Counters

Back to the galley...

I installed countertops and started making the doors for the galley.

Also, I'm figuring out where the 12 volt panel and battery will go.

The electrical panel is from West Marine, it has 3 circuits on it and cigarette lighter that I'll use to plug an inverter into.

Coming along.

Leah

Interior paneling

I found some incredibly thin oak painted paneling at Home Depot that took the curve nicely without breaking.

I should have bought extra paneling because when I went back it was gone.

Now that the inside paneling is in, rigid insulation will be installed in each section of the roof.

Leah

Insulation

Insulation time! This is one of the easiest things to do so far. Rigid insulation is very forgiving, easy to cut & quick to install.

Now, on to skinning the outside with luan...

Leah

Mattress?

That futon that Leah is referring to is affectionately known as "The Lump." It also weighs 458 lbs. Have you ever tried to move a futon mattress? It's kind of like carrying a dead body. Not that I've carried a dead body. Honest.

Amelia

Mattress

I've been on the hunt for a mattress, searching Amazon, looking at reviews, checking teardrop forums...kinda dreading the discomfort of some crappy RV mattress.

But behold! We have a futon mattress that we use as a murphy bed AND it's quite comfortable, actually, very comfortable, AND it's the perfect size - 53" wide x 75" long. Yay!

I'm going to set it up to convert into a couch when we're not sleeping. That saves us about $150, of course I'm sure I need something else, like a pancake compressor.

Now, on to figure out where the dog will sleep in the tiny quarters. The last thing we want is
Stink Breath sleeping with us. Um, no thanks. I have an idea though...

Leah

Galley

This will be the most fun part of building the teardrop, and it will take the longest time.

The drawer fronts are made from a piece of live edge Butternut. The width was a perfect fit. I don't think I'll use this look throughout the build, just the drawers. Although I was contemplating a live edge counter.

I'd rather take my time to stare, plan & think than rush through and mess something up. I'd like to mess something up at slow pace, easier to fix.

There's a lot to consider with such a tiny space. What do we really need? An ice box (it'll be on the lower left side), a camp stove, the almighty french press, a pot & pan, there's definitely head room for a bottle of Grey Goose vodka in those cabinets. Designed around booze, yes indeed.

I ordered a FanTastic vent fan for the roof, should be here next week.

Leah

Teardrops on my Pillow

Um, there's going to be room for my king-sized canopy bed in the teardrop, right? Right?

Amelia

Taking shape

It's starting to look like a little trailer. Now is when you look at it and think, really? it's kinda small... But that's what it's all about, small footprint.

Mistress Amelia came out to the shop to micro manage today. The Tao of Leah says, it is only once you build a tear drop trailer that you can truly micro manage another building a tear drop trailer.

Ok, she wasn't really micro managing...yet. She was just confused about the wee size of it coupled with the logistics of sleeping & the rear galley.

Now I start planning the galley and overhead storage which will take some staring and thinking. Gotta make sure there's enough room for 2 people and a medium sized dog, might be a little tricky, but I'll figure it out.

Floor insulated

The floor is insulated. I'll use polyurethane caulk around each piece.

Now on to drilling holes through the floor so I can attach it to the frame.

Leah

Finally, back to work on Weepy!

I cut the side profiles and doors a few days ago. I used a jig saw for the sides. For the doors I used the circular saw and jig saw. I'll re-use the door waste to create the actual doors later.

Now is when I will do a lot of staring....and staring.....and staring. The planning stage of the inside of the cabin has to be well thought out, like a house. I don't want to add to it later. Build what I want now while it's a shell, that's my mantra right now, build what I want now...

The build plan I bought is a little, well, crappy. I'll use it the way I use most recipes or how-to's, purely for reference. The plan suggests that you don't spend a lot on tools, that you can get by using cheap stuff. Well, I can tell you this, that is just WRONG and you all know it. Save up a bit and get a good new or used drill, a good jig saw, a good tool. The fact is it'll last longer and that's what you want in any purchase, longevity, not el cheap-o.

The Tao of Leah says this, Tools aren't disposable, they're investments. Get what you can afford, not what you can squeak by with.

Think, think, think. Stare, stare, stare.

Leah

My Chairs

And this is where I shall sit.

Amelia

Nasty tar

I cut sheets of plywood to fit onto the floor and screwed them onto the floor frame.

Now on to protecting it from the elements...

Tar is nasty crap indeed, but not much beats it for protecting the underside of the floor. I put on a nice goopy amount with a cheap paintbrush.

I'll be installing 1" foam insulation to the floor after it dries for a bit.

I also mapped out the teardrop sides today, but probably won't be able to work on it again until Monday. - sad face-

Leah

Sheets of plywood

The Aztek is officially dead. Too bad, because it was great for hauling wood, full size sheets of plywood fit in it perfectly.

I had to rent a truck from Lowes today to get the plywood home. Dog was my co-pilot, and it was good.

I got enough wood to build both teardrops. I figure, why not do it? I can sell the small one when I'm done.

Leah

A Tale of Two Trailers

Decks are set up and ready for floors!

Tomorrow I'm off to get a few sheets of plywood.

The fun is about to begin...

Leah

So, I assembled the new trailer and the directions say, flip it over. Ok. I can do that. Not.

It weighs 250 pounds, a lot more than me. But I try anyhow. I flipped it over, but couldn't get it down all the way without dropping it from about 3 feet up. Not a good scene at all. So...........

I used the winch on the Honda Fit, MacGuyver style.

It's times like these when my rock climbing gear comes in handy!

Leah

New trailer is here

The new 5x8 trailer has arrived.

Some assembly required....well, there's my day.

What better way to spend 90 degree day?

Beer. Thank you.

Leah

Rust inhibiting paint time

Here it is, scraped and painted. Very humid here, it took 2 days to fully dry.

The bowed axle is still bothering me. It's mocking me, trying to stare me down.

Now on to replacing all the bolts, nuts & washers. I must say it was a bit of a pain in the ass to find 5/16" nylon stainless lock nuts, Lowes prevailed, but only in stupid small quantity plastic bags of 3 or 5. Who comes up with that shit? Who says, "Hey, let's put odd numbers of things in little bags, won't that be great?!" I slap the person who thought of this, hard, in the face, perhaps more than once.

Lesson learned - galvanized bolts do not fit onto stainless steel nuts.

Leah

Trailer has issues

This trailer has some issues.

It has some rust, fortunately most is just surface rust that some wire brushing & scraping can take care of.

All the bolts need to be replaced with stainless steel bolts.

I'll assume that I need to repack the bearings and just do it.

It's a bit cockeyed. Ok, side note, where the HELL did that saying come from - cockeyed.

The axle looks like it has a slight bow in it. Hmmmm.....

So I'm off to scrape, brush, sand & paint.

Leah

...so it begins

I had already ordered a 5x8 trailer when our friends, Jules & Sara offered up a 4x8 trailer that had been laying around for 7 years or so.

We had to take apart via crowbar, old rusty axe, hammer that had it's head taped on & a stubby screwdriver. Suffice to say we didn't come prepared but, god damn it, we got the job done.

We tore it down to the floor, hitched it up and took back roads through National Forest to get it to our house.

What the hell, I'll make 2 teardrop trailers. Oh, yes, I will.

Leah