Camper construction

[Moneybox]

This is not my video and I've viewed it since I got into my project. Anyway it's not really suitable for my little camper but if I was building another big camper like the purple bus I'd certainly look closely at this alternative building method.



I built in foam panel construction in the 80's when we put together the mobile darkrooms on the back of Hj45 LandCruisers for the Pilbara to SW gas pipeline construction. The difference was that I worked with sandwich foam panel that had an aluminium sheet on both sides. It was much more difficult to cut and shape but easily riveted together.

If you are into fitting out a Coaster bus or similar I think this method would be good value.

 

[Hippyty79]

McNaughtans in Malaga sell fibreglass foam panels, I think they are around 30mm and light weight.
They mainly used for refrigerated trucks, caravans, Etc.

 

[Moneybox]

McNaughtans in Malaga sell fibreglass foam panels, I think they are around 30mm and light weight.
They mainly used for refrigerated trucks, caravans, Etc.

This guy is using bare foam panels. They are much easier to cut and shape using a hot knife and then he applies the cloth or vaneer skin after assembly. He has a second video where he tests glues to find the strongest bond. His foam panels are very cheap saving a lot in cost and weight over plywood. The problems with pre coated foam panels is that they are a lot more difficult to cut, they must be used flat, no curves and they are very expensive. We used to buy the bare polyurethane panels back in the 70's when we were lining the freezers in the prawn trawlers so I guess it's still available here.

 

[Hippyty79]

This guy is using bare foam panels. They are much easier to cut and shape using a hot knife and then he applies the cloth or vaneer skin after assembly. He has a second video where he tests glues to find the strongest bond. His foam panels are very cheap saving a lot in cost and weight over plywood. The problems with pre coated foam panels is that they are a lot more difficult to cut, they must be used flat, no curves and they are very expensive. We used to buy the bare polyurethane panels back in the 70's when we were lining the freezers in the prawn trawlers so I guess it's still available here.

From memory the panels are reasonably priced and easy to rip up with a circular saw, I’d metre the joins though.
Back in my concreting days there was a company in Bibra lake that sold foam and profiled it for the job, but it wasn’t cheap.
Here’s a photo of my cool room build got quoted $15000+gst to install.
A mate and I knock it up in just under 2 weeks. The main coolroom stands 5m high and the other 3m.
These rips up easy enough with a saw and nibbler for mitres and a steel ruler to cut the foam, messy job though.
Don’t ask what the pallet was used for.

 

[Moneybox]

Yes Hippity the sandwich panels are perfect for this type of application. A friend of mine recently constructed two three bedroom houses in Capel almost entirely from foam panels. When we cut the metal coated ones we used a circular saw with the blade fitted backwards. The result is that these days I have problems hearing the metal detector tones and I'm getting better at lip reading from the television.

I like that wide angle photo....

 

[Hippyty79]

I used the panels from our old premise when we moved to fill in our patio, lined it with gyprock came up a treat.
About a year or so ago our insurance went up by around 20%, when I questioned the increase, we received an email saying they consider eps high risk with an attached newspaper article story of a household refrigerator setting a whole set of apartment on fire, How this is related I don’t know.

 

[Moneybox]

I used the panels from our old premise when we moved to fill in our patio, lined it with gyprock came up a treat.
About a year or so ago our insurance went up by around 20%, when I questioned the increase, we received an email saying they consider eps high risk with an attached newspaper article story of a household refrigerator setting a whole set of apartment on fire, How this is related I don’t know.

Now I see the difference. The most common foam used is the EPS (expanded polystyrene) and yes it's flamible. When we built the coolrooms in the prawn trawlers we used PU (polyurethane) closed cell foam that they clamed to be a fire retardant and it has the highest R-Value of any insulation used in the industry, up to R-8.06 per inch thickness.

Polyurethane foam withstands physical attacks and stresses better than polystyrene as well as performs better in load bearing and thermal control application. It is also a cost-effective solution which is one reason why polyurethane is the most specified insulation for cold storage applications. I think the PU foam would be the best choice for camper construction.

 

[Hippyty79]

Got ya, the stuff at mcnaughtans would be pu as it was dense.
These are the specs for my eps panels, they state self extinguishing, but somehow still classed high risk.
It’s amazing how many patios I see around perth using this stuff and wonder if the owner know about the insurance side of things.
There was three houses on the same street down the road from me before Christmas that had panels on the the verge waiting for install..