Exterior trim & finishing the hatch

With the paint fully cured and the electrical done, now came the fun part, installing the metal drip edge, re-installing the hurricane hinge and finishing out the hatch!!  With these steps done, the end would finally be in sight.

Our first step was to re-install the trailer side of the hurricane hinge.  We first ran a heavy bead of caulk along the bottom of the hinge, then simply centered it on the roof where the previous holes had been drilled and screwed it in.  We did this before the metal drip edge so that we could later notch the drip edge around the hinge.

The metal drip edge was purchased from Lil' Bear Tag-Alongs (the same place we ordered the hurricane hinge).  We first applied the same silicone putty we used at the vent fan.  We were left with up to a ¼” gap between the edge of the roof and the edge of the wall, so we hoped this would help seal this gap.

Then we ran a heavy bead of caulk along the drip edge and carefully lined it up on the bottom corner of the trailer.  We decided the best way to bend the trim was to install the screws from the bottom up and bend it into place as we went.  It took a little muscle and care, but worked out pretty well.  To help with preventing water infiltration, we also added a dab of caulk to each hole before tightening down the screw.

We ordered our drip edge in 4’ lengths for easier shipping, so this would leave us a seam above the door.  Before installing the second length of drip edge, we carefully measured out where it would hit the hinge so that we could notch out the trim.  The goal was to have the face side of the trim run past the hinge to protect the wood and give us a more finished look.

Next step was to trim out the hatch after re-installing hatch side of the hurricane hinge.  Darrell was extremely excited to find this trim from McMaster-Carr.  It was a simple c-channel that fit our ¼” plywood perfectly.  For this install we simply ran a bead of caulk along the edge of the plywood and carefully bent the trim into place screwing it in as we went.  We were also lucky that the screw holes lined up almost perfectly with the spars!  Happy coincidence!  We also installed a straight length of this same trim along the bottom edge of the door to protect the edge.  Since we didn’t have any screws short enough to not poke through the ¼” plywood, we simply used a grinder to cut off the sharp points.

 

With the trim done, we could finally install the hatch light and re-install the tail lights, and license plate light.  One snafu we found though was that the taillights protruded slightly too far to be completely covered by the interior plywood skin.  Our solution was to cut out holes at each of the lights to let them poke through and then to find something to cover the holes later.  With everything hooked up, we did a test fit of the hatch, to do a capacitance test to make sure everything was wired correctly.  With the interior skin on, we wouldn’t be able get to any of the wiring!

We then stuffed all of the hatch cavities with blue jean insulation and installed the plywood skin in the exact same way as described here – only difference being that we had to be a little more careful to not damage the new paint job.

The hardware we described here could now be installed.  To act as a catch, we screwed a 12 gauge metal plate to the lower corners of the exterior walls that each had a hole pre-drilled into them.  The two metal locking bars would then be able to slide into these holes to secure the hatch closed.  In order for the locking bars to reach these plates though, we had to pad out the hardware a bit, but we used some leftover scrap oak to provide a solid anchor.

Hatch Updates

With the exterior now fully skinned, it was time to re-install the hurricane hinge for the hatch, add some lighting and hardware.  The plywood skin is only held onto the last spar with five screws so the end became a bit wavy looking as it dried.  However, the hinge is held in place quite a few more screws so we wern't too concerned. 

With the hinge installed, we were able to put the hatch back on and lay out the proper heights for the license plate light and tale lights. We decided on more decorative round LED tail lights and a fun vintage looking license plate light.  Both added to the retro feel we were going for with the trailer.

The lights were actually rather difficult to install.  Darrell had to cut two perfect circles in the plywood of the hatch so that they would fit tightly.  But once the holes were cut, they fit perfectly.  It was also nice to see the license plate hanging on the trailer too... one step closer!

For the hatch locking system, Darrell had the great idea to look at shed hardware.  He was able to find a great two point locking latch system that looked perfect.  As you turn the handle, it simultaneously moves two metal rods which we can be pocketed into the sidewalls of the trailer.  Many of the systems we saw utilized a chain system with I felt wouldn't be sturdy enough.  The metal rods looked much better.

Photo from www.atlanticshed.com

To install the handle, we first installed a piece of scrap oak between tow of the hatch spars to act as blocking.  then we simply drilled a hole through and screwed the handle in place so that the closed position was horizontal.  After the interior skin of the hatch is done, we can install the rods.

The back is finally starting to look complete.  Unfortunately everything has to come off before we paint the roof, but it looks great for now!

Finishing out the Galley

The galley was finally beginning to take shape with the addition of the shelf and stove drawer we added here.  But we still had a bunch more details to add before we were done.

One major amenity we wanted to add was a sink with a hand pump faucet.  This would be a simple setup for washing dishes and cooking because doing dishes at a campsite is currently one of my least favorite things to do.  We ended up selecting a smallish (8" x 13") oval sink and a slick hand pump faucet online.  We figured by having a hand pump type of faucet we would not only conserve water but it would also be far simpler to install versus having a 'real' faucet with an electric pump.  Plus it would save on electric consumption too!

Before cutting into the counter top, we laid out the position of the sink and faucet (up until now, the counter top sill hasn't been permanently installed in the trailer).  We decided on an angled approach to the layout to save on counter space when the stove is pulled out.  We also had to position them in such a way that a container could fit under the counter to hold water.  After tracing everything out, I used the jig saw to make the sink opening and the drill to cut out the faucet hole.  A test fit showed how awesome it looked!

The next step before permanently installing the counter in the trailer was to stain and polyurethane it.  This created a beautiful and more durable surface for us to cook on, it is a galley after all!  The whole process took a couple of days to complete, but it was worth the wait.  The wood we used for the counter really soaked up the stain so all I had to do was one coat, but I didn't end up wiping any of it off.  That made it go much faster.  After the stain dried, we followed the instruction on the polyurethane and used three coats, sanding with fine 150 grit sandpaper in between each coat.  We tried to be careful not to get anything stuck to the poly but would you believe we still found cat hair embedded in the poly after the fact! How did it get outside?  I guess it adds character :)

so shiny!

We finally installed the counter in the trailer using some small brackets that Darrell found laying around at work.  These allowed us to anchor the counter in multiple locations while keeping all of the fasteners hidden within the cabinets.  With the counter in, the faucet got installed with some caulk and a couple of screws.  The sink is still temporarily in until we finalize the drain.  Unfortunately there were still a few gaps around the counter and at the wall between the galley and the cabin.  To cover them up we bought some small cove moulding and after staining and polying the strips, we nailed them in.  Big improvement!

it works! now we just need water...

To finish out the cabinets, Darrell used some 3/8"x2" pine strips to create face frames for all of the cabinets.  He used a miter box we got at Home Depot to cut all of the corners and give it a more finished loot.  They were then attached with glue and some finish nails.

After the face frames were done, I got to work cutting doors out of 1/2" birch veneer plywood.  The only challenge to the doors was aligning them in the frame.  We used self-closing hinges and once they were screwed on, the door had a tendency to sag even with all or our aligning efforts.  Darrell ended up using some magnets to keep the doors closed and that helped with the alignment.

Things came out great!  We'll end up using tung oil on the bare wood later on to seal and protect things, but for now the galley is complete!

Shelves & Stoves

When we last left the galley, we had planned out the kitchen, framed and insulated the interior walls, and built the counter.  The next step was to frame out some lower cabinets and upper shelving.  I started with the upper shelf since that was the easiest.  We had already selected some air tight containers for our food storage, so we wanted to make sure the shelf was large enough for them.  After some quick measurements and a few pocket holes later, we had a shelf!  When we framed the back wall, we had taken into account the height of the shelf, so that it could be screwed directly into the wall with no problems. 

Next up was a pull out shelf for the stove.  We bought a really simple two burner stove from Bass Pro Shops which was just large enough for what we wanted but still small enough to not take up too much space.  We used the same 1x2 pine we've been using everywhere to frame up a side wall and some supports for the brackets.  The brackets were actually some heavy duty drawer slides we found in the garage.  They had obviously been there for many years, but by adding a bit of grease and cleaning them up, they worked great!

The drawer will be covered with some aluminum or something similar to protect the wood from the heat of the stove - which also needs to be more permanently attached as well - but for now it looks awesome!

awesome!

The Galley Hatch - Skinning and Trim

With the galley hatch all framed up, I proceeded to work out how to skin the frame.  Since we did the interior of the trailer, we learned a few tricks to make our lives easier.

#1 - wet the plywood down, I cannot stress this enough!
#2 - have plenty of straps to help hold the skin in place and bend it SLOWLY, the ratcheting type works best as you can slowly bring the skin down into shape.
#3 - have lots of clamps and/or weights to keep everything in place as the plywood starts to dry.
#4 - have everything ready to screw the plywood down as it will tend to spring back after it dries.

I started out by cutting a sheet a bit longer than needed to accommodate for any modifications that might be needed after bending it into its final shape.  I aligned the top edge of the plywood with what would be the top of the galley hatch and secured it with clamps.  After this I wrapped three straps around the frame and plywood and tightened them down without actually bending the plywood.  Then we took everything outside and wet it down completely.  Finally we slowly ratcheted the straps down until the skin was almost tight to the frame.

After the skin plywood dried a bit, I centered the skin a bit more carefully on the frame and screwed everything down.  I didn't fully countersink the screws yet as we were still unsure how the wiring would go and what the final finish would be.  But the skin was secure enough to work and when everything dried out I removed the ratchet straps and it was done!

I next started working on attaching the hinge permanently to the hatch as this would aid in holding the skin as well as give me a better idea of how I'm going to work out the final trim.  I first cut a strip of aluminum wide enough to fit under the hinge and then bend over the exposed plywood frame.  This trim piece protects the frame and will give the hatch a more finished look.  I attached the aluminum with a few finish nails and then screwed the hinge in place.  This is mostly how we're thinking of doing all of the trim on the hatch.

I called it a day after this and put the hatch back onto the trailer.  We are liking the ability we have of being able to take the hatch on and off - this is something to think about when we get to the wiring.