Alpenlite Foamcore
Greetings. My 1989 29' 5th-wheel had a soft spot in the floor of the rear kitchen, so I am now in process of repairing that. A LOT of exploratory surgery revealed that most of the lower half of the rear wall was moist, as well as a lot of the floor extending 8' forward in places. It appears that there was no single large leak, but rather several small contributors that totaled a lot of moisture. So far, I have found several small screw-sized penetrations of the lower half skin. Both of the lower mounts of the rear awning look very bad. Hiding where the retracted awning frame rested against the skin, I found 2 quarter-sized areas of full-depth cracking. Most of the screws in the horizontal aluminum channel holding the upper edge of the awning were rusted and/or loose. Finally, 4 of the 5 top rear marker lights had very wet surfaces where the wiring was run thru the foamcore. (I believe the marker lights were the primary leak sources) Enough backstory. I'd like to connect with someone who has actual experience with the fabrication process for the Alpenlite foamcore. I think I have deduced most of the layers and bonding secrets so I can recreate the foamcore panels, but I still am unclear as to the purpose of the strips of 1/2" and 2" clear packing tape (for holding all layers in place during bonding process?) And I'm scratching my head as to why so many water-soluble materials and adhesives were used in the foamcore assemblies. Anybody out there who has actual knowledge of the Alpenlite procedure? Or can you direct me to another possible source of the info? Thanks for your time and assistance.