Horrible day - Is the camper fixable?

[My4men]

We have a 2005 Cub Aerolite hybrid. We got our camper a month ago from an individual. This was our first trip. On the way home, I look in the rearview mirror of my car and realize the wall has come off. I was sick to my stomach. It's like the camper was falling apart driving down the road!! Apparently it's been leaking and the traveling let the wind get under the fiberglass and it just ripped off. The wood under it was wet. This is the front corner before the door. If anyone knows how I can attach a picture I would be glad to.

So my question now at this point is is it even going to be cost effective to try to fix this?! My husband says the whole side will have the be replaced as one solid sheet and the wood replaced. He is a good DIY guy but this is out of his comfort zone. Anyone had any experience with this and what we could expect? I don't even know where to start. I don't know of a dealer around me that sells this brand. We have tried to reach Dutchman in the past about the beds and had no luck. So another question would be if anyone has a number that will get us through to a live person? Just a horrible sick feeling. Because I asked the previous owner repeatedly about any known leaks and of course they denied it. Now we have this mess on our hands.

[computerbug]

We had that happen to us with our class c on our overhead bunk. We pulled in to Lowes an found a 4x8 sheet of plastic in the paneling section ($18.00). We patched the open side and went home. We ended up using that material to redo the inside and out of the RV .they use this material for bathroom walls now.,we also bought the foam at lowes. We eliminated the luan. You can use aluminum instead of wood but we used wood. Good Luck you can do it.
Cathie

[wecamp04]

If your husband built houses he can handle this ,like has been said just takes time one thing that might help is to take pictures as you go helps me get things back together couple weeks later...lol good luck keep us posted

[My4men]

mbutts wrote:
Another leak possibly is the top of the bunk door. On my 2007, the door warped from being clamped at the corners when closed and the corners were where the cables attached when open, so the bunkend corners were always under tension.

I closed up the camper on a sunny day and checked around the bunkend from the inside of the trailer. Very easy to spot where light was coming in.

Oh, good thought. I will ck that out. Thanks!!

[mbutts]

Another leak possibly is the top of the bunk door. On my 2007, the door warped from being clamped at the corners when closed and the corners were where the cables attached when open, so the bunkend corners were always under tension.

I closed up the camper on a sunny day and checked around the bunkend from the inside of the trailer. Very easy to spot where light was coming in.

[My4men]

JimNH wrote:
I might be tempted to cut the Filon or skin material back to the door area. The join can be a small vertical seam above and below the door opening, and that would help hide the transition, where you might need to have an overlap or use a piece of molding. the woodworking part of it is straightforward for someone with general carpentry skills - but the big "if" is how much bad material will you have to remove so that you are attaching everything to sound sub-structure. Removing what is left of the plywood skin should show you what you are up against. (If the damage goes further back in, I'd be tempted also to completely remove the front piece, and have a good look at the other corner as well.)

Good luck with this and please post pics and updates of your progress!

JIM in NH

Thank you!! My hubby built houses for a living for years so he has very good carpentry skills as far as woodwork, etc. He's never worked on a camper though. He does plan to check further into it before he starts trying to repair it. I guess a good note is where it occurred so the seam could be small, being above the door. I appreciate the comment! I will have pics posted as he goes and of the finished product. We have it stored in our garage because it will be a couple weeks before we can start.

[weasel4]

I would be very concerned about the floor in that area and beyond. Damage may extend far beyond the sidewall
BTC

[JimNH]

I might be tempted to cut the Filon or skin material back to the door area. The join can be a small vertical seam above and below the door opening, and that would help hide the transition, where you might need to have an overlap or use a piece of molding. the woodworking part of it is straightforward for someone with general carpentry skills - but the big "if" is how much bad material will you have to remove so that you are attaching everything to sound sub-structure. Removing what is left of the plywood skin should show you what you are up against. (If the damage goes further back in, I'd be tempted also to completely remove the front piece, and have a good look at the other corner as well.)

Good luck with this and please post pics and updates of your progress!

JIM in NH

[My4men]

n7bsn wrote:
There is a major RV builder at Red Bay Alabama, so there is certainly "parts" around there.

Oh, great. I will find out and check with them. Thanks!!!

[My4men]

llowllms wrote:
Sounds like you may have had a roof leak to cause this problem. I just hope the previous owner was unaware of the problem before selling you the rv. What state do you live in? You may try to google rv repair shops to see if any are in your area. It would be fixable, the big question would be if it is cost effective or not. Good luck with this one. my regrets to the family.

I appreciate that. We are going to check the roof for sure. We have to find the source to avoid this again. I feel like the owner did know, unfortunately! We are in central Alabama so I should find one near Birmingham. Thanks!

[llowllms]

Sounds like you may have had a roof leak to cause this problem. I just hope the previous owner was unaware of the problem before selling you the rv. What state do you live in? You may try to google rv repair shops to see if any are in your area. It would be fixable, the big question would be if it is cost effective or not. Good luck with this one. my regrets to the family.

[n7bsn]

There is a major RV builder at Red Bay Alabama, so there is certainly "parts" around there.

[SteveAE]

My4men wrote:

n7bsn wrote:
Actually from your photo, it's probably Filon and not Fiberglass.

Do you have a local RV parts place? They probably can get the RV stuff (Filon) you can't get other places

The lumber and insulation just comes from a home repair store

I live about 45 miles from Birmingham, AL so surely there's one in that area that will get the filon for me. Thanks for the clarification!

Try looking specifically for a RV repair facility (that is where I got the filon I used). Or, just look on-line.

[My4men]

n7bsn wrote:
Actually from your photo, it's probably Filon and not Fiberglass.

Do you have a local RV parts place? They probably can get the RV stuff (Filon) you can't get other places

The lumber and insulation just comes from a home repair store

I live about 45 miles from Birmingham, AL so surely there's one in that area that will get the filon for me. Thanks for the clarification!

[My4men]

SteveAE wrote:
Bummer.

I concur with N7BSN, it can be done given enough time and effort. Done yourself, it shouldn't cost very much (perhaps under $600....but this is just a guess) and will look "reasonable enough" (not new though).

For the fiberglass, you may want to consider using filon. It comes in a variety of colors in large sheets and you just cut it to shape and glue on (with contact cement). Of course, this is after you have cut out all the rotted material and replaced it with solid wood. Then cover the seams between the old and new filon with trim pieces you either buy (where???) or have made. Or you could just cover the seams with strips of fiberglass tape and resin (of the same color) and sand to feather out (just like you would do a drywall patch).

The vinyl decals are the easy part as they can be custom made at a sign shop.

My biggest concern would be how much of the existing material you have to cut out to get rid of the rotted material? So you may want to do some poking around to determine this before getting too committed to the project.

Best wishes and do let us know how it turn out should you choose to go this route.

Thank you!! That price sounds awesome at this point! I will check with RV stores today about the filon and start checking on how much is rotten under there. I appreciate the help!! I will post the end result. Thanks again!