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Old 06-01-2006, 11:55 AM   #1
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Trailer: 1985 Scamp 13 ft
Posts: 127
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I haven't yet introduced myself, so now that I'm officially a Scamp owner, thought now would be a good time to do so!

I am Tirah, and my husband is Dave. We live in Northern California with our two small children. We have always wanted to buy a very small travel trailer, especially once we had children, but we never knew a small enough one existed until recently when I discovered fiberglass trailers online. We fell in love and finally bought a used one last weekend, a 1985 13' Scamp. It's a bit of a cosmetic project, but it's structurally in great shape. We have experience with "fixer-upper" houses, so we're looking at our Scamp in a similar light. I'm a stay at home mom until my youngest is six, so I work on the trailer a little each day while my kids play (it's parked in the backyard).


Our new (used) trailer's clean-up is coming along.

I ripped out the carpet and scrubbed/bleached the floor, and I've washed all the walls, cabinets, and countertop. Floor is in good shape, as are the walls. Took the covers off the cushions and am washing both cover/cushion. Today, I'm going to caulk and paint, and later this week will be installing vinyl tiles on the floor. I am also going to try some of that "metal adhesive" that someone suggested (for making appliances look stainless steel) on the cabinets. I'm going to take a stab at sewing slipcovers for the cushions and curtains for the windows. I have some old sofa covers that might serve as decent fabric for the cushion covers. My mom gave me her old sewing machine yesterday.

While cleaning out the closet right above the wheel well yesterday, I ran into a huge female black widow spider. Ick. I'm going to spray some foam insulation into all the crevices and cracks in the trailer today to try to keep out nasty bugs, especially because my two year-old likes to explore everything inside the trailer.

I'm envying all of your modified trailers. It's amazing what you all have done. I can only wish my trailer comes out even slightly as nice as some of the ones I've seen on this board.
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Old 06-01-2006, 01:29 PM   #2
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Trailer: 78 Scamp 13 ft
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Pictures!! Take pictures!!!!!!

Me, too- am new to these campers.

My only bit of advice from our experience so far is: Turn on the hose and water it down and check for any leakage!

Our old Scamp had been in a farmer's shed, then someone's garage before we bought it. So, thank goodness it HAD been- everything was in pretty good shape actually. Because when it rained.. we discovered LEAKS. Leaks from around the front and back windows, the roof vent and one of the side aluminum windows!!!! SO...... hubby caulked and caulked.

I haven't had the thing pulled out of the garage now to test it out. Guess we may find out this weekend when we use it for the first time and if it rains!

I painted the cabinet doors since they were just that cheapo particle board. and the table, too. And made new curtains. I'm going to have to hunt and hunt for just the right fabric for the seat cushion covers. I'd love to switch out the carpeting that is in it, too- for some indoor-outdoor stuff. The guy we bought it from just put in some cream-colored shaggy stuff that I do not really like but it'll do for now!
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Old 06-01-2006, 01:41 PM   #3
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Trailer: Burro 17 ft Widebody
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Welcome to the forum!
Deb makes a great point: be aware of possible leaks; in my opinion leaks can cause more deterioration of a trailer than anything else. Sometimes tricky to track down but fairly easy to fix.

I've been considering the ways several people do their floors: vinyl, wood, laminate, carpeting, etc., but it occurred to me that the carpeting we have in ours, besides being nice to walk on in bare feet in the middle of the night, has another advantage. I can lift it up in a second to check for moisture whereas with other kinds moisture might seep in without anyone knowing it for a long time. Maybe too late.
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Old 06-01-2006, 01:49 PM   #4
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Trailer: 1988 16 ft Scamp Deluxe
Posts: 25,697
I see that you had already posted a question or two before you introduced yourself...we don't care what order you do those things, we're just glad you're here

As you are finding out, this forum is full of helpful people just wanting to give advice...so ask your questions away.

And as Deb mentioned...we love pictures

It's may be to late for 2006, but do plan to attend the Oregon Gathering in 2007. I'd like to meet you in person

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Ten Forward - 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
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Old 06-01-2006, 09:44 PM   #5
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Trailer: Love Bug 1974
Posts: 328
Welcome to the forum! The fixing up of these little beauties is half the fun! Your camper sounds like it's perfect for your family!

Pictures and questions, this group thrives on 'em!

Glad to have you, Tirah!

Gigi
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Old 06-02-2006, 09:08 AM   #6
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Trailer: 1992 19 ft Scamp 19 ft 5th Wheel
Posts: 1,021
Welcome to this forum and to the family of glass, Tirah! We're glad you're here.

Hey... Northern CA.... Are you interested in coming to the Oregon Gathering on July 15-17? I have a couple of sites open because of cancellations. Write to me if you are interested.

ORGathering@watsonmountain.com

Nancy
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Old 06-02-2006, 09:41 AM   #7
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Trailer: 1985 Scamp 13 ft
Posts: 127
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Quote:
Pictures!! Take pictures!!!!!!

Me, too- am new to these campers.

My only bit of advice from our experience so far is: Turn on the hose and water it down and check for any leakage!

Our old Scamp had been in a farmer's shed, then someone's garage before we bought it. So, thank goodness it HAD been- everything was in pretty good shape actually. Because when it rained.. we discovered LEAKS. Leaks from around the front and back windows, the roof vent and one of the side aluminum windows!!!! SO...... hubby caulked and caulked.

I haven't had the thing pulled out of the garage now to test it out. Guess we may find out this weekend when we use it for the first time and if it rains!

I painted the cabinet doors since they were just that cheapo particle board. and the table, too. And made new curtains. I'm going to have to hunt and hunt for just the right fabric for the seat cushion covers. I'd love to switch out the carpeting that is in it, too- for some indoor-outdoor stuff. The guy we bought it from just put in some cream-colored shaggy stuff that I do not really like but it'll do for now!
Yes! Caulking is my friend. I am caulking everything inside and everything outside the trailer. I can see that there are minor leaks in a couple of the windows, but the prior owner had it covered. We're going to be keeping it covered and probably not camp much in the rain, but I'm still going to caulk it like crazy. I'm also thinking of installing some of those "window gutters" for RV's...saw something about those in a post here.
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Old 06-02-2006, 09:43 AM   #8
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Trailer: 1985 Scamp 13 ft
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Quote:
Welcome to the forum!
Deb makes a great point: be aware of possible leaks; in my opinion leaks can cause more deterioration of a trailer than anything else. Sometimes tricky to track down but fairly easy to fix.

I've been considering the ways several people do their floors: vinyl, wood, laminate, carpeting, etc., but it occurred to me that the carpeting we have in ours, besides being nice to walk on in bare feet in the middle of the night, has another advantage. I can lift it up in a second to check for moisture whereas with other kinds moisture might seep in without anyone knowing it for a long time. Maybe too late.
Thanks!

I thought of that, too, about the carpet being easy to lift. I am thinking of not gluing the tiles on our floor down too much, so that they can be lifted up easily for that reason. I like the thought that the floor can dry out if it gets wet, too.
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Old 06-02-2006, 09:45 AM   #9
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Trailer: 1985 Scamp 13 ft
Posts: 127
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Quote:
I see that you had already posted a question or two before you introduced yourself...we don't care what order you do those things, we're just glad you're here

As you are finding out, this forum is full of helpful people just wanting to give advice...so ask your questions away.

And as Deb mentioned...we love pictures

It's may be to late for 2006, but do plan to attend the Oregon Gathering in 2007. I'd like to meet you in person

Thanks!

Yes, this is a wonderful forum! It's neat that there are so many fg trailer enthusiasts in one place!

Yes, definitely will try to go to the 2007 Oregon gathering. Sounds like a lot of fun!
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Old 06-02-2006, 09:53 AM   #10
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Trailer: 1985 Scamp 13 ft
Posts: 127
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Welcome to the forum! The fixing up of these little beauties is half the fun! Your camper sounds like it's perfect for your family!

Pictures and questions, this group thrives on 'em!

Glad to have you, Tirah!

Gigi
Thanks! I'll be taking a bunch of pics and posting them once I have a few "before" and "after" shots! I really enjoyed looking at all of those in this forum!
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Old 06-02-2006, 09:56 AM   #11
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Trailer: 1985 Scamp 13 ft
Posts: 127
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Welcome to this forum and to the family of glass, Tirah! We're glad you're here.

Hey... Northern CA.... Are you interested in coming to the Oregon Gathering on July 15-17? I have a couple of sites open because of cancellations. Write to me if you are interested.

ORGathering@watsonmountain.com

Nancy

Thanks!

Gosh, I so wish we could make it this year, but we'll have to wait until next year's gathering. We're definitely planning on it for next year. You guys would probably laugh yourselves silly if you saw my trailer in July this year, anyway! Hopefully by next year it won't be quite as clownish!
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