Advice Please on Canvass Sides

[JMPC]

personally I would not go the fabric route for anything seeing road use, even a steel trailer after 1 gravel road shows grit blasting along the front edge, I think you'd wear through pretty dam quick using a fabric.

I will be recovering my RTT with some marine polycanvas- no there's no coating as such its in the weave and probably silicone on the fibers themselves, but was concidering a laminated PVC type roof for the top and all the sides in the breathable material.

The boat poly canvas is extremly tough for its thickness.

Lightweight - UK weather, I'd stick with 3mm ply with a fiberglass top coat and re-inforced joints and webs, foam the inside if required.

I think my next trailer will be a pop top fold out type design as the babe is now a child and the dog refuses to move out of the RTT

Now if you look at old aircraft they used fabric over wood frame and then varnished it.........

maybe a neat solution would be to use a modern fabric and a resin top coat, I bet you could built a beautiful curved and ridgid structure and very light weight.

mmmmm I like that idea

Thanks UK4x4.

Before investigating canvasses I was considering PVC, which is 100% waterproof, but not breathable. In the end I decided against it not only becasue it doesn't breath but because it tends to give off quite a strong 'plasticy' smell that is difficult to get rid of.

Varnishing a canvass would make it clean easier, and this would then perhaps take care of the mould & damp problem that Peter referred to in his post above, but then I gusee it would no longer be breathable?

As i write this I suppose I should take the view, that consdiering the conditions the trailer will encounter, I will need a 100% waterproof fabric if I were to go down the fabric route. Therefore, I think I would decided to go for a 600g 'lorry curtain' style PVC, and get around the condensation/insulation/unwanted smell issues by having a proper lined interior.

However, this is all getting quite complicated, and untested, it may just be easier to go for hard walls again, as these seams to be less compromising.

The abilty to acheive nice lines, using a rigid frame with fabric is tempting, but perhaps this is the only advantage left, and this could also be acheived working in ply with galss matt ovet the top to finish corners off etc?

All the best
JMPC

 

[UK4X4]

3mm ply will curve in a single plane really well and two planes with persussion!

you can also laminate thinner panels together if available

plywood wood frame with plywood sheath

 

[JMPC]

3mm ply will curve in a single plane really well and two planes with persussion!

you can also laminate thinner panels together if available

plywood wood frame with plywood sheath

That's usefull to know, I wasn´t sure how curves like the ones on boat hulls were acheived, I had always thought that the wood needed a lot of 'treating' and setting to get it that way.

But I guess you´re saying that with 3mm ply it can be curved and fastened into place 'dry'?.

All the best
JMPC

 

[UK4X4]

1 plane dry, for small radia you could steam, bathe in hot water first, or notch the rear with a skill saw

see StompXJ trailer build for some lovely woodwork and curvey ply.

His construction is heavy duty, but the curves apply

http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18142