Drilling holes interior of 2015 Sport

[KnG]

Hi there. We are new to the forum and also Airstreaming. So exciting! While we love our camper, we would love even more having additional hooks and shelves inside. Does anyone have advice on whether and how to drill through the metal interior without messing things up? If we stick to the lines of the interior riveting we are hoping it's safe. Thanks in advance!

[dave_oleary]

I would suggest nit drilling any holes. Buy some double sided tape to use for hooks or buy hooks that have suction cups to secure. We have put up shelves and magnetic strips for kitchen knives with tape. Once drilled, always drilled, but tape can be easily removed.

[ShinyPete]

Attachment 281654KnG-

We have used 3m Command strips, hooks, Velcro, etc. to mount several items in our Pete, a 2014 Flying Cloud 27fb with the clear-coated aluminum interior skins. Clean the area with rubbing alcohol, and they stick pretty well. These also work nicely on the fiberglass shower walls.

I did recently mount a couple of two position coat hooks near the entry door. We had several iterations of 3m mounted hooks, but the weight of coats and hats led to failures. The hooks I found were "aluminum" or "dull chrome" and blend well. They were setup for two screws a piece, so I drilled holes the right size for 1/8" pop rivets in the skin, and whalaa....

I recommend selecting "single layer" skin locations - meaning, stay away from ribs, or skin overlaps.......too thick in those areas. And make sure to only drill shallow - only puncture the skin and stop. So far these hooks are working great. By the way, the skins do match, that's an optical illusion in the pics.

Hope this helps.

[KnG]

Thanks for the feedback! We've tried the 3M products too, but they only work to a certain weight. I'm surprised Dave was able to use tape for shelving and a magnetic knife strip. What kind of tape did you use?

[Tbeck11931]

Command strips are great. No damage and different sizes to choose from.

[kendrick.l.j]

IMHO drilling holes in your unit is inviting trouble especially if you don't know what you are drilling into, what's behind it, etc. Use double sided tape or some other non invasive methods to do what you want.

[Troutboy]

Use 3M VHB 4950 tape, only way to get it off is use rubbing alcohol. This is used to hold all of my solar panels on without drilling holes. Very strong and will work on hooks etc. Just make sure that you follow instructions to apply in warm weather and clean both surfaces with isopropyl alcohol first

[Tim A.]

If you really need to have a hole in the inner skin to anchor something with a screw, I recommend using a sharp awl to punch the hole. Do not punch to the full diameter of the screw.

Unlike a drilled hole, a punched hole turns the edges of the hole inwards and gives a better grip for the screw threads.

With either a drilled hole or a punched hole, do not overtighten the screw!

Punching the hole also means there is less chance of damaging something inside the wall.

Tim

[Paprika]

Tim, do you find that the pressure of punching a pilot hole with an awl causes the surrounding skin to deform or dish? That would be my only concern about doing it this way vs. drilling. Otherwise it sounds like a good way to go. (Haven't tried either method myself--my 27FB is on order.)

[Tim A.]

Originally Posted by Paprika

Tim, do you find that the pressure of punching a pilot hole with an awl causes the surrounding skin to deform or dish? That would be my only concern about doing it this way vs. drilling.

Yes, it will deform slightly inwards which is why I mentioned not punching a hole to the full diameter of the screw. The awl should be sharp.

Tim

[mojo]

If you drill into the skin and later want to remove a hook, etc, you can always fill the holes with rivets. Most people will never notice.

[Piggy Bank]

I agree with the other people who use adhesive products instead of drilling.

We have also used many over the cabinet door hooks. We have 2 on the top of the outside of the wardrobe closet door. They are excellent for hanging up damp coats, and can carry a decent amount of weight since the rest on the top edge of the door. We have 2 there, and 2 more on the kitchen cabinets for hot pads and towels.

Here you can see the back side of the hook at the top left. We also used a staple gun to attach the top portion of a fabric shoe rack inside the door for holding various items.

We also removed the whiteboard and attached the picture you see in a lightweight frame from Ikea with plastic instead of glass. It is attached with command velcro picture hangers.

In the bathroom I attached a towel hook under the pivot mirror with standard stick and peel adhesive. Also added 2 command hooks in the shower for washcloths.

I do think that it is easier to work with the true vertical, flat surfaces such as the doors and partition walls, vs the curves of the exterior walls, when hanging things.

[KnG]

Great info everyone. It looks like we have lots of options that will work in various parts of the trailer. We may try some very limited punch holes for things like jackets near the entry door but otherwise the 3M and velcro options seem like excellent alternatives. What a little gem of a community this is!

[Boxite]

I have no qualms about drilling a hole for mounting items as long as you know the weight of the items expected to hang, and as long as you take precautions with regard to what might lie behind the interior wall.

Keep in mind that 110 volt Romex exists in the lower walls which commonly runs horizontally between 110V outlets. 12 volt wiring typically is in the upper half of the walls and ceilings and runs vertically (except horizontally between the taillightsm however interior mountings will be unlikely to be in that area... only exterior holes which are drilled might encounter wiring between the taillights.)
Also be mindful of where PEX plumbing lines might exist, such as behind/below faucets and sinks. They usually will also only run vertically except along the floors.

It might be helpful to download the wiring and plumbing schematics for your model Airstream from the factory website. Examining those closely have proven very helpful to me.
"Punching" is not a good method, in my opinion. It is too difficult to control depth and deformation of the wall. Drilling with a sharp drillbit and a drill-stop is a simple procedure and is often performed with aircraft structures where appropriate.

If you are only installing things such as clothing hooks that will hold items weighing less than a couple pounds, then there is no need to worry about attaching to structure such as ribs or bulkheads behind the inner-wall. However, it will be best to use hooks which have sufficient mounting surface so as to not pull the screws or rivets used from the wall. Common "PK" sheet metal screws will hold very well in vertical or "shear" loading. So will common "pop rivets".

Keep in mind what adjacent objects might exist in conflict with your added items. A nearby door or opening panel might interfere with added equipment unless you plan before-hand. Also, walkways where your shoulder or knees might strike the added items can be painful and unsightly.

Hope this helps.

[dave_oleary]

This is the tape I used to hang our knife holder and shelf.

http://www.scotchbrand.com/3M/en_US/...4529207&rt=rud