Purchased RV leak over cab, now what?

[cbsurfmom]

Hi RVers,

Well, we purchased this RV 2 months ago and are now planning a trip for Oct so thought I'd go clean it out and this is where I'm at (see pics). The outside walls are loose and we were told that it's from sitting around the sun which didn't seem to affect it structurally. Yes, we were told there had been leaks but that they were repaired and it did not leak when we bought it (the hose trick). Anyhow, it's still leaking a tiny bit on the rt side of the cab over part. The real problem is all the damage that did occur w/the past leaks. Several questions, is this 'fixable'? I tend to say yes, everything is able to repair but it's gonna cost $$, but how much?. This could get much uglier before it gets better. I'm willing to do this work, of course I'm now roping my husband into it, he thought I was just cleaning the rig :B Any suggestions on where to start. What is the best stuff to use for these seams? My plan... First, seal the leak, I checked out Eterna Bond and that seems awesome but what about marine epoxy? Second, gut the cab over floor and walls? Third, sell it now don't mess with it? Four, do the work but how long will this take? Thanks for any input!

[Mocoondo]

cbsurfmom wrote:

No doubt that I won't like what I find. I plan on doing the work and roping in some more qualified ppl and bribe them with food etc. The real question is besides the labor, how much am I looking at in material. I can pretty much tell that I'll need to peel the roof of the cab back almost 1/2 way from the damage that I can see from the inside, and also about 2 feet at least on the side walls. I just don't have any idea how much the materials for this type of work is. I have a clue on the wood but not that other stuff.

This is how the repair started 2 weeks ago, I bought 2 cans of Kilz to spray behind the cabinets that were there cause it smelled a little moldy and I saw the previous water damage. I'm a sailor and thought these were built a little more like boats i.e. not so much wood to rot.

Are you saying that you are seeing evidence of water intrusion half way back the length of the coach? If that is the case, you are in for an enormous project that, in my opinion, would not be worth it considering the vintage of the coach and the amount of money currently invested.

As to the cost of materials, it really depends on what all you will need, which can only be determined by evaluating the extent of the damage. I will say this -- with these types of problems, the materials cost is negligible. It's the labor that will kill you.

I hate to sound like Debbie Downer, but if the extent of the water problem is at least half way back the length of the coach, I'd probably take a match to it and consider it a valuable lesson learned.

[winnietrey]

cbsurfmom wrote:
FYI, the previous owner only had it for 3 months before we bought it. I think he realized what a mess it was and passed it on to us. I had a feeling something was up but they were a seemingly nice, well to do couple from Telluride who purchased it to use to go to Lake Powell and Moab this spring. Before that it was owned by a Halliburton surveyor who just had it sitting in the sun hence the explanation of the sunny side delaminating. And because there was no more apparent leak we figure it was all good. What a bummer. I don't have a problem tackling it this winter. Have all the tools I don't know how to use them but my husband does so I guess it's time for me to learn. I want to totally gut the thing anyways. Has anyone gutted one in order to lighten the load to get better gas mileage? Is it even worth it? Thanks for all the replies you ALL have been extremely helpful.

Just My thougth, but to gut it. You will be in many thousands of dollars, and hundreds of hours of labor. At the end of the day it will still be worth only 5K

How old are the tires? They shoud be replaced every 6 or so years or they have a nasty habit of blowing up and taking everything underneath with it. Your fridge is now 23 years old, 1500 to replace, water heater, pump and on and on.

You probably have a ford 460. They are not trouble free. Manfold gaskets are a biggie, starter, radiator, shocks and so forth.

56k on a 23 year old MH is not a good thing. Means it sat unused. That is extremely hard on the running gear.

Just saying, although I hope it does not happen to you, you maybe in for some nasty expensive repairs. Beyond the roof.

Me I would band aid it, enjoy it and keep it going as long as you can.
Chalk it up as learning experience and do better on the next one.

I know that is not what you wanted to hear. but it is the truth, at least in my opinion

[cbsurfmom]

Mocoondo wrote:

There is a very good chance that they will not like what they see under the roof and that may weigh heavily on whether they choose to do anything at all with it.

No doubt that I won't like what I find. I plan on doing the work and roping in some more qualified ppl and bribe them with food etc. The real question is besides the labor, how much am I looking at in material. I can pretty much tell that I'll need to peel the roof of the cab back almost 1/2 way from the damage that I can see from the inside, and also about 2 feet at least on the side walls. I just don't have any idea how much the materials for this type of work is. I have a clue on the wood but not that other stuff.

This is how the repair started 2 weeks ago, I bought 2 cans of Kilz to spray behind the cabinets that were there cause it smelled a little moldy and I saw the previous water damage. I'm a sailor and thought these were built a little more like boats i.e. not so much wood to rot.

[Mocoondo]

winnietrey wrote:
Mocoondo As the OP is in 5k and is not flush, And again I agree with you as far as doing it right. But I fear she may have many more problems than the roof. And not enough money to deal with any of them, correctly

My question is this, if they were to peal the roof back, replace the worst of it, add in some cripples, re- glue and maybe sink in some screws on the sidewalls. dicor and etrnabond the heck out of it. Do you think they could get some years out of it.

I am not bad with wood, but doing a cab over would scare me.

As I see it they are in deep trouble eithier way , just wondering if they could get a few years out of it . With my idea

What do you think?

I agree with what you are saying, but keep in mind, the reason she is currently digging into this area is because of a repair that was previously half-a$$ed.

Where do you draw the line on a $5,000 coach? I can't answer that. Obviously it makes no sense to have the upper bunk professionally repaired to the tune of $5,000. At the end of the day, you still have a $5,000.

That said, if they are going to keep the unit and expect to preserve any sort of usefulness out of their "investment", it behooves them to perform the repairs in a proper, workmanlike manner, which means not covering up underlying damage and rot. There is a very good chance that they will not like what they see under the roof and that may weigh heavily on whether they choose to do anything at all with it.

[cbsurfmom]

FYI, the previous owner only had it for 3 months before we bought it. I think he realized what a mess it was and passed it on to us. I had a feeling something was up but they were a seemingly nice, well to do couple from Telluride who purchased it to use to go to Lake Powell and Moab this spring. Before that it was owned by a Halliburton surveyor who just had it sitting in the sun hence the explanation of the sunny side delaminating. And because there was no more apparent leak we figure it was all good. What a bummer. I don't have a problem tackling it this winter. Have all the tools I don't know how to use them but my husband does so I guess it's time for me to learn. I want to totally gut the thing anyways. Has anyone gutted one in order to lighten the load to get better gas mileage? Is it even worth it? Thanks for all the replies you ALL have been extremely helpful.

[winnietrey]

Mocoondo As the OP is in 5k and is not flush, And again I agree with you as far as doing it right. But I fear she may have many more problems than the roof. And not enough money to deal with any of them, correctly

My question is this, if they were to peal the roof back, replace the worst of it, add in some cripples, re- glue and maybe sink in some screws on the sidewalls. dicor and etrnabond the heck out of it. Do you think they could get some years out of it.

I am not bad with wood, but doing a cab over would scare me.

As I see it they are in deep trouble eithier way , just wondering if they could get a few years out of it . With my idea

What do you think?

[Mocoondo]

cbsurfmom wrote:
I guess everyone just got home for dinner 😞 now I'm not as optimistic as I was 3 hours ago. If we do a patch to go on the vacation as planned would we endanger ourselves or someone else on the road? If we cut our losses now or when we get back what is a reasonable amount we could even sell it for? It only has 56K miles on it and runs great...So bummed, the first house we've owned free and clear.

It is certainly drivable. I've driven 'em with the upper bunks demolished. It's no fun at all unless you got the wind in your hair! 🙂

All I am saying is that if you are going to bother fixing this mess, just be sure to do it right, and that means start by peeling the roof back and see what you have going on under there. If you have that level of rot on the inside, I can guarantee you that the outside is 10X worse. Why bother rebuilding the inside if you are just going to slap a band-aid on the outside?

I suppose you could throw some sealant on it and put it all back together, and maybe get another 6-9 months out of it, but it is pretty obvious that the previous owner had the same idea and you see where you're at now. And since you now know that a major water intrusion issue exists and the extent of the rot, you really have no option but to disclose that to the next purchaser and this issue will certainly affect the resale value.

Best of luck with whatever you choose.

[winnietrey]

cbsurfmom wrote:
I guess everyone just got home for dinner 😞 now I'm not as optimistic as I was 3 hours ago. If we do a patch to go on the vacation as planned would we endanger ourselves or someone else on the road? If we cut our losses now or when we get back what is a reasonable amount we could even sell it for? It only has 56K miles on it and runs great...So bummed, the first house we've owned free and clear.

Moccondo is far more expert than me. And I agree with what he is saying, as far as fixing it right. But if you plan to use it for short trips, cover the thing with a tarp in winter. I still suspect you could band aid it a bit, and get some use out of it. Will the cab over fall off I don't know. Whats it worth now? Don't know, guessing if you don't lie to the buyer maybe 2K?

The bad news is sometimes on these older rigs, you may have a lot more problems than the cab over, like tires, appliances etc.

[cbsurfmom]

I guess everyone just got home for dinner 😞 now I'm not as optimistic as I was 3 hours ago. If we do a patch to go on the vacation as planned would we endanger ourselves or someone else on the road? If we cut our losses now or when we get back what is a reasonable amount we could even sell it for? It only has 56K miles on it and runs great...So bummed, the first house we've owned free and clear.

[Mocoondo]

Snowman9000 wrote:
Mocoondo is trying to tell you to peel back the rubber roof and find out what kind of damage you have in the wood up there. Then fix that and work your way down.

My personal advice is that there will be a lot more rot than you think, and you should cut your losses now.

Just looking at the photos, the sidewalls have delaminated and I am sure that the roof is all rotted as well. This water leak did not start yesterday, that is for sure.

If it is worth fixing, it is worth fixing right. Just throwing a patch on it and calling it good is exactly what the previous owner did and is exactly why the unit is in the condition it is in.

[DaHose]

My cabover rebuild started in the second week of July. It is all water tight and we have used the RV a couple of times, but the inside is not quite done yet. I am in about 120 hours of labor and around $700 in materials. The write up of the project is now at 32 pages and I still have a little way to go. Water damage repair of the cabover is NOT a small task, but very doable.

Jose

[Snowman9000]

Link to your photobucket library


Honestly, that will be a TON of work. You'll have to get it torn down to about what was shown by the other poster. Or farther! Your windows should come out, and your inside paneling get stripped, so you can try to save the wall structure, then figure out a way to reattach the siding. Can it be done? Sure. But for a first timer, working on ladders, having to track down materials and learn new skills... if you worked full time on it I think you'd be doing good to get it done in 100 hours. And mostly likely it will be more than that.

(I have done a leak rebuild, at ground level. Mine was much less involved than yours, and probably took more than 100 hours, and a few hundred dollars too. Be honest with yourself about what's in store. It will be a lot of work. But if you do it right, you can have a good camper. Did I mention a lot of work?)

[Snowman9000]

Mocoondo is trying to tell you to peel back the rubber roof and find out what kind of damage you have in the wood up there. Then fix that and work your way down.

My personal advice is that there will be a lot more rot than you think, and you should cut your losses now. I wish we could see photos of your sidewalls because something you wrote scares the heck out of me. Loose something or other. If your sidewalls are coming apart, dump it dump it dump it now.

If you keep going, a newer and better preservative is Rot Doctor CPES. Google their site and spend some time reading up on it. It works very well and if you have rotted wood that is still basically in original form, CPES can work wonders, followed by some thicker epoxy.

[Mich_F]

My son does RV repair for a living. He sent this picture a few weeks ago of an RV that had severe water leak problems. He got it to what you see in the picture in less than 2 hours. It took 40-50hrs to rebuild and they charged about $8,500.

[winnietrey]

Basically it's old and you got it cheap, from your above post. So I at least would not put much money in it. As you will never get it out if you sell it.
Rebuilding the cab over as an example.

Git rot is an epxoy resin that you apply to rotted wood. Should be dry I would think. But it helps stabilize the wood and prevent further rotting. Probably many other products out there like it.

Good luck with your project