Custom build resources?

[Dgorila1]

I've seen a few custom builds that were made from wood. The owners mention building them using boat building techniques because it can survive the stress of road travel.  Does anyone know of any websites or specific resources where people have built custom RVs on the back of a truck or a trailer using wood and boat building techniques?

 

[DannyB1954]

Stitch and glue may be the easiest. You could probably first make it out of cardboard, then after the pieces are shaped, take it apart and use that as a pattern.
Search Youtube for Stitch and glue boat building.

You could also make it out of foam and cover it in canvas and glue, or window screen and gripper paint.

 

[Lotsahorses]

Many teardrop trailers and larger have been built using foam and canvas with good success. I experimented with this and made a cat house for my outside cats.
Very lightweight but I was surprised at how slow the process goes with the time needed for adhesives to cure before moving on to the next step. These foam builds were based on vintage boat and plane building techniques. Do a search using the word "foamie".

 

[Dgorila1]

Awesome, thanks for the info. I'm curious about the canvas over foam technique. Seems like canvas wouldn't be strong but I'm guessing once you apply the bonding agent it seals it and makes it rigid.

 

[ArtW]

Good canvas is very strong, it's just not rigid, using 'poor man's fiberglass' to bond it to foam makes a strong-for -the-weight structure that's also watertight
As an added bonus, foam is insulative, too

 

[bullfrog]

Putting a layer of aluminum screen between the foam and canvas embedded in Tite bond glue seems to increase strength as well according to the people making cabinets on you tube. Google search tntt trailers and look at their index for the "foamies" section.

 

[Dgorila1]

Many teardrop trailers and larger have been built using foam and canvas with good success.   I experimented with this and made a cat house for my outside cats.
Very lightweight but I was surprised at how slow the process goes with the time needed for adhesives to cure before moving on to the next step.  These foam builds were based on vintage boat and plane building techniques.   Do a search using the word "foamie".

Do you use bare foam, or do use the kind that you can get from Home Depot that has the foil barrier on each side?

 

[AndrewB]

The teardrop and tiny trailer forum has very good documentation on the "foamie" (Foam + some kind of skin like cloth or window screen) process.
http://tnttt.com/viewforum.php?f=55

They actually use it for the structural part of the trailer. So building with skin + foam can withstand going down the highway with 70+ MPH wind.