I hear its really big all the time. Thanks....

Cover it with glass cloth and cheap resin, it will last a long time and you can sleep in it instead of paying for a motel, so you've got that going for you!

All you need is an air mattress and your inflatable date.

If the toy box is a rock'n, don't bother knock'n!

Nice workshop!

Any concept sketch to see how it is planned to turn out?

Epoxy resin and paint on cheap ply makes it last

forever

Throw in your sleeping bag and you're good for the winter.

Its my work, kinda why I need to get it outta here this weekend. The shop is nice, but it's seriously short on space. I need another 5000 sq/ft (465sq/m) to get comfortable again. The building I'm in is for sale, (I rent this space), if and when it does sell my business might be homeless and it'll be time to put up a new building. Though I'm not sure I'll be able to afford to put up much more than 5000 sq/ft to start with. But if I lay it out with the intention of adding on, it won't be that big of a deal to do so.

I didn't really have a plan going into it. Just to maximize the available space that's on the trailer. I'll sort out where everything is going to go inside once I have it finished up, and I try to load it up with everything.

I need to have it painted and ready to travel for next weekend.

I've got a gallon of the bed liner stuff, I think I'm going to do the front of the box with that. Should help protect it from the pickup a little bit. All terrain tires, doesn't really matter too much. They throw up some sh!t.

Looks good.
Whatever you cover it with, take the advice and epoxy it first, especially end grain. Been there and it works. Only place I had problems was where screws were put in for hardware, the rest held up for about 15 years.

I am sure this is common knowlegde but I mention it anyway.
Where fittings are to be secured with screws drill the holes oversize. Fill with thickened epoxy. Then re-drill once hardened and mount the fittings. This stops water from getting inside the ply ruining it with swelling etc. Works for both screws and through bolts.

I ain't got time for epoxy right now. Seriously one more step would mean it wouldn't be hitting the road in a week. I've got just enough time to slap some paint on it, anchor it, and hit the road.

Why not skip the paint for now then and just cover it in a quick setting epoxy. You can always paint it later but you can not add epoxy over the paint.

Well.... Just slid it on the trailer. Fooked up a little bit. Just realized that my center mast cradle is pretty much useless now because I made the front section of the box too tall. Pisser. Not the end of the world though, I've got four others.

There's just enough room for a F18 on there too.

I really wish my new enclosed was done. Would've been nice to pull that down, but it won't be done until after Thanksgiving.

I would get a mudflap that goes from one side of your car to the other because any rocks you flick up are going to hit the back of your car including the rear window (Don't ask me how I know). You could thin the epoxy and brush it on, it will soak in and dry overnight. A big advantage is it will fill any gaps making the box waterproof, at the moment you cant wash your boat on that trailer without wrecking the box.

I made a (much smaller) box like that out of door-skin on a 1 x 2 frame (cut down 2x4) and coated inside/outside in cheap polyester resin and glassed the edges.

Did what Rolf said and cut larger hole for screws, filled them in with epoxy/cabosil and re-drilled them. Learned that from mounting winches on my dad's boat.

Thing went 3 seasons (at least) without noticable rotting before I sold the thing. Stored outside and washed the boat on the trailer occasionally...

Probably would have lasted longer if I'd designed it better. Could stand on most parts of the box, too.

Well, I epoxied the whole thing inside and out. I pretty much wholesale murdered some brain cells sitting inside that thing. The first cost of paint should go well though.

I thinned out the epoxy with about 12% acetone, went on pretty nicely that way. It's thin, but it can be. I'll post some more pics in a bit.

Just out of curiosity, does that box weigh more than your boat?

It's not to bad. More than 200#'s, but not a heck of a lot more. Two of us picked it up and set it on the trailer. I'm fine with weight. Truck is got plenty of snort, brakes, and suspension. The trailer has a pair of 2500# axles, but I'm only tagged for 3k#'s, it'll be close with three boats and gear. Really I'm adding more tongue weight than anything.

is that

instead of

the pop up camper you were looking at?

Karl, what are you using to secure the box to the trailer? U bolts or...?

The reason I ask is, one of my biggest problems is ants getting into my box through the little bit of space around the bolt holes, then 'nesting' in my sails and stuff! I have learned to spray ant killer all around the U bolt holes to keep the little bastads out...but some still manage to find a way in.

I use self-tapping screws

Screwed directly down into the trailer beams, from the inside of the box?

yes

UUHHHH...Or you could try silicone around the U bolt holes. Personally I think duct tape is the bomb.

There's places to bolt through the trailer and the box towards the front. It'll go through the channel that the rack and rear mast stand is attached to now. I'll throw four in the front and in the back I'm just going to jamb some wood screws down through the decking. Its not going anywhere unless I roll it the whole mess, then I don't really care anyways.

Pulling it over to my brother's with my little truck I was blind behind me. I'm curious what it'll be like with the diesel sitting up a little higher and being a bit wider. I think the bottom of my back window is about the same height as the top of the box. Always make me nervous when there's a pile of masts on the trailer, if I were to get rearended by a semi truck, those masts would all come through the cab. *shudder*

Might throw a camera on the back just for entertainment. Hell, GoPro 3 and my ipad for that matter. I refuse to put the big mirrors on my pickup. Its 2012, we have the technology, and I don't need those hideous monster mirrors.

Some pretty cheap waterproof video cameras have wireless connectivity to modern phones & Ipads. You could rig one up on the end of your mast facing back when your driving and leave it there so it's facing down when your sailing. Good move sealing the timber.

I put a wireless back-up camera($49.00 on Ebay) on the motorhome.The camera was supposed to get it's power from the reverse lights, but I wanted to use it for checking out the boat while going down the road. Didn't want to have to run a wire to the back so I wired it in to the parking lights and just turn them on when I want to check things out.Even has night vision. Cheap and easy just like you, Karl.
p.s. just towed An enclosed 1/2 height box trailer to A cat worlds and couldn't see crap except the side mirrors. No fun.

Nope. Not planning on sleeping in it, though it might happen. Just wanted enough room for five boats of crap, and gear. I hate when the cab of the pickup is packed full. I like having my .45, an AR, my backpack, and my computer case in the cab and thats it. Maybe a sleeping bag+pillow as well to get some zzz's on the road.

I wanted it to be big enough to get my jet ski in there, but thats not happening. Maybe the next one I'll push it out over the tongue more to make room for that. I kinda want to sell this trailer and get a new one anyways.

hmmm, is there a reason you are including that?
you would be the first to install a gun-rack on your cat!

I'm just saying I like to keep the in cab things to a minimum.

did you incorporate a brass pole on that box? It would certainly come in handy at truck stops.

Here's something I've been thinking about;

A box trailer with a ramp in back, where you can roll the entire boat inside, rest it on bunks, or the floor, put the mast on top. With the added benefit of it being big enough to sleep in (too drunk to drive? Nah, that would never happen!) at the regatta site.

BUT, our boats are 8'6

wide, and the max width for trailers is also 8'6

....right? Most 'normal' race car box type trailers are only about 8' wide, not wide enough to roll a cat in on the beach wheels....

I mentioned this at a regatta and someone said Nigel has an extra wide box trailer? Any one have details on that? Do you have to get it custom built or do they make them pretty much standard? And how much extra do you have to pay to get it registered, OR, do I need a follow me

Wide Load

car with yellow lights to chase me to all the regattas??

Somehow I doubt Nigel's wife is driving one of those!

I believe, in FL, you can get a for a wider load for only a small premium.