Formally for van bed and shelving

If it is well supported and not going to get proper wet, why not MDF?If you go to a large cabinetmakers and ask for "packing sheets" you will get 16 or 19mm MDF in 8x4ft for $10 each....... not the $60 plus you're going to pay....

Formply is used when concreteing so it doesn't stick and does resist water. So yes it's strong. And yes it's expensive.
Thick ply will resist water better than chip board.
MDF will resist the least.
Pretty hard to glue Formply but screwing no probs.
Thick ply easier to glue & screw.
Both plys will give a great finish. routing edges will give that pro finish (1/4 round on edges). Varnish ply chip & mdf. Formply finish should be good as is.
Relly looking fwd to your build pix.

All care taken but over the life of the van it could get wet so MDF probably not the go.. I was hoping for no support underneath but the weight and price has made me agree to a middle support.
The idea is for 2 bed sized shelves..Got to work out the exact sizes but in an ideal world bottom about 40cms up to allow for storage of big plastic tubs. The next c 20cm higher ( sails and masts).
The top shelf will have some upright removable supports about 80cm in from the RHS.. Boards store on their edge on RHS where there is no door. Booms and assorted things to the left.
Hopefully there is enough room for me to sleep on the LHS of the uprights. That will be the way it is used most of the time as a windsurfing van.
To go car camping the upper layer is removed and we sleep on the full width lower shelf. Gives us more head room too..
At least that's the plan , or the idea I'd like. Things may morph as he builds..

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sboardcrazy said..
All care taken but over the life of the van it could get wet so MDF probably not the go.. I was hoping for no support underneath but the weight and price has made me agree to a middle support.
The idea is for 2 bed sized shelves..Got to work out the exact sizes but in an ideal world bottom about 40cms up to allow for storage of big plastic tubs. The next c 20cm higher ( sails and masts).
The top shelf will have some upright removable supports about 80cm in from the RHS.. Boards store on their edge on RHS where there is no door. Booms and assorted things to the left.
Hopefully there is enough room for me to sleep on the LHS of the uprights. That will be the way it is used most of the time as a windsurfing van.
To go car camping the upper layer is removed and we sleep on the full width lower shelf. Gives us more head room too..
At least that's the plan , or the idea I'd like. Things may morph as he builds..

MDF and any water = soggy wheetbix. So no don't go there, never mind the mould that grows on it all too easily. In Theatre or film we build all of our "flats" using 4.5mm Luan ply, built over 2x1 frames (ok ok 19x 42 in the real numbers) at 600mm centres. Ply wood in tension (on frames) is exceptionally strong, Its super light cheap and easy to make, but you do need a bit of gear, ply stapler, drop saw to chop your stick at the correct length etc. If you want to avoid a frame by going all ply 7, 9, 10, 0r12 mm ply just won't hack it, it splits far too easily when nailing or worse screwing on the end grain, so you end up with 16/17mm ply. By purchasing CD grade you get one good face one rough one and a non waterproof glue bond (still fine for your use just not for full prolonged water immersion). You will need to seal what ever ply or timber you choose to use, just pick an outdoor rated paint or varnish and roller it on. If you have sized up the job and know roughly your design I can do you a cutting list and drawings to help you assemble it all and work out your quantities.

I was going to ask you what you used. Any progressive pics?
We committed and bought most of the material yesterday. 2 x 12 marine ply for the shelve / bed. 3mm for the lining, to be covered in marine carpet and other side carpet underlay to dampen noise.
I know there are dedicated products for that but the last van had that combo and seemed quiet enough.
This one came with factory hardboard lining and flooring so there will be 2 layers. It may have been easier buying a bare one as you could see where to attach things easier..still I bought one off the floor.
Van as bought. ( cargo barrier added )

Get some stuff from ebay and specifically here: www.carbuilders.com.au/

Just spent the last few weeks fitting out a 2019 Hiace as a camper - just like a house, your foundations are the key to a good fitout.

300W solar + 300 Ah LiFePO4 + 50L water.
Insulation is a must - you dont really need a vapour barrier, unless you want to camp above the snow line.

CarBuilders wont be "cheap", but also not too expensive (given the good results it achieves). *dont* use any fibreglass insulation - it is the wrong material for insulation for a lot of reasons. Use panel-deadener and some thick van-liner.

For cabinetry I use 6mm Marine Ply + some type of jointing material (such as 18mm pine) - cheap and easy to work with. A watered-down water based paint will seal the wood. Or you can go overboard and use marine-epoxy-paint.

Since you have wall-panels, you can just cover them in something nice/durable... anything will work, including plain old cotton-cloth with some spray glue.

One thing I read was to make sure you use heat resistant glue .That way your carpet won't fall off as the summer heat hits..
Good website Mathew. Thanks for the link.

Would this glue withstand/ not fail in very high temperatures ( e.g- the heat inside a van parked in the sun in 45 degrees? )
www.bunnings.com.au/sika-500ml-contact-4600-au-adhesive_p1660980

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olskool said..
Yes Sue the Sika is the go. Ive used it on many boat headliners. Sprayed directly or trowelled onto bare alloy. Either version. The sunny side you could cook an egg on. The glue holds up well.10years n no issues in tropical Qld heat.

Thanks!

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Ian K said..

mathew said..


Just spent the last few weeks fitting out a 2019 Hiace as a camper - j

Downsizing! A sea breeze first!

You haven't reduced the fleet to one foil board and a handful of wings have you?

Nah... just building a camper for my mother. ... I am looking to expand, say via a trailer for the motorbike/ultralight.

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fjdoug said..

mathew said..
... I am looking to expand, say via a trailer for the motorbike/ultralight.

what sort of ultralight ?!

Nothing specific at the moment, but something small and electric. I like the idea of going for a flight over some parts of Oz - the view would be spectacular....

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mathew said..

fjdoug said..

mathew said..
... I am looking to expand, say via a trailer for the motorbike/ultralight.

what sort of ultralight ?!

Nothing specific at the moment, but something small and electric. I like the idea of going for a flight over some parts of Oz - the view would be spectacular....

Really? Why electric? Are these sort of things even viable?

Good old petrol seems reliable, but crashing a drone is much easier to live with than running out of juice in an ultralight.

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Ian K said..
Slats are good. Allow the mattress to breath. turn them over if they sag.

Slats are ideal - because they are pre-bent. A frame as shown, is heavy - which is fine if you want to lug all they weight around. Otherwise some type of lighter-weight solution is required.

My partner, who is not looking forward to fitting it out, suggested another solution. Give up sailboarding and buy a Toyota Yaris..

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FormulaNova said..

sboardcrazy said..
My partner, who is not looking forward to fitting it out, suggested another solution. Give up sailboarding and buy a Toyota Yaris..

Why is he fitting it out? What happened to gender equality? Nudge him out of the way and do it yourself! He can drive his own Yaris.

I'm happy for him to do the work. He's had plenty of practice refitting boats..