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I painted bottom and up 1″ on sides all around per the building instruction suggestion . Several thousand miles of use has informed me that painted area is NOT where gravel strikes occur at all. They occur on the front of panels #2. My answer is a padded bra with the clam shell vents looking like, you know, nipples. Its a blue sunbrella halter top – with the halter fastening around the roof fan bezel. Looks and works great. Padding is aluminum covered bubble wrap.
I used the inserts and consider them important. They prevent rainwater intrusion into the teardrop. It is the same concept as a dorade box in boats. The insert prevents water entry from above. Water won’t roll uphill. If you use the CLC method you can’t open your vents in a rainstorm – which is exactly when you want the most ventilation.
I believe it is 4mm (@3/16″)ply. It bends into the mold easily but use caution on the number two panels. Don’t grab them by the edge while bending them into the mold especially about 1/3 of the way from the front: I cracked one at its edge – had to take it out and repair it (glass patch over crack in outside surface. Can’t really notice it in the beautiful in the finished trailer. Don’t be shy; its an easy fix.
I am the one who started this thread then went ahead and installed the charger on the backside of the galley false front anyway (go figure); anyway I have had no problems though it does heat up a bit. I also have a Go Power 120 watt solar panel system which can be set up up to 30 feet from the trailer or clamped to the Thule roof racks when traveling. The problem in Smoky Mountains and Mammoth Caves is finding a campsite that isn’t totally in the shade, but boy does it charge that battery on the road, enough to more than run my Engels electric frig freezer in the tongue box.
The stuck nylon is because you galled the threads (stainless is prone to that. CCuttingthe nut off is the solution. I had the same problem with the 5/16″ carriage bolts spinning in the 3/4″ hoholesThe solution for me was to lock visegrips onto the head of the bolt inside the trailer and then screw the nylon on until it drew the bolt down against the floor. The visegrips is put on the bolt head just at its lip and spins until it runs into the trailer wall. Why did you have to resort to hockey pucks? CLC sent me 1″thick Starboard discs, cnc cut and predrilled.
Well, my high profile fan is all caulked in along with roof racks. And I like it; I like the higher position of the controls sissues.can still turn them fairly easily and most importantly can’t hit and damage them with my head. I painted my bottom white, so that white coordinates well with the elevated fan base. My headliner looks good with the trim ring and recessed controls. Looks really good in my book; in my case it was a good thing those part numbers changed. I don’t think that elevated base alters the teardrop character.
All that said, I realize that tastes vary and celebrate the fact that CLC is swapping out fans for those requesting it. They always go out of their way to satisfy, even and especially aesthetic issues.
Ditto. And you can throw a 3″x3″ glass patch on it, the fair the patch edges when cured. THE PATCH WILL NOT SHOW AT ALL WHEN YOU GLASS TO WHOLE CAMPER. IT WONT SHOW AND THE HAIRLINE BEAUTY MARK YOU HAVE NOW WILL BE KNOWN ONLY TO YOU. Don’t buy another panel. We all break stuff and then fix it nicely and move on. You are going to have a really beautiful camper. Mine has two such (repaired) cracks and looks beautiful.
Well. A glass patch adds the strength back in tension, and is invisible in the finished camper, and doesn’t take any longer. The cement block is merely a flat weight to provide clamping pressure. Nonetheless, since panel 4 doesn’t bend much anywhere , you should be good to go. If you have any trouble with the glue, just take it out and do a glass patch. Only the builder knows about these gremlins; everybody else will admire your teardrop.
I produced two identical cracks in one of my number 2 panels just trying to push/bend it into place in the mold. This is an inherent weakness of three ply okoume especially near the panel edges.
CLC did offer to replace it gratis but I opted to take it out, glass patch it on a flat table with a heavy cement block on it for pressure, and I reinstalled the panel the next day. My teardrop is varnished and you can only see the hairline crack from one foot away and ONLY if you know where to look. Bottom line is the repair came out really well and I highly recommend it especially for the much less prominent number 4 panel.
That said CLC is REALLY good about replacing parts. We all break stuff and mess up at some point but I don’t let it discourage me from my passionate hobby – building CLC boats.
I felt the same way, but I have a cnc machine (shopbot) so I reverse engineered the galley and box and spent $65 in 6mm okuome plywood. from the my local marine plywood guy for each. Can’t do it for anyone else though lest there be a copyrite issue. The special requirements led to designs of my own derived measurements but they look like copies and I do credit John Harris 100% for the concept. I was careful to size my box for my Engel electric frig/freezer, for which I ran power to the box. Will send pictures by email to anyone interested. Unless someone can tell me how to post photos to this site from my android tablet.
Yes SOMDTD Said what I meant. I firmly believe that the advantages are well worth crawling in and out (three trips on the first side one or two trips for the second side in and out through the transom. This method will bake in any twists and the chine angle in the door. I REALLY wish I had thought of it then. There is zero downside other than the trips in and out.
I am probably going to live with it for the time being as my teardrop is otherwise finished and road ready. I did ask John Harris what if anything he would do. I did notice in completion photos posted on this site that other teardrop doors have the exact same two figment problems. For anyone in the earlier stages of construction, I suggest that they glue their door stiffeners in BEFORE they cut their doors out ( accessible by crawling through the open transom. One end is located by copper wire through the cnc drill hole, the other through a hole that you drill yourself with a 1/16″ bit. I wish I had as that would go a long way towards avoiding any spring back that the stiffener glue in problem may contribute to or “bake in”. I hope Mr Harris weighs in, as I believe that the majority of teardrop builders will have some version of this problem.
I also built in a 1 car garage and rolled it over single hand, sliding it over as I did so. Also single handedly lifted it up on cement and styrofoam blocks and slid the Trailex under it, andmdrilled and filled with the Trailex under it.
Mine fit without any hammer blows, but it was very tight. I dropped one side down first and temporarily pulled some copper stitches. For storage I built a shelf into the interior of my transom, about half way between floor and galley flat, it is suspended from the outer two galley flat stiffeners so it does not obstruct the mushroom vents. The shelf stiffened the transom substantially. I’d send a picture if anyone gives me their email address (I can’t figure out how to post pictures on this site).
