End of the road for my trailer?

[Howie3]

So I finally started to tackle the soft spot on the bathroom floor that was detected last season. The trailer is still winterized so I was somewhat surprised to find the floor and joists still wet, as I had surmised a plumbing leak was the cause. The OSB pulled up rather easily and to my dismay the damage extended to the corner under the tub. This is an outside wall and the joists under the wall are rotted out. Too much for me to repair myself.
As a bit of background, the trailer was written off for hail damage including the roof a few years back. I painted the roof with EPDM and carried on. Apparently water is getting in regardless. Apart from the bathroom the trailer is in good shape for a 10 year old trailer.
Should I try to sell privately to a DIYer? I would need to disclose the insurance write off so probably would not fetch much.
Sell for parts?
What do others do when the costs outweigh the benefits.
Kind of a sad day.

[rbpru]

It sounds like you want a new TT. If the roof does not leak it does not leak, it may some day or it may not. If you do not want to patch up the bath issue or use it as it is; then sell it for what you can get and move on.

Like an old car, there are times you stop spending time and money and replace it. Nothing wrong with that option.

Good luck

[JBarca]

Does the camper have aluminum siding or is it fiberglass siding? The aluminum sides campers are easier to take apart and fix. I have done several now for myself and others. I'm on my 6th one now... I even own 2 project campers plus the good big one in my sig. The project campers were wet campers and I knew what I was getting into but the inside was in very good shape. You fix this from the outside in. Meaning take the siding off and or lift up the roof. Fix all the rot, use Rot Dr. CPES resin to kill all the dry rot fungus and then replace and repair any damaged wood. The wallboard can sometimes be saved by the CPES as it stiffens it, again from the outside. Then put it back together.

If you have common wood tools and a quantity of your time, this is something that you could repair. Not to scare you... Here is my sons camper. It is now better than new. Around $765 in parts cost plus 268 labor hours. We work cheap... Entire front wall, entire new roof and entire rear wall and corners.
A Winter Project - Roof Repair (Picture heavy)

Here is Project camper no 1 taken apart. Have not made it to putting it back together yet. 2004 T1950 Restoration Project - (Ugly Picture Heavy)

And Project camper no 2. I just finished this enough my kids took it last weekend. I have to post all the fixed pics but it may help you on yours. 2004 T2475 Repair - Project Camper No 2


You know the camper, you kept it up all this time, you like it. Yes it has a water issue. If you can get past the time it will take to fix it, you are left with a camper that could be better than new. Trust me, I have many friends who bought brand new campers and the warranty repair calls have been staggering... It helps tell me to keep maintaining the big one I have now in my sig. It is 14 years old, was paid for the day I bought it, and still is in great shape as I keep after it, all the time. How much you pay for a new camper now a days does not mean the more you pay the better they are built. It's sad, really sad folks have so many issues with brand new campers in this day and age.

Hope this helps and good luck.

John

[valhalla360]

It all comes down to how much will it cost to fix.

If you can fix it for a grand or two, probably worth doing so you can get another 5-10yrs out of it.

If it's going to cost $5k, you are probably better dumping it for what you can get out of it and moving on.

[TKW]

I sold my 19 yrs old TT as a restoration project for a song about 5 yrs ago. I had been fighting with water damages over the years. When I had enough, I decided to pass on to somebody who wanted a project. I didn't want to wreck it nor gave it away for free so that someone who needed it would make good use of it. The TT's interior was in great shape other than a soft spot.
I posted it on CL before dinner with full disclosure and stipulated it must be restorated. My family & I had so much good time in it and wouldn't want to see it being scrapped. I can't stop answering emails until midnight that evening. I actually pre-screened all the potential buyers to ensure they have the know-how and knew what they were getting into. I stopped giving out my address after the first 6 buyers.
When I got off work the next day, there're 6 families waiting by the TT. I could have held an auction on the spot but instead I got everyone drew from a hat. The winner was a young family whose head worked as a carpenter for a coach builder. I even threw in all the hoses, tire wrench, stab Jack's etc.

[Howie3]

Thanks for all the helpful ideas. The trailer is paid for (plus the insurance payout for the ‘salvage value’) so since the hail storm of 2014 it is on borrowed time, knowing that a major repair or accident would mean the end of the line. Besides the bathroom corner, it is in great shape and I have meticulously looked after minor repairs. Who knows, if I managed to get it properly repaired, it could last another ten years. Or maybe this is the first of inevitable roof failures and more $ to soak into it (pun intended, water damage haha).
I’m not sure I could fix it to satisfaction on my own as been suggested (I would worry about the rotted corner every time I used it) but maybe it’s worth hanging on to. The economy is still soft where I live so perhaps a handyman looking for extra work could work on it in his/her spare time. I would gladly pay $1200-1500 on a casual basis but an RV shop would be prohibitive and not worth the risk if this turns out to be the start of a series of structural issues.
So anyone in central Alberta looking for a project???

[CavemanCharlie]

rbpru wrote:
It is a 10 year-old TT and I assume it is paid for. If you cannot sell it for a hunting shack or a DYI project, just fix it up as best you can and use it.

X2.

I wouldn't like to look into the walls of my 1993 TT. I just keep using it and don't think about it. It has more then paid for itself in the 6 years I've had it.

[rbpru]

It is a 10 year-old TT and I assume it is paid for. If you cannot sell it for a hunting shack or a DYI project, just fix it up as best you can and use it.

[BarneyS]

Perhaps you can sell it to a hunter to use as a hunting camp shelter.
Barney

[Juzaxadar]

a DIYer might be able and willing to take and restore it, but it'd have to be cheap which ias bad news for you.

I have found in my repairs that water can stay in wood for a long, long time.

[Lwiddis]

What parts would anyone want from a TT that is 10+ years old?

[USAFBILL]

If the insurance company wrote it off it might have a "SCRAP" title and be hard for another person to title it....depends on the state it is presently titled in.