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Old 08-02-2015, 03:55 PM   #1
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Tankless airstream? new to airstream and considering

I m new to the airstream world and looking for a trailer to remodel. I want to keep it simple. I come from the teardrop camper world and have build 2 all aluminum teardrop trailer myself.

I m looking to find a gutted airstream to build a nice a simple family trailer to go on the road. I m thinking of keeping it simple with a no black or grey tank, no furace, no fridge, no water heather, etc.

instead, 1 bedroom with quadruple bunks for kids and dog
i bedroom with kind bed for me and wife and dog..and kids once awhile!
-cassette toilette room
-ice box/kitchen, and lots of seating space.
-kitchen sink operated with foot pump and small grey and clean water tank under the sink.

i also want to keep it simple with no electrical system other than extension cord and basic 110 when plugged in campground. For on the road, the simple battery operated LED light are amazing and have been perfect for teardrop...should work for a bigger trailer also.

first question: any downside of making something as basic as this...will i regret it?

And second: i have found a trailer 1973 soverign 31 feet already gutted near my home. 2000$. the outside is in great shape. The bad news, it as been sitting in a field for 20 years, i m sure the subfloor need replacement and so the axles.

Axles are easy job
what about subfloor? how many hours? how long if i do it all myself? cost?

any help will be greatly appreciated!
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Old 08-02-2015, 08:09 PM   #2
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Tankless airstream? new to airstream and considering

Why don't you just stay with your teardrop. It is already set up the way you like?
You can pitch a tent for the kids. Kids love tents.

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Old 08-02-2015, 09:10 PM   #3
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The subfloor can be done by removing the shell, or by not removing the shell, patching and replacing as needed. If the frame is in respectable shape the latter will work fine, and it isn't difficult or time consuming.
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Old 08-03-2015, 06:06 AM   #4
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Family = need a toilet with some holding capacity!
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Old 08-03-2015, 06:57 AM   #5
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Family = need a toilet with some holding capacity!
X2....IMO, a cassette toilet isn't much of an improvement over a 5 gallon pickle bucket or old tymey slop jar.
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Old 08-03-2015, 07:03 AM   #6
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Everyone has an opinion......we are very happy with the cassette toilet in our Argosy; so are all the trailers and MH sold in Europe that come with them as standard.
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Old 08-03-2015, 07:20 AM   #7
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After reflecting on this a little it really does show the range of expectation of folks that RV camp.

I came from back-packing, to cycle touring, to (what I call) tent camping, to a converted utility trailer, to our Argosy....by comparison our 20ft Argosy is like a mansion! With the Argosy on the road, this last weekend I drove our utility trailer to NJ and handed the keys over to a friend who tent camps with his family....they are over the moon to have fold out beds, basic cabinetry, the ability to set up a gravity water tank and a 'Porta Potti', it is a massive upgrade.

I believe jonnyo's original intention is perfectly valid, for his use, even if you regard it as a aluminum tent with bunk beds you have one big advantage over the teardrop....space.

If you aren't refitting to try and make money on the resale of the trailer...go for it.
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Old 08-03-2015, 07:39 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jonnyo View Post
<snip>
Axles are easy job
what about subfloor? how many hours? how long if i do it all myself? cost?

any help will be greatly appreciated!
Search "shell off restoration" you will find plenty on this forum.
Many people take a year working part time, or more.

I would be most concerned with a rusted frame on a 73 model setting in a field.

The frame at the rear is notorious to be separated. You might want to research this too. When looking stand on the bumper. Bounce up/down. If the bumper moves the trailer frame has separated from the wall structure.

Have fun with the kids. They will be grown and gone before you know it.
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Old 08-03-2015, 10:59 AM   #9
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The reason we are going away from teardrop trailer is space. We now have a 20months old girl, a boy on the way arriving in 2 months, a big dog and most likely another kid in year to come. We need space!

We love winter camping, used the teardrop in canadian winter in the rookies and have so much fun. Now, if we can step up to a giant aluminum tent with room for seating, sleeping, seperate bedroom, i think it will be amazing for us.

I saw that europeean airstream use cassette toilette and it s a daily chore to empty it. That is perfect with us. Its simple and easy. that mean no issue with black tank, finding a dump station etc. Most time, we use campground toilet or the outdoor when into the wild!

My biggest concern is redoing the subfloor. if the frame is good shape and not too much rusted (i live in okanagan, bc where nothing rust) how long is it to remove the plywood and cut new one and put it back in....secure it without taking shell off?

and finally, my main reason to want a airstream is i m in love with them....i always wanted one. while i dont want all the luxury, our family will sure appreciate the space!

my last build... half way between a teardrop and a real size trailer... a 1000lbs trailer that could be pull by our old 4cyl car....















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Old 08-03-2015, 11:21 AM   #10
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The reason i want to go away from teardrop trailer is space. I have a 20months old girl, a soon to be new born, a big dog and most likely another kid in a few years. With this young age, tenting isnt a option for the kids!

We do some winter camping also and lots of road trip so the bigger space is going to be amazing for us!

The cassette toilet is what i see on europeean airstream and i much prefer to simple system over figuring out a black tank, dumping station and all the plumbing related to it. i like to keep it simple. Seems like it will also be much better as i wont have to winterize the trailer during winter camping in canadian rookies!

Right now, my main concern is really subfloor. if the frame is in good shape, how long and how hard is it to remove old floor, cut new peices, put them in and secure them properly without taking the shell off?

here s a few picture of my old trailer. a hydrid between a teardrop and a real size trailer. weighting at 1200lbs, can be move by hands, 120lbs tongue weight, will never rust, as room for 4 people and can be pull by a 4cyl car no problem in big mountain passes.

[IMG]
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c99/ironjohn36/IMG_05371_zpsbb7a544a.jpg[/IMG]













[IMG]http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c99/ironjohn36/IMG_12261_zps2b974dea.jpg[/IMG
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Old 08-03-2015, 12:21 PM   #11
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Good job on the little trailer!

You seem to be pretty handy with frame and trailer manufacturing. Why don't you just buy a new frame/axle assembly of the length you want from a trailer manufacturer and build your own? That way you won't have to deal with all the issues of refurbishing an old rusted Airstream fame, rotten floor, etc...
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Old 08-03-2015, 12:44 PM   #12
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I agree with Bob....at very least build your own frame rather than refurbish the old one, and drop the shell on it.

I am guessing you know from your teardrop experience, it is easy to have a common grey water outlet and collect straight into a temp holding tank (Blue Boy, SmartTote etc) and you can easily use fresh water from a temp tank which means no tanks on-board. Yes you won't have a sewer connection or town water, but they are just less things to leak and winterize!
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Old 08-03-2015, 12:46 PM   #13
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Quote:
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<snip> My biggest concern is redoing the subfloor. if the frame is good shape and not too much rusted (i live in okanagan, bc where nothing rust) how long is it to remove the plywood and cut new one and put it back in....secure it without taking shell off? <snip>
That is the problem with Airstreams, the plywood subfloor goes beneath the walls all the way around the perimeter. Since the floor frame is light weight, the plywood floor acts as the structural diaphragm. If you have to replace it you will have to remove the shell. If the plywood rotted in a few spots, you CAN patch within reason.
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Old 08-03-2015, 01:30 PM   #14
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I am guessing you know from your teardrop experience, it is easy to have a common grey water outlet and collect straight into a temp holding tank (Blue Boy, SmartTote etc) and you can easily use fresh water from a temp tank which means no tanks on-board. Yes you won't have a sewer connection or town water, but they are just less things to leak and winterize!
exactly my intention. i find this less intimidation to work with and i m a big fan of keep it simple. That way, less element can go wrong!

thanks everyone for the info. if anyone as experience and can tell me how long
(hours) it took them to replace there subfloor, that would be awesome. are we talking 20h or 100h?
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Old 08-03-2015, 08:54 PM   #15
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I replaced the last four feet of trailer frame and the last sheet of plywood in about a day. Another day to reattach the shell in the back, etc.

A few hours patching under the front windows, etc.

My frame was good except where the black tank had leaked.

It is not hard, and it does not take that long.

Dont get freaked out about things being rusted away till you look at it.
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Old 08-03-2015, 08:57 PM   #16
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Old 08-03-2015, 08:57 PM   #17
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if anyone as experience and can tell me how long
(hours) it took them to replace there subfloor, that would be awesome. are we talking 20h or 100h?
Definitely closer to 100 hours than 20! I replace the floor in our '74 Sovereign without removing the shell. Moving from back to front I removed the old floor, fabricated and welded outriggers and crossmembers as needed, painted with POR 15 and installed the new floor which was coated in epoxy. Dates on my photos show that I started in February and finished in the late fall, but that was 2009 so it's hard to remember specifically how long it took. I was working, have 4 kids and had lots of other projects going on.
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Old 08-03-2015, 09:03 PM   #18
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By doing what needed to be done, From purchase to first trip in about 4 months.

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...ps510a3b42.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...pso9eneuyv.jpg
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Old 08-03-2015, 09:07 PM   #19
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Why replace all of the plywood if it is 90% good?
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Old 08-04-2015, 07:57 AM   #20
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Have you considered a composting toilet? We will be putting one in our 54 cruiser as well as the tankless water heater. We replace our entire subfloor "she'll on" it was more difficult than she'll off however we just didn't have the room for shell off. It can be done. It's all a matter of what shape your frame is in as I am sure you know. Good luck on your journey. There is just something wonderful about an airstream no matter what capacity you use it. Just make her beautiful!
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