Looking for owners manual- '97 Shasta 245

[MouthyPuppy]

Main topic:

I just purchased my first camping trailer. Just a little 1997 Shasta 245 that needs some repairs. I can't find an owners manual anywhere online. I tried to call the company, but since the company was bought out they don't have any manuals for models before 2015.

If anyone has a manual for the '97 Shasta 245 or knows where I can find one, please let me know? I've never owned a camper/RV before and there's an electrical panel that's missing half of it. I want to repair it but with not having a manual, I have no idea what the panel does.
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Tangent topics:

-Long term I'm looking to rebuild/upgrade the thing until it's unrecognisable. So I want something to read and study before I tear it apart.

-Part of the floor is sagging and I have two 4'x'6'x2" blocks of wood. Can I just cut them to shape to re-secure the flooring? Or is that a bad idea?

-Are there any youtube camper tutorial/build channels that people recommend?

-Has anyone ever setup a rechargeable battery array for a camper that has the best and most cost-effective method?

[liamricci]

Did someone find it online actually? If the answer is no, then you might have a luck finding it here - repair manuals. Just found there a manual which i was looking for a very long time. There was one seller on Ebay , who actually had it but for some reason he wanted to have 150 dollars for it. No way i gonna pay such a money for a book, even with the valuable information inside. Especially if it can be downloaded for free.

[klutchdust]

If you want to start out with the electrical panel take and post some photos of what is there and we can help with that.
regarding rebuilding. when RV's are built they are pre cut wood panels that are stapled and glued together. My experience with multiple rv's is if it is not broken leave it alone.

[JBarca]

Hi MouthyPuppy,

Congrats on your new camper, it sounds like you have a good-sized project ahead of you.

As was said by the other members, the camper did not come with a detail-level manual, they are too expensive to make a manual as detailed as an auto or even a lawn mower. Find the make and model of your power center and Google that brand and model. Being a 97, you may find that model or even company may no longer be in business and even if that model is still made, they were not very good battery chargers back then. More like battery killers with overboiling them.

If you want help buying a new power converter, see this website. Best Converter.com. They specialize in helping upgrade and replace old dead power converters and they really know their stuff. https://www.bestconverter.com

To the rest of your questions, each question is a topic all by itself. Suggest if you are going to post the question here on RV.net to ask each one as a topic of its own. Also, learn how to use the advanced search feature on the forum. All those topics have been covered, maybe not on your brand and model, but on other campers to learn from. Search out, and read then ask what you can't find. You can ask better questions then.

There are many folks here on RV net that have restored older campers. In my case, I have restored mainly the Sunline brands of campers. They were built in a simar fashion to the older Shasta's. If yours looks like this Shasta https://www.parkwayrvcenter.com/product/used-1997-shasta-rvs-lt-245-1195269-29

That is what they nickname a stick and tin-built camper. Odds are high that yours has water damage in it. Learn how they built are and how they leak "before" you start taking them apart. Most just tear into the inside thinking campers are built like a house, but they are not. And they make a lot of extra work to do. That style camper is built from the outside in. I do most all my restoring work by taking the camper apart from the outside first, then tearing it into the wallboard as needed. Those older campers can be totally rebuilt and sealed up better than many brand-new ones. But, it will take a lot of time to do it. Maybe even years pending how far you want to restore it and how much time you have to work on it.

Hope this helps and good luck.

John

[wowens79]

Like the answer above, they don't have one manual. They are more like a a house, you will have different manuals for the different items installed, like the water heater, stove, converter etc.

[shelbyfv]

Unlike autos, travel trailers do not come with comprehensive owner's manuals. Your electrical panel is likely what is known as a converter/power supply. Look for a brand and model #, Google for info. This is how you'll need to approach each individual system or component.