Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

On the doors you could add a flap on the outside of one door that overlaps the edge of the other. Some of our home kitchen cabinets have this feature, except the flap is on the inside. Other than having to get used to opening both doors when you want just the one, it works okay.

I'm not sure what I am seeing re: your other concerns, so...

Hi Jst83/Scot,

Since you seem to be planning a little reworking this winter before
you canvas the TD body, I have a suggestion for your edges where you
need a water/dust seal...

I don't know if this will work or not, but why not look into some of the
PVC "boards" they sell for exterior house trim ? I don't have personal
experience with it - just from what I've seen on DIY TV shows etc. -
but I understand it comes in dimensions compatible with the usual wood
nominal sizes and sheet good dimensions. They can be worked with normal
woodworking tools from what I understand.

Here is a link to the first manufacturer that came up on a Google search:
http://www.certainteed.com/products/trim/trimboards
Plus another manufacturer's web site:
http://www.azek.com/azek-trim/
http://www.azek.com/azek-adhesive/
http://www.azek.com/azek-to-mill-atm

They are made from a PVC foam and edges are sealed etc. Some is even
'millable'. It looks like there are multiple edge designs - "Js", flanges etc. -
that could be used to your advantage as pre-made rabbet edges for the
areas that you need to apply seals to and the edges to close against those
weather seals - like a face frame with rabbeted overlapping edges on the doors.

I'd assume that you could glue them to the existing PVC frame openings
you have, or maybe insert new frame openings into the existing PVC
body framework. One possible method would be to rip the PVC board
to 1 or 1&1/2 inches and use a coving bit in a router to cove the edge that
would be placed against the round PVC framing sections - this would give
a much stronger gluing surface connection. That'd give you square edges around
the hatch and door and window openings, that would then allow you to use
corresponding squared door, window and hatch edges which would allow
you to apply weather-stripping and achieve a good seal.

You'd just have to experiment a little to see if it would work, but I really can't
see any reason why it would not. Also, I don't know the structural strengths
of these boards, but your method of inserting galvanized conduit inside the round
PVC framing members [do so in the round PVC around the openings] should also
thus reinforce the relatively small section square edges that you'd be gluing to
the round PVC members. I also don't know the cost, I assume it may have a more
premium price, but you won't really need a large amount to accomplish your needs.
It'd probably be a case of the "right" material to use for your needs and save you time
and effort as well.

Just an idea that may work for your situation and needs with the "DDG -
the DuckDuckGoose" build.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

Sealing seams /openings .... How about some duct tape ?

All this talk about pvc pipe used as framing material has really interested me. My last sail mast and spars were made out of pvc with electrical conduit inside.
Because of the stresses imposed on the rigging under sail, I filled the interior of the conduit with Great Stuff Foam Spray. Maybe overkill, but the mast and spars have held up great.

Scott, my handle on my igloo picnic basket ice chest broke while at CRA and you just gave me an idea to save it I can build a frame of PVC and use foam and can make handles for it and keep it cooler. Thanks

Mary C.

Wow.... I wish I had known about this sheet pvc before I built my teardrop. I can't imagine how much money I would have saved. Even if it cost a couple hundred a sheet, it still would have been cheaper than plywood core, marine grade plywood skins, foam insulation and fiberglass covering. No worries about waterproofing as long as your seams are sealed up ( well.....even if it leaks it won't rot, right?? the worse you'll get is wet clothes or bedding). And the real beauty is that it comes in lengths up to 20' so I wouldn't have had to splice anything for my 9-1/2' walls. I swear, this could be the new revolution in teardrop and small trailer building. Plus, since it's bendable when heated you could take a 3/8" thick piece, heat it up and bend it over your roof curves. Man..... I didn't think I wanted to build anything else but this stuff is getting me excited. Beee-uu-tiful.

Becky it is amazing, Your TD is beautiful and I know you are proud of it but you may want to do a little experimenting and make a light weight 4 ft wide weekender just for fun, you will get your money out of it if you want to sell it, just think thrifty and you don't have to have everything perfect. Make your challenge "thrifty" and "experimental" Something to keep you busy for the winter.

Mary C.

Seeing this build has gotten my gears going.

First, I'm not planning on a duct tape coating though

Using PVC tubing for a frame makes a lot of sense. It would be easy to setup a hot cutter with a radiused blade to scallop the ends of the insulation panels so that they fit snug around the tubing. That would give more surface contact making the trailer more rigid. I wonder what adhesive would bond them???

Could the PVC be cut and glued/welded like roll cages on race cars? That would smooth out the areas where there are fittings. If the connection/weld isn't strong enough it would make the case for using fittings though.

Skin the whole works with PVC sheeting...and...no rot!

The sheeting would make the whole works into one piece because of the large glue surfaces available. Screwing/riveting sheeting like wood or metal makes for a different connection.

With some planning the tubing will double as electrical chases. Nice and tidy.



Tom

Treeview wrote:First, I'm not planning on a duct tape coating though

I didn't either, plan to canvas cover this spring if it ever gets here.

Treeview wrote:Could the PVC be cut and glued/welded like roll cages on race cars? That would smooth out the areas where there are fittings. If the connection/weld isn't strong enough it would make the case for using fittings though.
Tom

Maybe a pin between the joints like a dowl that fit's inside the tubing rather than the tubing inside the fittings. PVC does allow for some interesting shapes, I've been learning how to bend it with sand and a heat gun.

Thanks for pulling up this thread I realized I didn't post finished pics in this thread as I start the remodel I'll up date it.





I had to put the cast iron on the front and then tie it down because everytime I slid the cooler out of the galley it tipped, after that when I camped I put a bottle jack under the back.

Just baught my first gallon of glue and have the canvas for the one side, I figure I'll pick it up a little each check and by warm up when my knee is better I'll be able to hit it hard and have it done by the first gathering the middle of May. I found 60" canvas for 5.75 a yard in the fabric section of the Walmart one town over, our Walmart doesn't have a fabric dept. now to figure out the canvas for the top. So thoughs that have used a large canvas tarp say from HD how do the seams run in them and how many seams per tarp?

Scott, try Big Duck Canvas... they have good quality and good prices ... no seams either...

Still thinking PVC is the “new wood” for trailer framing ... No Rot , uniform density... and the possibility of many new innovations ... like hinging with a pipe in a pipe... Many possibilities ...
For joining you could glue a dowel in the end (PVC glue) , then cope to suit , drill and screw... so simple , just a new idea ...like making a motorcycle frame , but easier to work the tubing ... something like a HF coping tool (cheap) and the right size hole saw would eat through PVC and wood very quickly ... That and bending , and you could make any shape you want ... Framing , doors , hatches...

Ok I weighed the tear today on a whem while brining it home frome temp storage.
OMG I have a foamie weighing in at 1,120 Lb and I'm not even done with it I started adding the cabnets inside today and the hardwood paneling and I still have to canvas the outside. I might have the record for the heaviest foamie build

Here's a pic from our Small gathering a couple weekends ago.

Started working on the new door knobs before the final canvas, I'm gonna do the same thing opposite the knob for the door latch catch. I'll glue in the wood then run screws through the pvc into the wood as added streangth. I'm pretty happy with the outcome so far.






Also started working on the inside cabinets for the drawers and TV, the top section will be devided into three sections right and left side will be cabinets for the galley and the center section will hold the tv, DVD player and the digital tv conveter

I would guess that your way more than required frame is most of that weight. That frame is a beast. I wonder what the bare frame weighed?

Never thought of weighing it, it was free so I just built up. When I tore down the last one I used the same floor on this one