JDHIV wrote:1...All you did was glue that ACX ply down to the trailer metal???
I sanded down the frame and used PL construction adhesive and clamped it with carriage bolts through the same holes that the original pop-up body was held on with. They are redundant now but will serve as a mechanical backup to the adhesive. They pass through wood blocking in the floor to keep them from distorting the foam.
2...Do you know the weight of that 3/8" ply in a 4x8 size?...I'll need the equivalent of 2 of them to do the base of the floor sandwich.
I've been using 32# for 3/8" and 25# for 1/4". Call your supplier since that varies with species (but not by much). There are also calculators online, like
this and
this.
3...What type of 'mechanical damage' did less-than 1/4" top layer cause? flexing and compression of the foam?
The foam is dented in the traffic areas so the bond between foam and skin has 'popped'. My plan depends on getting as close to 100% contact area as possible, so it needs to be fixed. I could drill a hole, inject a bunch of epoxy and clamp it, but replacing is a better idea in this case. A thicker panel will spread the loading out over a larger area of foam, and higher density foam will take that compression better. A big mistake I made was using beadboard (Korolite) instead of wall board (pink/blue)...I ignored the little voice in the back of my head that was screaming nooooooo, lol.
4...So, overall your floor is just a 3/8" ply glued to the metal trailer "deck"..then to be 1" foam glued on top of that...and then at least 1/4" Ply glued (no screws between ply's?) on top and then some or all of that glassed???...
Yep. Latex contact cement will give me the surface area I need and I'll probably rig up a vacuum bag to squish it all together. I have temporary formers inside right now that maintain the panels' position so I need to get those out before I can deal with the floor...but I need the walls glassed together before I can pull them. Then I can lift the shell off the floor as a unit and sit it beside the trailer while I rework the floor.
...That would eliminate my perceived need for 2x2's running across the trailer's metal X-members and/or having to add more 2x2's to make a full frame.
I'm not saying "do" or "don't", just that I didn't. Loading up the cantilevered edges with pavers showed me I didn't need to on mine. Most folks are using a single layer of ply for the floor instead of a SIP, so I think it's a good idea in that case.
The weight of the camper structure and stuff inside didn't cause flexing of this frame? even at 12" of cantilever?
I don't recall the amount of weight I cantilevered out there, but it was overkill IMO. I used all the pavers and cinder blocks I had, a bunch of 5gal water cans, etc and didn't measure any deflection at all by crawling under it with a level and a tape measure. I stopped when I started getting concerned the thing was going to tip over onto me
5....did you seal any of the ply layers and did you leave any surface of the wood UNtreated so you could later glue the canvas under and to it to finish connecting the walls to the floor? How did you encapsulate this whole floor sandwich (sip?/ sort of torsion box)? I'd assume the bottom ply (ACX) was more protected since it is exposed to the road??
I'm not using any canvas to cover mine, it's all glass and epoxy like Mel (atahoekid) did. Once all the glasswork is done, the structure will be basically and egg within an egg, held a fixed distance apart. I figure I'll use a hard undercoat underneath and on the rocker panels to protect the epoxy from road spray but I'm nowhere near that stage yet.
6...I'll take your advice and go with simple and cheap "mix" and not go with nasty paints and such!
The marine stuff is a lot to spend for no real benefit but, like everything else coming outta my yap, it's JMHO.
how do you become "ruthless with the weight" ???
Pete (pchast) nailed that one, except that I am getting that intense, lol. My build thread is a lot of foam-fevered stream-of-consciousness rambling, but some of the specifics are in there. It's all about weight vs benefit.
I'm happy just to be out camping but my wife is new to camping so I'm building to her comfort level rather than mine. To that end, it had to be a standie with a head and galley and under 1000lb (or as close as I can get). When I say 'ruthless about weight', it's to make sure every decision is made with that in mind, otherwise the weight will inevitably creep up. If I can't tow it with my 4cyl Ranger, I've failed...
To wit: the difference in weight between 1/4" and 3/8" top skins is going to be around 20 lbs...so I'll go with 1/4" and put that 20 lbs 'into the bank'...but not if 3/8" is needed to get the job done.
I'm not sure what you mean by "2x4's butted up perpendicularly against the frame"
I think he's referring to essentially replacing what you've cut away. If it's tight to the frame and glued/screwed into the floor above, you would have to 'stretch' the ply over the frame for it to deflect. The butt edge of the 2X4 is trying to twist the frame itself as it comes under load...which it can't do.
That big thread is a bit of a monster but it's well worth the read
