AND YET AGAIN: Paul and Mike Try to Build a Hard-Sided Do-It-All ADV Trailer
- Thread starter mhiscox
- Start date
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
Spend enough time in an XV-JP's cabin and this thing will seem huge. :sombrero:
PaulJensen
Custom Builder
14
(above) With the pods roughly set on the utility body, and the roof resting temporarily on a makeshift rack, the dimensions for the hitch-end wall and the rear door walls are determined, then the Gator-Board panels are roughly cut to size...
(above) The individual panels were fitted to the openings, adjustments were made for the wood edgings, and the window openings were cut out...Masking tape holds things loosely before they get glued together...
(above) Again, the panel edges are grooved and the wood is tounged...
(above) Tensioned string clamps the glued panels together... Fast and easy...
(above) Finally, after the glue sets, the panels are rough sanded and fiberglassed... Finally, all the structural panels are built... More fiberglassing is in the forecast...
(above) With the pods roughly set on the utility body, and the roof resting temporarily on a makeshift rack, the dimensions for the hitch-end wall and the rear door walls are determined, then the Gator-Board panels are roughly cut to size...
(above) The individual panels were fitted to the openings, adjustments were made for the wood edgings, and the window openings were cut out...Masking tape holds things loosely before they get glued together...
(above) Again, the panel edges are grooved and the wood is tounged...
(above) Tensioned string clamps the glued panels together... Fast and easy...
(above) Finally, after the glue sets, the panels are rough sanded and fiberglassed... Finally, all the structural panels are built... More fiberglassing is in the forecast...
PaulJensen
Custom Builder
15
(above) The fiberglassing continues...
(above) Having a heated shop is a necessity this time of year if you are wanting epoxy to set up...
(above) The rear doors that hang from the ceiling are reinforced against twisting with "carbon fiber tow"... Basically CF yarn...
(above) Slots were routered into the plywood then epoxy and tow were fitted into the slots...
(above) After minor sanding, hinges were fitted then the panels and doors are loosely placed in the openings...
been waiting for this day for a while...
(above) Looking at the rear doors...
(above) ... and to the hitch end...
(above) The fiberglassing continues...
(above) Having a heated shop is a necessity this time of year if you are wanting epoxy to set up...
(above) The rear doors that hang from the ceiling are reinforced against twisting with "carbon fiber tow"... Basically CF yarn...
(above) Slots were routered into the plywood then epoxy and tow were fitted into the slots...
(above) After minor sanding, hinges were fitted then the panels and doors are loosely placed in the openings...
been waiting for this day for a while...
(above) Looking at the rear doors...
(above) ... and to the hitch end...
westyss
Explorer
I agree, looks good, when you get a chance a comment on what you think of the gator board for this use would be appreciated, like stiffness, compress-ability, weight with a glass and epoxy layer.......... I am looking for a product to make a washroom enclosure with and wondering about its viability from your perspective. Thanks
Also what method that you plan on sealing the gaps on all the panels, like where the doors meet and the different panels meet at the corners etc, looks like there will be many, almost need something like a flap overlap??
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
Paul will probably give better information, but he's told me that the Gatorboard was a good thing to use and that it was a good core for the glassing.
I'm only chiming in now because I want to suggest the possibility of using the Gatorboard for your bathroom enclosure WITHOUT glassing it. The coating on the Gatorboard is supposed to be highly water resistant. The veneer keeps it rigid and is supposed to resist warping. You can get thicknesses up to two inches and it works with regular woodworking tools.
I don't know what's involved in your bathroom enclosure, but when I think back to the bathroom that was in CamperMog, I think it could have been constructed well enough out of Gatorboard by itself. And the table I made out of it for the first draft of this Sprinter worked well and was rigid enough for two people to eat on. Anyway, Paul might disagree--though he's biased since competent fiberglassing for him is no mystery, unlike for me)--but give it a bit of consideration. I'm probably going to use some of it when finishing off the interior.
As for the sealing of the folding bits . . . that's what Paul's working on today, so we may well see detailed photos Real Soon Now.
I'm only chiming in now because I want to suggest the possibility of using the Gatorboard for your bathroom enclosure WITHOUT glassing it. The coating on the Gatorboard is supposed to be highly water resistant. The veneer keeps it rigid and is supposed to resist warping. You can get thicknesses up to two inches and it works with regular woodworking tools.
I don't know what's involved in your bathroom enclosure, but when I think back to the bathroom that was in CamperMog, I think it could have been constructed well enough out of Gatorboard by itself. And the table I made out of it for the first draft of this Sprinter worked well and was rigid enough for two people to eat on. Anyway, Paul might disagree--though he's biased since competent fiberglassing for him is no mystery, unlike for me)--but give it a bit of consideration. I'm probably going to use some of it when finishing off the interior.
As for the sealing of the folding bits . . . that's what Paul's working on today, so we may well see detailed photos Real Soon Now.
PaulJensen
Custom Builder
Not so fast expecting to see all the details of the assembly... There is still a lot of sanding, top coating and fiberglassing to happen... Then priming...Then the plexiglass has to go in the windows... It's a process...
'D' shaped gaskets will be the second line of defense against water intrusion... Substantial overhangs are the first... Again, with one of the requirements being the walls fold in and out preclude a watertight build... And for the majority of the time this will be used for camping, that will be just fine...
'D' shaped gaskets will be the second line of defense against water intrusion... Substantial overhangs are the first... Again, with one of the requirements being the walls fold in and out preclude a watertight build... And for the majority of the time this will be used for camping, that will be just fine...
PaulJensen
Custom Builder
Gator Board is great as a core... For a structural panel, I would build them just as I have on this build... Wood edges, T-molded into the foam and fiberglassed... GatorBoard just doesn't have the puncture resistance that would be a stand alone structural panel... For signs, fine, for strength, no way...
The big advantage to GatorBoard is how flat it is, and of course, it's light weight... Something plywood can't compare with...
The big advantage to GatorBoard is how flat it is, and of course, it's light weight... Something plywood can't compare with...
Ford Prefect
Expedition Leader
Any chance of making a back end that is one large door? Perhaps one that can double as an awning? Like the original intent of the XV-JP...?
Mike you kill me! I have wanted a large RTT for years, and can never seem to find a good one for a good price. Not only did you do both, but you want and chopped it up! Grr...
Mike you kill me! I have wanted a large RTT for years, and can never seem to find a good one for a good price. Not only did you do both, but you want and chopped it up! Grr...
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
As a tall person, you, better than most, should realize that sacrifices must be made. (In this case, for anyone over the 5'7" height, which is the height of the inside without the chopped up tent.) :sombrero:Mike you kill me! I have wanted a large RTT for years, and can never seem to find a good one for a good price. Not only did you do both, but you went and chopped it up! Grr...
The back door has to work like that, as you'll see when Paul finishes fiberglassing, hinging, sealing, weatherstripping, astragaling, and whatever else, so that he can demonstrate how the thing folds.
PaulJensen
Custom Builder
16
As was said before: "There is still a lot of sanding, top coating and fiberglassing to happen... Then priming...It's a process..."
(above) This is after sanding the fiberglass, top coating with epoxy, then the first coat of oil base priming was sprayed and brushed...After that primer dried, it got sanded...All five of the upper wall panels got the treatment...
(above) The final coat of primer (on this side)... Lay it on thick and it fills and levels out nice... Good for an even top coat of gloss...
(above) Next the pods got sanded and the first coat of primer... It's a process...
As was said before: "There is still a lot of sanding, top coating and fiberglassing to happen... Then priming...It's a process..."
(above) This is after sanding the fiberglass, top coating with epoxy, then the first coat of oil base priming was sprayed and brushed...After that primer dried, it got sanded...All five of the upper wall panels got the treatment...
(above) The final coat of primer (on this side)... Lay it on thick and it fills and levels out nice... Good for an even top coat of gloss...
(above) Next the pods got sanded and the first coat of primer... It's a process...
southpier
Expedition Leader
scuppers cut into the floor?
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
Ummm . . . really light?
I moved them around pre-paint when I was up at Paul's and was surprised at how light they felt, especially given their rigidity. If I did the math right, the 1/2" Gatorboard weighs a bit over 0.6 pounds per square foot, meaning the Gatorboard part of the sidewalls would be about ten pounds. It didn't seem like they weighed as much as 20 pounds glassed up, though they'll weigh more once the glazing goes in the windows.
Maybe Paul has a scale.
BTW, I stumbled on a good summary of the Gatorboard technical data here: http://tri-dee.com/Gatorfoam Technical Bulletin.htm