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Tagged: improvments, mistakes
- This topic has 4 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 3 months ago by Cabreraw.
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July 1, 2021 at 10:50 pm #3713DanielParticipant
Hey folks,
I am starting this topic, hopefully, to help out the future builders avoid/improve some of the building steps, so please add on.
For example, what I would do different if I was to build another camper:
– I would put galley hatch stiffner(s) before installing the galley flat – I assume this would avoid the galley hatch to warp outwards.
– I would not use a jigsaw to cut the galley hatch – the blade had hit the galley back wall and made some unsightly gauges.
– I would install all hinges before cutting out the doors/hatch – make couple of inches long cuts in the hinge areas, install hinges, to ensure best orientation and alignment, then finish cutting out the doors/hatch. When I installed my hinges, one of the piecs ended up a bit out of alingment, so now one of the doors is a bit crooked.
– I would install the door stiffners on the doors before cutting out the doors, to avoid too much of the bowing out of the doors. I would do this before installing the transom.
July 2, 2021 at 5:56 pm #3715jbParticipantDaniel,
I did some of the different things you mentioned after I found a lot of good suggestions by prowling through these forums while I waited for my kit to arrive. I think having them compiled in one place could be helpful. I started my own list based on what I actually did and what I later wish I did. It is here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P6cihcK_JuG2kd2YQ_8NA3aZuVqAtOObYdxDWJrXjJQ/edit?usp=sharing
I compiled it with the idea of being able to add notes into the hymnal/manual so I included page numbers which indicate the last point at which you’d need to decide which option to take. I’ll have more to add as I continue my build.
- This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by jb.
July 3, 2021 at 8:04 am #3717DanielParticipantJB,
The document you share is locked, I cannot access its content.
Would you please copy and paste its content here, to make it easy to read.
Thanks,
July 3, 2021 at 11:17 am #3720jbParticipantDaniel, I fixed the permissions, sorry about that. The link should work now for anyone and I’ve changed it so anyone can add comments. If anyone would like to be able to add content (beyond comments), please send me your Google account address and I’ll give you edit rights. I’m pasting the text below for reference but it’s going to lose the spreadsheet layout.
page
note
160
1/2″ roundover on galley flat (see p. 259) can be done with router before gutter riser is installed.
152
A fine tooth plywood blade for a trim saw quickly dulled on the fiberglass and epoxy. Use something more durable (carbide tips)Manual recommends putting tape on mold. This should be more than a recommendation – a requirement.
118-150
Many builders have reported problems with the doors flexing and have recommended installing the door stiffeners and additional fiberglass on the interior of the doors before they are cut out.
-85
Many builders have reported problems with the galley hatch flexing. Supplemental stiffeners and fiberglass on the interior must be installed before the galley flat is installed.
-85
If any part of the shell is to be bleached, care must be taken to seal any interior holes and surface perimeter with epoxy to prevent bleach from penetrating and bleaching the inside surface (if it is to be left visible).
-100
Route 1/2″ roundover on buttblock (p. 194) before attaching to bottom panel
158
Cut hatch hole to the inside of the marked area to provide some extra support for hatch. When cut at the center line, the hatch is barely supported with less than 1/16″ on each edge. See note for p. 176.
176
Be careful to not remove too much material when beveling the edges of the hatch bezel. If you remove too much, it can make the bezel too small to rest stably around the hatch opening in the shell. See note for p. 158.- This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by jb.
July 3, 2021 at 3:31 pm #3722CabrerawParticipantNot cut the wire stitches too close when removing the mold from camper shell that I can try to heat them up possibly with a battery or torch to pull them out of epoxy.
I ended up cutting them close with a nail clipper and sanding them smooth. Would’ve been cool to try to remove them instead. -
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