We have a 2006 Okanagan 811SL truck camper with a slide out. About a year ago, it developed a depression in the floor, right where you climb up into the over-cab bunk. I was afraid that it was rotting -- it felt very soft while standing on it in socking feet. So this week, finally got around to cutting it out.Here's the area -- the soft spot circled in red felt pen.Next, I've cut the area out, making the cuts over framing members, so the replacement piece will have something solid to be attached to and rest on.And here's the culprit...The good news is, there is no rot. Okanagan used a crappy sheet of plywood for the subfloor. There is a long butt joint, sandwiched inside between two thin sheets of veneer. You can see it the pic that the wood on either side of the butt joint is different. This was was simply a joint that slipped -- the veneer wasn't strong enough to keep it tight. It was almost guaranteed to eventually fail. It's no wonder Okanagan went out of business, with QC like this.:MThe plywood in this pic can't be cut back any further -- it heads under the slider area. So I'll force glue in there with air pressure, try to wedge it up so it comes back together and put a row of wood screws to try and hold it together (bearing in mind, the water tank is directly beneath...) :(. I'm also thinking I'll put a 6" strip of sheet metal over the remaining butt joint. Then the new camper flooring over that.Any other suggestions on how to deal with this? If there are other Okanagan owners with a strange depression in their floors, this might be the issue. I'll post some pics of whatever I eventually do...

3/4 x3/4 x 1/8 angle iron. Notch the ends so it is supported on the framing with the flange supporting that questionable joining practice. Drill and countersink the vertical flange (lower than centerline) for suitable flat head screws to drive in parallel to the floor sheet. Before final assembly, dampen the wood with a sprayer bottle of water and get some urethane glue in the split. Practice dry fit up first as the final fit will be much easier. Art.

Boy, you are blessed. Usually a soft spot is a rot spot. Some steel in there sounds like a good fix.

Rvpapa wrote:3/4 x3/4 x 1/8 angle iron. Notch the ends so it is supported on the framing with the flange supporting that questionable joining practice. Drill and countersink the vertical flange (lower than centerline) for suitable flat head screws to drive in parallel to the floor sheet. Before final assembly, dampen the wood with a sprayer bottle of water and get some urethane glue in the split. Practice dry fit up first as the final fit will be much easier. Art.That is a great idea re the angle iron, Art... Will look at the 'hole' tomorrow, and think that thru... Thanks...!!!

As long as you can still open and close your cabinet doors you might consider getting a piece of three-quarter inch marine plywood and using it to cover the entire floor of the camper with the exception of the area to access the wire, pump and tubing. Then you could cover the new plywood with a single piece of new vinyl flooring with trim molding around the edges. You're going to need new vinyl flooring anyway. Just make sure to use short screws over the water tank when screwing the new plywood to the old plywood that you haven't removed.

mobeewan wrote:As long as you can still open and close your cabinet doors you might consider getting a piece of three-quarter inch marine plywood and using it to cover the entire floor of the camper with the exception of the area to access the wire, pump and tubing. Then you could cover the new plywood with a single piece of new vinyl flooring with trim molding around the edges. You're going to need new vinyl flooring anyway. Just make sure to use short screws over the water tank when screwing the new plywood to the old plywood that you haven't removed.I had considered using rolled vinyl flooring. But I've discovered that you can't even buy rolls of vinyl flooring here anymore (I'm in Victoria, Canada). I've read a number of posts suggesting that the best way to go now with RV's is interlocking 18" x 36" panels of floating flooring. I just did a bathroom with it -- it looks good, was fairly easy to work with, and 100% waterproof. So I'll likely use that. But I like your idea of screwing down a new sub-floor over the entire camper floor. I would have space under cupboard doors etc. In a previous post, Art suggested angle iron supports. I was just out measuring, and the water-tank was installed so it's top is tight against the underside of the existing (failed...) sub-floor. So to make angle iron work, I'd have to 'rabbit' the new patch -- the thickness of the angle iron. A new sub-floor would strengthen the entire floor and provide support over the patched 2' square hole I just made. Great idea... Thanks.

Truck Camper Sub-floor Issue and Repair | Good Sam Community

Old_Islander
Explorer
Jul 25, 2019
mobeewan wrote:
As long as you can still open and close your cabinet doors you might consider getting a piece of three-quarter inch marine plywood and using it to cover the entire floor of the camper with the exception of the area to access the wire, pump and tubing. Then you could cover the new plywood with a single piece of new vinyl flooring with trim molding around the edges. You're going to need new vinyl flooring anyway. Just make sure to use short screws over the water tank when screwing the new plywood to the old plywood that you haven't removed.

I had considered using rolled vinyl flooring. But I've discovered that you can't even buy rolls of vinyl flooring here anymore (I'm in Victoria, Canada). I've read a number of posts suggesting that the best way to go now with RV's is interlocking 18" x 36" panels of floating flooring. I just did a bathroom with it -- it looks good, was fairly easy to work with, and 100% waterproof. So I'll likely use that.

But I like your idea of screwing down a new sub-floor over the entire camper floor. I would have space under cupboard doors etc. In a previous post, Art suggested angle iron supports. I was just out measuring, and the water-tank was installed so it's top is tight against the underside of the existing (failed...) sub-floor. So to make angle iron work, I'd have to 'rabbit' the new patch -- the thickness of the angle iron. A new sub-floor would strengthen the entire floor and provide support over the patched 2' square hole I just made.

Great idea... Thanks.
mobeewan
Explorer
Jul 25, 2019
As long as you can still open and close your cabinet doors you might consider getting a piece of three-quarter inch marine plywood and using it to cover the entire floor of the camper with the exception of the area to access the wire, pump and tubing. Then you could cover the new plywood with a single piece of new vinyl flooring with trim molding around the edges. You're going to need new vinyl flooring anyway. Just make sure to use short screws over the water tank when screwing the new plywood to the old plywood that you haven't removed.
Old_Islander
Explorer
Jul 25, 2019
Rvpapa wrote:
3/4 x3/4 x 1/8 angle iron. Notch the ends so it is supported on the framing with the flange supporting that questionable joining practice. Drill and countersink the vertical flange (lower than centerline) for suitable flat head screws to drive in parallel to the floor sheet. Before final assembly, dampen the wood with a sprayer bottle of water and get some urethane glue in the split. Practice dry fit up first as the final fit will be much easier.
Art.

That is a great idea re the angle iron, Art... Will look at the 'hole' tomorrow, and think that thru... Thanks...!!!
SidecarFlip
Explorer III
Jul 25, 2019
Boy, you are blessed. Usually a soft spot is a rot spot. Some steel in there sounds like a good fix.
Rvpapa
Explorer
Jul 25, 2019
3/4 x3/4 x 1/8 angle iron. Notch the ends so it is supported on the framing with the flange supporting that questionable joining practice. Drill and countersink the vertical flange (lower than centerline) for suitable flat head screws to drive in parallel to the floor sheet. Before final assembly, dampen the wood with a sprayer bottle of water and get some urethane glue in the split. Practice dry fit up first as the final fit will be much easier.
Art.

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