saving ...

Figuring the cute little red trailer , that actually fits , will make it much more attractive , more like a “finished “ unit ... Lighter too ...

Which brings up another question ... How do they rate these trailers ... ??? Is it that it can carry 1179# (load ) or is that GVW sorta’ thing ... If they can carry that much weight , my light Foamie cabin and gear and me and the wife(dog and cat too) ... should still be able to carry the requisite 500# of Beer ...

[GPW]

Ps , also plan on getting a HF Solar Lantern to try out ... with good batteries ( the newest NIMH batteries that have a very long charge retention ) it may just be a valuable camping /power outage accessory...
Getting near the finish now, I’m starting to organize/collect what goes inside ... Thinking a cooler and a couple milk crates of “most needed “ items should do it ... The electrical system is still the GFI extension cord, a clip on light (AC) and a couple flashlights (and perhaps the HF Solar lantern)... Just trying to keep it Simple and Light ...

[GPW]

Just got all that door framing painted ... now all that work just blends in , going unnoticed ... Adding the rubber door seals and we’ll be water tight for sure ...

[pat g]

GPW,

Door frame looks good. My only advice is to let that paint dry real good before adding the seals. Only problem I had with my door is that I installed the seals soon after the paint, pouring rain on the first trip softened the not totally cured paint and glued the seal to the door on one side. Maybe the paint in that area was thicker and took longer to set completely.

The trailer is a good idea. My idea for a potential future build is to switch my TD to a smaller trailer and use the current trailer to build a cargo camper following the outline of the boat trailer. That would be a couple of years down the road.

Pat G

[GPW]

Thanks Pat , I’ll wait to put that on ... Experiences in the past indicated at least a week or two before the latex cured hard... I can wait ...
Lots of other things to do now , like GET THAT TRAILER !!!