Mid-Trip Reassessment

We headed south from Sugar Island, Michigan, and as we did, we were met with lots and lots of heavy rain.  The Carpe Diem pulled well; we ended up taking two lane freeways the last half.  Our destination was Columbus where we were staying the night with Erica's brother and family.  We woke up this morning and went out to grab some laundry to wash and found a very unwelcome development...

The marine fabric that was on top of the floor in the bed area of the teardrop.

The first thing I noticed was that the bedspread was wet.   Upon further inspection, I saw that not only was the bedspread wet, the mattress cover was completely soaked.  I pulled the bedspread out and soon saw that under the mattress the marine fabric was also completely soaked.  

The foam of our mattress.

After pulling out the mattress and the marine fabric, I found the problem.  We knew that there was a small problem with the floor under the doors.  There seems to be some kind of bowing of the plywood floor that pulls it away from the metal frame of the walls.  I had jacked the frame up earlier and then bolted through the bowed wood before I caulked and weatherproofed the side walls.  Over time, the bolts pulled out of the wood and the 'gap' opened again.  Unfortunately, the rains penetrated the gap and the marine fabric and the mattress pad simply absorbed and wicked the moisture up from the bottom of the floor.

After removing the marine fabric from the floor.

The gap, look at the space between the silver sheet metal screw and the black wood floor.

I went to Menard's and picked up several tubes of caulk, some backer rod and a remnant of linoleum and necessary adhesives.  I've decided that the marine fabric is not the best material to use for my flooring.  Of course, I kind of knew this, but I didn't see a 'need' to do so until now.  Thankfully, I was able to purchase a small remnant that will fit very well for our use.  

I removed the old caulk and backer rod.  Then, I added a layer of caulk in the gap and then inserted the backer rod into it.  After an hour or so, I added another layer of caulk and some more backer rod.  In all, I probably have an inch of 'caulk' in the gap with the backer rod.  I am planning to cut the linoleum a little wider than the flooring so that I can use it to bridge the gap in the frame/floor.  I am hopeful that the linoleum will protect the mattress from any moisture that might possibly get in.  I can't imagine that any moisture will make it through the incredible amount of material I put in there today, but you never know.

The aluminum flashing at the top of the neoprene rubber rock guard needed to be re-glued today.

Somehow, quite miraculously, the small piece of aluminum that is at the top of the neoprene came unglued and landed in the basket.  So, since I was caulking, I cleaned up the area and re-glued the piece of aluminum.  We are hopeful that this will prevent any water from seeping down under the neoprene layer.  

The linoleum remnant has a wood grain look.  I cut it a little wider than the mattress to allow for some overlap of the metal.

Looking at the linoleum in this view, it makes me think about the storage boxes on the floor; it would have been slick to have the linoleum down to create a water-tight layer.  

The linoleum cut very easily with a razor knife.

I used a straight edge to cut the 'lids' to the storage boxes.  For now, I'm just going to leave the marine fabric on the 'lids.'  I will switch them out when we get home.

I think it looks pretty nice!

My next step was to add yet another layer of caulk to the edges.  I pulled up the linoleum along the edges to let the caulk dry overnight.  Like I said, I'll replace the marine fabric on the lids when we get home.  I am thinking about not using the adhesive that is usually used in a household application.  I think the heavy duty contact cement should be just fine. 

While we were on the first couple of legs of our journey, we made a list of 'additions' or improvements we wanted to make to the Carpe Diem.  Some of them are practical, some of them are creature comforts, some of them are fun things to do.  Here is the list up to now:

1. Add hat hooks (possibly use velcro to hold the hooks).
2. Make a square 'key' for locking the locks inside the cabin.
3. Come up with some kind of system for pulling up the triangle brace.
4. Velcro corners on the curtains
5. File down bolts on the door locks.
6. Re-do the driver side door lock (not matching up properly).
7. Glue driver side cup holder back in place.
8. Side table or folding table to hold stove and a space to work and prepare meals.
9. Fresh scent for inside the cabin (lavender oil or air freshener?)
10. Remove and vacum the vent screen and window screens.
11. Cover the door hinges in the same rubber used on doors.
12. Trivet for putting hot pots while cooking.
13. Add tea and sugar to our supplies; both regular and decaf.
14. Spoon rest for cooking.
15. Salt.
16. Clorox wipes.
17. New Stove (propane; our Coleman is not optimum for cooking).
18. Propane (we saw someone who kept their propane tank in a milk crate for ease of moving it around and being able to lash it to the cargo basket).
19. 12" extension for the tow tongue (We learned that the cargo basket cuts down on our turning radius an awful lot!)
20. Crock Pot: if there is 120 volt power we could use it to cook a meal while we are away, or if needed we could use the inverter in the cabin.
21. Crossword puzzles/word finds.
22. Mancala Game.
23. Cribbage (we want to learn how to play.)
24. Cards
25. Electrical Tape
26. Duct Tape
27. Random electrical connectors.
28. Screwdrivers
29. WD-40
30. Carabiners (the two 'hooks' we used to hold the chains in place were bent and broken during travel.)
31. Fly Rod and associated gear.
32. Assorted Rubbermaid containers to store food in the cooler and prevent it from becoming contaminated from water, etc.  Also to put ice in to help ice last longer.

Just a 'few' things to add to the Carpe Diem!

We are planning to head south tomorrow morning to drop our children off with their other grandparents for a few days.  Erica and I are going to revisit our College Alma Mater, Ohio University.  We haven't been there together in over 15 years.  We look forward to spending some time in the place where we fell in love.  

Galley Work

Very busy family weekend.  Only had time to put in some of the headliner in the galley on Saturday.  I think it looks awesome!  However, I'm not sure if it is the right material to have there.  It cleans easily, is mildew and rot resistant, but I am going to think on whether or not it is the best for this use.

As I said, it was a very, very busy family weekend.  I did get another section of headliner installed; the section where your feet rest is now insulated and carpeted.  It looks terrific.  My camera does not do well in the low light conditions in the cabin right now.

We had lots of the burnt orange paint left over from our basement remodel, so I decided to paint the plywood.  I had treated the 'back' sides with Thompson's Water Seal, and had originally 'stained' the wood in natural stain.   I was hoping for the nice 'color' that comes with birch plywood.  Because I only used 'pine,' I was unhappy with the grain and color with the natural stain.  I 'anchored' the wood to the aluminum using 3/4" stainless steel screws from the inside of the cabin.

I also completed the installation of the insulation and headliner at the 'foot' of the cabin.  I've discovered that if I 'wrap' the fabric over the insulation, it looks really nice.  Also, the insulation, when installed, hid all the screws. 

Another project that I did complete was making the 'box' to hold the cooler.  This box will be mounted with a full 'pull out' drawer slide.  It's coming together nicely.

Saturday

My Wingman, Jim Tingey was back for a status update today.  He helped me jack up the teardrop in order to anchor the edges of the plywood floor which needed to be bolted together.  We also completed the bulkhead installation of the green treated board.

Next, I measured and cut the first piece of headliner for the floor.  Simply placing it on the floor of the teardrop immediately made a huge difference!  The whole space was more 'finished' and pleasant.  Unfortunately, I had to remove the storage boxes and start over with the aluminum trim.  I was too eager to have the floor boxes in place and realized that with the headliner on the floor, I would need to re-do the aluminum edging.  Nonetheless, it looks much, much better.  I didn't use any contact cement yet.  It's too cold and I'm weighing the benefits of the material I have.  I may end up returning the gallon of contact cement and going with a spray adhesive from 3M.  I'm researching that for a later date.

In addition to 're-doing' the trim, I decided to anchor the boxes to the frame with some of the left over aluminum angle material that was left over from removing the galley.  I screwed the angle to the frame and then screwed the boxes to it.  This is a much more secure way to do the floor boxes anyway.  I should have done it that way in the first place. Well, I should say, I tried to do this.  I need to invest in some jacks to get the trailer up in the air, even a few inches will greatly increase my ability to work on it.  I plan on picking a set up from Harbor Freight tomorrow.

I showed the door hardware and the ventilation fan to Jim.  He was impressed with the fan!  One thing I discovered, kinda by accident, is that the fan's blades are clear which allows you to be able to 'see' the stars through the vent!  I'm thinking about where to place the vent in order to take advantage of this awesome design feature.

I may go ahead and cut the opening for the ventilation fan tomorrow.  It would be nice to have the additional light in the cabin while I'm working on it; plus this would motivate me to get the other electrical work started.


I started measuring the cabin for the foam that I plan to install.  I turned to Sketchup again to help me with figuring out my materials.  The end result is pretty cool, take a look:

Above you can see the 4 x 8 sheets with all the individual sections marked out.  My plan, at this point is to install the headliner on the individual pieces of foam and then install the pieces.  By doing this, I should eliminate the need for large sheets of headliner to be installed.  That's the plan at this point.

I'm getting ahead of myself.  The galley needs to be at least roughed in completely before I can start installing the electric.  

Half Day

Today I took the Illinois certification test for the Library Information Specialist position I have been working to complete.  I have one more class after this semester and then I'm done.  The test allowed for five hours and began at 7:15 a.m.  Not the way I usually like to start my Saturday, but it did get me up and moving.

After a refreshing nap, I crawled under the teardrop and marked the dimensions of the frame's support beams.  I did this with the intention of creating two storage areas in the floor of the teardrop.  Ultimately, I had hoped to store the spare tire, jack, etc. in them.  In the end, the darn spare tire would not fit.  I guess I'm glad I've spent the time, energy and money to make the storage areas, but I was very frustrated that the tire did not fit.

My first attempt at the storage bin was 12" deep.  It seemed too deep even before I installed it.  I ended up taking it all apart and trimming it to about 6".  That seemed visually to look a lot better.  Below you can see it as a 12" bin.

Here are the two bins after being coated with Thompson's Water Sealant; the back bin was created on an angle to make room for the axle.  Both bins are about 6" deep.

Tomorrow I will caulk and install the two boxes, make their lids and install the aluminum flashing around them.  I think the spare tire is going to end up being mounted in some way up on the tongue like you can see in this image.  Another project I want to get done tomorrow is installing the green treated wood in the bulkhead area and measuring and making a template for the mattress. 

Ripping Out the Galley

Today was a productive day!  I started by drilling out all the rivets on the hinge; all 60 of them!  This is what my drill bit looked like when I was done!  You can see the 'head's of the rivets on the drill bit.  The drill bit 'pops' off the rivet head and then you finish drilling it out to 'open' up the hole.

 Once the hinge was removed, I was able to take the hatch off.  Putting the hatch aside, I was then able to start drilling out the rivets that held the cabinetry in place.  I decided to take all the rivets out that were attached to the aluminum skin of the sides of the teardrop.

Then, I got Medieval on the cabinets.  My five pound sledge provided just the right amount of persuasion.  What needed additional persuasion was soon tamed by my reciprocating saws demolition blade. 

Thankfully, I managed to 'pop' a lot of the rivets and thus I didn't have to drill out all of the ones in the 'back' of the galley.

After deep cleaning the aluminum, I was able to spray the hatch and galley with the same paint as inside the cabin.

Hatch before:

Hatch After:

My wingman, Jim Tingey, came by today.  We spent most of our time talking through different design ideas.  I wanted to cover the front of the teardrop (the 2' above where the teardrop meets the frame) with diamond plate.  The reason for this would be to fix up some cosmetic concerns.  We figured out that the teardrop was installed on the present trailer frame and in doing so had to be retrofitted; hence the need to cover up some cosmetic issues.  The diamond plate was going to cost quite a bit; I had several estimates from local manufacturers and one from Pittsburgh, PA.  Jim's idea was to try something slightly out of the ordinary.  He suggested that I try looking at other materials; plastic or rubber.  I've contacted a good friend who's company makes just such a product.  Additionally, we talked about putting the battery on the trailer tongue.

After talking through a variety of designs and ideas, Jim suggested putting the battery, fuse box, etc. in the galley rather than putting it in a tongue box.  I had been looking at one of those cargo racks that you can use in combination with your tow hitch.  I saw some pictures online of a way to 'customize' a Harbor Freight rack to fit on the tongue of the trailer.

This would be an excellent way to have additional storage and maximize the aerodynamic boost of the design of the teardrop.  I put some of the most essential items in the newly painted galley and started working with some ideas.  Now, its time to study pictures of other people's galleys and begin designing my own.

While showing Jim the cabin, he wondered aloud if the 'shelf' could double as a bunk for my 11 year old.  We had him climb up into it and guess what?  He fits!  However, we'll end up adding some sort of storage cabinets there so the bunk idea is out of the question.  

We talked through adding insulation to the cabin and possibly a solution for how to add the same on the doors.  I'll probably end up adding the insulation and wood paneling to the doors in 'compartments,' rather than as one large piece.  It felt good to share ideas and solve some of the problems together.

My plans for tomorrow are to get the cabin water tight.  I am planning to remove the old caulk and install the bolts that hold the cabin to the plywood flooring.  After that, I'll put the other door on and install the weather stripping.  I may attempt to add the floor storage box tomorrow too.  My door and galley locks as well as the galley hinge will arrive next week.  I won't install them until after I have the window installation finalized.  I'm hanging on to the screen windows I've made until after I've decided if the sliding windows are going to meet my needs.