Walls Construction 1973 Land Yacht

[mingle51]

The remodel project on my 73 land yacht is slowly moving forward. Today i remove the walls and cabinets to make way for repairs to the sub-floor and water storage tanks. So had a question that maybe my fellow airstream could answer for me. if i go with new construction for my walls and cut my material to fit the curve of my airstream for the partition walls we're the walls meet the ceiling of the airstream will caulk work to give me the good finish look. I will the caulk separate overtime due to the airstream moving down the road?.. Is there a better solution to give me a finished look we're the walls and cabinets etc meet the shell of the airstream?

[Melody Ranch]

NO! NO! NO! Don't use caulking. Do some viewing here and see how the walls are attached. Also check on getting patterns from the old furniture you are removing. Floor...? Be sure to pattern it too.

[Jim & Susan]

Check out some of the threads here to get some ideas: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f44/...ons-35399.html

Like MR said, if you still have the original interior, save all the parts as templates for the new stuff including the extruded aluminum that the partitions will fit into.

Jim

[mingle51]

thanks for the reply guys,
I saved all the material from the wall deconstructions and cabinet hardware.. Putting in a queen sizes bed and needed to move the walls out a bit to make room.. I've done many home renovation but this is my first AS..

[Dixie722]

I re use the anodized aluminum trim.. it is already the contour of the wall. Since I use thicker plywood than original, I grind one side of the slotted fit off, this gives you an attaching point for the entire curve, and it looks great. If you do have to caulk at all, use Big Stretch.. it is designed to bridge gaps, and will flex when necessary.

[J. Morgan]

It is possible to fit the panels very closely if one has the patience.


Brevi tempore!

[SuzyHomemakr]

Start saving large pieces of cardboard! Refrigerator boxes, etc. make for great templates.

When making new bulkheads, I found that using the existing walls as templates was nowhere near accurate enough to make for the sweet, sweet curving joints that we so desire. Larger trailers will flex when leveling them, ruining a standard caulking job. Airstream compensated for this with those horrid channels that allow for movement of the panels.

Boatbuilding guys have had this problem since the dawn of time, so some research into those forums might be helpful. For me, I basically use a drawing compass held as level as I can, and use it to scribe my curve. I make my cut (the rough subfloor is a great surface for this), and then slide it in for a test fit of the cardboard. I'll keep doing this until the template looks right, reducing the gap between the pencil and the point as I go.

The first time you do this, yeah, it seems to take forever! Once you get your chops down, it's just a few minutes.

I strategically placed cabinetry that supports the 1/4" Eurolite ply bulkheads, and used small L-brackets in hard-to-see places to tie the walls into the trailer skin. OK, and a bit of the Big Stretch caulking. I went with Petitt Gloss Captain's Varnish over the raw wood for a yachty look, very durable, looks great. If this doesn't fit with your scheme, there are tons of veneers out there to suit any palette. I used a wild engineered veneer for my tabletop, and always get dumbfounded looks of amazement from guests!

[J. Morgan]

The way I cut most of my curved panels was to lightly draw a grid in pencil on the new replacement wood, and measure the wall incrementally from a plumb line every inch or two down this vertical line.

I transferred the collected measurements to the grid on the wood plus one inch, marked it, cut it, and then test fit and fine tuned it.

I used a dual action sander fit with 80 grit paper to sand the edge to a perfect fit, and then trim off what is left of the extra inch I added to the grid measurements to insure perfect horizontal placement and a perfectly plumb vertical line.

I tried the template method, it just didn't work for me. The walls in my trailer were so irregular from one spot to the next that a single template wouldn't make it, nor did the shape of the stock bulkheads.


Brevi tempore!

[Greg1410]

Regarding new bulkheads - any recommendations on thickness of the plywood? I know 3/4 would be sturdy, but this also seems bulky. What about 1/2 inch? Also, birch plywood seems to be the choice of many; any other recommendations?
Thanks,
Greg

[J. Morgan]

I mostly used 1/4" ply, with a 2" wide 3/4" thick "frame" laminated to its entire perimeter.

Such a setup is light and strong, and has enough "meat" for solid attachment.

Kind of like a hollow door if you follow me.


Brevi tempore!

[mingle51]

I noticed when I had taken the counter top out it had a small strip of rubber that was stapled too the counter top and look like caulk Anyone know what I am talking about what the name might be?