I've had nothing but problems with plywood

[mikeschn]

I'm thinking my next teardrop is going to be aluminum.

I've had nothing but problems with plywood. Here's what we noticed in the high winds this morning.



This was built with moisture resistant luan, and covered with epoxy sealer before painting with Uniflex. We should not have had a problem like this.

Mike...

[Martiangod]

Man, that sucks.
Wood no matter where it is placed in a trailer will eventually rott.
The biggest downfall of production trailers is the use of luan
Half of my working existance has been repairing problems due to Luan and wood products in RV's the other half is repairing substandard workmanship and product
Composits are the way to go, if only the cost wasn't so high but the benifits are emmense

[bestclimb]

I wonder how well marine ply would have held up?

[rebapuck]

"They don't make it like they used to." Have you tried duct tape in the last 20 years? Then you know what I mean.

[b.bodemer]

OUCH!

Sorry to see you have such a problem especially with all the care you put into your builds.
Barb

[working on it]

Mike- Sorry to see the damage. Had you noticed any lifting or separation of the plys previously? I wonder if the wind/water had blown into a tiny crevice, gradually causing some unnoticed rot, then the higher winds last night completed the destruction. A related question: Do you think that an adhesive-backed EPDM or butyl strip (RV item),draped over the edge, might've prevented this? I'm going to have a lot of exposed plywood edges, sealed only with poly and enamel, and wish to avoid this type of misfortune.

[jonw]

Well that sucks!

I also wonder if marine ply would have been better, but think aluminum for the front-roof-rear surfaces will be the most durable.

[Martiangod]

Dibond
Alucobond
Reynobond
Aluminum skinned Composit panels.
You have to figure most manufactured wood products today are made from fast grow species of wood, no old groth forrests left. Manufacturing has has spead up to reduce cure time for glues, oil based and lead based paints have been replaced with water bourne, even most of our glues are water bourne.
We are living in a rotting disposable world.
If I could afford to I'd build my trailer out of aluminum skinned composit panels, would outlast me, and thats probably a good thing

[kirkman]

Mike.... That really sucks!!!!That's why I like these. No problem with either of my trailers.
Duraback... is what's on my tear.... 5 years.
http://www.durabakcompany.com/
Kool seal..... on my coal trailer....I not sure but at least 4 years.
http://www.koolseal.com/
And a new one I have not tried.This one has a 50 year Warranty.
http://www.gacoretail.com/gacoroof.html
My tear and coal trailer live outside in the wind, snow, and rain all year.

[eaglesdare]

oh man, that is horrible. so sorry mike.

[mikeschn]

Okay, I'll try to answer the questions...

Had I noticed it before. Well last weekend I noticed the paint was all bubbly. I didn't realize the wood was delaminating.

Do I think Marine Plywood would have been better? Yes I do. But I am convinced a membrane of some sort is essential to seal off the endgrain. Membranes include canvas, fiberglass, aluminum, pvc, tpc etc. I don't think paint or uniflex can be considered a membrane. Would have epdm helped? Only if you could have sealed it properly.

I get to thinking about my house. It is covered with Western Red Cedar siding. And then it's painted. It was built in 1930, and looks as good today as the day it was built. (You know what I mean!) So I need to learn something from those guys. Goldcoop has a cedar teardrop... It still looks good too!



Mike...

[Shadow Catcher]

They managed to keep PT boats together as well as Mosquito bombers and an uncle had a number of boats made of cut in half plywood aircraft gas drop tanks. It can be done but the plywood must be made properly, and what were they painted with?

Or were they, Today's plywood is composed of thin sheets of wood (of various dimensions), joined together by the generous use of glue. PT boat hulls were composed of double planked 1" mahogany fastened with monel screws. Sandwiched between the layers of mahogany planks was a layer (or ply) of canvas. Every other wooden feature on the PT boat was traditional plywood. If the hull had been plywood, as some mistakenly believe, the boat would have disintegrated from the pounding that the hull underwent while underway.

[DMcCam]

Ooooh man, that just breaks the heart Mike. Want are you going to do to repair her? I guess dry her out and then decide? Of course you could always skin her with aluminum. I'll bet Doug will have some sound ideas for you.

Take care,

Dave

[Lgboro]

The only wood on my build is cedar and it is almost ready for covering with aluminum. The floor and cabinet bottoms are 1/2 inch cedar boards that are biscuit joined. Walls and ceiling are 1/8 inch cedar strip. Almost a semi=foamie and very light so far.

[doug hodder]

Sorry to hear of your issues Mike. There's nothing worse than putting in a lot of time and effort into a project and have a problem with it down the road. It might be a real helpful bit of information to other builders if you could give us an idea on how long it was exposed to the elements, and what materials were used. Outdoor storage on an all wooden tear/boat that isn't covered is brutal! Unfortunately, when a blister starts to show...a lot of damage has already happened. Once some moisture gets in and with the mechanical breakdown of freeze/thaw cycles, which I'm sure you have...wood materials especially a ply product tend to get torn up quickly. Doug