What to skin a camper frame with and keeping it water tight?

4wheeldrivevan

Observer
I did a quick search of the forums and did not find an answer to my question (I probably looked in the wrong place or used the wrong search term)

Can someone point me to a few good threads that cover this subject?

I'm considering building a camper from scratch to mount on the back of a FUSO sized flatbed. Camper size will be approximately 16' long by 7' wide. I'd like to keep it short but with a pop up top. It needs to sleep two adults two young kids and our cat. I'll also need a way to mount a mid sized dual sport motorcycle on the back.

I'd like to frame the camper box in aluminum, I'm just having a difficult time deciding what to skin it with? Aluminium? Fiberglass? some type of epoxy fiberboard? Most of these panels seem to come in 4' x 8' sheets, what do you use to keep the butt joints from leaking? Attaching it to the aluminum frame... Rivets? adhesive? screws?

What material/design should I use for the pass through from the Fuso Cab to the camper box?

Thanks for any suggestions. I'm probably 6 to 12 months out from starting this project and I realize I'll spend a good deal of money before it ever hits the road, sometimes the build is just as much fun as the over the road adventure.
 

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