Hello, everyone. My name is Alex and I'm new to the forum. I picked up a 2001 Coachmen Catalina 26 foot travel trailer with slide out back in September. I've been full-timing in it since then and making minor repairs as needed. While I was setting up a tarp to cover the slide out (because I need a new seal and it leaks a bit), I noticed that there were a few soft spots on the roof. Some spots are worse than others and the wood is so rotted underneath that the rubber roof is just suspended on it. This poses a problem for me as I live in New Jersey and we are bound to get snow, which I'm sure this roof won't be able to support. The roof itself is not leaking at all right now.What are the repair options here other than replacing the whole roof? I have seen some people peel back the roof and replace the rotted wood, then glue it back down and seal it. I thought about that, but this is in several spots, not all near the edge. I can't think of much else besides tossing some plywood on top and hoping for the best.Thanks in advance for any ideas.

No offense but you should of looked before you aquired the camper... It will be expensive repair and probably not worth the price of the trailer.. If your handy you can do it yourself. But if you never done it before it will be a daunting task..My old coachmen had a small spot with no wood in the corner ( 2003) and I just liquid roofed it and put eternabond tape over that part with no wood..I got rid of that trailer as there was mold in the walls from that leak and it was a health hazard.. I disclosed all this to the new owner...It it dont leak dont worry about it...How bad can it be that you dont think it will hold up snow?

I think you may be wrong about the roof not leaking, unless you made some repairs on it. You may not see any water from the ceiling because it either sits on top of the ceiling panels or exits inside a wall. If you do just want to slap a band-aid on it to get through Winter, I'd suggest 6 mil polyethylene and secure that onto the roof with some overhang over the walls. If you get black plastic and have light snowfalls, a lot of what falls may melt and runoff.An alternative to replacing the rubber membrane is to use a purpose-made roof coating that is similar to truck bed liner. It is more expensive than a new rubber membrane but some folks are having real good luck with the coatings.roof armor

No offense taken. I should have looked it over more carefully, but I've learned the hard way. Does the liquid roof dry hard or rubbery at all or is it mostly just a sealer? There are two spots that are like a trampoline, where the rubber sags in the middle when lightly pushed and then springs back. Also, I could be wrong about the roof leaking, but I don't experience any drips. It makes sense that it must leak somewhere for the wood underneath to rot out. My goal is to make it through the winter and then probably pick up a camper that's in better shape since it's probably not worth replacing the roof on this, even if I do it myself. The RV Roof Armor seems promising compared to total replacement, but the fact that there are no prices listed online and they send the technician out to apply it means it'll definitely be over budget for me.

I had a new Rhino Coatings roof installed last year, and I think you would be wasting your time looking into it or the Roof Armor coating because neither vendor is going to apply the coating over a rotted roof. They will insist on repairing the structure first.

EDPM liquid roof is all I would use... Goes on easy... I used 1 gallon to do front and back 1/4's and all vents etc and edges..4 gallons is like $400. One gallon I bought on amazon was like $70 bucks..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXaaPOLIyPMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKNgsZ4LHyMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W6wAh7inSo

Travel Trailer Rubber Roof Repair Options. Help needed ASAP

JIMNLIN
Explorer III
Oct 29, 2020
This thread has been several years dead. The OP last post was in 2017 and I betcha' he/she is long gone.
lane_hog
Explorer II
Oct 28, 2020
Using sheet metal and coating with Hengs or something else that's a full layer of protection might be a safer alternative, but it won't solve the problem that your roof is compromised and that poses a risk rolling down the road.
jy
Explorer
Oct 25, 2020
I had a similar situation.I bought some aluminum plate about 1/8th inch thick that extended about 6 inches past the soft spots.Drilled holes every six inches around the perimiter,layed down a bead of rv roof caulk and screwed it down right through the roof.Then I caulked all the screws.Its been 3 years and no leaks so far.
Huntindog
Explorer
Oct 23, 2020
If you are looking to get thru the winter, and will not be moving it.... That opens up some options. I think I would go with a thick piece of plywood, Put a few coats of cheap (home Depot marks down missmatched colors a lot) paint on it to seal it. Lay that over the slide out and maybe a tarp over that.

If the roof is in fact not leaking now, then this should work. It won't win any awards, but it is cheap and easy.
BurbMan
Explorer II
Oct 22, 2020
Roof Armor will be $4K+, they do a nice job but if you look at the steps it's very labor intensive. You can get Heng's Roof Coating and roll it on for $50/gal, but that's just another layer of EDPM...usually the rubber membrane itself is not what's leaking unless it has had puncture damage from a tree limb, etc. Usually the leaks are at seal points like vents, TV antenna, etc. You're not seeing drips inside because the water is being absorbed by the flakeboard roof sheathing and insulation. When it gets saturated, it will drip down a wall and start to rot the floor.

I think the plan you have now is best to get you through the winter, and is what I was going to suggest. You really have to play detective, find out what's leaking, where the water is coming in and how extensive the damage is before you formulate a plan to fix it. Usually you only see about 10% of the damage, so figure that soft spot where there's nothing behind the rubber roof is about 1/10 of what needs to be fixed.
murfx2004
Explorer
Nov 14, 2017
Thank you for all the great info, everybody.

I do have the skills and energy to tackle a project like this, but just not the time right now. I know it's not worth all that much, so I don't want to sink a bunch of money into it. If I could get the materials for $500, like hilandfrog, it would definitely be worth doing for me.

It would have to wait until summertime, which is why I'm really trying to come up with a temporary fix to get through the winter. I know I can focus more on a permanent repair during the summer, or pick up a different trailer with the help of tax return money in the spring.

After searching the web a bit, I've found a 10' x 27' canopy for under $200, which I think would fit the bill for now. It'll keep the snow off the roof, so in the event of a heavy wet snow, I should have nothing to worry about anymore.

I'm going to climb up on the roof again this weekend and do a further assessment of the damage to help decide what to do after I get through the winter.
NMDriver
Explorer
Nov 14, 2017
DIY is pretty easy. I am 60% disabled (back and legs) 67 yrs old and it still only took me 2 days to replace the trusses, luan, and apply Liquid Roof for RVs link to 1/3 of my 30ft 5er roof. Getting it all together and figuring out what was needed took almost a week :D

BTW the roof is held together with staples-you might want to rent a air stapler to hold the luan to the trusses.
hilandfrog
Explorer
Nov 14, 2017
Doing it myself and having no clues other than youtube... ~$500

New EDPM, wood, glues and screws. The rubber (20 x 10) was ~$250 from ebay.

A did take a lot of time and I was lucky enough to have a barn to do it in.....

It's no more difficult than anything else just get into to it and don't get overwhelmed, not rocket science, and I'm no smarter than the average bear.

Trusses and EDPM roof.

Repo
valhalla360
Navigator
Nov 14, 2017
You would be lucky to get $2-3k on a 2001 26' trailer in decent condition.

Replacing the roof is likely a $4-6k if it turns out to be fairly simple to fix. It could be a lot more if the rot is bad.

If you have the skills and want to put in the effort, you might be able to buy the materials for $1-1.5k and do it yourself.

Nothing you slap on the top will fix the problem if the plywood underneath is rotted out.

Sorry, but no good news.
Chuck_thehammer
Explorer
Nov 13, 2017
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I think Carolina Carports make/cut custom sizes... and deliver/assemble....
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