Forum Discussion
sleepy
May 16, 2014Explorer
silversand wrote:
Just a heads-up to those with Outfitter Caribou units with wooden tub: there is some kind of very cheap furniture veneer under the entire tub glued to the floor XPS foam and aluminum beams. This has absorbed water between bed of camper and rubber bed mat, and completely rotted away. I just found it this morning. Another to-do (after I found a section of wing under battery compartment) completely rotted out on this camper last Fall. This repair will be about 20 hours this Spring. LOTS of wood on these campers. Ours is 9 years old this May.
Thank God this stuff is only cheap veneer and not structural, so I can glue a ~2 sq foot sheet of 1/16th plastic FRP to the aluminum frame and XPS. I wish could remove it all, but the glue in some places is still tenacious with veneer. Expected time of repair: ~12 hours (including a run to the hardware store, pre-prep, and clamping the new FRP section under there.
Suggested mitigation: never let your Caribou (or, wood-framed tub camper) sit directly on your truck's bed; place inorganic spacers under the tub, to elevate off truck bed, and allow air circulation !!!
S-
Silver
I have been thinking hard about your problem.
I think yhat maybe you just have a water damaged dust cover... that is why it is just a veneer... it has nothing to do with structure.
Is your floor solid?
Is your framework good?
How many pieces are damaged? Are they all the veneer plywood?
Repair the leak
Replace the plywood
If the battery is a lead acid type and isn't in a containment box you might do that or get a AGM type
See if you can add baffles or something to eliminate water in the trucks bed if it's from rain... (Or, repair leak...#1 priority anyway)
go camping... it will be OK!
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