The Most Thrifty Foam Camper

[oakinteriors1]

D’, just thinking some of that wood may be some good old growth wood ... maybe the reason he saved it .... you could have a gold mine there !!! Use it well !!!

ORB’ , Cute isn’t it, in a rustic way ... I love it too !!! I’m sure you can convince him !!!

Talking about salvaged wood! Look at what was inside old cedar fence pickets....

[GPW]

Oak, that’s just BEAUTIFUL !!! 

[rowerwet]

with solid wood, how light can it be?

[GPW]

Cedar is pretty light ... not as light as foam , but sure Pretty the way Oak’ used it ...

[atahoekid]

That is awesome!!! Thinking about building a stripper kayak. Finding nice salvaged wood like that could save me a fortune in western red cedar lumber and be a much greener alternative. Great job!

[TeriL]

Postby Dirke » 21 Feb 2013, 15:21
We live right on Lake Michigan. There has to be hundreds of old boat trailers around, just have to find one. I have asked everyone I know to be on the lookout. So far I have some leftover flooring that my sister gave me, a couple of billboard tarps from my uncle, and a lots of scrap wood. While I wait for my trailer I am going to try building a storage box for the tongue out of a couple of copy paper boxes (inspired by the box test in the big thrifty thread). I figure I can't start working on the walls until I know what my trailer will look like just in case I have to change my design a bit, so I am going to work on a couple of accessories.

"billboard tarps" hummmm ...

Are those the vinyl types used today? I read a lot of people use these for roof coverings and such. Reportedly good for years of exposure to weather. I have not actually seen one but I suppose they are fabric backed or have a fabric core.

If the faces are vinyl, I wonder if a water based contact cement would be compatible with foam. Anyone? May be a bit of a handful trying to lay it down with contact cement though.

I read some people find them for free and others have to buy them cheap. Anywhoo an idea.

-- Teri

[GPW]

Never heard of billboard tarps .... Wazzat' ???

[Mary C]

I think that I saw one yesterday, It is a piece of vinyl that the image is painted on and then it is stretched on the billboard. apparently the advertisers are no longer painting outside, but rather inside on vinyl or have a huge printer to just print on the vinyl. I will have to check it out !!! I want to say this is just a guess really. Interesting thought

Mary C.

[rowerwet]

it is printed from what I know (had a friend in the business) printed in wide strips then glued up that way, though I've seen some that seemed to be almost like a bag that was shrunk over the bill board. Around here the signs are all digital or those kind made up of vertical triangular slats that rotate (always fun to see when the slats get messed up by the wind and the ad is all broken up and mixed with the other two)

[KCStudly]

Is that anything like the plastic that they use to tarp and winterize boats?

I wonder if that can be shrunk on as a final skin.

[rowerwet]

it sounds cool but unlike the poly fabric used to cover aircraft, it doesn't stick to anything, in a short while on the road it would start to tear apart

[KCStudly]

Okay, thanks. Maybe as a wrap for winter storage?

[rowerwet]

it also doesn't breath, bad news for winter storage and wood...

[rowerwet]

it also doesn't breath, bad news for winter storage and wood...

[Corwin C]

Billboard tarps are usually polyethylene (just like a regular "blue" tarp) but they are coated with a thick vinyl on both sides. The vinyl makes them really durable and smooth surfaced, but HEAVY. The ones that I have are 14' x 70' and weigh over 100#. They have the billboard printed on one side and the other side is usually white or black. There are sleeves on the edges that the installers slide pipes into then they are stretched over the face of the billboard with ratchet straps.

Here's a time lapse video of an install ... careful, the camera motion in this video is a little wild.