Nida-core: How do I redo my Dolphin with this stuff?

[Tundrawolf]

Hello,

So I have a Dolphin that is literally falling apart. The walls are peeling and rotted to the insulation, the ceiling is caving in, and the floors are also caving in.

I have upgraded the axle to the true 1 ton.

I need to tear it down to the frame and re-do it.

I am very interested in the nida-core because it is so extremely lightweight, yet is very strong.

My problem is this: the nida-core is pretty much a solid wall. How would I mount an outlet inside it? Not to mention the wiring!

So how would I go about doing this? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

http://www.nida-core.com/

Dave

[gearhead]

Dave

I have used the core material that you are looking at,and it is just the core (center)of a composit. You will need to have skins(fiberglass or wood)on the outsides of the core to give the core strength to do the job. I have a 86 sunrader at present and it is cored in the center and has fiberglass on the outsides making a sandwitch type construction. also the cost of the project would be outragious.Also most core material need to be vacuume bagged to bond the skins to the core.Hope this helps ,would be cheaper to buy a sunrader which is already cored..Useing these cores requires quite a bit of expertise and the learning curve is expensive. Hope this helps.

Don

[WME]

Its a long read, but try

www.thesupercamper.blogspot.com

[Tundrawolf]

Dave

I have used the core material that you are looking at,and it is just the core (center)of a composit. You will need to have skins(fiberglass or wood)on the outsides of the core to give the core strength to do the job. I have a 86 sunrader at present and it is cored in the center and has fiberglass on the outsides making a sandwitch type construction. also the cost of the project would be outragious.Also most core material need to be vacuume bagged to bond the skins to the core.Hope this helps ,would be cheaper to buy a sunrader which is already cored..Useing these cores requires quite a bit of expertise and the learning curve is expensive. Hope this helps.

Don

Thank you for that. I understand that using Nida-core will cost me $1,500-2,000 in nidacore alone. Are you saying I cannot use the nidacore alone? I don't quite understand what you mean about the core, is there an air gap where wires can go? I also understand that curves would be difficult, I've never worked with this stuff before. I don't know what else to do, really, I need light weight, strength, and good insulation, because it gets super hot here (120) and super cold (subzero). Wood is light but doesn't insulate as good as fiberglass, but fiberglass is expensive and also very heavy. I need the ability to carry weight, too.

Dave

P.S. the supercamper article is where I got the idea for nida-core. It seems to me that they just used the nidacore alone. I don't think they have outlets though, or a need for wiring in the walls.

[WME]

Go to a Lowe's or such and look at their surface mount wire conduits.

Some simple runs could be done with a long drill bit and pulling wires from the edge to the outlet. It would have to be single 12v runs otherwise the hole gets to big and would weaken the walls.

If the Nida-core is thick enough you could glue in runs of PVC pipe to pull wires through. The pipes would add back some of the strength lost due to wire runs.

[Tundrawolf]

I was hoping to avoid external wiring. It's true I am not familiar with nidacore, or even fiberglass and how to bond it. I just don't see any other options for insulation value, light weight, and strength.

[WME]

Using the external conduits and the cabnets, benches and such there would be very few visiable runs needed.

You could also use flat wire glued to the wall and then painted over.

www.flatwireready.com

[bajadulce]

Sounds like a big project. Dolphins are corrugated right? And they have a frame structure? From my understanding, nidacore is a composite meaning it is a "core" sandwiched between 2 surfaces. Something like this will work great if you need something freestanding and are building a camper from scratch, but not so well if you're looking to "skin" a frame. I'd suggest searching for a decent thickness FRP sheet to attach to your frame. You may have to add some additional ribbing or framework for your sheets. The typical shower sheet you find at something like Home Depot can work, but you'll have to reinforce it with a few more layers of fiberglass in my experience. A 4x8 sheet would probably run you about 50-60 bucks with all the materials.

I've actually built an entire roof with the stuff with very little timber support. How strong is it? I stood on it to take this pic just for the sake of taking a picture, but won't make a habit of walking around on it. It will support my solar array however and has now been in a couple of significant rainstorms without a leak. The material is painted as I'd expect UV light wouldn't be too good for something like this. Anyways good luck with your project. Fiberglass is pretty amazing stuff.

[Tundrawolf]

That's pretty cool. I'm not so sure, now. Honestly, this sort of thing is not my forte unless I have someone who knows what they are doing around me helping me out. I don't know how to secure this stuff together. I'd like to re-do it out of the wood slats and whatnot, but I hear the insulation isn't as good. I wonder about this stuff called "Radiant barrier". One thing is for sure, the RV needs to be re-done.

[Tundrawolf]

After re-reading the blog about the super camper, I think I might have a better idea on how to put the cab together. If those people used $3,600 in Nida-Core for that little camper, I might be looking at almost twice that. Not worth it. I originally thought $2,500. I don't even have the money now.

[85mirage]

Well you could just frame like the rest of em. Im slowly rebuilding my shasta with 2x3 and 1x's and 1/4 inch ply and ridgid insulation,epoxy and fiberglass cloth. Although i dont have such extreme temps as you. HAsn't cost to much yet. Just been buying materials as needed. That way i dont see true cost! Ha

[Tundrawolf]

Well you could just frame like the rest of em. Im slowly rebuilding my shasta with 2x3 and 1x's and 1/4 inch ply and ridgid insulation,epoxy and fiberglass cloth. Although i dont have such extreme temps as you. HAsn't cost to much yet. Just been buying materials as needed. That way i dont see true cost! Ha

You're right. I might just go that route. I am itching to tear the thing apart. I don't have a digital camera, all I have is my cell phone camera which isn't very good at all. You know, I was thinking, what if I used 1x2's and just used bed sheets to cover the RV? It'd be pretty light.

[RHS]

I do not know if you found your answer, but I rebuilt a '87 Dolphin. Left side was basically gone so I tore it all off and rebuilt it. I have step by step pictures. If I knew how to put the pictures on I would if it would help. I spent lest than $300 for material.

RHS

[Tundrawolf]

Thanks for that reply. Have you tried going to www.photobucket.com and registering a free acount there? They have a bulk uploader that lets you put 100 pictures up at a time.

[krj]

How about spray foam insulation from an insulation company. I'm remodeling an old Chinook and am going to look into it once I get to that stage (it's a slow process and I'm still working on the truck).

Again, I haven't looked into it, but my though/hope was to run all wiring, install blocking for mounting of lights, cabinets, benches, etc. and have someone spray an inch or so of insulation inside of the shell. From there what I was hoping is that it could be sanded smooth and coated with some sort of finish. What I don't know is cost, weight, and the sanding/finishing aspect of things.

Anyone out there done this or looked into it?

Good luck with the project, keep us posted.

@ Baja - Good to see some pics of the project, are you going to have a chance to update the original thread soon?

[WillieD]

Hey guys,

My '83 Dolphin isn't quite at this point, but probably isn't far behind, as there seems to be non stop rain here in NC, if not, then it is too cold to redo the roof. Needless to say the leaks are becoming more evident. I live in mine full time, so I'd have to wait a couple of months before I began a project like this, not to mention invest in a tent for me and the dog. I'm itching to start tearing things apart though. Seems it'd be a good chance to rearrange a few things. I have been going over a lot of the threads and there are some great ideas! I look forward to all of your suggestions, especially on this thread.

Doug

[WME]

Doug

Get a tarp on it to give it a chance to start drying out.

[Dolphinite no longer here]

You're right. I might just go that route. I am itching to tear the thing apart. I don't have a digital camera, all I have is my cell phone camera which isn't very good at all. You know, I was thinking, what if I used 1x2's and just used bed sheets to cover the RV? It'd be pretty light.

Dave,

I don't think Nida-Core is a good idea for your project. Think about re-doing the walls with the standard 1x2 wood framing and insulating the spaces in between the wood framing with 3/4" styrofoam sheets. Before covering up the interior walls with your favorite paneling, cover the inside walls with foil-covered foam sheets. Its the same stuff that's used to make those windshield sun shades you see everywhere. It is available, I think, from Home Depot or Lowe's in rolls. That stuff coupled with the styrofoam insulation would make for a very well insulated Toyhome indeed. If you're removing the exterior skin as well, you could even cover the exterior walls with another layer of the stuff. Screws, nails and staples will all go right through the stuff so that you can re-install the outside skin with no problems. The foil-faced foam is also quite thin and will compress very nicely where it needs to so that everything fits the way it should.

Before you tear anything out, be sure that you TAKE PICTURES OF EVERYTHING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE RIG! Make a diagram of where things are, too. This includes measurements from side walls to overhead lights, vents and switches and from the ceiling down to windows, electrical outlets, switches-everything that you'll want back in the same place without having to add small bits of wiring to reach lights, switches and outlets that aren't in the same place. Save these sketches like they're gold! Adding some 1/2" plastic conduit embedded in the foam is a great way to run wires, too. Just slice out a groove in the foam with a utility knife and lay in the pieces of conduit between the wood framing. Piece a' cake! Of course, you'll have to bore holes in the wood framing where you want the wiring to run, or cut a groove on the inside surface of the wood just deep enough to accept the wiring. Keep in mind, though, that a groove will weaken the wood more than a 1/4" hole through the center of the wood will.

Good luck and post pictures.

John

[Dolphinite no longer here]

You're right. I might just go that route. I am itching to tear the thing apart. I don't have a digital camera, all I have is my cell phone camera which isn't very good at all. You know, I was thinking, what if I used 1x2's and just used bed sheets to cover the RV? It'd be pretty light.

Dave,

I don't think Nida-Core is a good idea for your project. Think about re-doing the walls with the standard 1x2 wood framing and insulating the spaces in between the wood framing with 3/4" styrofoam sheets. Before covering up the interior walls with your favorite paneling, cover the inside walls with foil-covered foam sheets. Its the same stuff that's used to make those windshield sun shades you see everywhere. It is available, I think, from Home Depot or Lowe's in rolls. That stuff coupled with the styrofoam insulation would make for a very well insulated Toyhome indeed. If you're removing the exterior skin as well, you could even cover the exterior walls with another layer of the stuff. Screws, nails and staples will all go right through the stuff so that you can re-install the outside skin with no problems. The foil-faced foam is also quite thin and will compress very nicely where it needs to so that everything fits the way it should.

Before you tear anything out, be sure that you TAKE PICTURES OF EVERYTHING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE RIG! Make a diagram of where things are, too. This includes measurements from side walls to overhead lights, vents and switches and from the ceiling down to windows, electrical outlets, switches-everything that you'll want back in the same place without having to add small bits of wiring to reach lights, switches and outlets that aren't in the same place. Save these sketches like they're gold! Adding some 1/2" plastic conduit embedded in the foam is a great way to run wires, too. Just slice out a groove in the foam with a utility knife and lay in the pieces of conduit between the wood framing. Piece a' cake! Of course, you'll have to bore holes in the wood framing where you want the wiring to run, or cut a groove on the inside surface of the wood just deep enough to accept the wiring. Keep in mind, though, that a groove will weaken the wood more than a 1/4" hole through the center of the wood will.

Good luck and post pictures.

John