My BOBCAT Build

[GroovyDad]

I plan to take most of the winter to build out my new Bobcat shell. My plan is to go very simple and light so I can have as much agility as possible. As of now, I plan to build a side dinette with a rollover chair that folds into a small, narrow bed for a second person or for stealth camping. I plan to have gravity fed water from a 7 gallon jug, heat from a Mr. Heater, a simple, two burner camp cook top, one battery for LED lighting and a porta-potty. I also plan to use a good quality ice chest for refrigeration.

I'm toying with idea of incorporating milk crates for drawers. Milk crates come in two sizes, are durable, reasonably priced and can be easily removed and stored when I'm not camping.

The other day, I started building a set of rollover hinges. I'm fortunate enough to have a neighbor with a rollover couch in his FWC and he let me take some measurements of his. I have some welding/metal working experience, so I got to work. The hinges in the photographs are very raw and still need to be ground and finished, but they work! and all for about $40.00 worth of metal.

 

[billharr]

Nice job on the brackets looking forward to your build

 

[pvstoy]

I think that is pretty good skills to take metal and make your own roll over assembly!! Looking forward to the rest of your build

 

[GroovyDad]

Because my Gerry can holder doesn't allow my door to open all the way and fasten to the door holder, I came up with a little door stop to prevent the window from slamming against the can holder. I'm always glad that I save little pieces of hardware, nuts and bolts--they always come in hand sooner or later.

 

[GroovyDad]

I know it's not a good idea to have an indoor propane cabinet, but I'm only planning to use an 11 lb. bottle and I'm going to seal it really well AND vent it to the outside.

I still have to paint it, install the cabinet door & hardware, silicone seal it and mount it in place.

 

[GroovyDad]

I'm building a side dinette, so I've begun to make the seat boxes. The forward seat box will hold my battery, battery isolator and inverter. The rear seat box will support my homemade rollover hinges and have storage inside.



Since I used several different species of wood in my build, staining the cabinets would look a little jumbled, so I decided to go with a light, neutral paint.

I'm having a BLAST!

 

[ski3pin]

I'm having a BLAST!

That's one of the key benefits!

 

[billharr]

Looking good, the seat brackets came out real nice. Will the hinged top on the rear seat clear the back cushion? I just did a lift out panel. I may have over killed the rear seat but if I have the top bed pulled out i step down oh the end of the roll over. Brackets bolt through to a 3" alum angle that is bolted to the sides and at the ends bolt to the angle on the outside edges. I added a bracket at the bottom that bolts through the floor. If you are not standing on the folded over seat it should not be a problem. If you are standing on it that is a lot of leverage.

You can see the angle in the picture below. Angle to the outside is bolted through the outside wall. There is 1/2" of angle by the plywood that my seat panel sets on.

 

[GroovyDad]

That's a good question Bill, I didn't check to see if the hinged lid would clear the back cushion. I'll check it before I install the hinge and if it doesn't clear, then I'll make a lift out panel too. Thanks for catching that!

 

[GroovyDad]

So I made a little more progress on my Bobcat build this weekend. The photos above are of the completed forward dining seat/electrical box.




These show the completed bench with storage that holds the rollover seat.




These show the porta-potty storage and the lid, which will be part of the lower bed when the dinette is converted to the bed.




The propane cabinet is large enough to hold an 11 lb. tank, and old school kerosene lantern and some extra kerosene cannisters.



A view of the progress from above. If the weather continues to stay nice, I'll tackle the kitchen counter and cabinets next weekend.

 

[ski3pin]

Very nice!

 

[MANXMAN]

I'll tackle the kitchen counter and cabinets next weekend.

Excellent work!

Looking forward to seeing more of your interior build.

 

[GroovyDad]

I got my four cushions for my side dinette back from the upholsterer yesterday and they turned out great. I mounted up the seat back on the rollover hinge and the rest fit into place perfectly. This lower bed is only 16" wide, but it's plenty of room for a sleeping bag.


It's been a little too cold to work outside on this, so I'll do some indoor projects like curtains until it warms up.

 

[billharr]

Your hinge and cushions look great. Job well done.

 

[rvsixer]

This looks great. Sorry if I missed it, but what is the distance from the outside edge of your dinette seats to the inside camper wall?

I am contemplating a Bobcat/Fleet shell build, and trying to get an idea just how wide I can go on a side dinette/rainy day lounging area and still have usable galley width. Thanks!

 

[billharr]

How tall are your seats, can your feet touch the floor setting down? Looks like the cushion bottoms are even with the side by the window. I made mine so the top of the cushions are even with the side of the window. I did this so it feels wider than the cushions when in a bed. The wife would have liked the seats lower as her feet do not touch.

 

[GroovyDad]

This looks great. Sorry if I missed it, but what is the distance from the outside edge of your dinette seats to the inside camper wall?

I am contemplating a Bobcat/Fleet shell build, and trying to get an idea just how wide I can go on a side dinette/rainy day lounging area and still have usable galley width. Thanks!

The outside edge of the cushions is exactly 26 inches from the camper wall, with 16 inches of it being the cushion width. I considered making the seats a little wider, but like you said, I wanted plenty of room between the dinette and the galley. I've since tried it out and I'm very happy with only 16 inches of cushion width.

 

[GroovyDad]

How tall are your seats, can your feet touch the floor setting down? Looks like the cushion bottoms are even with the side by the window. I made mine so the top of the cushions are even with the side of the window. I did this so it feels wider than the cushions when in a bed. The wife would have liked the seats lower as her feet do not touch.

You're right Bill, my cushion bottoms are even with the sides, so I do have a 4" drop down in that space between the cushions and the side of the camper. I initially wanted the seats to be flush with the sides, like yours are, but it would have felt like I was sitting at a kiddie table, so I raised them up a bit. My feet are able to touch the floor completely. Plus, I've found that even with a 4" drop down on that side of the bed, I can still sprawl over the edge and be reasonably comfortable.

 

[rvsixer]

The outside edge of the cushions is exactly 26 inches from the camper wall, with 16 inches of it being the cushion width. I considered making the seats a little wider, but like you said, I wanted plenty of room between the dinette and the galley. I've since tried it out and I'm very happy with only 16 inches of cushion width.

Thanks for the info, its really helpful. I have a 30" wide number in my mind (entire dinette area turns into a large flat area like Ambling1 did at http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/8946-new-atc-ocelot-shell-buildout/page-6#entry99798). That way after dinner the wife and I could kick back in opposite corners with legs stretched out reading or whatever, dog in the middle of course .

It appears 30" wide may make things a little tight in the galley however. I currently have big arse full size truck so could easily accomodate a wider camper, but retirement is looming and wanting do downsize pretty much everything including the truck, so hoping to make a 72" wide camper work.

Doable or not, hard to know. I must see Bobcat size campers in person somewhere.

 

[GroovyDad]

Thanks for the info, its really helpful. I have a 30" wide number in my mind (entire dinette area turns into a large flat area like Ambling1 did at http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/8946-new-atc-ocelot-shell-buildout/page-6#entry99798). That way after dinner the wife and I could kick back in opposite corners with legs stretched out reading or whatever, dog in the middle of course .

It appears 30" wide may make things a little tight in the galley however. I currently have big arse full size truck so could easily accomodate a wider camper, but retirement is looming and wanting do downsize pretty much everything including the truck, so hoping to make a 72" wide camper work.

Doable or not, hard to know. I must see Bobcat size campers in person somewhere.

I do like the way Ambling1 did his Ocelot--it's very versatile. I think the Ocelot is a little wider than the Bobcat, so 30" is a little more doable. Also, Ambling1's galley counter top doesn't extend all the way to the door frame, so that buys him a few more precious inches. I'm like you, I wanted to not only downsize, but also lighten my load as much as possible. That's why I went with the Tacoma/Bobcat combination. I also took into account my dog's size (a yellow lab), who needed enough room on the floor the stretch out. I'm over in Reno if you're close, you can check mine out.