wheels5150
Observer
I just knew a maritime design in an RV would be great - and yours delivers - great job. The numbers are amazing too - 400k difference that you and family accomplished in several months, that buys a bunch of diesel.
Shachagra- Family of 5 traveles Europe and Turkey, International 7500
- Thread starter shachagra
- Start date
They are a bit less loud than they used to be but they are still pretty noisy. I wouldn't use the vacuflush again except that we had to route the waste around Grace's bed into the holding tank below her bed. I didn't think gravity would do the trick- I might be tempted to try it though. The toilet was the only item on the trip that I had to fiddle with and adjust. The company frowns on amateur installation and wasn't much help to us. But yes- we turned it off at night so as to not wake Grace.
Building the "doghouse"
We had to have some odd name for everything on the truck, and the overcab area was called the "doghouse" as that is what it looked like before installation.
The doghouse may seem overly complex and curvy, but curves are very strong, and not terribly difficult to make using a method boatbuilders use all the time called "stitch and glue" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stitch_and_glue
I built a model of what I wanted, just to make sure it would all fit together and then everything else real size was done by eye- it really didn't matter if the curves matched some lines on paper, as long as they looked good on the truck, more art than engineering. I built the inner wall first, this would be the finished interior so I was careful. Before any epoxy was applied I sat inside and made sure I would be comfortable- it was very roomy, 3 feet of sitting headroom, and larger than a king size bed.
I then epoxied the framing to the outside of the inner wall, added insulation and closed it all in with another layer of 1/8" marine ply and glassed the entire thing. The rounded edges were built up with fiberglass matt and epoxy.
We hoisted it onto a temporary platform and then moved on to close in the rest. I'll discuss that next-
We had to have some odd name for everything on the truck, and the overcab area was called the "doghouse" as that is what it looked like before installation.
The doghouse may seem overly complex and curvy, but curves are very strong, and not terribly difficult to make using a method boatbuilders use all the time called "stitch and glue" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stitch_and_glue
I built a model of what I wanted, just to make sure it would all fit together and then everything else real size was done by eye- it really didn't matter if the curves matched some lines on paper, as long as they looked good on the truck, more art than engineering. I built the inner wall first, this would be the finished interior so I was careful. Before any epoxy was applied I sat inside and made sure I would be comfortable- it was very roomy, 3 feet of sitting headroom, and larger than a king size bed.
I then epoxied the framing to the outside of the inner wall, added insulation and closed it all in with another layer of 1/8" marine ply and glassed the entire thing. The rounded edges were built up with fiberglass matt and epoxy.
We hoisted it onto a temporary platform and then moved on to close in the rest. I'll discuss that next-
Attachments
Consumption
I'll post some pictures of the pass through in a day or so. We used more water than we should have, about 30 gallons a day. My oldest daughter ran and showered everyday, and I could never get her used to the "navy shower" concept. (funny she is at the Naval Academy now, good runner for them)
The diesel requirements are hard to say because it seemed as if we just didn't use anything. I put 20 gallons in the household service tank in Macedonia and it last for the rest of the trip- 4 months, and it was winter for much of it. Those webasco products are pretty efficient.
I'll post some pictures of the pass through in a day or so. We used more water than we should have, about 30 gallons a day. My oldest daughter ran and showered everyday, and I could never get her used to the "navy shower" concept. (funny she is at the Naval Academy now, good runner for them)
The diesel requirements are hard to say because it seemed as if we just didn't use anything. I put 20 gallons in the household service tank in Macedonia and it last for the rest of the trip- 4 months, and it was winter for much of it. Those webasco products are pretty efficient.
1leglance
2007 Expedition Trophy Champion, Overland Certifie
WOW
I am so impressed by the fact that you actually did what so many of us only dream about.
And to have built it yourself (with family & friends) really teaches the youth of today that anything is possible.
I can only imagine the behind the scene stories and laughs you guys must share as a family.
Huge kudos to your wife for being supportive and to the kids for the amazing growth they must have gone through as part of learning to live together in such tight quarters.
Don't worry about us getting tired of picking your brain, be more worried about getting sick of us.
I saw you mentioned going "south", any areas in particular? With your older daughter in the Naval Academy will that mean it is just 4 of you?
Again I can't say enough how impressed & inspired I am, thank you.
I am so impressed by the fact that you actually did what so many of us only dream about.
And to have built it yourself (with family & friends) really teaches the youth of today that anything is possible.
I can only imagine the behind the scene stories and laughs you guys must share as a family.
Huge kudos to your wife for being supportive and to the kids for the amazing growth they must have gone through as part of learning to live together in such tight quarters.
Don't worry about us getting tired of picking your brain, be more worried about getting sick of us.
I saw you mentioned going "south", any areas in particular? With your older daughter in the Naval Academy will that mean it is just 4 of you?
Again I can't say enough how impressed & inspired I am, thank you.
I agree, very impressive undertaking and out come.
-
Not only that you built it yourselves in such a short time and actually took the trip, but that you made all the decisions, trade offs and compromises that are necessary to accomplish such a complex goal.
-
The fact that you weren't stopped or stumped by choices of size vs off road capability vs comfort and actually made the trip is the real inspiration to us readers and more importantly your children.
-
Certainly instills confidence in our military academies and the men and women serving in and leading our armed forces.
-
Not only that you built it yourselves in such a short time and actually took the trip, but that you made all the decisions, trade offs and compromises that are necessary to accomplish such a complex goal.
-
The fact that you weren't stopped or stumped by choices of size vs off road capability vs comfort and actually made the trip is the real inspiration to us readers and more importantly your children.
-
Certainly instills confidence in our military academies and the men and women serving in and leading our armed forces.
Thanks
Very kind words, thanks. The children were great, involving them in the build seemed to have a positive effect for the entire trip, they felt they were part of something big, and didn't want to let the family down. We were also just plain lucky, retirement from the military (for both my wife and myself)- and building at my parents place out in rural Ohio. That isolated the children enough to ward off social distractions that would have been insurmountable.
The wife was the real key to success. The reasons are obvious.
For the next two years we will just be traveling during the summer, to Ohio and Montana and will still travel with 5 while my daughter has time off. The trip to South America will have to wait while we save money, but we'd like to do it before my son flies the nest. We had a big setback when we returned to find that all the tools, cars, materials and household goods we had stored while we were traveling had been stolen. A 40 foot shipping container packed to capacity, empty. That's why I have so much time to correspond- I have no tools! Life goes on.
Very kind words, thanks. The children were great, involving them in the build seemed to have a positive effect for the entire trip, they felt they were part of something big, and didn't want to let the family down. We were also just plain lucky, retirement from the military (for both my wife and myself)- and building at my parents place out in rural Ohio. That isolated the children enough to ward off social distractions that would have been insurmountable.
The wife was the real key to success. The reasons are obvious.
For the next two years we will just be traveling during the summer, to Ohio and Montana and will still travel with 5 while my daughter has time off. The trip to South America will have to wait while we save money, but we'd like to do it before my son flies the nest. We had a big setback when we returned to find that all the tools, cars, materials and household goods we had stored while we were traveling had been stolen. A 40 foot shipping container packed to capacity, empty. That's why I have so much time to correspond- I have no tools! Life goes on.
Last edited:
Dgurley2000
Adventurer
Ouch! I hope insurance was able to cover it.
ExpoMike
Well-known member
Let me just say that I am in total awe by this build and journey. I can't even wrap my head around this build, let alone the time frame in which it was built in. You are a true craftsman.
Please continue sharing about your build up and your trip(s). They are very inspiring to say the least! Thanks for sharing.
Please continue sharing about your build up and your trip(s). They are very inspiring to say the least! Thanks for sharing.
Oh no! I hope you didn't loose any irreplaceable items.
There's some perverse irony in this (and not the fun kind). You build a dream vehicle so that you can go and travel the world, visiting all those "dangerous" countries "over there" (I'm sorry but that's what I get from many U.S. folks). Only to come home (to the U.S. I assume) and find that a 40' storage container full of your possessions has been stolen. Something just doesn't seem right about that.
Life does move on and with your (and your family's) resilience you'll get past it and move on to more adventures though I'm sorry to hear that you're going through it at all.
By the way...please sign me up for the first release of your book; you just have to write about the whole experience (the planning, the camper build, the trip, and all the rest).
All the best,
Les
The Irony
So true- travel the cruel world, vigilant against theft and you get robbed anyway, back home! One consolation is that there are 6 crooks in jail right now awaiting trial. Went to a bond hearing today- hint to criminals, don't steal from active duty military deployed overseas- judges don't like it.
Thanks so much for the prompt to write a book. I had planned to do it, gave myself 3 months to get a good start before giving it up. I gave it up yesterday! I'll have to give it another try. Thanks for the motivation.
So true- travel the cruel world, vigilant against theft and you get robbed anyway, back home! One consolation is that there are 6 crooks in jail right now awaiting trial. Went to a bond hearing today- hint to criminals, don't steal from active duty military deployed overseas- judges don't like it.
Thanks so much for the prompt to write a book. I had planned to do it, gave myself 3 months to get a good start before giving it up. I gave it up yesterday! I'll have to give it another try. Thanks for the motivation.