Bunk seals - what is best in class?

[mwill07]

I recently purchased a 2004 Aerolite Cub 215 hybrid. Seller informed me that he replaced the wood on the front bunk fairly recently. Being the novice that I am, I didn't bother to find out why he needed to, or if the leak was found. Turns out, he did not. It leaks, and the bunk gets wet. The wood is fine so far - no sign of any damage to the bunk, but I need to figure out how to get a good seal here. Presently, the camper is being stored with a tarp over the front bunk to ensure it stays dry, but obviously I can't drive with this and this is not a legit long term solution.

The current "seal" is made with two pieces of foam tape, both maybe 1/8" thick (my estimate) - one on the bunk and one on the trailer. It seems to me that there may not be enough compression on the foam tape to make a proper seal, and I'm not sure how it expects to form a seal in the hinge area.

I don't want to take this to a dealer to have them install whatever it is they do. I want a state of the art, best in class, seal. I want this problem gone, and I'm willing to DIY it.

If I wanted the best bunk seal in the history of hybrid trailers, what would it look like?

[mwill07]

cmcdar wrote:
Not sure I understand your question. Could you rephrase that?

don't worry about it...I need to look into my own TT to understand how the bunk seals against the body of the trailer in the hinge area.

thanks.

[cmcdar]

Not sure I understand your question. Could you rephrase that?

[mwill07]

cmcdar wrote:
UPDATE: I closed up the bunk end, it went up well, then sprayed all around the seal with the garden hose.

Stayed nice and dry inside. I'm very happy with the results.

One thing I noticed was that now when I close the bunk end door, I can see the weatherstrip seal the gap.

looks great!

How did you seal beneath the hinge?

[cmcdar]

UPDATE: I closed up the bunk end, it went up well, then sprayed all around the seal with the garden hose.

Stayed nice and dry inside. I'm very happy with the results.

One thing I noticed was that now when I close the bunk end door, I can see the weatherstrip seal the gap.

[cmcdar]

No, it had to "cure" 72 hours and I an now fitting Reflectix to the windows so I have not closed it up and hit it with the hose.

[mwill07]

cmcdar wrote:
I replaced the seal in one of my bunk ends yesterday!

I found this weatherstripping at autozone.

Metro/Universal bulb seal

Mine leaked because the previous "replacement" was put on top of residual from previous weather strip.

It is tedious to clean it off correctly but, if you do, you should not have to revisit that job for many years.

thanks, looks like it should do the trick. Have you tested it?

[cmcdar]

I replaced the seal in one of my bunk ends yesterday!

I found this weatherstripping at autozone.

Metro/Universal bulb seal

Mine leaked because the previous "replacement" was put on top of residual from previous weather strip.

It is tedious to clean it off correctly but, if you do, you should not have to revisit that job for many years.

[x5rdman]

Not sure about the Cub, but I doubt foam tape was the original seal. Most are a D type seal that I have seen.