RE: All Good Things Come to an End
Brad,
I assume you will still be here... just not "in your moderator suit". You have much to contribute and when you speak we all pay attention.
I hope to have the opportunity to meet you in person one day here as we roam North Alabama.
Great job moderating all these years. Thank you.
RE: Is it fatal Doc? - how to repair this damage
I had the same problem and posted on the repair about 2 or 3 years ago. The post is apparently to old to access on this site anymore. I had a crack in the exact same location. I have been told this is a common problem with these early multiple slide campers from Host. Mine looked like this:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/2Jun08Off-Truck.jpg height=400 width=600
I have had a number of issues with my large slide, some my fault and some I consider due to issues with the original design, but we have incrementally fixed them and I still have the camper and still love it.
For this particular issue, the repair was relatively simple at a local RV shop. There is flexing at that corner because, in my opinion, the slide structure is not beefy enough. We had fiberglass panel with a flex joint (the vertical joint ) installed as shown in the picture below:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/P1010611_2.jpg height=400 width=600
I still get some flex on the lower portion of the panel. It shows as a separation along the lower boundary of the panel, but I keep it caulked and but it has held up pretty well. Granted this was a relatively inexpensive cover up, but it stopped crack propagation. Assuming you do not have any other issues like I did later, this might be all you need to do.
RE: 2012… A Truck Camper Odyssey (kind of a trip report)
Mr Phelps:
This trip report in indeed a departure from any I've ever seen (in a very good way!)...however(!), what's the back-story on this place? You must have got it for almost nothing in the condition shown pre-reno?
I could see an new TV series in this: Truck Camper's Home Makeover from Hell (to compete with the Don't Sweat it; Extreme Makeover Home Edition; The Fix; Clean Sweep; etc...genres) :B
Silver-
Silver,
I bought this place in 1985 when I was going to Shuttle Launches at the Cape. I had only been in the place twice. My father and I renovated it (paint etc.,. for one week) in 1996 and that was the last time I had been inside until the management company evicted the last tenant . As I said, I am ashamed to show the original condition, because it reflects that I did not pay proper attention, which I did not. Our decision was to either renovate or sell for land value.
So your conclusion is correct. The place was paid for and had been paid for by the prior rental history. We only kept it because the purchase in 1985 was originally made because one day my wife and I thought we might want a beach retreat. Now we have one. So it is really a 25 yr plan coming together made possible by my Truck Camper.
RE: 2012… A Truck Camper Odyssey (kind of a trip report)
Neat posting. Good for you folks, I imagine it was a relief to finally get all the work done.
How about another inside video of "after" just for effect?????
I did make one.. but it is 7 minutes long. It does sort of take the same path of showing the house as was originally taken though. Here you go :)
Completion Video of 11 Aug
RE: 2012… A Truck Camper Odyssey (kind of a trip report)
House looks great! I hope y'all have many happy years in your new neighborhood. Pleased to meet you in Chattanooga. Give me a call anytime if you make it back.
Dave
Hi Dave,
Mary and I were hoping you would see the post and remember our meeting. I still have your card in my wallet. Might get that tour now that the hard work on this one is done.
Best Regards,
Larry
RE: 2012… A Truck Camper Odyssey (kind of a trip report)
Sweet! New palms and all. Be sure to put something under your camper jacks to spread the weight over those cobble stones laid over sand. I see you did in some pictures have the orange pads but not in others. Looks like surfs up to me.
I agree with your comment on load distribution of the camper. I was very concerned about point loads on the brick areas in camper storage space. It is hard to see in the pictures, but I have a plywood table (painted gray -- to "blend") assembled each time that heavy camper leaves the truck. It further distributes the load beyond the 4 point jacks.
2012… A Truck Camper Odyssey (kind of a trip report)
Truck camper enthusiasts, this is a report of the odyssey my wife and I began two years ago this month. We decided to take a beach property previously used as a rental and convert it into a vacation beach cottage…. 600 miles from home. This plan was of course enabled only by the versatility of our truck camper. Over the last two years, the almost singular use of our TC has been to complete this project and we finally closed all subcontracts last week. I thought I would condense it some and share with you.. sort of a trip report but more like an odyssey report.
Here are some photos of what we started with. I am ashamed to show it, but renting a property for an extended period of time as we did sometimes yields a result like this.
Starting point:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/House%20Project/Berkley%20Original%20Photos/08326886.jpg height=400 width=600
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/House%20Project/Berkley%20Original%20Photos/755881d6.jpg height=400 width=600
Here is a video (WARNING) of the project just before we started (please excuse my language.. it was pretty disgusting)
Video - Starting
Anyway, we used the camper to make trips to conduct business of the remodel and to keep things running at home. We got a wireless network for phones so computers could function. Our TC was used to make multiple visits to address the local coastal regulatory requirements for new house, plan the design, meet potential general contractors, look at and for materials, select and meet with contractors and many other useful business purposes.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/House%20Project/50e11daf.jpg height=400 width=600
We stayed in the front yard of the property sometimes on weekends, but could not be in the way of the renovation so we spent the majority of our camping, when we could get in, at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Park (which is just a few miles from the project) or Tomoka State Park which is a little further, both very nice Florida State parks.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/House%20Project/ca9bbe37.jpg height=400 width=600
Warning : Video link
Camp Video
We also stayed in transit from Alabama at Westpoint Lake in Georgia:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/24964571-5082-42C4-B6C2-EC86D0CA5EF3-906-000000E388B10872.jpg height=400 width=600
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/A2F6D5B6-31BB-4136-AC93-1646AB575986-906-000000E37A639D57.jpg height=400 width=600
We discovered the ‘Parks at Chehaw’ in Albany, GA ($20/night with great free broadband WIFI) and Cheaha State Park in Alabama.
It was nice using the truck when off loading the camper. Sometimes the street in front of the house looked like a contractor convention! I hauled all the tile for the project from Orlando in the truck:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/22A8FD0B-A822-4249-A1B1-A0F375C0B12E-906-000000E38C317059.jpg height=400 width=600
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/House%20Project/65ac089d.jpg height=400 width=600
Many times we could not offload the camper because we were moving sites every night.. Florida coast in winter is crowded.. but neighbors allowed us access:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/House%20Project/2adab3c5.jpg height=400 width=600
We are pleased with the final house that, of course, includes provisions for our indispensible Truck Camper.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/House%20Project/0e3668c2.jpg height=400 width=600
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/House%20Project/8b6d6a33.jpg height=400 width=600
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/House%20Project/ea049a18.jpg height=400 width=600
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/House%20Project/824816f0.jpg height=400 width=600
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/House%20Project/d1039cfc.jpg height=400 width=600
Edit to add 7 minute Completion Video:
7 Min Completion Video - Aug 11, 2012
MrPhelps
RE: Rickson Stainless Trim Rings
I assume you mean like these ?
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/MrPhelps/P1010524.jpg height=400 width=600
I have to check them periodically. They loosen or get misaligned. Just have to check/tighten frequently.
