Thevulture
Advanced Member
We purchased our Eagle used off Craigslist in March of '18, it's a '16 model and is practically brand new (I think the previous owner used it about 10 times). The previous owner had it built from FWC with the side dinette (we were unsure if we would like it at the time, but we really love it and it makes for comfortable living space), he also had it built out with a propane box (no heater) and roof tracks. We wanted a shell model because of the flexibility of adding our own stuff and keeping it simple and functional, but we were looking for any Eagles, as they are so hard to find. This ended up being a great deal and we had to jump on it.
-First day after picking it up in Prescott.
We were using my old chuckbox for the first few months, while I tried to figure out exactly how it would work out and where stuff would go. The chuck box is great, but it weighs about 60lbs. loaded and I was getting tired of lifting it.
-Unmodified interior
The first thing I added was a top loading Engel fridge and it’s been great. If I were to only do one add on, it would be the fridge. Second, I bought some used Yakima Towers off Craigslist and went to the metal supply and bought some 6061 aluminum tubing and sprayed it with Plastidip ($20 instead of $100 from Yakima). I installed my Thule roof box and this has been great storage for camp chairs, wood, and the camp table. It's heavier than I thought it would be and will eventually upgrade the struts to 50lb.
-Fridge (notice how I made a cut so I could still access the storage and fuses via the hinged door)
-After installing roof box, near Great Basin NP in Nevada.
After using and learning the camper through the spring and early summer I decided to do a simple cabinet and install a Propex heater. I removed the carpet and hinged door and covered it with plywood and created a removable cover to access the fuse block and small tool storage. From there I removed the siding and mapped out where all the aluminum studs are, drew it out and then placed tape on the siding to make mounting the cabinets easier.
-Stud "blueprint" and tape markings.
I made the cabinets and finished them outside (to keep the dust out) and assembled them inside the camper. I also redid the wood for the propane box so it would all match and I may redo all the wood inside sometime. I used 1/2" Baltic Birch for the the cabinets and 3/4" for the countertop. If I were to do it again, I would use 3/4" for everything except the cabinet doors. I finished it with a water based stain and 6 coats of water based poly. I used slam latched similar to what FWC uses, that I found on Amazon.
-Guides for router to make the face of the cabinet.
-Checking fit before installing doors and making holes for the heater vents. (Notice the access door to get to the fuses and storage. The black cover on the propane box allows for quick and easy access to propane line and power for the heater. The CO alarm is mounted there now and the thermostat will be mounted there too. It's pretty low to the ground and hopefully it's a good spot for the thermostat.)
-Finished, 10pm before the 3 week trip!
I don't have much experience building and this was the biggest project I've done. It took me longer than expected and I had a lot of mistakes, recuts, mis-measurements, and a few curse words, but I think it came out very nice and I'm quite proud of it. We used the camper in for three weeks this summer and it was great to not lift the chuck box up and down everyday.
I thought about installing a sink and stove, but we don’t really like to cook inside the camper, but can fire up the Coleman white gas stove and make coffee on cold mornings (I open a turnbuckle door and crank the roof fan to get the air moving). I have two 7 gallon jugs that give us about 2-2.5 days worth of water for cooking and cleaning.
My plan for the heater is to mount inside the cabinet and vent out. I bought the Propex HS2211 model specifically because it can be mounted on it’s side. I will use this boat through hull vent out to route the exhaust and intake from the back of the camper. I plan on doing the heater install this month and will post updates.
-Thru Hull Fitting
-First day after picking it up in Prescott.
We were using my old chuckbox for the first few months, while I tried to figure out exactly how it would work out and where stuff would go. The chuck box is great, but it weighs about 60lbs. loaded and I was getting tired of lifting it.
-Unmodified interior
The first thing I added was a top loading Engel fridge and it’s been great. If I were to only do one add on, it would be the fridge. Second, I bought some used Yakima Towers off Craigslist and went to the metal supply and bought some 6061 aluminum tubing and sprayed it with Plastidip ($20 instead of $100 from Yakima). I installed my Thule roof box and this has been great storage for camp chairs, wood, and the camp table. It's heavier than I thought it would be and will eventually upgrade the struts to 50lb.
-Fridge (notice how I made a cut so I could still access the storage and fuses via the hinged door)
-After installing roof box, near Great Basin NP in Nevada.
After using and learning the camper through the spring and early summer I decided to do a simple cabinet and install a Propex heater. I removed the carpet and hinged door and covered it with plywood and created a removable cover to access the fuse block and small tool storage. From there I removed the siding and mapped out where all the aluminum studs are, drew it out and then placed tape on the siding to make mounting the cabinets easier.
-Stud "blueprint" and tape markings.
I made the cabinets and finished them outside (to keep the dust out) and assembled them inside the camper. I also redid the wood for the propane box so it would all match and I may redo all the wood inside sometime. I used 1/2" Baltic Birch for the the cabinets and 3/4" for the countertop. If I were to do it again, I would use 3/4" for everything except the cabinet doors. I finished it with a water based stain and 6 coats of water based poly. I used slam latched similar to what FWC uses, that I found on Amazon.
-Guides for router to make the face of the cabinet.
-Checking fit before installing doors and making holes for the heater vents. (Notice the access door to get to the fuses and storage. The black cover on the propane box allows for quick and easy access to propane line and power for the heater. The CO alarm is mounted there now and the thermostat will be mounted there too. It's pretty low to the ground and hopefully it's a good spot for the thermostat.)
-Finished, 10pm before the 3 week trip!
I don't have much experience building and this was the biggest project I've done. It took me longer than expected and I had a lot of mistakes, recuts, mis-measurements, and a few curse words, but I think it came out very nice and I'm quite proud of it. We used the camper in for three weeks this summer and it was great to not lift the chuck box up and down everyday.
I thought about installing a sink and stove, but we don’t really like to cook inside the camper, but can fire up the Coleman white gas stove and make coffee on cold mornings (I open a turnbuckle door and crank the roof fan to get the air moving). I have two 7 gallon jugs that give us about 2-2.5 days worth of water for cooking and cleaning.
My plan for the heater is to mount inside the cabinet and vent out. I bought the Propex HS2211 model specifically because it can be mounted on it’s side. I will use this boat through hull vent out to route the exhaust and intake from the back of the camper. I plan on doing the heater install this month and will post updates.
-Thru Hull Fitting
