Forum Discussion

fallguy1000's avatar
fallguy1000
Explorer
May 04, 2014

Coachman major repairs

I will work on pictures, but the story is simple. I had no idea delam problems would be so bad in a 2001 Coachman Catalina I just bought. I did not shop with a ladder and did not understand the bubbling is bad. Shame on me for trusting American manufacturers to build something that would last 10 years.

We removed the slideout filon and it is intact. The piece is 7' x 13' long with cutouts for 2 windows and 3 storage boxes. It was attached by coachman using staples and glue-not much except one spot. I got up on top of the slideout and the entire caulk bead pulled up by hand which was the cause of the delam and coachman shame. It was very poor work and should have been taped. As an insult there was a piece of eternabond 10" long on one end where the leak was bad. You can see how someone caulked over the screws with great gobs, but they did nothing at the rest of the 12' of seam. That eternabond was too costly!

So, the wall is exposed and it is actually not horrible structurally speaking. The most notable problem is on one side where the water migrated into the side of the slideout and I can feel delamination down the edge and it gradually goes from 0" at the roof to maybe 10" at the bottom. That part will be more difficult to remove and I might need to try to dry it up and shoot some epoxy there; we will have stopped the cause in our frontwall efforts. The 2xs on that corner probably need replacement and not sure how or if the inside will be affected by that...probably, but it might not be bad. It is a bad spot because it is inside a box and behind the sofa, so really hard to access from inside, and behind intact filon outside.

Now, I have that big piece on sawhorses in my garage and am removing the delaminated luan. The luan is 0.250" and half of it peeled off all the entire thing; even the areas without infiltration. Then the areas with bad water issues are peeling off in varying degrees. Here is my plan.

Get a cover for this rig from camperworld.
Remove all plywood that is not adhering to the filon.
Sand the areas where the filon is close down to glue joint; leaving some glue joint.
Epoxy 1/8" hardwood ply to the sanded areas.
Use epoxy with low density fairing filler in the areas where the dimension is between 1/8" and 0.
Sand to fair.
Epoxy another 1/8" hardwood plywood over the entire unit.
Dry out and make needed repairs to structure and sidewall.
Glue the unit back on using some open time adhesive, using staples like the factory did for mechanical adhesion.
Replace the windows and boxes and trims.
Eternabond the leaks.

I would really like critique of my plan. I might do a bond test with the epoxy on the glue/wood/filon, but that stuff sticks pretty much and the glue is not coming up either. My biggest area of concern with the plan is getting the epoxy bond between bigger hardwood panels to work well. The epoxy will be awfully messy if applied thick, and if applied thinly; it might just soak into the wood, so wondered if I need to add something to it for a thickener.. Another smaller concern is the bond to the structure. I think the staples will be enough, but a few clamped 2x4s might be needed.

Address the front of the camper problems :(

Thanks and I'll try to get some pictures uploaded (not sure how).
  • BarneyS's avatar
    BarneyS
    Explorer III
    May 04, 2014
    Hi and WELCOME to the forums! :) Glad you are here and hope you get your rig fixed to your satisfaction.

    This forum is not the proper one for your type of project. This one is for Modifications and Upgrades and not repair projects. We do however have a forum where you should get lots of help with your project and I will move your post there for better response. Good luck! :)

    Moved to Tech Issues forum from DIY.
    Barney
  • mobilefleet's avatar
    mobilefleet
    Explorer
    May 04, 2014
    I would not bond two 1/8" pieces together. That just leaves a chance of those pieces delaminating. Use a single 1/4" piece (or 5mm is close). i recently redid a Montana rear wall and used 5mm plywood from home depot, and contact adhesive. Used the old wall as a template and a jigsaw to trace and then cut it out. Laid the filon on the garage floor upside down and then rolled on the contact adhesive. Did the same to the plywood and then bonded them together. Use a roller if you can, if not step all over it evenly and then use some heavy objects laid on it overnight as a minimum, or a few days if you can. I used landscape bricks. Get a couple guys to help position it in place on the camper and drive your trim screws into place. On my unit there was no glue used to actually hold the wall, it is basically held in place by the 4 trim pieces at top/bottom and sides. The lamination is what gives it structural strength. It was not bonded to my aluminum studs in any way and actually came off easily once the 4 trim pieces were removed. Dip all screws in sealant before you install them, this stops any water that could wick in. You'd be surprised how many of your exterior screws are rusted already due to water. They don't do this at the factory and is a primary place for water damage to start.
  • Bumpyroad's avatar
    Bumpyroad
    Explorer
    May 04, 2014
    fallguy1000 wrote:
    I will work on pictures, but the story is simple. I had no idea delam problems would be so bad in a 2001 Coachman Catalina I just bought. I did not shop with a ladder and did not understand the bubbling is bad. Shame on me for trusting American manufacturers to build something that would last 10 years. ).


    part of the problems you face could be due to lack of proper maintenance of a properly built RV.
    bumpy
  • Terryallan's avatar
    Terryallan
    Explorer II
    May 04, 2014
    fallguy1000 wrote:
    I will work on pictures, but the story is simple. I had no idea delam problems would be so bad in a 2001 Coachman Catalina I just bought. I did not shop with a ladder and did not understand the bubbling is bad. Shame on me for trusting American manufacturers to build something that would last 10 years.


    Thanks and I'll try to get some pictures uploaded (not sure how).


    Hmmm. you bought a 14 year old travel trailer, that has been dragged over who knows how many miles, Think constant earthquake, and has sat out in extreme heat, and extreme cold, and has apparently been neglected. You did not inspect it, and didn't think paint bubbling could be a problem.

    Then you want to blame the people who built it over a decade ago. FYI. Things do wear out, especially if not cared for. How long would a car last if not cared for. Not 13 to 14 years for sure. Or for that matter your house. Things require maintenance.

    Best thing to replace the wood. Use AZDEL instead of wood laminate. AZDEL will not rot even if it gets wet.
    However. It is going to cost more than the RV is worth to fix it.
    After you do. Don't get a canvas cover. Have a shed built over it. That will keep most of the heat, and cold from it. A canvas cover lets the sun bake it.
  • fallguy1000's avatar
    fallguy1000
    Explorer
    May 04, 2014
    moderator: thanks for the move

    Terry-you are mostly incorrect in your assessment. The real problem was coachman's build. At the edge of the membrane on the slideout; there is a 13' long horizontal seam. Grass hut builders use shingling where coachman used caulk. I did realize delam, but assumed it was from the missing trim-which fell off from the rot-duh on me...I'll work on a pic for you a week from today.

    And no paint bubbling, but loose filon. The filon curve on the back is never tight, so I assumed it did not matter on the front.

    As for crediting me, that was never the request-to critique my purchase. The guy that bought it a year ago took a $2800 hit-I asked him to come clean on price after finding all the rot.

    Why would I use a waterproof plywood? The camper should never be wet inside the wall.

    As for the two layer build up. There is lots of good adhesion on the filon, so removing it is not very wise and would probably result in damage to the filon. I am mostly looking for the best adhesive and not a big fan of contact for the obvious difficulty of can't move it.

    I appreciate the less glue idea. I think I will use some open time adhesive and stick with mechanical fasteners.

    Thanks to all.
  • Terryallan's avatar
    Terryallan
    Explorer II
    May 04, 2014
    fallguy1000 wrote:
    moderator: thanks for the move

    Terry-you are mostly incorrect in your assessment. The real problem was coachman's build. At the edge of the membrane on the slideout; there is a 13' long horizontal seam. Grass hut builders use shingling where coachman used caulk. I did realize delam, but assumed it was from the missing trim-which fell off from the rot-duh on me...I'll work on a pic for you a week from today.

    And no paint bubbling, but loose filon. The filon curve on the back is never tight, so I assumed it did not matter on the front.

    As for crediting me, that was never the request-to critique my purchase. The guy that bought it a year ago took a $2800 hit-I asked him to come clean on price after finding all the rot.

    Why would I use a waterproof plywood? The camper should never be wet inside the wall.

    As for the two layer build up. There is lots of good adhesion on the filon, so removing it is not very wise and would probably result in damage to the filon. I am mostly looking for the best adhesive and not a big fan of contact for the obvious difficulty of can't move it.

    I appreciate the less glue idea. I think I will use some open time adhesive and stick with mechanical fasteners.

    Thanks to all.




    " I will work on pictures, but the story is simple. I had no idea delam problems would be so bad in a 2001 Coachman Catalina I just bought. I did not shop with a ladder and did not understand the bubbling is bad. Shame on me for trusting American manufacturers to build something that would last 10 years."

    This is Where I got no inspection. From you. Bubbling is ALWAYS bad, and you always look at the roof, and seals.

    AZDEL is NOT waterproof plywood. It is not plywood at all. I'm still with the buyer beware on a 14 year old mistreated RV. As for the 2800, you shouldn't have paid much more than that for it.
    may be time to cut your losses
  • fallguy1000's avatar
    fallguy1000
    Explorer
    May 04, 2014
    I have a 1960 Carver boat that had 6" of delamination in its first 54 years so far.. And my first camper was an 88 Lance p-up 825 that had a bad door threshhold, but never delaminated.

    I sold the pup 2 years ago.

    Guess I was lucky on the other two.

    I paid 5700. It is repairable to better than what coachman did. It'll require a whole hundo for the 22' of eternabond that would have prevented both sides leaks, but some wiser engineering would have had shingling at the roof versus a caulk seam.

    So for pictures do I link to a different site or what...

    Thanks
  • fallguy1000's avatar
    fallguy1000
    Explorer
    Aug 14, 2014
    My final assessment of the coachman is that is was poorly built by the manufacturer. Here is why...

    1. Rubber roof terminates under the filon/plywood in the front. When the caulk seam failed in year 5; the camper started to get wet. This is done to keep the rubber from getting road air up and under for warranty year performance.
    2. Width of top of front section was built a half inch big which left an extra area for water intrusion.
    3. All 6 gutter terminations terminate onto the camper or into putty tape joints, sending any good hard rains directly into caulked/puttied seams. Other camper makers spend the 50 cents to divert the water away.
    4. Slideout wall assembly is a major error. Manufacturer terminates edpm on inside of wall for convenience in manufacturing with no plan for ten or twenty year lifetime. Then to insult buyer even more; seam is protected with caulk that literally pulled away after thirteen years...I attest it really never stuck well to the rubber-ever.
    5. Design of roof seam intersections allows for pooling on top of roof.

    I strongly recommend avoiding this manufacturer based on the above reasons.

    Sorry if this is problem for the webmaster; it needed to be said after all the energy I put into fixing the thing.
  • bucky's avatar
    bucky
    Explorer II
    Aug 20, 2014
    Sir, it is Coachmen. Not Coachman. The Catalina we bought new in 2004 was never back for any repairs other than the fresh water pump I installed myself rather than towing the thing all over you know where to save $70 and spend $150 in gas. I did name it Trapazoid however. Nothing in it was plumb. The manufacturer was bought out during the great purge of the American economy, and they are now being built by other Amish "craftsmen" who are being dumbed down by the manufacturing process that pays them. I would point out that the RV industry as a whole is shoddy, and I'm glad that you have the ability to repair your unit.

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