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Thread: Strange question

  1. #1
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    Strange question

    I am interested in building a teardrop travel trailer. If you don't know what they are, they are very small, light travel trailers, typically no more than 5'x5'x10' that were popular homebuilt projects in years past.

    My question of you boatbuilders is this. I don't want to build one out of plywood/aluminum. Do you think it would be feasible to build one from cedar strips and fiberglass? My thought is that, if it's strong and durable enough for a canoe, it ought to be good for a travel trailer. Would it be cost prohibitive?

    Thanks.
    Andy Margeson
    oregonwoodworker.blogspot.com

  2. #2
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    are we talking about a cedar/ fiberglas frame or a body of fiberglas

  3. #3
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    If you are willing to consider a metal frame/plywood floor and incorporating a few "bulkheads" and cabinetry, along with some frames (curved or rectangular) to help hold the shape I think you could build a beautiful structure this way. Why not? West System? I don't venture a guess as to cost but it will be a long summer project.

  4. #4
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    My concept was a welded steel trailer frame and plywood floor. The sides and top would be "sandwiches" with baltic birch plywood on the inside, 2x2's with foam insulation and cedar strips/fiberglass on the outside. These trailers typically have a bulkhead at around 6'6" so there is space for a mattress in front of it. I know absolutely nothing about strip and fiberglass construction and wanted to know whether you think it is even feasible before pursuing it. Sure would look nice.
    Andy Margeson
    oregonwoodworker.blogspot.com

  5. #5
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    Well Andy, you've got some studying ahead of you but your project certainly has merit.

  6. #6
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    I got one or two question, do you need thick cedar strips so that they will not crack while on the highway at high speed travel or would thin strips hold up better , do you think that someone that builds fiberglass boats could help

  7. #7
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    Having built a Cedar strip canoe I think it would be strong enough especially with the sandwich method you propose. If you pick the right strips og wood it can be gorgeous! Use treated plywood for the floor.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by ray hampton View Post
    I got one or two question, do you need thick cedar strips so that they will not crack while on the highway at high speed travel or would thin strips hold up better , do you think that someone that builds fiberglass boats could help
    You could have one layer be of 1/8" or 1/4" ply (marine ply would be overkill but likely the best option as there is product made for this kind of construction). The ply layer would add lots of dimensional stability. Then I am out of my league for good info. My experience is with old world techniques, so yes do some research, including talking to some pros. I think a road worthy trailer will require some structural considerations that a curved hull boat would not, but I'm not saying for sure...

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sam Murdoch View Post
    You could have one layer be of 1/8" or 1/4" ply (marine ply would be overkill but likely the best option as there is product made for this kind of construction). The ply layer would add lots of dimensional stability. Then I am out of my league for good info. My experience is with old world techniques, so yes do some research, including talking to some pros. I think a road worthy trailer will require some structural considerations that a curved hull boat would not, but I'm not saying for sure...
    I were thinking about the stress from wind and the pavement being uneven, I suffer from ADD and tend to built items too heavy

  10. #10
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    Steve Frederick a member here, has built a few teardrop trailers one with a strip roof. Here is a link to his webpage on the build.

    http://www.campingclassics.com/stripper.html
    Gary

    "It is neither wealth nor splendor, but tranquility and occupation which give happiness. " Thomas Jefferson

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
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    Marietta GA
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    Here's another wood products based tiny trailer url.

    http://www.thesquidget.com/faq.html

    Enjoy!

  12. #12
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    If you aren't so attached to the wood look, you could use a polyester resin and paint over a wood substrate. Polyester is much much cheaper than epoxy resin.

    Ryan

  13. #13
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    Thank you all for the many helpful suggestions and links. Just what i was looking for.
    Andy Margeson
    oregonwoodworker.blogspot.com

  14. #14
    You can certainly do it. Keep in mind that the classic teardrop is a shape designed for it's ease of manufacture out of sheet goods. Strips exist mainly for making complex curves, marine ply would make more sense, you could come up with all kinds of decorative effects. In fact it doesn't need to be marine. Marine ply exist to deal with constant immersion without encapsulation. If you encapsulate with resin glass, you can use paper. So you can use a variety of veneers, etc... to suit your desires. A lot of small strips kinda get busy at times.

    There are a lot of guys who make teardrops, but Butler's comes from the boatbuilding side. If nothing else it shows that boat inspired ply construction works. He has been working on a teardrop look trailer for a while.

    http://www.butlerprojects.com/other/camp_pod/index.htm

  15. if you would go for polyester as an building material you should let go of wood altogether because it doenst stick to wood much. Under stress it could easily lose cohesion. Personally i think you could build an rounded wooden frame and then attach a woven glasfiber mat to it. Im unsure about the english term for the type you should use but it's not an plain woven mat but the mat is woven like a L shape. This is the type of mat that is the most easy to apply to small radius.

    adding an glasfiber outer shell would potentially increase the stiffness of the material a lot. Applying an cloth of the type i described above with an weight per square meters of about 300g would still allow you to see the wood grain beneath if you get all the air out. However applying it to rounded surfaces could be a little bit to much as a first project to get the hang of it. If you are really thinking about this i would reccommend some practice on flat surfaced first. and remember the framework should have good rounded edges or else it will be impossible to get the cloth around it. it is better to apply 2 layers of approx 150gr/m2 than one of 300g/m2

    good luck!

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