adamis wrote:
As far as lamination, I don't know what is behind this area of the camper, I assumed it was plywood but I've never walked the factory to see how they are actually assembled. I only can go off of what I observed while working on my holding tanks and there was plenty of plywood from what I saw so assumed it continued up the back wall. I don't believe it is the fiberglass providing all of the structural support in this area, it is too thin but I could be wrong.
As far as the repair and why do it, well, I'm just not the type to let something I own not be in top notch shape. I have the means and motivation to do it and I wouldn't feel good about trying to sell the camper to someone else knowing these issues. Another factor is, the camper is used for my business so it's the business that pays for the repairs, not out of my pocket directly so money isn't as large of an issue. Even if I spend $3k to $4k to get the job done, I'm way farther ahead then spending $40k to $60k on a replacement camper. The math works out for me personally though I understand others might perform different calculations and come up with different results
As far as the door, it opens and closes fine when on the truck. It's only when lifted that it becomes a problem. I'm not looking at performing any repairs on the door itself. My suspicion is that if I get the front structurally braced and rigid, the door in the rear will take care of itself.
I emailed Grant at Bigfoot asking for some pictures and suggestions. He said the repair is not uncommon and to anticipate between 30 and 40 hours to do the job. He provided a picture of the area in the mold and I have circled the area in question. I asked a follow up to him if he could tell me what provides structural support in this area. As far as using a boat guy versus a camper guy, well, if I knew of a camper guy that worked exclusively on fiberglass truck campers for a living, that would be my first pick but I don't think those people exist. A boat is structurally much more complex and demanding so assuming my friend will even take the job (he may still say know, we will find out on Thursday) I feel he has the right skills and knowledge to get it done right.
adamis wrote:
As far as lamination, I don't know what is behind this area of the camper, I assumed it was plywood but I've never walked the factory to see how they are actually assembled. I only can go off of what I observed while working on my holding tanks and there was plenty of plywood from what I saw so assumed it continued up the back wall. I don't believe it is the fiberglass providing all of the structural support in this area, it is too thin but I could be wrong.
As far as the repair and why do it, well, I'm just not the type to let something I own not be in top notch shape. I have the means and motivation to do it and I wouldn't feel good about trying to sell the camper to someone else knowing these issues. Another factor is, the camper is used for my business so it's the business that pays for the repairs, not out of my pocket directly so money isn't as large of an issue. Even if I spend $3k to $4k to get the job done, I'm way farther ahead then spending $40k to $60k on a replacement camper. The math works out for me personally though I understand others might perform different calculations and come up with different results
As far as the door, it opens and closes fine when on the truck. It's only when lifted that it becomes a problem. I'm not looking at performing any repairs on the door itself. My suspicion is that if I get the front structurally braced and rigid, the door in the rear will take care of itself.
I emailed Grant at Bigfoot asking for some pictures and suggestions. He said the repair is not uncommon and to anticipate between 30 and 40 hours to do the job. He provided a picture of the area in the mold and I have circled the area in question. I asked a follow up to him if he could tell me what provides structural support in this area. As far as using a boat guy versus a camper guy, well, if I knew of a camper guy that worked exclusively on fiberglass truck campers for a living, that would be my first pick but I don't think those people exist. A boat is structurally much more complex and demanding so assuming my friend will even take the job (he may still say know, we will find out on Thursday) I feel he has the right skills and knowledge to get it done right.
adamis wrote:
As far as lamination, I don't know what is behind this area of the camper, I assumed it was plywood but I've never walked the factory to see how they are actually assembled. I only can go off of what I observed while working on my holding tanks and there was plenty of plywood from what I saw so assumed it continued up the back wall. I don't believe it is the fiberglass providing all of the structural support in this area, it is too thin but I could be wrong.
As far as the repair and why do it, well, I'm just not the type to let something I own not be in top notch shape. I have the means and motivation to do it and I wouldn't feel good about trying to sell the camper to someone else knowing these issues. Another factor is, the camper is used for my business so it's the business that pays for the repairs, not out of my pocket directly so money isn't as large of an issue. Even if I spend $3k to $4k to get the job done, I'm way farther ahead then spending $40k to $60k on a replacement camper. The math works out for me personally though I understand others might perform different calculations and come up with different results
As far as the door, it opens and closes fine when on the truck. It's only when lifted that it becomes a problem. I'm not looking at performing any repairs on the door itself. My suspicion is that if I get the front structurally braced and rigid, the door in the rear will take care of itself.
I emailed Grant at Bigfoot asking for some pictures and suggestions. He said the repair is not uncommon and to anticipate between 30 and 40 hours to do the job. He provided a picture of the area in the mold and I have circled the area in question. I asked a follow up to him if he could tell me what provides structural support in this area. As far as using a boat guy versus a camper guy, well, if I knew of a camper guy that worked exclusively on fiberglass truck campers for a living, that would be my first pick but I don't think those people exist. A boat is structurally much more complex and demanding so assuming my friend will even take the job (he may still say know, we will find out on Thursday) I feel he has the right skills and knowledge to get it done right.
![](\"https://i.imgur.com/5p9RK6el.jpg\")