Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[Mary C]

thanks Wolffarmer, sounds like my kind of guy " try it, first maybe it'll work if not fix it. I will put wood under the cooler area and in the galley I will be putting up the canvas on the inside before I put it together except for the front curve. GPW how is the storms any real bad damage? My friends apt got a tree through the roof of his apt. These storms can be pretty bad. ok Back to reading.....................

Mary C.

[GPW]

Mary , that Hail storm was very damaging for some , not so bad for me ... The only “damage “ I can see is the little pock marks in the roof of my Foamie trailer , My neighbor a block away , had all his 3 cars totaled ... My Pickup and the wife’s SUV showed no damage at all ... for which we are thankful !!!
I’m still totally amazed that the clouds could hold that much Ice, my yard was white with hail , looked like it had snowed marbles ... Big Marbles , all in 15 minutes ...

Since we live in the woods in a Wildlife Preserve , I was more worried about all the little animals , birds ,squirrels , bunnies ,and Toads .. It really did a “number” on the trees , many small limbs litter the ground ...
I’ve never been in a hail storm so INTENSE , but the wife , who is an Oakie’ said she’d seen worse !!!

Had a thought about a foam floor .... just for conversation sake , what about using "gray chipboard" to skin the foam floor ... Yes , it’s ‘cardboard “ , not the corrugated paper , but the thick cardboard found on the back of writing tablets and drawing pads ... This would be Thrifty for sure, could easily glue to foam with T2, and then painted over would be strong and waterproof ... sure it might dent slightly , but if you threw a pad and rug over than it wouldn’t be a problem or even noticeable ... After all we’re not dancing and jumping around inside these things ...

[Mary C]

Well.........No I don't plan on jumping around inside. I don't plan on anyone but me being inside. I just didn't know, I am still trying to make it light and thrifty. I had planned to take my big bag of scraps (material) and use it to glue it so it will strengthen the floor. I am not sure about epoxy that seems extreme. I have been thinking about cardboard too.... I will keep thinking ........... I could always put in a small piece of wood, to sit on while working on it.
If I was a rarebit I would have been in a hole. I think the animals fare much better than us. I am glad you did ok and didn't get too much damage..

Mary C.

[GPW]

Mary , you can make it like YOU think it oughta’ be , and if you need more , then that’s simple to do too ... Several courses of even common newspaper, brown grocery bags , Kraft paper , old rags , T shirts , jeans , what have you. with TB2 (thinned considerably ) would add a great deal of strength for light duty use and would be a great application of re-cycling ... For me , a one person Foamie (like mine ) should have a nice Thick pad and then carpet on the floor, and lots of decorative pillows to lounge about on ... A habit I got into in the Kustom van days ... Really nice carpet remnants are usually available at a carpet stores for <20 bucks for a solo TD size floor , padding too ..

For those interested , here’s the Hail vs. Foamie pics Have noticed the little spherical indentations have already begun to fill back in being exposed to the sun’s heat . Couple places got tore around the edges of the craters ( or "craterettes” in this case ) , not bad , a quick fix/patch , and that was with my Thin (thrifty) canvas ... Imagine if I’d have used a good heavyweight canvas , there would have been no impressions, as the fiberglass taped edges on mine show no hail effect ... The hail ranged from tiny bits to 50 cent diameter sized pieces... Yet more “testing “ ...

[GPW]

Front roof crater...

[KCStudly]

Just like hundreds of little miniature frozen turkeys!

[GPW]

KC ... well we know about that now ...

[mezmo]

GPW - Those 'dimples' will just make it more aerodynamic
for you - like a golf ball ! ! ! Ha ! Simple repair now too -
just some touch-up paint.

Mary C - I'd just go ahead and skin both sides of the foam
base/floor with 1/4inch ply [and a 1x perimeter frame with
hardpoints for mounting to chassis] and then canvas-glue-paint that
for waterproofing and UV protection [in general]. Light weight
is an admirable goal but you also need to factor in time and
complication of technique. 1/4inch plywood is widely available
[just be sure it actually has at least three plys of equal size -
when seen looking at the side of it - I caution that, as I had to get
some for a home project, and some of the "plywood" in the 1/4inch
area consisted of a single thicker middle layer with extremely thin top
and bottom veneers - for appearance sake only - which is totally
structurally useless, just more cheap material to be foisted on us.]
and not that costly or heavy for as little as you'd be using. Making
your own mini-SIP panel, this way, as the floor/base will give you
a stiff and strong structural foundation for the rest of the build.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[Jack B.]

So . . . Have we learned anything from the LA hail storm? I think perhaps so. How's this for a take way thought. If your budget is tight AND you're worried about the survival strength of your covering, us a heavier material or multiple layers for the roof and front only. That way the areas that receive the most opportunities for attack (from the sky or the highway) also get the toughest protection covering and you can shave a bit of the expense on the sides and back. Maybe a couple extra layers of paint and/or glue just to bring it a little closer to moon shot readiness.

I know fiber glassing is potentially much tougher but it's also harder to work with and much more costly. I for one would not be happy having to sand and breath that stuff in. Doing fiberglass batting insulation work is bad enough and that's with a mask on.

As to lightness and strength in/on the floor, what would you think about using those snap together rubber mats? I've seen them in mixed primary colors as well as in black. I have a layer of the colored ones in my Caravan with the seats out. It's comfortable enough to sleep on if you're used to a sleep number of 60 or so. And for crawling around back there to get at my keyboards and horns it's a blessing under the knees. Seems like it might be a good option for spreading spot weight pressure points out a bit. Then if you don't want/need them inside just pull them out and use them as a "patio" outside your trailer door. A good place to clean the mud off of dog feet if nothing else, although my favorite dogs still come with mustard and relish.

Those pads also do wonders under wandering washers and dryers to keep them quieter and in one place. Just sayin'.

Jack

[GPW]

Norm , maybe (golfers would approve ) ??? Hail damage: The only good thing is there’s nothing to soak in water , the canvas is encapsulated , nothing to Rot ... and like you say a simple repair (paint) , and I think once the sun gets to shine on it for a while the foam will expand and fill in the dimples ... Probably too cold now for that to work ... I could pour boiling water over the top , that would do it ...
Riding around the Westbank yesterday (getting crickets for Django) saw lots of hail damage ...cars , roofs, awnings , windows ..... I feel LUCKY to have just a few dimples on the foamie ...and nothing else ...
Re: Mary... I wonder if Mary has the tools , skill , area to make a SIP floor with hard points ... That’s quite a project in itself , which is why I recommended a single plywood sheet floor ...


Jack , You’re right !!! My canvas was a thin Linen canvas (for Artists) , a thicker 10 oz. + canvas would have been unaffected ... We’re currently experimenting with fiberglass drywall tape (those Paddle Boards ) , which should add plenty of strength under the canvas and still be easy to apply ... and THRIFTY!!

I love those interlocking rubber mats ... Old knee savers ...


Well now , it seems we’ve tested Foamies for most everything except Bears , and since there are no bears around here, I leave that to you guys ...

[eaglesdare]

wow, those dimples from the hail is amazing. hail sure can cause damage.
but since you have these dimples, i think you should test the boiled water on them. (i never bothered with my bubbles).

[GPW]

Eagle , I was just LUCKY enough to be in a place that didn’t get the really damaging Hail .... my neighbor , just a block away , now, not only had his 3 cars totaled , but also has some roof damage ... I was Fortunate .... must be living right !!!
We’ve used the boiling water trick on our RC Foamie airplanes for years , good chance to try it on the trailer now ... another “test” ...
I’m coming to the conclusion that building Foamies is more an academic mental exercise (so many tests) than the actual building .... that’s the Easy part ...

[KCStudly]

I'm pretty sure Aggie Tom used the interlocking mats in his Silver Beetle, and the photographer with the lift top (similar to Sharon's) out in the desert (sorry, his name escapes me at the moment) also used the colored rubber tiles to great effect.

GPW, you are probably right. Mary has stated that she needs to keep things simple, thrifty and quick. It is difficult sometimes to truly be helpful when we all get so excited about our own passions; wanting to share what we have learned and believe in. So many ways to build these things that just figuring how one want's to proceed is more than half the battle.

[atahoekid]

Just a thought foe dent removal. If you laid a wet towel over the dents and then heated the towel with a heat gun would it steam enough? Would that steam raise the dimples? Just thinking out loud...

[ghcoe]

On those dimples I think I would just wait till a good sunny day and see what happens. The Sun will heat the foam evenly and will get some good penetration. I think with heat guns, water and such you will quickly heat the surface, but not get any heat at the core.