Marc (my sister’s sweetie) generously offered to replace the rotten floor in Rosie, in spite of the fact that he recognized what a pain it was going to be and that I would be of no help.

As mentioned earlier [1] [2] in the blog, I have a hole in the curb-side floor and a large area of punky wood from water leaks (the analogy of the punky wood to my osteoporotic bones does not go unnoticed by me).

We debated about what area of the floor to replace given our inexperience and not knowing the entire layout of the frame. At first we were going to just do a 1.25ft x 4ft area under the vista window (next to the door), but then we decided the area in front of the door was not solid enough (you could poke a drill bit in it like paper mache).

We could tell where the ribs were running width-wise, but thought there was no support for the length-wise seam between the new and old plywood. At this point, we figured it would be better to replace the whole sheet of plywood from the door to under the kitchenette. I was planning on working on the kitchenette anyway.

So Marc dismanteled the kitchenette and was amazed at how much stuff is crammed in that 8 sq.ft. of space:

• Plumbing, gas, and electrical connections
• Hot water heater (functional? replacing?)
• Water pump (functional? probably replacing)
• Furnace (don’t trust it – replacing with catalytic or new furnace)

When Marc realized he couldn’t easily remove the rusted floor screws connecting the plywood to the metal frame, he went back to the water damage hole in the floor and cut away the rot to get a better view of what was going on and found out that there is supports in the frame length-wise that we didn’t know about.

Then he ripped out a section of the floor in front of the door that was punky and we abandoned the notion of replacing the whole sheet of plywood since we had more support that we thought. I also need to ask around about the aluminum shield under the plywood in front of the door. I assume its extra protection for the entry area.

So I got good news about the floor and a BONUS of having the kitchenette and furnace pulled out! Because my body is still under restoration, I was resigned to nothing happening to Rosie in 2006. It was a real treat to see some progress made. I really appreciate Marc making it happen, WHAT A GREAT GUY!

[Marc and the displaced kitchenette in the front section of the trailer]

I’ve been reading about replacing LED’s on the Digital RV and Airstream forums. Its difficult finding replacement incandescent bulbs locally, let alone LED’s. It’s great to Google “LED replacement GE 1383” (number on the bulb) and find a few options. Of course the one I want is $expensive$, but I’m going to keep an eye on it for a while and see if they come down in price. At least I learned some lamp terminology. I couldn’t figure out what to call the base on this one. It came out of the recessed fixtures over where the gaucho was. This will be the dinette and a bed. It’ll be good to have long-lasting energy-efficient lamps there for reading.

Old one looks kinda like this one

LED replacement looks like this

BXL630 – Elevator Cab Ceiling Spotlight LED Bulbs
Replaces “R12 Style” Incandescent #1383 & 1388
15mm Single Contact Bayonet Base

I’ve also been looking at mini-speakers that I could plug into my pda/phone so I can listen to mp3’s without headphones. I think I want something more than the cheap ones on Amazon. Guess I’ll need to investigate this more.

Well, once again its been a bit since I posted. I went back to work part time June 1st and have been trying to stay caught up on my rest. No major news on the Rosie front, but I have been thinking. Besides not being able to physically work on her, I’m also alittle unsure on a few design details.

Do I really want to get rid of the old furnace under the sink to make room for a double bed / dinette setup? Do I want to shorten the kitchentte. Do I want the bed/dinette combo? I still think the answer is yes, but I’m just a little hesitant to commit to it. I think I’d be ok for counter space if I reinstall the flip counter or get a new one. I do like the idea of having the catalytic gas heaters (1 or 2). I think I could put one on the side of the fridge (by the door) on a swivel to cover the front half and maybe one for the other half somewhere that has easy access to a gas connection (other side of fridge or other side of stove location near the remaining twin).

I’m thinking I need a professional to look at the belly pan and the septic/black tank connections. I need to get down there and take a look . I wonder if I should have the belly pan removed, the frame inspected and sandblasted and a new belly pan put on. Its such a cost, but it would make me feel more secure about the trailer’s longevity. I’d like more advice on this topic sometime. I don’t have a tow vehicle right now and I can’t do the hauling myself anyway, but I would like to know before I go replacing floor and installing anything if it needs more extensive repairs.

There’s more things, but I’ll save it for another post. Need to post more often.

Well, it rained hard this week for the first time in a long time. Unfortunately, the water is still leaking below the small window next to the door. The antenna cover is also still leaking, but that’s not a mystery.

I read online that I could remove the inside pane of the broken side window by disconnecting the big window arm openers (bolts), removing the big screen (sheet metal screws), the plastic cover over the side window (drilling out the rivets), and then unscrewing the frame of the inside pane (sheet metal screws). Well, I got to the last step and the screws look like they were sealed at the factory with liquid metal.

I tried every implement and tool I have, including a propane torch with no luck. I’m afraid to use an impact wrench for fear of breaking the good pane of glass. Soooo, I took out the broken safety glass by hand (literally) and dug out the 3/8 inch groove of chunks of glass and scraped off the window seal that was between the panes. In the end, I decided it looks fine and will just not have a storm on this window.

I couldn’t stand the subfloor anymore, so Cay gave me some floor paint that she couldn’t use because of the color – its pumpkin. Perfect for this lovely fall weather. I put two coats on, only two hours of work and its so nice to have it sealed.

The Belles-Lettres is not just any book club, its an interesting, literate, fun group of friends. This year’s retreat was held on the east end of Wellesley Island. Besides laughing and eating nonstop, we took a boat tour of the thousand islands which included a romp through a couple of island castles. One of our best conversations revolved around Katrina and how (repeat after Tree), “the poor are powerless”. The book for the retreat was “To Dance with the White Dog”, about an older man and his battle to maintain independence in the face of age and health issues. We’re ready to start a commune for the elderly.

I started on the front window this weekend (on Labor Day). Its big and heavy. There was alot of garf and humidity in-between the panes of glass so in addition to removing the old gasket and adhesive (2 hours is too long), I took the 14 sheet metal screws out holding the storm window and cleaned it up. I bought new foam insulation tape, unintentionally wider (3/4 inch) and replaced the stuff that had totally disintegrated except for residual adhesive and mold. We are having trouble getting it back on the trailer, I think we need a third person to hold the lip up inside the track.

9/17 – Cay came and we got the window back in ok with three people.