question about repair for rotten bunk door

[jroden99]

I have a hybrid that leaked over the winter and the lower 12" of the bunk door got wet and swelled up. I cut this section out, it is made of thin wood with styrofoam sandwiched between to form a sheet of 1.5 inches.

It just kind of floats on the flimsy fiberglass outer shell as far as I can tell.

Can I just glue a 12" x 7' thin wood to the fiberglass, follow with 1 inch foam insulation board then another layer of wood?

My only concern is nothing seems to be preventing it from tearing through the fiberglass if someone stood directly on the patched area.

I also ordered the new d seals today...

[Hornnumb2]

My shamrock had an aluminum frame and if I was going to redo it I would for sure take it to a welding shop and add some extra aluminum cross pieces. My frame cracked in the middle of the night. Michael

[jroden99]

that is what I planned to do, but I'm having trouble with the structural aspect. There is no metal support for the bed anyplace but around the edge, so the bonded styro and plywood forms the structure that holds it together.

so, now I have a missing 1 foot x 7 foot section at the bottom and need to repair it in such a way that it has structural integrity

[JimChow]

I had a similar problem. If I did it correctly you can look at the pics of my repair (there should be an easier way to post pics...this is an pain). I used a razor knife and cut out the rotted wood (really just luan plywood) dried it out using a heat gun, careful not to overheat. Then I replaced to foam covered it with a pices of gelcoated piece I got at Micheal's craft store and pop riveted in two pieces of aluminum strips to hold the new piece in place and glued down the velcro strip. I did the repair before I stored the camper for the season. I also re-caulked the door and tighten up the clamps the seal the door. I plan to replace the seals this year. I find out if it leaked when I pull it out of storage in June.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m140/JimChow/PICT0169_zps2204871d.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m140/JimChow/PICT0170_zps911cce51.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m140/JimChow/PICT0171_zpsdcb37051.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m140/JimChow/PICT0174_zps41607524.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m140/JimChow/PICT0177_zpsc3707133.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m140/JimChow/PICT0184_zps0fd5cd7a.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m140/JimChow/PICT0186_zpse4463212.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m140/JimChow/PICT0188_zps9329d19a.jpg

[jroden99]

Mine is a Kodiak which was made by Thor, I think maybe Dutchman bought them. They don't sell parts direct to consumer any more. I'll see if a dealer can help me getting one, it looks like kind of a nasty job

[Hornnumb2]

Not sure what brand you have but I ordered a complete door from the factory for under $500 shipped. I was going to rebuild mine but was worried about getting it all laminated back as one piece. If its a forest river brand product I have a contact email. Michael

[popeyemth]

Thanks the eBay item # popped right up!
Thanks,Mike

[jroden99]

not sure link worked heres product was 50 bucks

AP Products 018-318 Non Ribbed Door Seal with Tape 3/4 x 9/16 x 100' Black

[jroden99]

oh golly, the whole door. I'm not sure i'm up for the task. I'm tempted to remove the aluminum frame and take it to a welder to have them make it structural.

here's where I got the d seal

http://www.ebay.com/itm/360912297707?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649


I'm thinking about going back to a pop up, this thing has leaked on and off for years despite new seals.

[popeyemth]

Where did you get the seals?
Thanks,Mike

[Padlin]

I would agree, the strength comes from the tight bonding of the components to each other and the outer aluminum frame. I attempted the same last fall on my floor, I dug out a few inches of the foam on the good side, inserted a 2x6 cut to length, then glued up the new materials in place of the bad. The seam is okay but my glue up didn't work very well. I thought I had a decent way to press the layers together while they dried, but I didn't.
I'd suggest you do the complete bunk door after removing it, takes LOTs of glue. I used a quart and a half of epoxy, should of used a gallon.