2013 Dutchmen Kodiak 221 RBSL.--- Leaks

We have a 2012 Kodiak. Have not experienced any leaks. In fact, nothing has gone wrong with this camper and we have used it a lot. Very satisfied with the performance of this low cost trailer.

Gunship Guy wrote:
We have a 2012 Kodiak. Have not experienced any leaks. In fact, nothing has gone wrong with this camper and we have used it a lot. Very satisfied with the performance of this low cost trailer.

Thanks for your input, wish I could say the same.
I don't mean to get down on this unit or Kodiak as it is a great trailer in most respects, electric awning, solid surface cupboard top, great colour, lots of storage, Aluminum Wheels, nice looks, tows great BUT the leaks put a downer on it to some degree, maybe after this one it will be ok. Thinking of getting the Air Pressure job done to it to find if there are more hidden leaks.

Hi everyone, I am the owner of a 2013 Kodiak 221 RBSL., bought it in Levis, Quebec in late September, 2013.

Time machine :H

Sounds like caulking issues to me and no matter how many times it's repaired inproperly it will still leak. Get it back home and let your dealer have a shot at it and tell him you want it done right this time. He can pressure test the trailer and make certain all problems are corrected.

Canuck Travellers wrote:

Thanks for your input, wish I could say the same.

I wish you could say the same thing too, and will soon be able to.

Problems with a new trailer are annoying. We all expect a new product to be enjoyed rather than needing to be repaired right away. I hope they find the source(s) of your leaks and get them fixed so you and your family can put that headache behind you and enjoy camping.

There was a post a while ago about how to make your own pressure tester using an electric leaf blower. If it was me I would do the test and repairs myself. As the old saying goes if you want something done right do it yourself. I purchased a new pop up in 96 then a used hybrid at a dealer last year and the work both dealers did on thees units was so shotty I would never pay a dealer to work on any of my units. I would try and get this repaired as soon as possible as water leaks are the death of an RV. You have seen two leaks so far, how many have not been seen yet?

Thanks everyone for your responses. I will get Dusty's here in Florida to do this work to hopefully clean up this leak & maybe this will be the last leak.
I did see sometime ago a DIY leak testing using a shop-vac, it looked interesting. When we had the FunFinder I did get a large RV dealer in Venice to do a pressurize test on the FunFinder. They found two leaks at both side windows. However the job cost $100+ and the Tech was in a hurry spending all of 5 to 10 minutes. Never checked the roof as he claimed that due to the AC all the air would escape there. All in all a waste of money as the two he found would not be a big concern being under the window.
So we will hopefully be able to get home with this new trailer after Dusty's does the work, we always get rain or snow going the 2100 miles from here to home, hopefully we arrive dry and happy.
.....Ernie

If you can't do an accurate and complete pressure based leak test, hire a registered Sealtech operator to do the test. It will be the best $100-$150 you will spend for maintenance.
It is not that hard to DIY pressure test. You do need a volume of air to raise and maintain the entire pressure of the cabin to 1" of pressure. I used a furnace blower and a DIY manometer. The pictures are in the Cowboy/Hilton thread in my signature, page 30. I plotted the leaks on individual pieces of paper, one for each surface. Even after carefully sealing all joints in the TT, I discovered 2 dozen small pinhole leaks.

Hi everyone, just a follow-up on our leak in the Living Room/Kitchen or middle area of our 2013 Kodiak 221RBSL. We took it to Dusty's RV in Bartow, Florida. They found that the middle Skylight was cracked. Apparently happened at the factory where the installer tourqued down the screws too much thus cracking the unit at several places. Dusty's did a temporary fix as we were heading home to Canada in a few days and they had to order a new Skylight. We told them to skip the ordering that we would get it done back in Canada.

Got back here and the local dealer worked with the dealer in Levi Quebec to install the new Skylight. The dealer in Quebec was really good-no complaints, paid all the bills and Dusty's in Florida was excellent as this was our second leak...first was no caulking around both "Bear Cave" doors which Dusty's also had to fix.
When I picked up the unit at Dusty's the rep said "look over there....another unit same as yours with the exact same Skylight cracked."
I had to look really close to see the cracks in ours, they were spreading out from each screw under the caulking.....very hard to see but looking closely you could see them. I took pictures as this was necessary for the Warranty.

We like this trailer but Dutchmen (In saying that probably most RV Manufacturers) really need a much better quality control system. However after this being our third RV (A 37 foot Glendale Titanium Fiver and a 22 foot Cruiser Funfinder) I can honestly say that applies to all the units we have had.

Thought you people might benefit from our experience with this.
......Ernie