Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on Jun 5, 2011 18:27:58 GMT -5
After a frame-up restoration we did ourselves, we finally had to send Hamlet to the "plastic surgeon" for a little final skin work. It was a little like awaiting the birth of a child. He turned out more handsome than we even imagined. Two days later we headed south from Vancouver, WA, along the coast for two weeks on the road. We quickly realized that we would have to allow a half-hour a day for people to stop us, reminisce, ask questions, and ask for tours. We did our best to make Hamlet fit for the 21st century without losing any of the 1959 charm or simplicity. The bathroom with porta-potti and hot shower fashioned from the big closet, worked perfectly. We took 20" off the benches to make a full size bed, and used the extra space for a closet on one side and a cupboard with counter on the other. We added a few LED lights, but kept the gas lamp (makes a great heater) and icebox. We chose fabrics that kept it looking vintage without being kitschy. Just a classy little gentleman. The best thing, though, is that Hamlet did everything we had hoped. We boondocked and stayed at a KOA (and in a campground of vintage trailers). We were in mountains and desert, sun and rain, wind and calm, and we hardly knew he was behind us. We can't wait for our next road trip! Attachments:
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Post by sparkle on Jun 5, 2011 18:34:51 GMT -5
Hamlet is soooo handsome! Glad you had a great time!
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Post by LittleVintageTrailer on Jun 5, 2011 18:41:21 GMT -5
Hamlet is a handsome one for sure. Do you have interior photos? I remember you talking about the closet potti and shower. I'd love to see what you did and the rest of the interior.
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Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on Jun 5, 2011 18:44:20 GMT -5
I'll try to do photos. I'm working on a Mac, and don't have a Flickr account. This is an interior one. Attachments:
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Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on Jun 5, 2011 18:49:51 GMT -5
THe pics seem mostly to be too large to post. I'll have to figure that one out. I'll look for a bathroom shot. Attachments:
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Post by mary1960 on Jun 5, 2011 18:54:19 GMT -5
LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!
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Hamlet
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Posts: 2,241
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Post by Hamlet on Jun 5, 2011 19:00:29 GMT -5
Here's the bathroom. The monstrosity on the wall is the tankless water heater. What you can't see is the three coats of marine spar varnish on the walls. We caulked the seams. The tiered shower pan was great, but we still have a little tweaking on the caulking from the shower pan to the door. The movement of the trailer tended to make it open up a little. It still worked, but we're not sure it's the final product. We also put a cut-down shower curtain over the inside of the door that worked great. Attachments:
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Hamlet
2K Post Member
Posts: 2,241
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Post by Hamlet on Jun 5, 2011 19:05:37 GMT -5
I'll try one more. It's a good thing I've got a lot of pictures, 'cause most of them are too big to post. This is the cupboard on the entry side. We keep bed linens and clothes in the top drawer, and pots and pans in the bottom. It's amazing how much storage we wound up with. Attachments:
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Hamlet
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Posts: 2,241
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Post by Hamlet on Jun 5, 2011 22:28:24 GMT -5
I'm not sure if I got the link thing right, but here are pictures from the trip. I put another link in the "owner's restorations" section with pics of the process. If the link doesn't work when you click on it, you can copy and paste it into your browser. www.flickr.com/photos/63792423@N08/sets/72157626770469953/
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Post by Redwings on Jun 5, 2011 23:21:37 GMT -5
Those are really cute trip photos! How fun is it that you found a Hamlet Hotel?? Thanks for sharing. Looks like you enjoyed your trip.
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Hamlet
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Posts: 2,241
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Post by Hamlet on Oct 10, 2011 19:00:04 GMT -5
Just saw your post, Gina. Nothing like a four month lag! Anyway, we were in Solvang, a little Danish town north of Santa Barbara, looking for a parking place. I saw a double one in front of a motel and as we pulled in I saw the sign. We just about flipped at the coincidence. Hamlet was the Danish prince in Shakespeare's play, so I guess that's why it was in Solvang. Anyhow, I don't know If I mentioned it or not, but the young couple who own the motel have a '59 Shasta - next size larger than our Compact, but I'm not sure what it's called. Beautifully restored. You meet Shasta owners in the strangest places!
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Post by LittleVintageTrailer on Oct 10, 2011 21:44:24 GMT -5
I really like the extra cabinet and storage drawers you put in near the door. What size does the bed make out to?
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Hamlet
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Posts: 2,241
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Post by Hamlet on Oct 12, 2011 20:04:06 GMT -5
It turns into a full bed. The sheets fit perfectly. I got the measurements for a full bed and we had enough room for that with 20" left over on each side. We left the bench structures intact and just built the cupboard and the closet over them. The benches just covers the wheel wells in that space anyway. I think the versatility of the space is our favorite thing about the Compact. They are great just as they are, but there are so many other ways to reconfigure the space if that's what somebody wants to do. And they almost always seem to come out looking as though they were designed that way to begin with. I just love looking at what others have done with theirs. There are so many clever, thoughtful, resourceful folks here!
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