HI Steve : great drawings etc. I have built myself a camper trailer using plywood. Can I make some suggestions? Well, I will anyway. If you use a frame you can use thinner ply like 7 mm but probably the best compromise is 12 mm. Put the frame every 200 mm and have it support a runner that is attached to the roof. This way your roof will be strong enough to be able to be used as a roof rack. Glue and screw everything to the cut to size ply panels and then fabricate it together. Much easier. Framing the ply creates a torsion box construction which makes it extremely strong. The ply on its own without a frame is not strong enough Think of hollow fill doors or aeroplane wing constrction - the same concept.
You will need an escape hatch. It is very difficult to build the lift up tailgate and a pain in the arse to seal. I suggest left and right barn doors. Much easier all round. Windows - try a caravan repair place they usually have stacks I bought 4 Camec wind-outs for $100 total. Thinner ply means less weight and considerable costy savings. Bunnings has it on special sometimes and occasionally you can get it from building demolition places. You want structural ply becasue the glue is waterproof and it is this that gives the ply the strength.The timber will fail before the glue does.Thicker ply means less framing but you will need the framing if you want to use roof as a rack. It's a good idea to have access to a snack drawer/bar without having to get out at night which can be bloody cold.When building the sides, I screwed the ply panels together and cut them with saw/jigsaw at the same time and made the doors and window holes at the same time. This way everything matched up. I bullet nosed the front of mine but it is much easier with your design.I suggest that you slope the front more (about 20 degrees down to the mid line height of the tow vehicle) to maximise wind resistance reduction.Its a bugger lugging water containers. Why not put one on the roof. It won't affect COG very much. That's all for now
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