[faithie999]

Jake m–when you installed the headliner did you follow the manual’s instruction to use a 1/2″ roundover bit on all the edges?

thanks

ken

 

[faithie999]

I have been pondering the same question, altho I still have a ways to go before the headliner installation.  contact cement is fairly permanent, or at least somewhat destructive to the foam if you try to rip it off.  what about trying Scotch spray adhesive, which I think is a weaker form of contact cement.  people use it to temporarily glue patterns to wood for cutting out pattern pieces.  even though the spray version is “weaker”, the large surface area of the foam pieces relative to their weight might allow the pieces to stay in place until you want to remove them.  my TD is upside down right now while I work on the bottom, but when I flip it later in the week I’ll do a test with a couple of headliner sections.  I really like the idea of a reversible installation.

[faithie999]

thanks.  I have normally been asking Dillon at CLC these kind of questions, but I think he’s busy this week with the in-plant TD class.

[faithie999]

Stevie–glad to know that you only put one coat of epoxy on the bottom.  I had pretty much decided to do the same.  I’m down to 1/2 gal of resin and 1qt of hardener and still have to coat the interior of the cabin, the underside of the hatch, the doors, and the galley module.  I really don’t want to have to buy any more epoxy but I may end up needing to in the end, even without a fill coat on the bottom.

[faithie999]

you’re right–a flush-cut router bit would have been the way to go.  I undercut on one side, but fortunately not enough to show after the 3/8 roundover.

[faithie999]

thanks!  which kind of painter’s tape did you use on the sides, and did you get any black paint seeping under the tape?

I am getting very anal about this.  I don’t want a jagged paint line.  I am thinking about painting the bottom, then after turning it right side up, painting the 1″ overlap on the sides so I’m not fighting gravity, adding to the chances of paint seeping under the tape, although the capillary action at that point is probably stronger than gravity.

(yes, I’m an engineer, and yes, I’m overthinking this).

 

[faithie999]

the sides on my TD extended down past the floor, as well, about 1/4 inch.  after I flipped the TD over to glass the bottom, I used my small circular saw to shave off the 1/4″ excess.  then that provided a flat surface to run my router on.

when I was anticipating cutting the hatches and doors out of the TD, I looked around for a small circular saw that was easy to handle with one hand, and one that I could easily see the blade and the cut line.  I ended up with the Dremel Ultra-Saw.  about $100 at Home Depot.  it comes with 4 blades, one of which is a fine-tooth wood blade which worked great.  it is small enough that I could rest the front end of the foot on the cut line, then slowly plunge the blade exactly on the cut line. thanks to the fine-tooth blade and the fiberglass/epoxy on the shell, there was no chip-out.

for trimming the 1/4″ extra from the sides, I marked a cut line with a sharpie.  I left the sides just a slight amount proud and finished it flush with my orbital sander.

[faithie999]

Stevie–thanks. I’m far enough out from completion that I will order one clamshell vent now from the iboats website and see how it fits and where I want to place it/them.  then I’ll decide on either ordering 3 more or using the mushroom vents I already have.

[faithie999]

Bob–we’ll see what Stevie’s answer is, but I used 3/8″ roundover on the butt block.  the book says 1/2″, but a 3/8 roundover plus 3/8 fillet nicely fit with the 3/4″ thickness of the butt block.  as for a bit, my 3/8 roundover bit assembly with bearing is too long and bottoms out on the top of the underside preventing the bit from coming in contact with the butt block.  so, harbor freight to the rescue. they sell a CHEAP (meaning quality) set of bits that includes a 3/8 roundover with a guide post on the bottom that is short enough so it doesn’t bottom out.  the downside is that for 7.99 the set is high speed steel, not carbide tipped, so you end up burning as well as shaping the wood.  I’ll dress it up a bit with the sander but of course it won’t show.

on the sides, I can use my carbide-tipped 3/8 roundover with bearing.  but as for the front and rear, since the panels angle out from the bottom, the bearing will keep the bit too far away from the edge to get a full 3/8.  I’ll have to finish the roundover with the sander.  I  dare not try to freehand using a bit without a bearing.

good luck getting your camper ready for the ARRL event!

ken

 

[faithie999]

Stevie–which size of the clamshell vents did you use?

thanks

ken

[faithie999]

someone asked about 15″ wheels.  over the years I’ve seen so many small trailers at the side of the road with the hubs removed (burned out bearings) that I wanted to go with the larger wheels to reduce the rpm’s at 70 mph.

I knew that I would not be able to use the stock fenders, but I didn’t think about the wider tires rubbing the frame.  so, I bought a pair of 1.25″ wheel spacers that move the tires out just enough to clear the frame and provide space for fenders.  I purchased a set of fenders, with backs on them, from a local trailer supplier.

however, I didn’t think about the issue of extra height of the galley.  we’ll see how big an issue that is.

 

[faithie999]

I think I will try gluing the stiffeners before cutting the doors out.  if my plan for “clamping” the stiffener using a wooden strap goes bust, I will have time to remove all the epoxy before it begins to set, and do as you did by gluing the stiffeners on immediately after cutting the doors out.

 

[faithie999]

I came up with a solution.  I will use a length of wood as a “strap”, across the stiffener, to hold it in place while the thickened epoxy is curing.  I will use a cleat, like was used to temporarily attach the bottom to the shell, drill 2 holes in it, and thread a length of steel wire through the holes.  then with the cleat on the outside of the shell, I will thread the wires thru one of the cut holes for the door, near the end of the “strap”.  I will use such an assembly on each end of the strap, then tighten the steel wire to hold the strap fast against the stiffener.  should work.  no additional holes needed.

as for where the beveled end of the stiffener contacts the panel 3/4 joint:  I will sand the edges of the fiberglass tape smooth, but I will leave a thin layer of it so as to not weaken the joint.  then I will use an angle finder ($6 from Home Depot for a plastic one) to measure the angle on the inside of the door, at the panel 3/4 joint, and transfer the angle to the end of the stiffener that needs to be beveled.

ken

[faithie999]

Eric–I am glad to find your advice to glue the door stiffener to the door before cutting the door out.  my only question is do you have a suggestion as how to firmly attach the stiffener to the door while the epoxy sets?  obviously clamping is out of the question.  one quick idea I have is to brace the opposite door against the wall of my workshop using 2X4’s, then using a brace inside that bears against the stiffener on one end and against the location on the opposite door where the exterior brace is.

or, I could drill a few 1/16 holes in the stiffener and the door and stitch in several places, but I’ve already fiberglassed the sides (only one coat of epoxy so far, two more to do) and am leery about punching more holes, all of which will show in the finished product.

thanks in advance

ken

[faithie999]

I believe the width of the bottom of the shell is 60″.  the length, measured from corner to corner, is 76″.  the front protrudes another 6″ in the center.

I’m sure you could find a source of aluminum channel and construct your own frame.  you of course would need an axle and leaf springs from a 5X8 or 5X10 trailer. if you end up buying a used axle, I would replace the hub assemblies.  northern tools sells hubs for various-sized axle spindles for a decent price.  15″ wheel/trailer tire combos including shipping can be had for around $80US. I replaced the 12″ wheel/tires that came with the trailer with 15’s.

 

before I found the northern tools trailer, I had planned on visiting all the boatyards in my area to see if I could find a used boat trailer that would accommodate the mounting dimensions that are specified in the manual.  if I had gone that route I would have made sure that the used trailer would have accommodated 15″ wheels.

 

 

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