whatcharterboat
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Hope I'm doing the right thing, I was told that there was trouble with site over the weekend and this post may have been lost. Therefore I'm reposting it. Here goes:
I know that there are a few builds underway at the moment so I am posting this as a possible alternative to common timber / ply interiors and cabinetry. I found this product made in Florida, which looks to be very similar to one that is sold here in Australia.
http://www.kingplastic.com/Products/KingStarBoardST.aspx
I can’t comment on cost comparison, maybe you could have a look yourselves and decide whether or not it is feasible. It is mainly used in the marine industry here so it will obviously be dearer. The end result is pretty much indestructible and can be of the highest quality finish if done right. We only used High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) the one time in a custom offroad caravan about 4 years ago. It was in our workshop recently and the interior still looks as good as new. The owners have done several serious outback trips and live in it permanently. So lots and lots of bad “washboard” roads. Tow vehicle is a 4x4 F250. Maybe an 04 model??
As I said it was a one-time thing for us, as we have developed a big selection of interior moulds now that we make our fiberglass cabinets from to go into our offroad motorhomes. Different layouts are based on lightweight modules that we cut to length and juggle around. Everything is glassed to the walls, so the interior all becomes one with the shell. This system creates super tough interiors and integrity but not something that can be “DIY” because of the whole plug/moulding/tooling process. However HDPE panels ARE something that could be tackled by a competent “DIY” person at home.
HDPE is easy to work with using normal woodworking power tools. Also a table saw is great help for getting tight joinery and keeping everything nice and square but you can get by with just a straight edge and a powersaw. It would also handy for backcutting a panel to form radiused corners. See pics. Exposed edges on the denser panels can be polished and I believe it comes in a range of colours. We could only get white then, so everything was given a 2pak colour finish. The bench tops were also HDPE but sprayed with a metal-flake black and given a super hard (scratch resistant) paint specifically developed for that purpose.
You could fiberglass to it as well, as long as it was properly scuffed up. If you are looking at a composite (fiberglass) camper shell, then this may have to be considered. Everything was screwed and glued but if you do decide this maybe an option for you, get expert tech help. From experience > don’t always take a sales rep’s word on assembly procedures. Ask the rep for the names of guys in the industry who are using it and hound them for advice or recommended.
Not trying to push this particular product in anyway. They were just the first one I found in a US search. Only wanted to give an alternative for consideration. The Aussie caravan magazine absolutely raved about this caravan at the time, but to my knowledge, no one here has ever used this interior construction method in a van/RV before or since. Enjoy the pics. Chris in the pic is about 6’ to give you a scale. Have other plenty of exterior/chassis pics if your interested, but probably not the right forum.
I know that there are a few builds underway at the moment so I am posting this as a possible alternative to common timber / ply interiors and cabinetry. I found this product made in Florida, which looks to be very similar to one that is sold here in Australia.
http://www.kingplastic.com/Products/KingStarBoardST.aspx
I can’t comment on cost comparison, maybe you could have a look yourselves and decide whether or not it is feasible. It is mainly used in the marine industry here so it will obviously be dearer. The end result is pretty much indestructible and can be of the highest quality finish if done right. We only used High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) the one time in a custom offroad caravan about 4 years ago. It was in our workshop recently and the interior still looks as good as new. The owners have done several serious outback trips and live in it permanently. So lots and lots of bad “washboard” roads. Tow vehicle is a 4x4 F250. Maybe an 04 model??
As I said it was a one-time thing for us, as we have developed a big selection of interior moulds now that we make our fiberglass cabinets from to go into our offroad motorhomes. Different layouts are based on lightweight modules that we cut to length and juggle around. Everything is glassed to the walls, so the interior all becomes one with the shell. This system creates super tough interiors and integrity but not something that can be “DIY” because of the whole plug/moulding/tooling process. However HDPE panels ARE something that could be tackled by a competent “DIY” person at home.
HDPE is easy to work with using normal woodworking power tools. Also a table saw is great help for getting tight joinery and keeping everything nice and square but you can get by with just a straight edge and a powersaw. It would also handy for backcutting a panel to form radiused corners. See pics. Exposed edges on the denser panels can be polished and I believe it comes in a range of colours. We could only get white then, so everything was given a 2pak colour finish. The bench tops were also HDPE but sprayed with a metal-flake black and given a super hard (scratch resistant) paint specifically developed for that purpose.
You could fiberglass to it as well, as long as it was properly scuffed up. If you are looking at a composite (fiberglass) camper shell, then this may have to be considered. Everything was screwed and glued but if you do decide this maybe an option for you, get expert tech help. From experience > don’t always take a sales rep’s word on assembly procedures. Ask the rep for the names of guys in the industry who are using it and hound them for advice or recommended.
Not trying to push this particular product in anyway. They were just the first one I found in a US search. Only wanted to give an alternative for consideration. The Aussie caravan magazine absolutely raved about this caravan at the time, but to my knowledge, no one here has ever used this interior construction method in a van/RV before or since. Enjoy the pics. Chris in the pic is about 6’ to give you a scale. Have other plenty of exterior/chassis pics if your interested, but probably not the right forum.
