RV Skylights

Just did that in a 34 ft Bounder. Worked out great. Bought a cut piece of acrylic from a skylight co. In Colo. Cost me $60 for them to cut it and ship it. It was a good deal for me. I'm 6 ft. 2 and it worked for me. It dressed out nice. Used stainless screws and stainless washers to finish it off. Gary

Good choice to do it right.

I want to thank everyone for the help. I did opt to cut the roof rubber and peel it back. I had to remove a section of old wood roofing and to firm up the whole area I ran a 16 gauge sheet metal to help secure the new wood. The wood is in and screwed and glued down and tomorrow I will use 3m rubber glue to reset the rubber roof onto the wood. Then on Tuesday the eternabond tape should be in so either Tuesday or Wednesday I should be able to have it secured to the point I can put the original skylight back in this week. Again thanks all for the suggestions and I ended up learning how to replace wood on the roof.

robatthelake wrote:
I would attempt repairing what You already have.the Rubber Roof material will peel back quite a way and can be cut and re glued where necessary. Eternabond Tape plus a generous glob of Dicor sealant will easily cover any visible repairs

I have to ask if I can, can eternabond can be used to re-seal a seam if I cut the rubber roof to get at the wood in the area that needs fixing. The roof has been painted with roof sealant in the past and not being familiar with the eternabond tape product I want to ask for the pros and cons to doing this repair. Of course I would like to do this repair the right way so I am contemplating what has been said and learning from you all.

I realize I would have to go from beam to beam to add a replacement piece so I know I would have to open it up a bit.

I was also told that I can use 3m's spray adhesive to glue the rubber back down on the wood. Good idea? Thanks.

If I had the expertise I would attempt it but sadly I can do electric, motors, plumbing, and other items but when it comes to repairing a roof I just do not have the experience or knowledge. When I reached out to the local RV repair shop they will not repair roofs. They only replace at the 150. a foot price. That attitude is why many people do things they don't want to do to make sure a roof doesn't leak anymore. I am like many that enjoy RV'ing. retired and on fixed income and while I might attempt such a repair with having someone knowledgeable guiding and assisting me as a backup up I would not attempt it on my own with the possibility of destroying a RV.

I would attempt repairing what You already have.the Rubber Roof material will peel back quite a way and can be cut and re glued where necessary. Eternabond Tape plus a generous glob of Dicor sealant will easily cover any visible repairs.

Re framing the existing skylight is a relatively simple carpentry job .Even splicing onto existing cross members is not hard to accomplish.

The Roof sheeting will need to be cut back from the rotted area and replaced with new Plywood or OSB .

Install new Dry insulation ,a vapor barrier and use stainless fasteners and lots of Contact Cemen!

Thanks, It sounds like lexan may be the way to go so I will look for a supplier of sheet lexan here in Palm Bay or the surrounding area of Florida but will take a break from that project as it is still on the rig since I have removed the rear skylight over the bathroom that had a crack on the flange (Lucky I caught that one now). A new one is supposed to be here tomorrow. Wanted to get it done so it would not end up like the front skylight! Suggestions always welcome and thanks.

You should use Polycarbonate(lexan)as it won't shatter or crack if something were to hit it or someone were to jump on it. If you were to layer it for some insulation, you could use acrylic spaced under it.

Thanks, I will check into all the suggestions. It is sad that some people just let their RV's go to the point that small things become big things. I love RV's and thought I had looked closely at this one. It is mine now and I don't want the problem to get worse but also can't afford to put a new roof on at 150. a foot on a 98 35 footer! Anyway I appreciate all the suggestions and will look into all of them. Sometimes it is good to get others opinions and suggestions from those that may have been there.

Use Lexan instead of acrylic, it is hail proof and will not degrade for a much longer time in sunlight. It is easily drillable with the 'arrowhead' shaped bit for glass,tile & plastics.