the "geaux away"

[laoutdoorsman]

well.. this is where im at right now...still have some cross-bracing to add, and some of the 2x4 pieces need to ba swapped out.....but, im mentally held up right now...seriously considering/contemplating trying to fab a manual "pull-out"/slide-out....working in the shed with some scraps, trying to figure out the best way to conquer this...not set on it yet, may scrap the whole idea...but.....




the struts/joists on the roof are temporary...im gonna make some "bows" to have a curved roof...once the bows are installed, ill pull the struts/joists

[laoutdoorsman]

nothing new...still been getting rain every dang day...restored a lil endtable thingy that i got at a dicount store for like 5 bucks...it was barbie pink, and had a little ding on the corner, amd a dent on the leg...i sanded it down and primed it, painted it with a fleck-stone paint...came out awesome...dont know what ill use it for...lol

camper status...umm....stand-still....my needs/wants for it are kind of changing....with the breakup thing, and some other personal issues in my life at the time...im thinking of a different plan of attack for the build...

thinking about just finishing it in a "bare-bones", "very minimalistic" style...i really want to "hit the road"...im bored with where i live...might just finish it as a shell..and roll with it....if i end up where its cold, it will provide shelter...

my have-tos to complete it...get the interior paneled, so i can insulate it...interior floor, then cover the outside...ill get my shower built/plumbed...buy a potty...already have an ac, campstove, micro..need water storage, small generator, something to sleep on (can do with an airbed for a while)....

anyway...thats where im at...im going on a sort of "walkabout" type trip..i dont have anything or anyone keeping me here...i need new scenery..

[CAJUN LADY]

It's taking shape Mike...looking good!

[mikeschn]

New scenery... been there, done that... it'll get better... meanwhile just hang in there, and remember you got some friends here...

Mike...

[laoutdoorsman]

thanks guys...i just re-read what i posted...im not like depressed or anything...didnt mean for it to sound like that...lol

[robertaw]

Wow! You are getting that thing together fast! My rebuild is on indefinate hold until we get some cooler weather. I just can't take another minute of working in this heat and humidity down here.

I sure know what you mean about needing a change of scenery.

I've been wanting to hit the road for many years now. My youngest son will be out of high school in a couple years so my dream is getting closer. Since I work via the internet I can make money on the road wherever there is wifi. To keep myself happy in the meantime I am keeping notes of all the places I want to visit during my potentially endless road trip.

I'm enjoying watching your build. It really looks great so far.

[Minicamper42]

Looks like you know a thing or two about construction...it's starting to look a little on the heavy side...do you have a estimated finished weight?

The shape is very similar to what mine will look like

[laoutdoorsman]

well...the geaux-away is at a stand-still...i slammed on the breaks and am going in reverse...


im not happy with the way my platform came out...AND most importantly, it has gotten very, very wet and dried out---more thna once....starting to look very weathered, and mildew'd/moldy looking...a buddy of mine, says ah, just sand the junk off, and slap some kilz on it...well...i want this thing to last a few years and hopefully be able to sell it if i need to....so, i want it done right, and know i wont have to rip the floor out in a year or 2 because of saggiing soft spots...

i have a gameplan...its gonna be a bunch of tedius aggravating work on my part, but......if i can round up some help, im gonna brace it all and try to pull it all up in one piece...(if i can manage getting enough guys to come to the woods to help me...maybe for beer and boiled shrimp--we'll see)...if i cant get the help i need, ill have to dismantle it, and then i will COMPLETELY be starting over...lol


and..i have a woodworking question that i need input on, but i made a separate post about it, because i doubt it will be answered or even found in here...

oh, and btw--minicamper42....i dont know if you read any of my text in here, but some of the 2x4 lumber is getting swapped out for 2x2....so, its really not all that heavy...and to be totally honest....i have no frigging clue how much the finished product will weigh...i really dont think it will be too heavy...if its under 3K i will be fine and dandy...i really think it will be less...(2K range and then plus my genset, and water and what-not)

[robertaw]

i have no frigging clue how much the finished product will weigh.

Now THATS an honest answer! I'm not sure how someone could estimate a weight anyway. Maybe there is a wood weight table somewhere...

[laoutdoorsman]

i have no frigging clue how much the finished product will weigh.

Now THATS an honest answer! I'm not sure how someone could estimate a weight anyway. Maybe there is a wood weight table somewhere...

ha..ya like that, huh??

its funny, when im at work, and we have heavy lifts to make with a crane--we have to have the weight nailed down to the "T" before we can even rig it up....there are books to help figure out the weight of anything...and, then its usually a sidebet going on as to how close we nail it...all the modern cranes have computers in them to tell the operator exactly how much load he has on his hook....but....this aint work...lol...im just building it from pictures in my mind and a few rough sketches....

[laoutdoorsman]

hooked up my little welder today, and added a center beam...the more i thought about it, figured my floor could use a middle support, just in case..its only a 5 foot 4 inch span, but, now its covered..either way... i didnt do the front "bay"..but its the triangle, and its a lot narrower...thats where my bed will be anyway, so the floor will have some built in support...

thats it really..did a couple test runs on cutting some "half-laps"...thats not my style..too tedious for me.....im gonna figure something else out...thanks for all the suggestions though...(i guess, im just not capable, or dont have the patience....i sooo much rather working with metal...lol)

[TinKicker]

Mike, you're moving a lot faster than I am, but it seems like we both suffer from the same thing...if we had like $5K to throw at this thing we could knock it out in a week or two and be camping. But between paychecks and weather and life getting in the way, it takes so long that we second guess ourselves all the way to the point where the wood's sat there so long it's got moldy like you say and we have to start over and the plans change and the days get shorter and we STILL haven't been camping and it looks more and more like that trip we were going to take "next month when the camper's done" is gonna' really be next year about July 17th and then we're going to be so hot we can't even spit and now I'm out of breath.
Did I say I'm frustrated? That was all for your benefit so that you can realize that you're really doing pretty good, boy.
Don't get discouraged. Gimme' something to look at and shoot for.

[Ageless]

Mike, if you get some 1 X 2s and laminate them with staggered joints, you will achieve the same results

[laoutdoorsman]

thank you ageless...that idea is really on my brain right now...seriously thinking about laminating 1x lumber...i stopped off today to see what 1x lumber is available...not..

the whitewood crap that they have, its junk...twisted, knotted--and the stuff that i have bought to use for temp cleats and what-not--it just splits and cracks when you try to drive a screw thru it...

they have som nice looking syp(southern yellow pine), thats not too expensive...its very heavy..(i stacked 2 8 footers, and compared to an 8 foot 2x....)

i found some really awesome "douglass fir" 1x material...pricy(for my budget), but doable...

didnt buy any today...gotta go into baton rouge tom, so im gonna check an actual "lumber yard" while im there, before i decide....

ive even thought about ripping sheets of 3/4 ply into 1x2s or 1x3s and laminating them...not too sure about that one....???

thanks again...

tinkicker....are you inside of my head?? because what you say, sounds like we are in the same boat....if i had the money, this thing would have been done already...my biggest problem, is i just simply dont have the money to be building a camper..lol

[TinKicker]

Broke and discouraged and yet we persevere...ah, the noble North American camping lunatic!
(No offense to our members overseas...you're lunatics too.)