6x14 Cargo trailer conversion

[fish-kabob]

is that the vee nosed end i am looking at with the cabinet in it?would they fit side by side or wall to wall in the nose. instead of going length wise?then make a counter top out of a triangle shaped piece of wood then Formica the top to cover the tops of the cabinet and to be use for food prep fish cleaning etc ??would there be more room that way? cause your already losing the one for the one kicked at a angle is why i thought that? also what type of seating where you planing on and what type of windows  like  from a rv? glad to see some one else is a guineas like me thinking it is cheaper to build one then buy one!

[Chris00WJ]

Initially I thought about going straight across at the front, but I'd end up with the same problem....wasted space at the nose.   The reason I chose not to go straight across at the V-nose, is to run the cabinets further down the side as well.  I suppose I still could do that if I got a 90 degree lazy susan type cabinet on one end.

Yeah, that's the V-nose you are looking at with the cabinets.  I cant go too far back with the cabinets because the quad still has to fit.  Also, Im going to build a small bench type box the depth of the cabinet for the propane furnace.  I'll build cushions for the top and a back rest and it will be additional seating, and will exit at 90 degrees straight out the side wall.

So far, no windows.  There will be ventilation in the floor from the holes, and the obvious roof vent.  Eventually I may add a window in the door.  But I want to keep it as stealth as I can.

As for seating, that is still up in the air.  For now Im thinking boat pedestal mount type seats.  Im thinking the post in hole type so they sit fairly flush and are unobtrusive otherwise.  Eventually I want to figure out fold down beds that I can bolt to the walls.  It would be sweet if they could become couches as well and pull double duty.  I've seen a few commercially made ones but they are $$$$. 

[fish-kabob]

i was just thinking for easy of making the counter top the more crooked corners, dog leg turns, etc... etc..   you add to it the more it will take to build it just a suggestion do you pan on lighting it for pan fishing etc ..??  reason i say this is you could put the batteries behind the cabinet in the vee nose section kind of a stealth hiding spot cut part of the back off the cabinet to access the batteries as needed.  this would be for lighting and etc like t.v.'s stereos deep fryers etc...  then all you got to do is wire it from behind to ware it going this is why they say measure twice cut once.....i would break out the tape measure and see what could  fit ware by measurements etc... etc..  just a thought...

[Chris00WJ]

I tried straight across but it left too much room in the V nose.  More space than is currently wasted between the cabinets.  I think I will cut a hole in the side of the cabinet and make shelves or a blind cabinet in between the two cabinets. 

The counter top will be tricky, but I think I can get it done without too much trouble by just tracing the shape of the wall with a caliper.   The batteries will be going under the little bench Im constructing next to the door.  Im not sure if I'll be going with one or two batteries, but there is space for two just in case.  I will also be mounting the power converter (not inverter) in the side of the bench.  The bench can be used as extra seating, or to fish from as there will be a hole cover directly in the center between the bench and cabinets. 

There's obviously still a lot of framing and skinning left to be done, especially on the bench, but I got the front skinned aside from the very front of the "V" which will be used to run wiring and will be trimmed out last.  Here's a pic of the progress for today before it got too hot.

[fish-kabob]

looks awesome at least your planing it.. only thing i can add is what about a bathroom  or toilet area? i know they have lugaloo's and the bucket top models but what about some thing like a water closet made with a shower curtain for privacy? like hospital  type models that are like a hoop around the privy.then you still got space  lol's.   

[Chris00WJ]

No bathroom for me.  If I've gotta take a leak, that's what the door is for.  If its the other call of nature, then I guess I hop in the truck or the quad and grab the shovel.  Lol.

The last thing I want is the guys I'm fishing with crapping next to me.  Haha. 

I hope to get more accomplished tomorrow, but I lent my table saw to a buddy from work so Im quickly nearing the limits of what I can do with a handheld circular saw.  Its tough to get any precision without my table saw.  Maybe I'll try to frame up the furnace box and permanently mount the cabinets.  Slowly but surely!

[fish-kabob]

No bathroom for me.  If I've gotta take a leak, that's what the door is for.  If its the other call of nature, then I guess I hop in the truck or the quad and grab the shovel.  Lol.

The last thing I want is the guys I'm fishing with crapping next to me.  Haha. 

I hope to get more accomplished tomorrow, but I lent my table saw to a buddy from work so Im quickly nearing the limits of what I can do with a handheld circular saw.  Its tough to get any precision without my table saw.  Maybe I'll try to frame up the furnace box and permanently mount the cabinets.  Slowly but surely!

not for the guy your fishing with but for your kids nothing worst then a spoiled trip then a kid that got to hit the rest room or has cold feet... the heck with the fishing partner he can find a slice of open ice and use a shovel lol's....   

[osiris]

one thing to keep in mind is any screws that are holding the plywood on to the studs with the heads exposed will frost up and if overhead will drip on you, also I wonder if your propane tank would fit in the space between the cabinets if it does just seal that area up and vent it to the outside incase of leaks i personally keep my tank outside and hook it up with a quick disconnect that i have ran through the wall

[Chris00WJ]

The screws shouldnt frost up too bad with a proper vented propane furnace.  Moisture is more of an issue with heaters like the big buddy that exhaust h20.  They will be covered by the trim for the most part anyway.  Its a problem I'll deal with if I come to it.  Im hopeful it wont be an issue.

As for the bathroom issue, my daugher is a trooper   Lol.  I'm sure I'll end up making her a 5 gallon bucket contraption and dumping it eventually.  For now Im more concerned with making this a boys weekend getaway.

[Chris00WJ]

I ran into a huge issue with the furnace.  With the cabinets located where they are, it pushes the furnace to a location where the exhaust goes dead center into a steel stud.  So it looks like I'll be cutting that out and reinforcing it.  It shouldnt be more than a few hours work.  Gotta love having a welder in the garage. 

I'd move the furnace back 6", but then we get a little too tight and the quad may or may not fit.  That's not really an option.  It has to fit.

I picked up some of the supplies to begin building the fold down beds today.  And I started some of the wiring.  I need to find some proper distribution blocks to clean things up properly, but there is currently two functional lights on the wall and a cabinet light installed.  A buddy dropped off his 3" hole saw so I can cut a hole in the side of the trailer for the generator/shore power hookup too.  I was going to cut the hole yesterday but chickened out.  Unfortunately progress will be slow going for the next few days as Im back at work tomorrow and today is dedicated to the little one.

Im pretty excited to get started on the bed build.  I have what I think are some pretty cool ideas if I can get them to work properly.  Stay tuned.

[Clear_Ice]

Gotta love having a welder in the garage. 

Welding is a skill that can save a guy a lot of money in the long run if learned properly. It's too bad that the good red and blue brands are rather pricey

[fish-kabob]

Welding is a skill that can save a guy a lot of money in the long run if learned properly. It's too bad that the good red and blue brands are rather pricey

have you checked this brand out yet? it was cheaper at this link then tractor supply by me..which was $369.99 at tsc   .any how see link..

 http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/hobart-handler-125-mig-welder/0000000066088

[Clear_Ice]

have you checked this brand out yet? it was cheaper at this link then tractor supply by me..which was $369.99 at tsc   .any how see link..

 http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/hobart-handler-125-mig-welder/0000000066088

Hobart is a rebranded Miller with cheaper components. I've used them before, and have no issues with them, but if I am gonna buy a welder, i would have to always either pick blue or red

[UFCreel]

As a painter for over 30 years. I could not help but notice the minwax qts. Make sure after you stain your wood you put 1 coat of sanding sealer and 3 coats of a marine grade spar varnish over the stain in ether satin or semi gloss. You will be glad you did down the road.

[Chris00WJ]

I appreciate the tip on the Minwax.  I'll probably get that started in the next couple days and start cutting trim since I got my table saw back from my buddy.

On a separate, but somewhat related note, I need to find a shop to press some bearings on some suspension parts for a buddies snowmobile that is currently in my garage so I can get that out of the way.  Then the quad will be able to get moved out of the garage for its appointment on Sept 2nd to get the stator replaced.  Which means I need to get the E-track mounted on the floor ASAP as well so I can use the trailer to take the quad to the shop and get final measurements for how much space I have available for the propane furnace.  So much to do, so little time!

[Chris00WJ]

Today I got the trailer half stained roughly (one side wall, half the roof and one cabinet).  Tomorrow it's back to work again so no real progress is likely for 4-5 days.

I got some more work done on the front bench.  I like how it turned out.  Im going to hinge the cover slightly to the side of center, and probably wont have to secure it any more than that.  The whole thing will fold in half and lift out for access to storage and the battery(s) underneath.  I'll have to find someone to sew up some custom cushions and backrest for it.



Oh and I resolved the previous issue with needing to find a shop to press on some bearings for a snowmobile that's in the garage.....You can always use new tools, right?


No pics of the stain.  It was dark out when I was doing it.  We will see how it looks tomorrow in day light if Im home at all while it is daylight.

[fish-kabob]

should have went to harbor freight if you did not.  that is were i got my 20 ton at lol's..  i think it was about $129.99 with a 20% off coupon.  that is a use it once and forget about thing lol's now you got a spoon making machine lol's so you will use it more often you can tell the wife that you will use it for making ice spoon just got to find a spoon die! lol's for making ice spoons!

[Chris00WJ]

We dont have Harbor Freights up here.  Its Princess Auto.  12 ton for $99 CDN.  I cant complain!

I'll probably use it a fair bit.  My Jeep likes to eat wheel bearings and they are pressed on so I'll probably use it for that a couple times a year.  Plus my friends love to do all the work to their vehicles in my garage or in my driveway, lol.

[Chris00WJ]

Got the other half of the trailer and cabinet stained today.


Ignore the color difference, the stain on one half of the roof is still partially wet.

The lights need to get re-hung, the trim put back on, the flooring etc.  Lots left to do. 

I got the TV installed tonight as well.  I still need to hunt down a cheap small DVD player, although I doubt it will get much use for anything but the aqua-vu.  Tomorrow during business hours I'll try to do some calling around to see about getting the floor spray foamed.

Im not super happy with the wood grain on the one nose piece, especially once stained.  The TV covers some of it, and the cabinet should cover more once I get the upper cabinets installed.  Its pretty obvious it was a different wood.  Oh well.  Of course the TV is mounted on an adjustable arm and swings out and pivots.





I'll probably do some more wiring tomorrow and maybe get some polyurethane to put on the walls.  Originally I was going to cut a 3" hole in the side wall of the trailer under the side bench and have the shore outlet come through an RV type access door.  I thought about it some more and I think I'll get a regular outside 110V outlet (weatherproof) and mount that there instead.  It will seal 100%, and I'll have the top of the outlet be the input from a generator (with a double male extension cord) and the bottom outlet can be wired up to provide a 110v outlet on the outside of the trailer from battery power just in case it is ever needed.  My converter does 12v to 110v and 110v to 12v, so I can have the best of both worlds.

Progress has been slowed due to other projects like my buddies snowmobile, and the new bumper Im building from scratch for the bumperless jeep you saw in the first post of this thread.  Here's the progress on that just for fun.



Not too bad if I do say so myself.  1/4" and 1/8" plate steel.  It is obviously upside down in the picture, but I love it so far. 

[fish-kabob]

first off all looks awesome! even the jeep grille! any how what kind of hole will you be putting in there to fish from?   square or round? if you go round you can use culvert tube or square you can use sheet metal duct work like stain less steel? reason is you could jack it to the ice but leveling it would be easier?then just bridge the gap with sheet metal or even culvert tubes  not sure if you got the wood working router to do the job? so i was thinking square holes ?    that is ware i thought up the duct work from heating and air conditioning systems just to bridge the gad between the fish house and the ice. so no frozen over holes? .. . it just a thought then you just got to store 4-8 duct's  then you don't have to take the wheels off and lower the shack to the ice.. was just thinking it as  a suggestion? by the way did not know you were from good old Canada lol's. next door neighbor is from Canada. but ya those presses save you in a pinch when doing wheel bearings.  speaking of which mine on my Taurus just went out. glad it is one of those pull and throw type bearings.. lol's     

[Clear_Ice]

Im diggin the grill

[hardwater diehard]

You know if you stare at the one odd patterned piece ...think I can see some fish silhouettes...ps you could add a picture or shelf to cover up the od piece a bit . Nice work on that grill .

[fish-kabob]

You know if you stare at the one odd patterned piece ...think I can see some fish silhouettes...ps you could add a picture or shelf to cover up the od piece a bit . Nice work on that grill .

nothing like seeing Elvis in a potato chip! or fish in a odd pattern piece! show dedication to the sport and are minds are else ware!  any how we all dig the grille pic's of it installed are a must now lol's !

[Chris00WJ]

I got proper fish hole covers.  I havent purchased the sleeves yet, but I will.  I'll probably need the 18" sleeves and then just cut them down to roughly the height of the trailer.  With the propane furnace going I doubt I'll have any issues with frozen over holes.

I wont be removing any wheels or lowering this thing to the ice.  Eventually one day perhaps I'll convert it into a wheel house that cranks down, but for now Im happy with just driving it onto the ice and fishing.

Thanks for the kind words on the Jeep bumper.  The grill you see is actually the bottom part of the bumper.  I'll see if I can get better pics today when it is flipped over to prime the top side. It weighs a ton!

[Chris00WJ]

Forgot to post this the other day.


I've made some progress, but its not much to see.  I got two layers of urethane on the trailer now.  Well, 1.5.  I'll finish later.

The quad has to go into the shop tomorrow so I have to throw it together in the morning as quickly as I can and load up and go.  I also started running the propane line for the furnace.  I had a hell of a time trying to find the fitting I needed, but I got it today.  Im hoping to have it "done enough" within a week.  Maybe minus the countertop.

[Chris00WJ]

Got the power convertor partially installed and wired up.  It isnt pretty for now, but its functional.  I still need to cut the hole the hole in the wall for the shore power.  But unfortunately, my cordless drill doesnt have a big enough chuck for the bit. 



Today the trailer for its first day of being functional in some way.  I had to get the quad to the shop to get it repaired so I test fit it and off we went.  Thank goodness it fit!  There's probably 6-7" on either side and if I back it in to get optimal space there's maybe 6" extra front to back. 



The tow went alright.  I can tell the trailer is back there just barely when its empty.  With the quad in there I can feel it's a little sluggish.  I still wont have any problem hauling it up whatever mountain I can find. Once I hooked up the trailer I tested the lights and discovered that the drivers taillight wasnt working.  I didnt have time to diagnose or fix it so I just drove very carefully.  Once I got home I took a look and realized that in the insulation process I accidentally cut a wire at the taillight.  5 minutes fixed it. WHEW.  The only other issue with the trip was the TV swings around a bit.  the mount is tight enough that its difficult to move by hand, but apparently not while driving.  My solution for the TV issue is just a couple eyelet hooks above and below and a small bungee strap during travel.  Simple and cheap.

Next up is some small electrical, finishing off the propane line, some cabinet hardware etc.

[Chris00WJ]

The furnace is now fully functional.  Propane line is run for now.  Im not super happy with how it turned out because of the sharp S curve where it goes through the floor.  Im afraid the line might kink.  I might cut it before it goes through the floor and run a rubber line to the tongue and through the floor instead.  We will see how this holds up for now.  Its all thermostat controlled which is really really nice.  I need to get a CO detector before I test it out with me in it, but it seems to work perfectly.  The vent on the outside is done too and looks awesome.  Im really happy with how it turned out.

How did everyone cut holes through the floors of their shacks?  Im worried about placement and accidentally hitting a crossmember.  Because of the floor finish I cant tell where the crossmembers are from the inside.  Maybe getting underneath and drilling a small hole dead center between the cross members and measuring from there on the inside?  That might happen later today depending on how many beer I polish off watching the football game

Then it will officially be an ice fishing shanty and not just a toy hauler!

[fish-kabob]

that how you got to do it is climb under it and drill a pilot hole dead center  then with a jasper circle jig cut the circles out with the wood working router and a strait cutting bit  i did the cutting from up top but yours looks to have a ratchet strap system for organization so be careful you don't have to remove it and use some thing else for strapping down that atv. measure twice cut once lol's . you may be putting down some thing else after that track comes up  who know's? that is if the holes are in the right place on the frame lol's  i don't think a pilot hole would mess much up just drill strait up in the center of ware you can put a hole.  then see what you think on the inside with a drafters compass set at what is needed then figure if it is possible to put a hole in that trailer? by the way pull the atv out before you do it don't want you to put a hole in the tire.

[Chris00WJ]

I wish I had a circle jig   I can accomplish the same thing with a drill and a sabre saw tho.  It just wont be quite as clean and I'll have to be careful on my circles.  There's enough of a lip on the hole covers to cover and minor mistakes.

[fish-kabob]

I wish I had a circle jig   I can accomplish the same thing with a drill and a sabre saw tho.  It just wont be quite as clean and I'll have to be careful on my circles.  There's enough of a lip on the hole covers to cover and minor mistakes.

i was going to mention about the reciprocating saw / jig saw if you mark it our with a drafters compass and follow the lines  you should be fine. i got a full wood working shop at my disposal is why i would use the router for nice clean holes... sorry just forgot that part about if you  don't have a router lol's...  i would do the sawing from up top and the drilling from under neath and measure the full circle the best you can before  you cut it . the measure meant under the trailer and on top of the floor just to make sure you got the room.