Since the plan was to move off our sailboat and into the RV we wanted a “tiny home” on wheels. Another thing we learned while on the boat was that we do not like repetitive tasks of setting up and breaking down. So, the design had to accommodate that. Plus we intend to head to the mountains and at times be in areas that will be cold, so 4 season capable.
Now if we were doing this build in Europe there would be a number of companies that could build an empty habitat for you. But here in the USA this kind of RV is still relatively uncommon, especially the DIY variety. After a lot of searching around we went with Total Composites. Andreas Schwall, the owner, will manufacture a panel kit to your custom design. There is a bit of a lead time for these kits as the factory is in China. These composite panels are cored with foam for lighter weight and insulation. We also ordered some honeycomb cored panels for the interior walls. I felt they would stiffen the outer walls and also match the gelcoat, making for a higher quality look.
After moving to N.C. to continue the build we started to meet some of the local businesses (mainly to find supplies for the build). We found that Eastern N. Carolina has a number of boat builders. One thing boat builders and some expedition RV builders have in common is fiberglass. We met up with Jim Gardiner at Compmillenia, who builds high quality boats. He also has a pretty large fiberglass molding shop and has expressed interest in expedition RV’s. If I would have known about his shop I would have submitted a design to get a quote as he does really high quality work.
