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Yeah, that’s a good point. I like some of the modifications others have done to put a knob on the threaded rod so it can be adjusted from inside the cabin rather than spinning the cap externally.
On a related note, I’m going to be cutting the holes for my vents in the next day or so. Did you install all 4 vents? Did you put the front two on per the manual? I’ve seen others complain of leaks and someone moved them to the sides of the cabin. You mentioned using plugs when traveling; have you had any water issues with the front two vents?
-mike
I don’t have an extra but I was looking at possibly picking one up to vent a battery box. I found this on Amazon which looks just like the CLC one but I can’t say for sure:
You might want to contact CLC as well. They may sell you just one.
-mike
Ugh, that really stinks. I started to look into battery options and lithium ion is really expensive in any reasonable size. Like 5 to 10x more expensive than lead acid. I was thinking it might be nice to use a few smaller lithium batteries with an easy way to swap them out. So for a weekend trip maybe get by with one or two and rotate them. Something like: http://amzn.to/2ikNrBI
Another option is to mount the battery on the underside of the trailer as others have done. You’ll need to figure out how to waterproof it and protect it from road debris but at least it would be putting stress on the flat.
Slightly off topic, this is at least the second galley flat failure I’ve seen in the forum. I noticed that in the latest Waterlust build video it looked like they glassed the flat. I don’t recall seeing that in the manual but now I’m thinking that at least tape on the inside seams would be a good idea if not glassing the entire flat and bringing it up a few inches on the sides and back. Thoughts?
-mike
Interesting ideas. I was thinking you could use the same mechanism as the doors and have bars that run off to either side and catch under the gutter. Then you would have a single handle in the middle, with a lock, that actuates the bars to clamp on either side. So basically just like the doors but horizontal rather than vertical articulation.
-mike
@faithie999 Which approach did you end up going with? Any advice on the install? I’m most likely going to be installing hinges this weekend and I have them drilled and filled but haven’t reopened the hing pin holes yet.
Thanks,
-mike
I like the idea of using a flush cut bit to square it up but why not wait until you flip the unit upright, trace the square on the top of the hatch using the fan or the spacers as a guide, then cut 1/4″ inside the line. Then you can glue on the spacers using clamps with the 1/4″ overhang and clean it up with the router, rasp, or sand paper?
My concern with trying to glue it in place while upside down is that it will want to slide when you put the weight on it. You could probably put something in there to wedge it in place but it seems easier to use your clamps and give yourself a 1/2″ of play (1/4″ on all sides) when cutting the hole.
-mike
You could mount it on or in the tongue box and then run a duct that attaches to a front mushroom vent. Then the noise could be in the box and you don’t need another hole in the camper.
-mike
First, I think your galley flat is upside down. Double check the manual but you want the side with the cut grove facing down, into the galley while the side with the stiffeners facing up.
As for the gap, I think mine was a little tighter but nothing perfect. My non-expert advice is to put masking tape on the side walls below the top edge of flat (on the galley side) to catch any thickened epoxy that squeezes through. Then put down a small bead of very thick epoxy to just fill the gap and level it with a scraper. Don’t force a bunch in there, just enough to bridge the gap on the top side to give you a solid surface. Let that mostly set (a couple of hours) and then put down the full bead with a fillet. Once you flip the shell and cut the galley hatch open you can fill the rest of the gap with thickened epoxy without a risk of it squeezing through. You’ll find some other posts in the forum where people kept trying to fill that gap on the first fillet but what happens is the epoxy squeezes out the other side and sticks to the walls in the galley never to be removed.
As for the stitch holes on the flat, they may be for the quarter panels but I can’t remember off the top of my head. Flip forward a few pages in the manual and read through how the quarter panels and transom are attached so you get an idea of how those will relate to the galley flat. The gap between the flat and the hatch stiffener doesn’t matter too much because they won’t be attached to each other once the hatch is removed (that’s why you covered it in tape) but you want to make sure the quarter panel can touch the edge of the flat and the edge of the shell when it is attached. You can hold that in place now to get an idea of how it is going to go together.
-mike
I had the same question. I also did the drill and fill method but I haven’t re-drilled the thickened epoxy filled holes yet. Given that the original hinges were already pre-drilled I was thinking that I could just drill them out in the center of the filled hole to get back to how they came originally (but now with the epoxy ring in the hole). I haven’t tried this yet because I wanted to see the tolerances of the hinge tabs and slots first.
I’m definitely curious what others or you end up doing.
-mike
Wow, that’s some dedication! I ended up getting a portable AC unit which helps a lot. At a minimum it cuts the humidity a lot. Right now I have it running off an extension cord as faithie999 suggested and I have an electrician coming out next week to trench a new circuit (and a water line) to the detached garage.
Heat is definitely one of the biggest challenges I’m having with the project but I’m hoping that gets a little better as fall approaches.
-mike
I’m not an expert at all but I didn’t even notice those notches near the puzzle joint when I put my bulkhead in so I’m guessing mine wasn’t completely flush with the tape/shell. Given that you’ll be gluing the bulkhead to the shell with thickened epoxy my opinion is that the notch doesn’t really matter (gap or not) other than to help you line up and make sure the bulkhead is seated properly.
One thing to look at, which I didn’t realize until later in the build, is that the floor panels have two notches in them on the outside edge to receive the feet of the bulkhead (the two small ends now sticking up in the air). You’ll want to make sure you seat the bulkhead so those feet are even on both sides and aligned with the stitch holes. You only have about an 1/8th of inch forward and back on those feet.
From your second picture it looks like the foot on the left is higher than the foot on the right. You may want to sand the notch, or the entire left edge, to get that to sit evenly across the two sides. The feet won’t be even with the bottom of the shell (the part now in the air) but should be set back evenly to allow the floor to drop into the notches on the shell.
-mike
Thanks for the info. I decided to put the top hatch on before another coat of epoxy so I still have time to give these methods a try this week.
-mike
I heard back from Dillon at CLC and he said that from the pictures it doesn’t look like a structural issue so that’s good news. Our best guess is that it was some combination of:
- Epoxy starting to cure in the heat
- Moving too fast and not fully saturating the two bottom layers of glass
- Moving the roller too quickly and introducing micro air bubbles into the epoxy that made it cloudy
He said my two options were to
- sand off 4 inches from each side of the seam and lay consecutive layers of new glass to slowly expand out over the seam and overlap the remaining glass
- live with it
- use it as an opportunity for a creative stripe of paint on the seam
Given the amount of time and possibility for mistakes with option 1, I’m going to see how it looks at the end and then get creative!
On the electricity side, I agree that running another circuit usually isn’t a big deal but my garage is detached about 30 feet from the house so I have to trench and bury the line. Not an impossible task but not something I would look forward to in the middle of summer. There are some jobs worth paying someone to do.
-mike
Thanks for the feedback. Luckily I only ended up with 2 small air bubbles about an 1/8th inch in diameter on the entire shell so I’m not sure if it is worth trying to fix them. I’ll get some better pictures and email CLC this evening.
Ironically I had an electrician out to the house the other day to get a quote on running a subpanel to the garage so I can put AC in. Right now I’m running on a single circuit which is pushing it for AC, lights, and tools. So the $150 AC might cost me 2K for an electrician but it has been on the punch list for a while.
Thanks for the info about blush. I’ll give the vinegar a try to see if it makes any difference.
-mike
