1952 Airfloat Skipper 16'

Here are some rot pics for your viewing pleasure. Nothing is too far gone to save   Or replicate I should say.








And this. Previous owners attempt to rebuild the perimeter of the frame. The entire lower curbside was rebuilt in a haphazard way sometime in its life. You can see the old vs new lower curb side wood.

With the skin removed and nearly all the framing being rotten we decided to build new walls. I want to maintain as much of the originality and design of the float as possible. I used an early pic from the Airfloat factory that Bob Gallagher had in his mitts. It was the inspiration for building my table jig.



This pic shows Airfloats patented design for moving air through the walls. In theory it moves hot air out of the walls keeping the interior cooler, or can be closed to keep warm air within the walls when it's cold out. Does it work? I have no clue. But it's a design feature that I want to maintain.

The round windows are really great. Actually, the entire camper is really great.

The project will be a challenge but the camper is worth it.

We spent a couple of weekends building the table and laying out the jig pattern. The salvaged siding was just the ticket for nailing down the correct shape.

Fitting the studs was a slow but rewarding process. And cutting all those dados....



But we now have a brand spankin new pair of 52 Airfloat Skipper walls!






A lot of thinking and scribbling into this one.




Next step will be building my door opening and door. More laminating.

My wife made a really cool discovery while pulling a mirror off the door. A pic of our float was behind it. We also learned it was once owned by a 60's artist / activist who traveled in it. We're doing some research on him and his history with the trailer. Later in the thread you'll see his mother whom gave him the trailer. And the story of how her mother ordered our Airfloat new.