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View Poll Results: What do you think the bubble "dry" and tongue weight results were on 2/18/11?
2,054 lbs total 253 lbs tongue 4 33.33%
2,332 lbs total 312 lbs tongue 5 41.67%
2,560 lbs total 386 lbs tongue 2 16.67%
2,745 lbs total 390 lbs tongue 1 8.33%
Voters: 12. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 06-08-2011, 11:02 PM   #241
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1956 16' Bubble
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Twas the night before the maiden voyage and the kids are finally in bed. A little time to pack those special things that get the best cupboard space. We thought the occasion deserved a great Oregon vintage bubbly from the cellar. Oh yes. The weather forecast is high of 75 and sunny on the Oregon coast all weekend What luck. If all goes well the argyle cork will pop on the shores of the pacific tomorrow night.

Today I loaded up the bubble with the major first run essentials and stopped by my friends scale and was happy with a sub 300 lb tongue weight and a overall 2800 lbs totally loaded ill be adding a few things in few more things in the morning but not much at all.

I got the fridge cooling down on power and will switch over to propane in the morning. While I was at it I had to re-seal the top joint of the fridge cabinet to keep the hot air contained outside to the hatch vent. Those heat transfer grills get flaming hot. I was amazed that after turning on the computer fan you could actually touch them. And I just discovered that the light I installed in the hatch is perfect in the dark. Sweet dreams friends. Ted
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Old 06-08-2011, 11:11 PM   #242
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And I want to thank all of you who have offered great encouragement, advice, and a few parts along the way. I appreciate your contributions and for following my bubble rebuild thread its been really enjoyable She is not yet completely finished but quite usable and ready to head down the road. I've got a 40 lb box of tools, and anything I think I might need for a quick fix or adjustment stowed in the rear hatch. hoping for the best. See you tomorrow. Ted
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Old 06-09-2011, 09:34 PM   #243
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What a beautiful hike we had at cape lookout. It's an easy 5 mile walk on the edges of the cape. Happy to be here!
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Old 06-09-2011, 10:47 PM   #244
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Very nice. What a great place. Curious if you can hear your fridge fan at night.
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Old 06-10-2011, 12:03 PM   #245
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ddstech
Very nice. What a great place. Curious if you can hear your fridge fan at night.
Yes. You can hear a low hum when its on but i didn't need to run it last night. The fridge was running steady at 40 degrees and we get cool 50 degree nights here in Oregon so I won't need to run it continuously until we get some hot weather. Even when we get 80's to high 90's it drops to 50 all summer long. Dont tell anyone though. Most people don't know we have such great summer weather here! At the beach right now loving it. Cheers Ted

Ps: my tolerances were very tight so I wasn't able to insulate the fridge hatch. This would minimize the fan noise. I may search out a quieter computer fan if they make them though.
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Old 06-12-2011, 06:08 PM   #246
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10 Things I learned on the Maiden Voyage

I'LL TRY TO KEEP THIS TO DESIGN BUT I HAVE SEVERAL COMMENTS FOR THE HUMANS TOO.

1. DIPS: Dude--slow down for the "dip" signs on secondary roads.
2. DOOR LOCK: After some 126 open and closes of the rarest Airstream Lockset and door handle (the H-20) during the first two hours that is, even my 4 year old learned how to not make daddy freak out, yell, or cringe every time! And once i realized that my wife and kids were opening and closing it more gentle than me--I knew we were good. I know that I'm way anal on this but for any of you who have searched for parts, installed them and rebuilt the door from the ground up--you know what I mean!
3. SINK DRAIN with no STINKY SLINKY: I really hated the slow flow of the discharge on the grey water hose adapter i have it reduced down too. In the driveway it drains just fine. Hooked up via a sewer adapter at a campground it is way slow. I"m thinking it might be something with improper venting on the camp side? It's you not me right? I just didn't want to install a giant fitting at the end of my pipe to accept a big slinking stinky hose since I'm not using a toilet. I gotta figure out something different.
4. PENDELTON BLANKETS: Nice and cozy in the Bubble Bungalo. We found a brand new/vintage design in the arts and craft end of things from the Oregon mill.
5. MANUALS and test light: I took all my appliance manuals just in case but i forgot one important item--well at least 2. On my way--I lost my running lights? It was daylight so no big deal--turn signals and brake lights were all good on the trailer--but dude--I had all this working for all my in-town test rides and everything. So I drove the rest of the way with that sinking feeling (do i have to cut into this trailer belly to track this down again?) I waited till I got home to save face with the family and quickly figured out with the 12 volt test light (which i forgot to include in the trailer tool box) and by running a jumper line from my battery to the junction box again --that the problem was on the Honda end. I don't know why I was happy with that but I was. I re-read the Honda install pages that I had memorized 3 months ago and seemingly forgot that there are two 7.5 fuses for the harness. I forgot about the one up front. I was so glad to see a burnt fuse. all is good again--except the fact that I don't know why the fuse did its job in the first place.
6. TOW VEHICLE AND A 16 FOOT TRAILER: I really kind of liked passing 5th wheels and their smoking mammoths up the steeper hills crossing the coastal mountains. The Honda pulls the Bubble with no problem at all although fuel economy dose drop from it's usual 23-25 mpg.
7. KIDS, smores AND MATH: If you take enough Hershey's and marshmallows my 9 year old will calculate how many smores each member of the family can have per sitting including breakfast.
8. NO SMURF BLUE CAMP RUGs: We really liked having a rug under the door outside but we'll have to find another one for when we camp in rainy weather. Do you all know a good place to get one that has more style than the ugly smurf Blue, green astro turf, or camo gear ones that the rv places sell. We took a cool retro cotton loop rug but it won't be good when the rain comes.
9. THE SPACE STATION: My wife and I realized that how you pack really doesn't mean you'll utilize the space wisely once you're actually camping. Especially when the clothes start flying off--the kids especially, when you cook instead of just eating out of boxes, or various items are hard to get to like tooth brushes or towels---We learned that we want to spend some time figure out how to make the Bubble more "Space Station" ready.
10. AIRSTREAMS STILL ARE THE COOLEST THINGS IN THE CAMPGROUND. The bubble is similar to my vintage volvo--they just seem to make people smile--that's kind of fun.

I call it a success----------we had a good time, saw some beautiful places and enjoyed our time----cheers friends--ted
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Old 06-12-2011, 07:40 PM   #247
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Quote:
Originally Posted by the544man View Post
8. NO SMURF BLUE CAMP RUGs: We really liked having a rug under the door outside but we'll have to find another one for when we camp in rainy weather. Do you all know a good place to get one that has more style than the ugly smurf Blue, green astro turf, or camo gear ones that the rv places sell. We took a cool retro cotton loop rug but it won't be good when the rain comes.

Lots of places have Indoor/outdoor rugs that I think would look great! Wally world, Target..... They can be hosed off, are lightweight and come in many patterns.

Been really enjoying this thread!
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Old 06-12-2011, 11:53 PM   #248
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Lessons Learned...

I started laughing outloud reading about your door handle as I share the same experience. I hover over the door when people come to see the trailer. Always opening and closing it for people....

We got our outdoor rug from sams club. It came with a matching door rug for the inside. Its great. Its something like 8x5 or 9x6. Fits under our awning perfect. I just roll it up and put it in the trailer length wise during travel. When I get home I pressure wash it. Our two year old finds extreme satisfaction pouring the entire bubble bottle out on the rug every campout, and I'm not talking about your trailer... Needless to say, the soapy spot grabs dirt well.

Clothes.... We should talk sometime about my proven bin system/laundry collection unit. With three girls and a wife who insists you can never wear the same clothes or pajamas twice, it took a very organized approach to fit it all in our globetrotter. I can proudly say we can camp for 5 days with approximatley 30 outfits between the three girls. Kids clothes are small, but still...

So glad you had a great time.
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Old 06-13-2011, 07:56 AM   #249
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Ted, I have read your post from the beginning and found it very enjoyable read. I have a '65 Globetrotter that I spent 2 1/2 yrs re-doing. Airstreams are so cool and much fun. Mine draws attention where ever I camp. I surf and have a couple buddies who also have AS and surf. We kinda have a little club. I installed an outside shower with a long wand from West Marine. I have a thing about sand and salt, so I use indoor/outdoor carpet the length of my trailer. On top of that I have about ten big squares of perforated interlocking rubber matting - like you see in restaurant behind counter. They are a little heavy, but work very well. You can hose and broom them. The sand filters down to carpet leaving rubber matting clean. These are not cheap, but work great. McMaster/Carr has them. If you look around you could probably find them cheaper from restaurant supply, etc. Ted, the biggest problem that you are going to have, is that you will want another AS as well. One is not enough. Lol
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Old 06-13-2011, 05:21 PM   #250
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Hey thanks for the responses. It's fun to share info so you can learn from my mistakes or celebrate the occasional triumphs. I thought i would give some free kudos to the great oregon Pendleton company. Check out the beauty of these vintage style buell tribute trading post wool blankets. Great USA made classics. Each side offers a alternate design and the colors seem sweet and complementary to the bubble interior. they should pay me for this advertisement! cheers friends. Ted
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Old 06-13-2011, 07:43 PM   #251
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Ted, Glad to see this bubble project come to fruition. You did a stellar job. Keep that door handle safe! Enjoy your family and the camping. Ed
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Old 06-20-2011, 04:27 PM   #252
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Yes friends-- thanks. What do I do now? I enjoyed the rebuild so much i am a little sad I don't have much left to work on. The journey is as fun as the destination.
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Old 06-20-2011, 06:09 PM   #253
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There is always the inevitable second trailer......gulp....
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Old 06-21-2011, 05:57 AM   #254
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What to do.

Quote:
Originally Posted by the544man View Post
Yes friends-- thanks. What do I do now? I enjoyed the rebuild so much i am a little sad I don't have much left to work on. The journey is as fun as the destination.
Well I'm not too far away, if you get bored you could always come on down. I still have LOTS to do on mine! You've done a great job with yours...enjoy.

Michael
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Old 06-22-2011, 12:34 PM   #255
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There is always the inevitable second trailer......gulp....
Yep, I know that feeling. Been there, done that.
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Old 06-22-2011, 11:56 PM   #256
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Thanks for the advice..,, but .,, no extra trailer for me at the moment!-- I have way to many toys already! You guys who have two or three must be rolling in the dough! It's pretty wild to look at the quicken report for the airstream line item-- ouch.

Ity's still wortth it though. There is something theraputic that happens when you excercise creativity. While I'm here let me post a pic for you interior lovers. I came across some really nice (made in America) no stick pots. They have some cool brushed nickel handles which dissipate heat so you don't need a pot holder. They did the job and look cool doing it. cool pots even? why not. Hey talk to you all soon. Waiting for the vintage style awning I recently ordered. And looking forward to a manly trip with my two boys to Clear lake, Oregon soon. Cheers. Ted.
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Old 06-25-2011, 04:04 PM   #257
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one trailer

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There is always the inevitable second trailer......gulp....
nice try matt--but......i've got one wife, (used to have) one dog, one credit card, and .....one trailer!
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Old 06-25-2011, 04:25 PM   #258
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A couple pics of the Maiden Voyage

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The boys loved camping with the bubble at Cape Lookout.
And here's a pic from cannon beach....bet you wished you lived in Oregon don't You! cheers--ted

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Old 06-25-2011, 04:32 PM   #259
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LOL. There are many times I wished I lived in Oregon - love Portland. Glad to see other Odysseys out there towing, especially that lovely trailer!

Tom
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Old 06-26-2011, 12:58 AM   #260
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Oregon is just California's leftovers, except greener, and nicer, wait a second....maybe I DO wish I lived there...
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