Purchasing Warped Roof 1997 Bigfoot 2500 9’6”?

Water Damage = RUN don't walk away.

pianotuna wrote:
Water Damage = RUN don't walk away.

Do you think this is water damage? Some people on other forums have said that this is a normal part of an aging fiberglass camper, so long as there is no evidence of water damage on the interior.

From the pictures, the camper looks pretty nice for being almost 25 years old.

Considering how Bigfoot TC’s are made, I think it’s unlikely that’s evidence of water damage. If it was, I would expect to see some signs of water intrusion on the inside around the roof vent.

Any stains on the ceiling? Any sign of damage or cracking of the fiberglass shell on the outside?

The window seals you circled look like they’ve shrunk and pulled out. If they’re not torn, they may be able to be repaired, or just replaced. A glass guy could probably fix those.

:):)

:R Let’s Go Girls! :P (End of quote)
NRA Benefactor Life Member
Lance 1121-Two Awnings, Slide topper, 3.6 kw Gen, Trimetric Batt. Monitor, 1500W Inverter, 40A Redarc DC-DC charger. 2016 F450 6.7 PSD.

I would not wish to buy it.

It’s gonna take more than a puddle of water on the roof of a fiberglass shell camper to make me think there’s water damage. There has to be some evidence inside if it’s there, either visible or smells.

Look everywhere, sniff everywhere. Remember, water runs downhill.

:):)

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't BigFoots build with fiberglass shells?
Water is not going to damage fiberglass, but still sagging should be carefully inspected.
I never get over the looks of "camper attached to AC".
Why manufacturers don't spend another $200 for low-profile AC ? :S

Those hatches are known to fail due to fatigue and weathering but are readily available and cheaper than a Heki hatch. I would be more concerned with the window seals than the pool of water next to the hatch unless you see signs of water inside the roof. Look for water damage on the inside lower portion of the window framing to see if the windows are beginning to leak.

The window trim is no issue, almost all of them do that with age and it is cheaply replaced (though a bit fiddly to do). It does not affect the watertightness of the window.

The sagging roof - depends. While these are fiberglass shelled, there is wood used between the fiberglass and interior paneling in many places, including around the skylights. The fiberglass and foam will not deteriorate with moisture, but the wood will. If the skylight has been leaking, it is possible the water has run elsewhere, it can run a long way from the source of the leak in these campers. If the current owner let me, I'd pull the trim off of the interior of the skylight, you should be able to access the wood surrounding it in the gap between the skylight spigot and the paneling. Poke at it with a bent nail, probe, or whatever you can get in there. It may be obviously wet or soft, or may be soft when poked, indicating moisture and rot.

The roof on a Bigfoot can sag or distort or delaminate a bit without any help from moisture intrusion, if not excessive I'd call it par for the course at that age. If there is significant rot to the reinforcing wood in the roof, it is repairable, but expensive to do, and hard to find an RV repair shop with the skill to do it.

$10,500 is about $8000 too much for a 25 year old camper regardless of condition, let alone with a sagging roof and bad window seals. It better be covered in gold leaf for $10,500.

NRALIFR wrote:
From the pictures, the camper looks pretty nice for being almost 25 years old.

Considering how Bigfoot TC’s are made, I think it’s unlikely that’s evidence of water damage. If it was, I would expect to see some signs of water intrusion on the inside around the roof vent.

Any stains on the ceiling? Any sign of damage or cracking of the fiberglass shell on the outside?

The window seals you circled look like they’ve shrunk and pulled out. If they’re not torn, they may be able to be repaired, or just replaced. A glass guy could probably fix those.

:):)

:R Let’s Go Girls! :P (End of quote)
NRA Benefactor Life Member
Lance 1121-Two Awnings, Slide topper, 3.6 kw Gen, Trimetric Batt. Monitor, 1500W Inverter, 40A Redarc DC-DC charger. 2016 F450 6.7 PSD.

As far as I can tell, there's no damage to the exterior, but it he did mention it was knocked over onto a bush during a recent hurricane, which meant the front jacks had to be replaced. The interior looks good from the pictures he sent. It is pretty nice shape for the age, but others have pointed out, it seems highly priced. Given the current market, I would expect the resale value to hold, but what do you think a fair price would be?

NRALIFR wrote:
It’s gonna take more than a puddle of water on the roof of a fiberglass shell camper to make me think there’s water damage. There has to be some evidence inside if it’s there, either visible or smells.

Look everywhere, sniff everywhere. Remember, water runs downhill.

:):)

Thanks for the advice, the seller did say the roof was resealed yearly, but I'm going to go in there sniffing like a bloodhound. Could I also ask you for your opinion on the asking price?

Kayteg1 wrote:
Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't BigFoots build with fiberglass shells?
Water is not going to damage fiberglass, but still sagging should be carefully inspected.
I never get over the looks of "camper attached to AC".
Why manufacturers don't spend another $200 for low-profile AC ? :S

Yes, they are built with fiberglass, clam-shell style. He put it in himself, but it does look pretty silly, doesn't it. Not too far off from this:

Bedlam wrote:
Those hatches are known to fail due to fatigue and weathering but are readily available and cheaper than a Heki hatch. I would be more concerned with the window seals than the pool of water next to the hatch unless you see signs of water inside the roof. Look for water damage on the inside lower portion of the window framing to see if the windows are beginning to leak.

Do you mean the wall inside, under the window frame, or the bottom part of the actual black frame of the window? I had a similar seal problem on an old Tufport and it seeped some water during rain, although some have said these seals aren't as important as the caulking around the window. If you don't mind, could you also share what you think a fair sale price would be?

mkirsch wrote:
$10,500 is about $8000 too much for a 25 year old camper regardless of condition, let alone with a sagging roof and bad window seals. It better be covered in gold leaf for $10,500.

Fair point, it is really high, although unfortunately I'm starting to lose hope I could find such a deal on a fiberglass camper. I've been looking since June and ones of similar year and condition are asking for lots of cash - I saw a 1995 9'6" go for $13,000US in Canada two months ago. I guess I could always wait for the market to drop, but I'm set on skiing the rest of the winter out of a resort parking lot.