Easiest way to re-create a Scamp's curves to replace interior cabinets? - Fiberglass RV
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Old 07-15-2019, 09:09 PM   #1
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Name: Gabriella
Trailer: Scamp
New Mexico
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Question Easiest way to re-create a Scamp's curves to replace interior cabinets?

I'm in the process of renovating a completely gutted 1981 16' Scamp.

We used Lanny's cardboard technique to get the curves of the subfloor pieces correct, and it worked like a charm.

But now we're hoping to replace the interior cabinets.. this technique worked on a horizontal plane, but will it work vertically?

Does anyone have any other suggestions on getting that curve accurate? I know the cabinets are structurally supportive, so I want to be sure I get it right.

Thanks in advance!
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Old 07-15-2019, 09:23 PM   #2
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I haven't had to do this since I had a boat and had to learn from books, but if you search "how to scribe", there are many videos on YouTube that should help.
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Old 07-15-2019, 09:37 PM   #3
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The cardboard technique works well. but you must keep in mind that without cabinets the shell is a bit flexible.
This is both good and bad since a bit off and the shell will conform... A lot off and the work will be lopsided.
So be a little bit carpenter and a little bit artist.
It can be done and very nicely though.
Below are some pics of a gutted Scamp13 which I did and converted to a queen bed.
I also widened the main closet and made a door opening support.
I am sorry thatI don't have more detailed photos but the cabinets are all hand made from plywood and one bys.

...
Attached Thumbnails
May 2009 009.jpg   May 2009 024.jpg  

May 2009 001.jpg  
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Old 07-15-2019, 09:47 PM   #4
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Name: Gabriella
Trailer: Scamp
New Mexico
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Quote:
Originally Posted by floyd View Post
The cardboard technique works well. but you must keep in mind that without cabinets the shell is a bit flexible.
This is both good and bad since a bit off and the shell will conform... A lot off and the work will be lopsided.
So be a little bit carpenter and a little bit artist.
It can be done and very nicely though.
Below are some pics of a gutted Scamp13 which I did and converted to a queen bed.
I also widened the main closet and made a door opening support.
I am sorry thatI don't have more detailed photos but the cabinets are all hand made from plywood and one bys.

...
Fortunately we put in some supportive hoists before we took out all the interior parts, so I'm hoping those have kept the shell fairly accurate.. but it never really was to begin with. All the windows leaked and the door never shut properly - so it probably hasn't been factory accurate since long before we got it!

Your scamp looks great! A queen bed was the main motivation for us. And we don't need a ton of storage.. the 16' has two closets, both of which were never used before we started renovating it. We'd rather have additional counter space. Plywood and one bys was what we were thinking as well.
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Old 07-15-2019, 09:48 PM   #5
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Name: Gabriella
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo View Post
I haven't had to do this since I had a boat and had to learn from books, but if you search "how to scribe", there are many videos on YouTube that should help.

Thank you! I was wondering if there was a term for this I could search for.
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Old 07-15-2019, 10:08 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3ll4t View Post
Fortunately we put in some supportive hoists before we took out all the interior parts, so I'm hoping those have kept the shell fairly accurate.. but it never really was to begin with. All the windows leaked and the door never shut properly - so it probably hasn't been factory accurate since long before we got it!

Your scamp looks great! A queen bed was the main motivation for us. And we don't need a ton of storage.. the 16' has two closets, both of which were never used before we started renovating it. We'd rather have additional counter space. Plywood and one bys was what we were thinking as well.
I towed that trailer 600miles with no interior and bungee cord supports.
It looked like a pillar of Jello behind my truck, it still was easy to get it functional again. I started with the door side to get the door to shut properly and went from there.
I say this to encourage your effort and instill confidence.
Attached Thumbnails
Shelly#8 006.jpg   Shelly#8 001.jpg  

June 2009 007.jpg   June 2009 003.jpg  

Shelly#8 018.jpg   Shelly#8 011.jpg  

Shelly#8 016.jpg   Shelly#8 004.jpg  

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Old 07-15-2019, 10:20 PM   #7
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Name: Gabriella
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Quote:
Originally Posted by floyd View Post
I towed that trailer 600miles with no interior and bungee cord supports.
It looked like a pillar of Jello behind my truck, it still was easy to get it functional again. I started with the door side to get the door to shut properly and went from there.
I say this to encourage your effort and instill confidence.

Wow.. a lot of these images look very familiar. Especially the big bolts to hold up a missing spare tire and the magnetic, detachable tow lights. It does feel like a mountain of work, but I'm looking forward to it being exactly what we want.

Starting with the door seems like good idea.

Thanks for the encouragement!
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Old 07-16-2019, 08:34 AM   #8
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Name: Michael
Trailer: Casita 16ft.
California
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I bought an older 1988 16 ft Casita a couple of years ago that had been gutted for floor replacement but was then left to sit unsupported for 8-10 years. The roof was severely sagging which forced the sides to pooch out like a pregnant guppy. I jacked her ceiling up using a couple of jacking posts on hydraulic jacks. I lifted her up and let her down several times before I found my best guess at about what shape she would have looked like in original form and the door fitting as close to correct as I could reasonably find. I found the shape of my trailer was somewhat nebulous, yet surprisingly resilient as they changed over time. Wavy and deformed panels along the sides of the trailer that remained after jacking the ceiling, straightened out all by themselves over the course of a month or so.

Luckily you don't have that problem. By all means, the cardboard method will work the same vertically as it does horizontally. Make sure that your new wood cabinets are at least as structurally ridged as the fiberglass ones that they will replace. Piece built wooden cabinets held together by carpenter's glue, small nails or staples are quite possibly less ridged, laterally, than the fiberglass ones you are taking out. The aft side of the entry door is a very weak point. I suggest a bulkhead or a closet be put there to support that opening. I am very fond of bulkheads. I used four (2 on each side) to support my trailer. Any other fixture added between is supported by the bulkheads.
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Old 07-19-2019, 09:38 PM   #9
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Name: Gabriella
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nor Cal Mike View Post
I bought an older 1988 16 ft Casita a couple of years ago that had been gutted for floor replacement but was then left to sit unsupported for 8-10 years. The roof was severely sagging which forced the sides to pooch out like a pregnant guppy. I jacked her ceiling up using a couple of jacking posts on hydraulic jacks. I lifted her up and let her down several times before I found my best guess at about what shape she would have looked like in original form and the door fitting as close to correct as I could reasonably find. I found the shape of my trailer was somewhat nebulous, yet surprisingly resilient as they changed over time. Wavy and deformed panels along the sides of the trailer that remained after jacking the ceiling, straightened out all by themselves over the course of a month or so.

Luckily you don't have that problem. By all means, the cardboard method will work the same vertically as it does horizontally. Make sure that your new wood cabinets are at least as structurally ridged as the fiberglass ones that they will replace. Piece built wooden cabinets held together by carpenter's glue, small nails or staples are quite possibly less ridged, laterally, than the fiberglass ones you are taking out. The aft side of the entry door is a very weak point. I suggest a bulkhead or a closet be put there to support that opening. I am very fond of bulkheads. I used four (2 on each side) to support my trailer. Any other fixture added between is supported by the bulkheads.
Thanks for the feedback Mike. Do you have any pictures of the bulkheads you're talking about?

We took out the floor last weekend and realized the shell had been sitting on the frame on the tongue for who knows how long. There were cracks and breaks in the shell at the point of contact. We cut some 2x4's and strategically placed them to lift the shell up off the frame for now. I just fiberglassed over the break but I'm wondering how to keep the shell off the frame in the future.. is the answer just making sure we have some sort of internal structure lifting it up? Like bulkheads, or a closet?
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Old 07-20-2019, 08:15 AM   #10
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Name: Michael
Trailer: Casita 16ft.
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Originally Posted by 3ll4t View Post
Thanks for the feedback Mike. Do you have any pictures of the bulkheads you're talking about?
Here a couple of pics.

The first one is of the two bulkheads on the passenger side. I had made from 4/4 laminated pine. I suspended it between the two bulkheads. The finished wall is also suspended between the bulkheads, The bulkheads are cut from Chinese made, 10 ply, 3/4 plywood that I bought at Home Depot for about $30. A week ago, I saw the same stuff there for $25. 3/4 inch bulkheads are heavier than the fiberglass fixtures it replaced. To save weight, I cut in the two oval cutouts above the counter top leaving only about 4 inches along the curve and 3 inches on the inner edge to support the roof. I also removed excessive material that I deemed unnecessary for strength of the bulkhead in areas that cannot be seen. I used a router to mill the thickness down to about 1/4".



Moving to the other side of the trailer, this is the new side dinette. The material supporting the seat back is made of the same 3/4 plywood. Material in the area behind the seat, below and back, was relieved to save weight.

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Old 07-21-2019, 09:59 PM   #11
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Name: Gabriella
Trailer: Scamp
New Mexico
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Thanks for the pics, this looks awesome! The ovals you cut make sense weight-wise, but probably also help it feel more open. We're hoping to keep it open feeling if possible. How is everything attached? I'm also really hoping to have a minimal amount of holes in the shell.

The sheet/panel hiding the wires is really cool - what is that material? I was thinking of something pliable as a backsplash that could curve with the shell but hadn't thought too hard about it yet.

And the dinette is especially awesome. Looks more comfortable than the stock one we once had in there. That's a clever way to suspend it, too.

Looks like you're using carpet on the walls?
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Old 07-21-2019, 10:56 PM   #12
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Name: Michael
Trailer: Casita 16ft.
California
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I am not quite sure what you mean by sheet metal covering the wires. The white material is a fiberglass sheeting that I picked up at my local Home Depot. It is glued to a 1/8" plywood panel which in turn covers 1" thick rigid insulation.

Casita trailers have carpeted walls instead of the rat fur used in Scamp trailers. Some of the carpeting on the original galley side of my trailer was pretty ratty. When I swapped the galley to the opposite side, I cut the better carpet out of that side behind the new galley wall and used it to patch up the old galley wall which is now my side dinette. The white paneling in the new galley wall makes up for my lack of good carpet.

I have a thread in this sub forum showing my build It is called, "My Broke Back Casita". You can find it if you do a search. Unfortunately I lost a lot of the early pics in that thread when my old photo sharing site Photobucket, decided they wanted a king's ransom for sharing the photos so blocked the links. I was able to upload those same photos to a new photo sharing service intending to replace the lost pics in my thread. Unfortunately, by then the edit function of this forum was locked out. I wasn't able to replace the dead photo links with the new links.
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Old 07-25-2019, 08:10 AM   #13
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Name: Carter
Trailer: Casita Picked up 12/2016
TN
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Another option ...

Forget the curves. Another option:

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Old 07-27-2019, 05:02 PM   #14
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Name: Chris
Trailer: 1976 13' Boler
Nova Scotia
Posts: 7
Very interested in this topic. I have a gutted '76 Boler and I need to replace the lower cabinets. Looking forward to following your new project.
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