Surfside Disaster

[J-Thon]

It’s a small trailer so we’re planning on being in the outdoors when we are in the outdoors. No microwave, tv, air con or anything along those lines. I just need to find a good schematic to follow so I can hook up the wiring and purchase a good converter if need be. So I’m pretty much just looking for a blueprint that allows for future install of solar power.

[bobdobqb]

Had the 12/120V quandry too. I decided to put in a 15a 120 v circuit. It lets me run a small appliance or heater if I'm parked somewhere with power. Also lets me plug in my power tools (and coffee pot) when I'm doing any work on the boler in my driveway (or just hiding ) But I do mostly use the 12v and my solar setup.

[ststefan]

Originally Posted by J-Thon

It’s a small trailer so we’re planning on being in the outdoors when we are in the outdoors. No microwave, tv, air con or anything along those lines. I just need to find a good schematic to follow so I can hook up the wiring and purchase a good converter if need be. So I’m pretty much just looking for a blueprint that allows for future install of solar power.

This is the one I bought for our 17' Boler. Really happy with it. The original cooked the battery so I had to get a new battery and decided to get a new converter so it wouldn't get cooked again. It can easily run the entire trailer on 12 volts with fridge, stereo and tv all running at once.
https://www.amazon.ca/PowerMax-PM4-3.../dp/B01ER3LH52

[Groke]

Originally Posted by J-Thon

Does anyone on the forum know if the top coat of fibreglass on the flooring in a surfside is at all structural? I don’t really want to put a top coat on my plywood if I can avoid it. I would rather pour a self leveling sealant on top.

I'm currently looking at a 1977 Surfside which I believe has a rotten floor.... depending on price I may still purchase the trailer. Just looking for some clarification on the above question? Did you end up fiberglassing the floor or just pour sealant?

[rlaggren]

I did some work around the floor, recently and replaced the frames on the two side windows. I found tears in the GRP (GlassReinforcedPlastic - ie. fiberglass) at the front of both fender wells. I repaired that with epoxy GRP after cutting out the lower parts or the closet and sink cabinet for access. Another member here had the same problems. Patched the furniture back together after.


In any case. What I want to say is that it looks to me like _everything_ in these trailers is structural! The GRP around the side windows is less than 1/8" and I found several places around around the windows where the GRP layup was resin-starved. Ie. not enough resin was used and the glass strands were dried and not melded together well. I have a 1977 and these particular problems _may_ be particular to that year. But overall, the trailer is NOT "overbuilt" and all the funiture _and_ the window frames appears to be structural. The floor certainly is. In mine the top shelf of the closet is "tabbed" to the exterior shell - meaning that closet is holding up that wall. I'm certain the cabinet carcass for the refrigerator is doing similar duty on that side. The window frames of the side windows are what holds the rear locker up.


What I am saying is: Make great effort to not weaken _anything_ in the trailer. When there's access and time/resource it looks well worth thoughtfully strengthening any areas you work on.



The key, though, is "thoughtfully". If you don't understand "stress risers" and "hard points" then it would be worth talking with an experienced boat repair person or studying up on GRP work. It's not rocket science but there is some concepts in GRP work that matter.The best info I know for this stuff is books on old GRP boat repair. These are easy to come by. GRP is usually messy, smelly chemical-rich work. Epoxy is by far the best resin to use when attaching repairs or new glass to old existing glass. Epoxy is not nice stuff and workers definitely should use gloves and avoid breathing the fumes. It's a cumulative problem, so low level exposure over a period of time can tip into a full blown allergic reaction at some point. That's why we use protection from the get-go, even though the process can seem "no big deal" for several years.


Regards,
Rufus

[J-Thon]

Hey I’m not sure it would be structural although I did put a layer of glass down over top of my plywood for moisture protection and extra strength.