Window Screens

After a few late night mosquito attacks, I finally got around to installing the screens.  The screen frame is made up of two layers of 4mm plywood with the fiberglass screen sandwiched in between.  Some black Sikaflex glues it all together.  A pair of large washers at the bottom and a pair of Perspex turn pegs at the top hold it in place.

 

 

Spent two nights at Fernland with hot soda springs in Tauranga.  Attractive bush surroundings and a large warm pool for relaxing.

Another Weekend, Another Spa

 

Another overnight trip; this time to the Athenree Hot Springs,

 about a two hour drive from home in Coromandel.  I would give it the

 highest possible rating for friendliness, facilities and location. 

Had a nice parking spot in the shade too.  I also had breakfast in bed

served on the slide out table under the cabinets in the cabin.

On the Road

At last the teardrop hit the road with a one night trip to the Miranda hot pools.  The trailer tows very solidly and was no problem on our narrow, winding, and steep Coromandel coast road.

Of course we stopped for several photo opportunities.

Rose and I visited Kaiaua School where her friend is the principal.  The students were very attracted to the whole idea of a teardrop camper trailer.

Wiley Windows

 

The Wiley windows are finished. This photo shows the window in the closed position.   Two removable wedges hold the window pane tight against the weather stripping on the door.  The window itself is 1/4" smoked Plexiglass.

 The window in the open position with the wedges holding it open.  The pane can also be removed entirely.

Hooked up all of the dangling ends of 12 volt wiring and amazingly it all works.  Lights shine, fan blows.  Still have to get the electrician to connect the 230 volt wiring and get a certificate from him.  You need the certificate to be allowed to plug into the power at campgrounds.
A battery/storage box has yet to be mounted on the tongue and I'll be all set to go tearjerking.

Better with paint

At last I can see some light at the end of the tunnel.  The paint was applied with a foam roller tipped off with a brush.  You know how it can sometimes be difficult to find your vehicle in a big mall parking lot?  That's not going to happen with this baby.
The doors are still in the workshop, where they have been painted, and the framework for the Wiley windows is being finished.  I only recently heard about the Wiley window design where it is featured in The Nature of Boats by Dave Gerr.  It can be kept open in driving rain that would keep other designs closed.  Some other teardrop builders have expressed great satisfaction with this simple but ingenious design.

Interior at 99%

The interior and galley is now 99% finished.  My galley is very basic with no sink but rather a rubber dish pan.  Plenty of space for portable water containers and an ice box.
The floor inside the cabin has been painted with the same cream enamel.  Next stage is to sand the undercoat on the outside and apply the two part polyurethane paint.  After that I have to make the windows for the doors and we should be done.

Cabinets Almost Done

My assistant Bob and I have been going full speed ahead on the cabinets inside.  I do get tired faster than he does.

The headboard cabinet.

The stove slides out on a drawer and there will be two more drawers alongside it.  The square hole at the top of the bulkhead will have a louver and screen.  It's my failsafe ventilation in case I inadvertently have all the windows and hatch shut and go to sleep.  Another louver vent will go out the side below the stove.

Cabinets

I've started on the storage cabinets.  The two against the sidewalls will have doors and the center opening will remain open with an electrical panel in the back, with switches for the 12v system, a 12v cigarette lighter socket,  and a 230vac outlet.
A flat panel on drawer slides will be mounted tight under the cabinets to hold a laptop computer for movies etc.

 

A headboard / storage  cabinet at the forward end of the cabin.  There are doors for this one also.

The main shelf /workbench in the galley.  The stove will be on a drawer under this shelf on the left side with two more drawers on the right half.  Storage cabinets will go up against the bulkhead wall with a small compartment on the right to hold the AC circuit breakers and battery charger.

More Doors

Lots of tedious jobs fitting all the molding around the doors.  Multiple coats of undercoat outside and varnish inside.  Still have to mount the hinges.

Doors

I've cut out the doors and the openings for the windows.  This shot shows the fiberglass in place on the outside of the doors.

The inside of the door with the framing and 3/4" insulation in place.  The thin panel of plywood in the background will be glued over this surface.

This is the aluminum "Tee" molding that will go around the outer perimeter of the doors.  You can't bend it like this without first annealing it.  I had a local welder anneal it with a torch and it bent beautifully around my plywood mold, with only a minimum of tapping with a plastic mallet.

Door Trim

I managed to install the 3/4" x 1/2" aluminum angle trim around the door opening.  I was uneasy about shaping the aluminum angle around the curve without distorting it.  I made a mock-up of the door curve and screwed it to the workbench where I could gradually beat it into submission with a plastic mallet.  I'm more concerned about the T-molding that goes around the perimeter of the door itself because it is wider and will take more convincing.  I may have to anneal it if it doesn't go well.

Hatch On

The second coat of primer is on and I'll leave it that way until the doors and trim are finished.  The big hatch is on and fits okay after two tries.

I made my gas-less struts from an old adjustable windsurfing boom.  It's industrial strength material and has a simple spring loaded button to release it.  When the hatch is opened, both strut buttons pop into their holes automatically, and lock the hatch open securely.
Doors and trim next.

First Undercoat

At last the first undercoat has been applied.  I was getting tired of the way it looked before.  I laminated the curved "eyebrows" that go over the doors from some thin wood strips.  The undercoat is a two part epoxy paint.  The small hole in the side is for the electrical plug.

Glassing Done

I'm at the stage where you can work for days and nothing looks much different.  The glassing is done and sanded now so it's waterproof  (if it had doors).

The hatch is painted on the inside and the plastic hinge has been fastened to the hatch.  I'm making hatch struts from an old adjustable windsurf boom.  We'll see how that works soon.

Fiberglass and Epoxy sheathing

The time has come for the fiberglass layer over the roof and hatch.  This can be an unpleasant experience without some practice, but I've had more than enough practice coating boat hulls with the same material.  The cloth is laid onto the plywood dry and resin is rolled into it with a sponge roller.  After the resin partially cures, additional coats of resin are applied with a brush.  When that has fully cured, it has to be washed and then sanded.  Paint will follow later.

Rounding it off

Many hours of planing and sanding to get the large radius I wanted between the walls and roof.    No one else seems to do it this way, but then I've had that problem all my life.

I put on a pair of temporary hinges to see how the hatch behaved.  I have another pair of laminated beams to fit inside the inside edges of the galley.

Closing it in

The bulkheads are now in place.  They finally give you a real feel for the interior space that you have.

After a messy few hours shaping the foam insulation down, I glued on the outer panels of 4mm Meranti plywood.  The edges will be rounded to a 38mm (1 1/2") radius to allow the fiberglass applied to the roof to overlap the previously glassed side panel.   This results in a seamless joint that will eliminate the many fasteners, angle trim and silicone sealant normally used to seal the sides and top joint.

Closing it in

A tedious job but all of the insulation was finally glued into place.  It takes two layers to make the bend and even then it sometimes needs the help of saw cuts on the inside to make the bend.

The beginning of the big hatch back. 

Building inside out

The roof beams are notched into the perimeter beam and glued with epoxy.

The thin prefinished interior panels are glued and stapled from the inside.  Wiring for the lights and fan have been put in before the polystyrene insulation..

The interior showing the prefinished plywood panels.  Thin varnished battens will cover the joints.

She Rises!

I installed the inner layer of "caravan ply" while the sides were still flat on the table.  I used Gorilla Grip glue and air driven staples where they wouldn't be seen.

I made a temporary right angle brace to support the sides while the roof is being installed.

At last I get to see what it will look like.  The side panels are screwed and epoxy glued to the base.

The first five roof beams are fitted into their notches and held with a screw and thick epoxy glue. 
The outside of the side panels were sheathed with fiberglass before they were put up.  Glassing a vertical surface is no fun.

Sandwich walls

 The perimeter of the side panel has a 45 x 45mm laminated beam with a break at the hatch hinge.

 Inside framing was installed with 20mm polystyrene insulation filling in the spaces.

I cut notches in the laminated beam for the roof beams.

Side profile

My teardrop is 3 x 1.5 metres or 5' x 10'.  I drew the profile on my CAD program and proceeded to duplicate it on the plywood sheets.

It is possible to buy three meter sheets of marine plywood but the price increase was too much, so I'll have a butt block splice back in the galley.

The foundation

I had the trailer frame made up by a local engineering shop.  It was plain steel when I got it and I applied two coats of two pot epoxy primer (used on steel ships) and two coats of epoxy enamel on top.