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.

A FULL Day!

Have you ever been the first person into the hardware store?  Have you ever been back so many times that they start taking a personal interest in your project?  Both of those things were true for me today!  Who knew that Lowe's didn't open until 8:00 on Sunday?  I made multiple trips to Lowe's today; all of those trips ended up purchasing plywood.   I was not very efficient with my trips.  In my defense, I didn't think I would get as far as I did; thus the need to make multiple trips.

My first task today was to finish the storage boxes.  Once I had them in place, I installed the finger pull hardware.  I liked using the aluminum edging on the boxes.  It looks neat and it should help any warping, etc.  Next it was time to caulk and paint.

 I painted it the boxes and the lids black; nobody will see these because they will be under the mattress, but I don't do anything half-cocked.  If its worth doing, do it well.  That's something my Dad taught me and its stuck.

 I caulked the heck out of the storage boxes.  It's going to take 24 hours for all the caulk to set.

I tried using some paper to make a template for the mattress.  This didn't work out too well for multiple reasons.  Note the expert use of my shoe to hold the paper down!    I'll just end up measuring and marking the futon mattress when I'm ready to 'customize' it.

It's kinda hard to see in this image, but I added two chrome 'pulls' on the sliding doors.  The black and chrome look really nice.  The headliner, a charcoal gray, is going to look sharp with these colors.  I plan on installing the headliner on the lower half of the bulkhead as my experiment with the contact cement.  You can't see it in this image, but I did get the green treated piece of wood in place for the bulkhead storage area.  I drilled through the frame to anchor it, but it will take another set of hands to get it bolted in place.  I'll need to caulk this once it is in place.

Here is the first piece of wood in the galley.  Nothing is anchored or treated yet.  I have to decide how I am going to 'treat' it.  I'm not sure if I'll do paint or stain, or even just seal it as it is.  I have to do some more 'looking' and admiring galleys I like.

The side pieces and the wheel well covers rough fit into the galley.  Getting those 'arches' just right was tough.  Thank goodness I purchased some very, very fine jigsaw blades.  They cut the plywood cleanly.  I described my work today to my son as working with Legos.  I'm kind of trying out different designs to see what is possible.

Here you can see my 'Lego blocks' in place.  I'm thinking that I will have the stove in a special 'box' that will be on a pull out drawer.  The cooler will also be on a slider.  I really need to look at other galley designs to see how I can best utilize the tight space here in the galley.

I like the simplicity of the galley above.  I have the exact same stove and think that the way they have it stowed away is really cool.  I might do something like this.  I also like the natural wood look of the cabinets and silver hardware.

The two images above are from the gorgeous Camp Inn site.  I love everything about the way they lay out their designs.  Look at how the stove is tucked into the little nook on the left.  I also really like the way the cooler fits in the center nook.  The whole design reminds me of a very high quality yacht.  The natural wood and stainless steel are gorgeous!  I think the way the table folds in half and stores out of the way is an elegant touch.

I like the way the galley in the above image echoes the arch of the side of the trailer.  I wonder if I could carry this into my design?

 The cooler in the slider is awesome; but what really 'finishes the look for me is the doors that cover this part of the design.  I think I can do this with my design.

 I do NOT like the hardware on the cabinets, but I do like the way the cabinet is 'cut' from one piece of plywood and the doors are mounted flush like that.

There are two elements of the above design that I like.  I think the angled table is a good use of the side table and I especially like the drop down 'shelf' that is connected by chains.  In this way it can be used as additional prep space, or can be folded up and out of sight.  

There are so many designs out there.  All of them have to respond to the original design.  The original galley of the 1947 Tourette, had a gasoline stove, an ice box and a few small cabinets.

I'm pleased with my progress at this point.  My windows will arrive early this week, as well as the door hardware.  I'm very excited about the windows; I'm really hopeful that they will fit in such a way that the 'holes' from the hatch will be covered by the rubber gasket.  If they do, the window will look like it was there the whole time.  Once I get the windows marked and in place, the cabin will be watertight.  Things are coming along nicely.  After a busy, work-filled weekend, I'm ready for the work week!

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.

Had Two Ideas...

Had two ideas today, oddly enough while sitting in church!  The first idea is how to make a 'locking' window hatch.  See the image below:

Notice the pin that is on the bottom of the window.  If I were to put a rod like this (except make it go all the way to the 'top' of the screen where it would 'snap' into a bracket) this would effectively 'bar' the hatch from the inside.  Theoretically, I could even add a steel pin through the rod which would give added security.  This would be a relatively strong lock on the window hatch.  Also, the longer rod would allow the hatch to open to a much greater angle.

The second idea is also from the image above too.  The designer of the teardrop above seems to have 'covered' the door in a sheet of plywood.  If I plan my interior effectively, I think I will be able to add a piece of 1" foam (adhering with a strong adhesive) On top of this would then be a thin sheet of plywood.  This could then either be varnished or painted, depending on the rest of the interior.

It's neat how your mind keeps 'thinking' when you step away from a project.

It's Easter.  My hands are sore, bandaged and tired.  I'm taking the day off.  Had really hoped to have the cabin water tight before I went back to school.  However, that's not going to happen.  I'll do my best to get out in the garage this week after school.