Hoping For A Better Year

[David Unnerstall]

I am hoping for a better year and plan on being able to contribute something meaningful to this forum – instead of my comments that only seem funny at the time.  And besides there is no way I can compete with Wrench.

I started a teardrop trailer last year.  The sides are cedar strips to match my canoe which will go on top of it.  Here is a link to the Facebook page I created for it:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.912123178848774.1073741831.100001533025115&type=1&l=03e798a7a7

It is not done but usable.  This took up way too much of my time and I wish I hadn't started it.  I have a job where I don’t know when I am going to get home at times.  My wife was born with a bit of a disability and I do most of what is necessary in the house.  I fix everything that breaks in the house and most things with our vehicles.  And I manage to heat the house with wood (I have a chain saw but no log splitter).

The trailer became a must after we spent Memorial Day weekend at our twenty acres in the Arcadia Valley.  On Sunday a storm came in and blew the tent down on us.  If you would have seen the tent from the outside all you would see is two heads sticking up from under the tent.  Everything we had was wet.

Now the teardrop is always packed with clothes and camping and kitchen gear.  All I need to pack is a cooler and we are gone.  And no more setting up a tent, by myself, in the dark.  I hope to have some stories of fishing Crane Lake from my canoe and Wappappello and Clearwater from the old Chrysler.  I see some accesses to the Black and St. Francis Rivers on Google Earth that I want to try with the fly rod.  And I have four weeks of vacation, this year, and will spend the extra week with the new crossbow during archery season.

[marcus]

that thing is really cool everytime i see those on the road they always catch my eye 

[BilletHead]

Looking good there David,

   Fresh start to this year and I bet it happens for you. Good luck and keep us up to what you are doing. AND no one can compete with the Wrench,

BilletHead

[MOsmallies]

Awesome! And your land is in God's Country. We vacation on the Black River every summer and that area holds a very special place in my heart. Looking forward to your reports!

[David Unnerstall]

Here is the status of the teardrop -- still not done but usable.  We towed it down to the Arcadia Valley last week and it did fine.  The axle came loose and moved but I found that I did not have it mounted on the leaf springs, correctly.  Now the fender is not centered on the tire but I am not concerned.  But I could not fit the canoe in the back of the truck with the teardrop hitched.  My heart was broke.  But on Friday my buddy Rick stopped by and he had is boat behind him.  He did not know I did not have the canoe.  We fished Crane Lake for three hours and caught a few fish in the slot -- mine coming on a buzz-bait and rooster tail.  But it is difficult to see what is going on at Crane Lake. I found this on the MTNF website:

Crane Lake is undergoing a partial (12 foot) drawdown that will result in a lake that is approximately 40-50 acres in size. This is being done to complete maintenance and engineering studies. Once the water level begins to drop, boat launching will not be feasible.  However, shoreline fishing, hunting and hiking at Crane Lake will continue to be permitted except immediately near the dam where the maintenance work will be occurring.

I was happy we caught fish.  I has been tough for me lately and Crane Lake has been especially tough.  But that is such a scenic lake and fun to paddle around.

[jdmidwest]

I had intended to start a teardrop camper project this winter til the cancer popped up.  Maybe this year.  I plan on making mine a little bigger on a wide body bass boat trailer.  I want a little deck on front to put coolers and other stuff on.  I also want the camper part to be tall enough to stand in.  I will ditch the exterior galley in the rear idea for another bed.

How was Crane with the draw down?  I imagine there is no boat access at the ramp.  It has been a favorite spot of mine over the years, remote but worth the drive.

Where did you find the door?  I need one and a window for my plan and have not really looked for them yet.

[David Unnerstall]

JD,  We could not use the boat ramp and had to launch from the gravel jetty next to the ramp.  Rick has a 14-foot v-bottom aluminum boat and a 4-wheel drive truck.  It was an adventure.

The door came from Vintage Technologies http://teardroptrailerparts.com/Home_Page.html  There are quite a few companies out there that cater to teardrop builders.

[jdmidwest]

I imagine it was a chore, that jetty is pretty slim and rough.  Last time I was there it was covered in feces and broken glass.  I almost dragged the Tracker back in there coming back from Council Bluffs but had not heard about the lake being done.  NFS will probably drag it out for several years then abandon it.  Hopefully it will kill off all of the pads and weeds they have worked so hard trying to make grow there and return it to what it was in the 80's.

Thanks for the link.  I have a floorplan for mine, but it will be big for a teardrop.  I want it at least 6' tall in middle for the stove, taper off front and back.   I want a bed in front and back, sink and stove with some storage.  I have an old popup to scavage parts off for the interior, just have to build a shell.  It will be similar to this with a short deck in front for storage.

[David Unnerstall]

I have since learned that the DNR is offering 2 million to the National Forest to fix the dam.  It seems everybody is puzzled why the DNR wants to get involved but I am all for it.

http://www.myironcountynews.com/articles/2016/05/11/commission-talks-crane-lake-forest-service-official

 

JD, you will have the equivalent of a trailer made by T@b and saving more than 20K.