Fixing leaks and rot

I just bought a 1990 Skamper for 8 foot bed that has water damage in the overhead cab area and stains in middle of camper where air conditioner once was (someone put a new ceiling in and it covers that spot). I assume it originally had either air, or a roof vent, where I see the stains).

I've been searching for youtube videos (or articles) that show step by step how to gut, then rebuild, the rotted area. Then how to get the exterior side seam back together in the cabover area.

If anyone knows of any good links, I'd appreciate them. Also, I'm having trouble posting pics. I'll try again. Edit: sorry the pic is sideways

I did a thread a few years back. unfortunately I is kinda hard to work and take pictures,

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=18261&highlight=water+damage

highdesertranger

Thank you so much! I'll get reading now

I don't think I'll have the money to pay someone to make the repairs until the end of summer. Besides tarping it when not in use, is there anything that works to stop leaks (or any method) so I can camp a little (locally) over the summer? And, how can I find where the leak is? Just camp in it when it's raining?

I can't go very far over the summer, since I only have ratchet straps on it atm. I plan on getting Torklift tiedowns at end of summer. That's when I get my last disability installment. It's not a lot, btw.

I realize that if I sold my house this plan (to travel long term) would go much more smoothly, but I still can't decide about that. I want to leave it to my kids someday, but I may not have a choice at some point.

I'm posting pics of the inside because I think I'm going to have lots of questions about this camper. Luckily, I found a 1993 skamper for 8 foot bed online. It sold 3 years ago but the pics were still up. It helped me see the changes previous owners made to mine... and I saw that some things were missing. Ie. the stove hood, the platform that raises the dinette table, the panel for gauges by the small sliding window that faces the truck cab

Hi Carla this type of camper have a tendency to leak at the edges where that L moulding goes over corners, as well as around the windows and along the seams across the roof, as well as around the vents and the a/c unit in your case where they patched the hole. I had a camper similar to this once upon a time and I usually reseated all those areas every few years. Usually you have to buy some caulking remove some of the old sealant and recaulk it. It looks to me from the pictures that it is likely leaking around the front window as well as at the edges I can’t be sure but all these areas need to be sealed or checked over on a regular basis. It looks kind of tidy so you don’t want to make a mess with a crappy sealant job if you don’t have experience with running a bead of caulking. It does not mean you can’t do it but if you don’t want to make a mess you have to do a little extra work. First clean off old sealed or as much as you can get off. Tape both side of where the sealant is to go, run your bead, tool it in either with a gloved finger of some kind of knife, then remove tape wihtout letting it touch anything as it will be filled with sealant. There are many different types of sealant out there with a million of different brands, I have had success with silkaflex products they will make one in the colour of your camper or close to it. If you know a plumber or a glazier that can run a nice bead of caulking this is a very short job for someone who is handy with a caulking gun once you get the old stuff cleaned up and someone with experience would not need to tape it which is time consuming. Good luck.

It can be difficult and expensive if black mold and rot were allowed to set in and sometimes poorly done repairs make matters worse. Usually what has happened is the weight of the air conditioner has caused the roof to slump and have standing water which causes a leak or the window or marker lights have leaked causing the roof to slump under the weight of the air conditioner. The normal procedure is to start taking off trim and panels to determine the extent of the damage. Sometimes the air conditioner trim or interior panels that have water damage can be removed to get a look. If water stands on the roof instead of running off in pools in the middle with the camper level there is a good chance you will have problems in the future. Did the seller go into details of repair? Usually if there is visible water damage there is much more damage unseen. In many cases even with you doing the labor the material costs will be more than the camper is worth so it is very important to inspect and know how bad the damage is before you start putting money into repairs. It sort of sounds like they fixed the inside to make it look good but not the outside where the leaks started? What does the roof, roof seams and the area where the hole for the vent or ac unit look like on the top side? Is there loose side to roof moldings or side panels that are loose?

Carla618 said:

I don't think I'll have the money to pay someone to make the repairs until the end of summer. Besides tarping it when not in use, is there anything that works to stop leaks (or any method) so I can camp a little (locally) over the summer? And, how can I find where the leak is? Just camp in it when it's raining?

I can't go very far over the summer, since I only have ratchet straps on it atm. I plan on getting Torklift tiedowns at end of summer. That's when I get my last disability installment. It's not a lot, btw.

I realize that if I sold my house this plan (to travel long term) would go much more smoothly, but I still can't decide about that. I want to leave it to my kids someday, but I may not have a choice at some point.

Click to expand...

Ratchet straps on aren't that bad if you have good ones, just check them every time you fuel up. Gone 1200 miles in 5 days with mine, as long as I stay on the pavement it isn't bad.
Checked mine every time I fueled up and might had to click them on click at most, then again with 100 gallons of fuel 9 mpg I wasn't refueling often, maybe once every 450 miles. Nice looking rig with so much potential. I would personally double the braces when replacing them or added aluminum in there somehow.

flying kurbmaster said:

First clean off old sealed or as much as you can get off. Tape both side of where the sealant is to go, run your bead, tool it in either with a gloved finger of some kind of knife, then remove tape wihtout letting it touch anything as it will be filled with sealant. There are many different types of sealant out there with a million of different brands, I have had success with silkaflex products they will make  one in the colour of your camper or close to it. 

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Thanks kurbmaster.

I can't tackle where the exterior seam has separated yet, because I'm sure the wood is rotted inside.  Tomorrow I'll explore that area instead of assuming the worst. And I'll take pics to show the wet wood under the bed (the storage area). About 6 inches of wood all along the very front (under that wide window and under the large sheet of plywood that supports the mattress) is moist and dark. Hate to see what is behind the wall.

I don't get around very well anymore due to arthritis and a really bad knee. Otherwise I would have explored the camper more and taken more pics. I can do some of this, though. I hope

To seal it properly I don't have to remove the windows? Just scrape the old sealant off and clean with denatured alcohol(?) then seal with Dicor in a caulk gun? The seller said he thinks the water is coming in from a missing clearance light cover. There is no cover, just wires showing. I think it's open to the inside there, but I believe the water damage is from more than that one spot.

It is pretty tidy except for the front of the cabover. It is awful. I don't know what they used but there are dark brown drips all over below the front window.

The other bad spot is the door. If I don't repair it ASAP, it will have to be replaced. The skin on the door is a very thin plastic type material that is shredding on the edges & can no longer stay inside the trim on the bottom. I lifted it and the bottom corner is rotted. That wood (also 6 inches about) must be replaced.

Have you worked with EternaBond before? How hard is it to remove, if i use it as a temporary fix over the summer? Where that open seam is. You can see it in the last picture. It's on the passenger side of the cabover.

Pictures will be better than me trying to explain.

bullfrog said:

water stands on the roof instead of running off in pools in the middle with the camper level there is a good chance you will have problems in the future.  Did the seller go into details of repair? <snip> What does the roof, roof seams and the area where the hole for the vent or ac unit look like on the top side?  Is there loose side to roof moldings or side panels that are loose?

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Hi Bullfrog

Now I'm worried about the roof. Ugh. I haven't even seen it. I need to buy a tall enough ladder.

The seller just said he thought the water was coming in from a marker light (or clearance light). The ones in the front above the window. One has no cover on it. I know the water is coming in from more than that, because there are stains on the ceiling in the center. I guess where the air conditioner or vent once was. That camper is tiny and no bathroom, so I'm guessing it was just a vent. Then again, I can see something on the roof. No idea what it is.

Wish I had taken more pics. Tomorrow I will.

There is no bulging on exterior panels but in one seam the panels are separating. You can see it in the last pic. It's on passenger side of cabover.

Weldman said:

Ratchet straps on aren't that bad if you have good ones, just check them every time you fuel up. Gone 1200 miles in 5 days with mine, as long as I stay on the pavement it isn't bad.

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Hi Weldman, I love your big fiberglass camper on that massive blue truck. Think that was yours.

The seller said the straps I bought were overkill. Plus, I only bought two. (I didn't know how straps attached.) He gave me an old one he had in his tool box. He's a mechanic and loaded the camper for me. It's still on my truck because I'm in over my head. I'm afraid to take it off after watching a video of one tipping over. I'll get someone to help me remove it.

I drove it back with two new straps on one side and an old one on the other. I'll post a pic of what I bought. It's 15 feet long. Can't remember the rating. They were way too long.

I noticed the big metal part on the strap is scraping the paint on my truck.

Sorry, this is the pic where you can see the open seam. (Thought I had uploaded it)

That’s going to be a very big job unfortunately. You will need to find a place undercover to work on it.

I am so sorry to break this to you but that camper is in very bad shape. the whole overhead area needs to be taken apart and fixed. the big window in the front in the overhead is leaking for sure. to reseal the windows they MUST be removed. also pay close attention to the 90° corners on the windows and door they are prone to stress fracture the framing in that area. that's why you really don't see square corner window and doors anymore. I would do a serious assessment if this camper is even worth fixing. it's not going to be cheap or easy. again I am sorry for such a negative post. highdesertranger

Carla618 said:

Hi Weldman, I love your big fiberglass camper on that massive blue truck. Think that was yours.

The seller said the straps I bought were overkill. Plus, I only bought two. (I didn't know how straps attached.) He gave me an old one he had in his tool box. He's a mechanic and loaded the camper for me. It's still on my truck because I'm in over my head. I'm afraid to take it off after watching a video of one tipping over. I'll get someone to help me remove it.

I drove it back with two new straps on one side and an old one on the other. I'll post a pic of what I bought. It's 15 feet long. Can't remember the rating. They were way too long.

I noticed the big metal part on the strap is scraping the paint on my truck.

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Yep that's my rig I have currently stripped down to the shell now. Those are overkill on straps wow but hey safe than sorry. With enough patience and time you will have her fixed, just won't be as soon as you expected and trying to get it covered is going to be fun unless you have garage to work in.
High Desert is right then again when when low on income and plenty of time these projects work out for our type, especially if you learn how to do it.

highdesertranger said:

I am so sorry to break this to you but that camper is in very bad shape.  the whole overhead area needs to be taken apart and fixed.  the big window in the front in the overhead is leaking for sure.  to reseal the windows they MUST be removed.

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It's fine I knew the overhead cab area needed to be gutted and any rotten wood replaced. I wasn't sure if the window needed to be removed in order to repair it, but that makes sense.

When you say it will be expensive, I'm not sure what you mean in dollars. I follow a couple youtube channels where that area had to be gutted and rotten wood replaced. So I didn't think it would cost more than $300-$400 in materials.

My son-in-law said he'd tackle the project. So maybe $400-$500 to pay him (not now tho, I'm broke). It would still be under the lowest NADA value. Guessing it'll need wood, screws, dicor, butyl tape, eternabond, new vinyl screw cover strips (termination strips?), denatured alcohol, insulation. He has all the tools.

I figured for $300 for the camper I could at least camp over the summer a little, rather than wait until the end of August when I can buy something better. I've been searching online for a year come July.  Things keep coming up... expenses. Last week I had new gutters put on my house... that's $1,400.00

Maybe I'll use it over the summer then give it to one of my kids. Or sell it. But I still want to stop the leaks so it's not just sitting under a tarp all summer.

If the entire roof is shot, that's a whole other scenario. More wood; plus sheets of plywood. Plus EPDM rubber roofing and adhesive. RecPro, for example, has a 8.5 X 5 rubber roof kit for $105.00. A 10 ft. kit is $169.95. Menards charges about the same (under $200).

Are my numbers way off? Probably, lol. Like new gaskets(?) for that window. Forgot they would need to be replaced.

Thanks for your input. I appreciate it. I'll tear out that front wall and see how bad it is. Then I'll post pics.

Weldman said:

High Desert is right then again when when low on income and plenty of time these projects work out for our type, especially if you learn how to do it.

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I can't do much of the work myself, because of health issues. I'm not ancient at 61, but have a bad knee, back and heart. I've tried to learn how to make the repairs and can bark orders at my son-in-law What I don't understand is the structure of campers. How the rotted pieces are supported... but I'm hoping by removing the walls I'll learn that.

I plan on using the overhead area for storage, since truck campers (especially this one) are so small to begin with. Still, I don't want that area falling off on the interstate.

well it certainly sounds like you have a handle on it. my buddy is currently do this to a trailer he bought, I am the consultant. his first trip to Home Depot was 150 bucks for just wood and screws, no sealant. he will make more trips before it's over. remember on projects like this material always cost more then the original estimates.

BTW the "gasket" around the window is butyl tape. get the marine stuff not the RV stuff.

highdesertranger

highdesertranger said:

BTW the "gasket" around the window is butyl tape.  get the marine stuff not the RV stuff.

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I thought butyl tape was the adhesive. I see it used before putting vents down and under termination strips. My knowlege of the terminology is bad.

What I meant was the black rubber looking "frame" that goes around the glass. I watched a video where a guy replaced that on every window in his truck topper/shell.

Repairing your camper will be a long, hard job but the fact that you have cheap labor is a big help. Don't discount the amount of water that can come in around the clearance lights. They are often the case of water intrusion and the last place people, even repair shops, consider however your problem is much larger so pay attention to where the water was coming in as the teardown starts. Consider not reinstalling the front cab-over window.

 Here is a comprehensive look at a complete cab-over rebuild:  http://memoryroads.blogspot.com/search/label/Project: 2. Cab Over Water Damage -A  To see the rest of the rebuild click on the Cab Over Water Damage and Cab Over Rebuild links on the righthand side of the blog. He also did a series of posts on rebuilding the roof. The owner of the blog, Ron Sheridan is a really nice guy so if you have any questions contact him and he'll probably be able to give you advice - https://www.blogger.com/profile/16682469400110970660

 Good luck! Post some more photos as your teardown and rebuild statrs.