Possible New HTT - 21sb

[cousinjerry]

Hello all, been reading here for the better part of 8 months and have now started looking at HTTs.

We looked at a 2005 TravelStar 21SB yesterday but I have some questions that I'm hoping someone here can help with. It seemed to be in great shape with the following exceptions:

1. Between the couch and dinette, I could feel the floor sag slightly. I could feel the joists with my feet. The dealer said that the problem is that the joists are too far apart and it just happens with time on these trailers. There was no evidence of water in the passthrough or under the bench.

3. Possible tied to item 1, the dinette table is quite wobbly. I know this is pretty typical but my concern is that it seems like the 2 bases are somewhat loose as they move with the table. I can see the linoleum move when I put pressure on the table.

3. What should the bottom of the trailer look like? There is a black plastic(?) waterproofing membrane there that seems to be in great shape but how tight should this be to the underside of the floor? Should it deflect at all when I push it with my finger?

The bunkends all look great, no delamination anywhere. Checked underneath each of the bunk mattresses and they show no signs of water intrusion at all.

Any advice on the above or anything else to look for on this unit? Just trying my best to avoid a fixer-upper.

Thanks!

[Padlin]

cousinjerry wrote:
Thanks for the insights guys.

The more I think about this, the more I think we will pass. When I looked in the front pass through, I could see the linoleum starting to curl up. I'm guessing its due to some moisture getting in at that point.

Mine had the curl once it got wet enough to release from the glue. I could stick my fingers down under the linoleum and feel that it was wet. I'd pass too.

[cousinjerry]

Thanks for the insights guys.

The more I think about this, the more I think we will pass. When I looked in the front pass through, I could see the linoleum starting to curl up. I'm guessing its due to some moisture getting in at that point.

[Padlin]

When I removed mine the non damaged parts look like brand new plywood, some parts had gotten wet once upon a time and were discolored but it was still solid, other parts were delaminating and black.

Another thing... Where the floor had not gotten wet, the vinyl glue stll had a good bond to the plywood, I had to scrap the vinyl off with a putty knife. Where the floor had gotten wet the glue had let loose so the vinyl lifted right off.

[Scottam]

The floor under the linoleum should look like plywood, you will see black and or the wood will be delaminating.

[cousinjerry]

Another question.....what should the floor beneath the linoleum look like? Just like thing plywood? Wood colour?

Thanks!

[Scottam]

The first sign was the floor at the very front by the front bunk was spongy, and then it was underneath the dinette. The floor in front of the fridge was a little spongy, but not bad. The floor from the fridge back appeared to be fine. I took it to be checked and found the whole floor was gone, we didn't feel the soft spots from the fridge back, because there was a cross member and then there was gray water and black water tanks. I hope my experience helps you make a informed decision.

[Padlin]

Just replaced some of the floor on my 06 18sb. While I agree that the crossmembers are too far apart at 3' I could not feel any deflection until the floor started to rot. The membrane underneath is a Tyvek type material, it was/is glued to the bottom layer of 3/th's plywood, it should feel solid and taught when pressed from below. If there are any loose areas then the lower layer of plywood was turned to mush like mine did. Take along a dolly and check the bathroom area as well as near the door, water heater, sink, and the whole front. I had no indications of a problem from the inside other then one soft spot just in front of the sink but the front 4' was shot. The water gets trapped on top of the Tyvek, hence the bottom wood goes first.
The softness on mine stemmed from the lower plywood falling apart which weakened the Styrofoam sandwich which eventually broke midway between 2 of the cross members,

[cousinjerry]

Scottam wrote:
I just got rid of my 05 21 sb. The floor was rotted from front to back. The problem was, at each bunk end there is a gap at the bottom(approx. 1/2" x 3/4") near the hinge on both sides and the water goes right in there. I bought the camper new in 05 and had the roof seams caulked and gaskets replaced every 3 yrs. Other than that we loved the camper. It sounds like this camper has the same problem. Of course the dealer I bought it from denies that there were any problems with those campers. If you look t the camper you can probably see "the black streak where the water ran right down the camper and into the bottom of the bunk ends. Good Luck and don't buy the first thing you find. There are a lot of improvements in the last 9 years as far as the bunkends go.

What was the obvious signs of this? Where should I look? The rest of the floor looked and felt great. It was just between these 2 floor joists. Its not that it even felt soft, just that it sagged some there.

[Scottam]

I just got rid of my 05 21 sb. The floor was rotted from front to back. The problem was, at each bunk end there is a gap at the bottom(approx. 1/2" x 3/4") near the hinge on both sides and the water goes right in there. I bought the camper new in 05 and had the roof seams caulked and gaskets replaced every 3 yrs. Other than that we loved the camper. It sounds like this camper has the same problem. Of course the dealer I bought it from denies that there were any problems with those campers. If you look t the camper you can probably see "the black streak where the water ran right down the camper and into the bottom of the bunk ends. Good Luck and don't buy the first thing you find. There are a lot of improvements in the last 9 years as far as the bunkends go.

[Habs33]

Some trailers come with a 'rubber floor' rather than plywood, which might be the black membrane you spotted. I used to have a 2000 rockwood roo 19 ft that had a soft spot near the door as soon as you entered the camper. I ended up re-inforcing beneath with some plywood as that was a high traffic area. Not sure if that's the case on the trailer you're looking at. Good luck.