Newbie needs help ASAP!!

[katidesc13]

I'm BRAND NEW to owning a 1998 Scamp 13', I've recently discovered a water leak, and I have NO IDEA where to even start. It appears to be leaking at the joint where the rear fiberglass seat is attached (or just above it), or at least that's where the water is dripping out. There aren't any rivets directly outside this point, but there are some rivets near the top of the Scamp that have broken caps. Is it possible that the water is just leaking in through the rivets? If so, would it be sufficient to use silicon to seal the cap to the rivet, or how do I even go about fixing/replacing the rivet and cap without completely taking the inside carpeting apart? I've read descriptions from other posts, but am such a visual person I'm having a hard time understanding exactly what they are describing. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated!!

[Mary F]

Can you cover the back half of your Scamp with a tarp? (You will need to tie it down, of course.) I understand Salt Lake City had a whale of a storm today; if you can get the Scamp covered, then you have time to address the problem properly. (I'm not really in a position to tell you the right way to fix it, or even to figure out where the water is getting in - I'm just thinking that stopping the wet will give you peace of mind while you study the problem.)

[katidesc13]

Originally Posted by Mary F

Can you cover the back half of your Scamp with a tarp? (You will need to tie it down, of course.) I understand Salt Lake City had a whale of a storm today; if you can get the Scamp covered, then you have time to address the problem properly. (I'm not really in a position to tell you the right way to fix it, or even to figure out where the water is getting in - I'm just thinking that stopping the wet will give you peace of mind while you study the problem.)

Yes, that's the first thing I did!! I also lowered the jack all the way down to help the water run off the opposite direction. Heading to my parents' house tomorrow morning to recruit the help of the family!! Hopefully it's a quick and easy fix!

[floyd]

My guess is that you went camping in cool weather with the vent closed.
It is colder inside the bench than outside and the cushions insulate the bench top. When conditions are right, you can get a LOT of condensation on the benchtop under the cushions. This can be alleviated by ALWAYS opening your vent when heating the camper. Lift the cushions and dry everything out for now.

You don't say what year your Scamp is but 86 and earlier Scamps condense a lot more than later Ratfur Scamps.


Another possibility is that the window drains need cleaned.
If they are plugged then water will run down inside the wall under the ratfur and come out where it can. Look for the "coin slot" drains at the bottom of the window frames.
Pour water on the glass on the outside of the window. You should see water exiting the drain slots. If not, then get a fine stiff wire and insert it into the slot toward the center. Wiggle it around to clean the dirt out, then rinse.

[katidesc13]

Originally Posted by floyd

Another possibility is that the window drains need cleaned.
If they are plugged then water will run down inside the wall under the ratfur and come out where it can. Look for the "coin slot" drains at the bottom of the window frames.
Pour water on the glass on the outside of the window. You should see water exiting the drain slots. If not, then get a fine stiff wire and insert it into the slot toward the center. Wiggle it around to clean the dirt out, then rinse.

I definitely think this is more likely than the condensation just due to the circumstances you describe. I'll make sure to do this first thing in the morning!! Thanks!

[Mike Magee]

Generally, you want to avoid using silicone anywhere on the FG eggs. Search the many threads here that talk about silicone. It leaves a residue on the gelcoat that nothing (especially not new silicone) will stick to, so it makes future repairs of the problem spot extremely difficult.

At vent and window openings, butyl tape works great. At rivet caps, I don't recall what people have been using.

Of course, the previous comments give you some ideas about where else to look first.

[tractors1]

When in doubt, cover suspicious rivets with duct tape and remove it from one at a time to do some garden hose leak testing.

Charlie Y

[katidesc13]

[QUOTE=Mike Magee;
At vent and window openings, butyl tape works great. At rivet caps, I don't recall what people have been using.
[/QUOTE]

I'm pretty sure it's either the clogged window drains or rivet leaking. Silicon has been suggested quite a few times but I didn't realize it causes the long term issues you're talking about. Hopefully someone else knows what to use for the rivets as silicon was my first plan!

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by katidesc13

I'm pretty sure it's either the clogged window drains or rivet leaking. Silicon has been suggested quite a few times but I didn't realize it causes the long term issues you're talking about. Hopefully someone else knows what to use for the rivets as silicon was my first plan!

Snap caps are what you need, as long as you still have the plastic washer under the rivet?

If anyone here suggests you use silicone anywhere on the exterior of your trailer, kindly tell them they're welcome to put as much as they want on theirs, but you won't use it on yours!

[katidesc13]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Snap caps are what you need, as long as you still have the plastic washer under the rivet?

The plastic washer was so old and rigid, it completely crumbled when I tried to put a new snap cap on. What's the easiest way to replace the washer? Will I need to replace the whole rivet, and if so, is this pretty extensive?

[Hidalga]

Hi Katie,
Like you, I'm a visual person. It would be beneficial if you could post photo(s) of the leak. I've got my Scamp in a garage for two weeks, so I'm taking care of issues like yours.

In reference to door/window household silicone, NO...do not use this lower-grade level of product. Find a marine supply store (or order online) a hybrid product Such as Boatlife Life-Seal. I'm redoing some sealing on my Scamp right now with it. See my visuals below.

The rivet caps are mainly aesthetics; the "silicone" you reference is just a secondary precaution that helps hold on the caps. Try to find the root of the problem, which the majority of member feedback has been giving you. Shelter the issue and then trouble-shoot. As advised, look at rivet washers, the seal of the window (which would require redoing the butyl tape if faulty) or anything else that penetrates the shell. Don't tear off the rat fur yet…sometimes it's an easy diagnosis.

You're a Registered Nurse. Treat your Scamp like a patient!

Again, photos of the issue are most helpful to us.

[RogerDat]

A quick seal for a rivet that is good for about 6 months or so is white liquid electrical tape. Available at big box home improvement and hardware stores. Dab it on with a small art paint brush.

Removing and replacing rivets is not too hard. You drill in the center of the flat rivet head with a drill bit the same size as the tube part of the rivet. When you get through the head the hole will have cut the tube off of the head. Sometimes you have to go to a drill bit that is a tiny amount larger than the rivet tube to get the head to come off.

If you do use a slightly larger drill bit don't go deep, you want to avoid drilling beyond the rivet head and through the shell with a larger drill bit. That would make the hole a little sloppy when you put in the replacement rivet. Not a disaster just not desirable.

When the rivet head pops off you can tap the rivet tube through to the inside using a thin punch or nail.

You want to go slow and keep the drill bit right in the center of the rivet head. Aluminum rivets are soft and cut fast. You don't need a lot of pressure on the drill.

Putting the new rivet in is simply sliding the cup onto the rivet tube, insert rivet and use a pop rivet tool to compress the rivet. Do two of them and you will be an expert. Easier than pounding a nail.

I used a little pinch of butyl tape under the cup to help seal, others have used a dab of caulk.

You can order snap caps and cups from scamp. Rivets also. Both inexpensive. Suggest calling parts department to order because you can ask them to ship it US postal which for small items is cheaper than the online store shipping.

The only thing that has ever given me problems with drilling out rivets is when the center shaft is snapped off sticking up above the rivet head. It is tricky trying to drill down the center when the drill bit keeps trying to slide off of the rivet shaft. Most times the shaft is snapped off below the rivet head so there is a nice dimple to drill into. I took to using a dremal and pointed grind stone to grind the shaft down into the dimple when I came across one of those.

[RogerDat]

On finding the leak a garden watering can is a good way to apply water to a small area at a time to test that area for leaks.

Start low say the belly band and water it, then look inside. Work your way up to the next point that could leak, say the bottom of the window, then check inside. Keep working your way up until you find the leak.

I find it a lot easier to control a watering can with a sprinkler head so only "this" spot is getting water. If it won't leak then get the hose.

I will get condensation along the edges of the seat if I don't flip the cushions up but with the curved walls a window leak (or rivet above window) will drip out from the edge on the seat.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by katidesc13

The plastic washer was so old and rigid, it completely crumbled when I tried to put a new snap cap on. What's the easiest way to replace the washer? Will I need to replace the whole rivet, and if so, is this pretty extensive?

Its actually *really* easy to replace a rivet and that would be my first choose of repair. Just drill it out and pop in a new rivet with a new retaining ring on it. You can pick up the retaining rings and caps & the acorn nut (inside the trailer if what you are fixing has one) from most hardware stores. If you use google on this site you will find lots of info on how to drill them out correctly. The big thing is to not use a drill bit that is to big. Simple use one that is small enough that it takes the top off the rivet and then you can push the old rivet out.

Anyone who owns a fiberglass trailer is going to need a rivet gun at some point. Things do need replacing from time to time - items such as water connections and electrical covers are common to have to replace. Rivet guns are not expensive and many come with a selection of little packages of various rivet sizes.

As others have suggested the snap cap is nothing more than a decrotive item. If the rivet is tight and its simple that the snap cap retaining ring has broken it should not leak..... on the other hand if the rivet is loose and you can spin whats left of the retaining ring then yes the rivet needs to be drilled out and replaced.

As the caps are a decorative item and as I am a female, I like to replace the caps as they fail.

[RogerDat]

Originally Posted by Carol H

As the caps are a decorative item and as I am a female, I like to replace the caps as they fail.

I'm not female (at least last time I checked) but it is a good idea to have a few caps on hand to promptly replace any that fail or come off.

The caps are sacrificial in that UV from sunlight will degrade plastic, the caps degrade but protect the cup. If the cap is left off the cup deteriorates, and the cup is helping to seal the hole the rivet goes through.

Water can get through the tube of a rivet without a cap, but the amount would be tend to be tiny unless the center shaft of the rivet was gone.

[katidesc13]

Thanks for all your help!! The main source of the leak was around the back window. I pulled it out, cleaned off the old foam tape, applied butyl, and reinstalled it. No leaks!! I did develop a leak at the large vent site, so I had to scrape off all the silicon the previous owner had applied (layers upon layers) and redo the caulking with a non-silicon caulk as a temporary fix. After this season when I have more help, I plan on taking the whole vent out and using butyl tape when reinstalling it. I'll also be able to replace all the cracked white caps at that point. I am a travel nurse, so I don't usually have someone readily available to help with two-man jobs like the replacing the rivets. Once I return to my home base, my brother will be able to help. Thanks for all the help!! You guys are the best!!


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