Some progress, but not much.

[hampstead38]

This is a closer view.

[hampstead38]

You may be able to see four "dimples." This is where the stove bottom has round headed screws. The marine stove normally mounts on a gimble, but I don't think the Overlander will be rocking too much while I'm cooking breakfast. I used some of the structure of the wheel well to combine with the stove platform. I plan to mount some alumimum "L" channel to keep things from falling behind the wheel well/platform. I am undecided about attached the "L" to the wall. The legs are poplar and should support a couple hundred pounds... though I don't think the oven will hold a roast that big. I left a gap between the stove and the fridge for a couple of reason. One, I wanted to center the cooktop in front of a window. I like to see out when I cook. Second, I want to keep the heat from the oven separate from the heat from the fridge. I'm thinking a thin storage area for pans and spices.

[hampstead38]

I wanted to raise the fridge a bit so I made a platform with baltic ply and poplar 2x2s. The middle large hole is for a 12v pancake fan (to blow up). The smaller hole is for the 12v wiring. I'm going to put the 110v outlet(s) on the outside of the forward cabinet. This will be the power center for the 110v stuff including TV/blu ray/surround sound. I haven't decided how to secure the platform to the floor but I'm leaning towards using some "L" channel rather than fasteners. I have the sneaking sense I'll need easy access to the fridge and the goofy access panel... particularly in tweaking my airflow over the coils.

There's room under the wheel well frame for PEX and wiring. I plan to route the PEX to the water tank in the traditional front of the coach. I'll also run 12v and 110v. I bought 10 gauge marine wire at West Marine to start some wiring stuff (not cheap). I also bought an LED overhead light that looks like a winner. Oh, there are five "legs" to the platform... one in the center as well.

[hampstead38]

I hate to have the fridge feel left out. I am open to idea on the insert panel. Maybe Frank will "gee" me up with some cherry veneer.

[Gene]

Suggestions: On the sides of the storage area between the refrigerator and stove, use Reflectix for insulation from each. If you are going to have a "power center" for Bluray and TV, think about a printer with USB2 wiring to the computer location. Also wiring for an antenna for wifi to computer or phone location.

Nice looking stove.

Gene

[hampstead38]

Thanks, Gene. The stove looks great. I'm becoming a serious fan of "marine" over "RV." As for Reflectix, what about high temps? It's seems a little "plastic" for next to the oven. I was thinking reflective backed styro for around the fridge and some kind of oven insulation for around the oven.

As for USB... honestly, I'm not sure how to wire up a USB connection. I was thinking four outlets. I hadn't really thought about a printer. Good catch.

[ddstech]

Originally Posted by hampstead38

This is the marine cooktop oven. I think it's an upgrade over the Magic Chef (Sorry, Frank).

Do I see a natures head next to it? What are your impressions? I am planning on going that route but have not ordered yet. Let me know what you think of it.

[richinny]

go wireless for the electronics!

[hampstead38]

You are correct... it is a Nature's Head. We're excited about the concept, but we haven't used it in the field yet. One of the things to remember is the need for venting. We're going to have Fearless Frank put in a roof vent for us before we go "live" with our composting. The major idea was to avoid black tanks and provide a head for more "emergencies" than routine use. As long as we're in the east, we'll do more campgrounds than boondocking.

The NH looks well built. It is a bit wide, which works well because I'm not narrow. I'm going to swap out the hand crank with a pulley and an electric motor... mostly to save space. I think it's a good system overall, but it does require some thought in that you don't just "sit" on it. You have to access the NH for disposal of the compost. It requires a certain thought process in design of the head.

As for wireless, we'll do what we can. I hope we'll be able to use a laptop (Macbook) as our "hub" for doing things like watching Netflix. My lovely wife gave me some Bose audio speakers for Christmas so we'll integrate our iPod/radio/satellite audio with our surround sound. I have locations where the old "cobra head" lamps were that will work great for speakers. One of the only pieces of original cabinetry is the shelf above the front window. I think that will hold some of our electronics.

[Gene]

All you have to do is get a USB cable and run it through a wall or cabinet and have the ends stick out somewhere, maybe under a cabinet, or wherever. If you have wireless enabled gear, you won't need it. I don't know whether you'll have TV, but you'll need HDMI cable for HDTV. The tricky thing is where to put a printer. We installed a small cabinet on part of our gaucho sofa—one shelf for the microwave, one for the printer. That reduced bed possibilities, but we don't take passenger/sleepers.

I wouldn't put Reflectix directly next to the oven or fridge either, but either inside the small cabinet, or make a sandwich of 1/4" plywood with Reflectix—or any other insulation—between the plywood panels. Or, you could just glue some aluminum foil to the side of the panel exposed to the appliances for a really simple way to reflect heat back.

Gene

[hampstead38]

I have a "channel" for the PEX, 110v and 12v cabling running under the kitchen counter area from fore to aft. Adding some "copper plant" (USB) is a simple matter. I think the basic idea is to use a Macbook as our info-tainment hub. I can port the HDMI from the computer to the TV. The basic idea for the TV location is just foreward of the fridge facing the couch.

I'll take a look at some options but there is plenty of room for more insulation around the fridge and I'm more concerned about keeping it cool than the oven hot. The oven was a nod to my lovely bride who is convinced we'll bake things... like very small trays of cookies. I have some foil-backed styro that would work just fine for the fridge. My key issue there is getting airflow over the coils in the rear of the Dometic... rather than having it become a "heat trap."

Once I "dry fit" the stove and fridge, I should have enough room in the coach to do another round of Durabak around the edges. I also need to start figuring out how to make some cabinets for the galley and think about a sink. I have the old Overlander sink that would be fun to "repurpose." I'm thinking of creating some skeletal cabinets to make my electrical and plumbing rough in a bit easier.

Oh, another project is to bite the bullet on a 12v battery (or two). Honestly, though, I am not overly thrilled with the solid back LED lights. I don't understand why they don't offset the back to leave a reasonable amount of room for wiring. As it stands, I'm going to have to fabricate some kind of mounting spacer... think of a doughnut where the 12v wiring can tuck into the hole and the light itself can mount firmly to the doughnut.

Yum... doughnuts.

[Gene]

I'd want to keep the heat from the back of the fridge out of the trailer since most trailer use is when it's warm. If you want to go more green, you could direct the heat from the back of the fridge into the trailer, maybe using a small heat exchanger for cool weather use. You could test the fridge to see if the sides of the box get cold when the fridge is running—maybe it doesn't need any more insulation. Or, insulate the box from heat coming in.

I guess it's too late, but the ceiling lights now used accept LED bulbs and might have been easier to install.

Step back from the doughnuts.

Gene

[hampstead38]

I'll continue posting my technical progress on this site but due to having a few posts deleted, I'll be making my more "qualitative" comments to a blogpot.