One real and one what if question???

[Linda R002]

While we were camping at the coast this weekend, the winds were about 40 to 60 miles an hour and when we went into the trailer the door blew open and hit the side of the trailer, right where the rib is. Now we have a nice crack on the door. Our first major boo boo. How do we fix this? Call the trailer repair place, put a patch on it or just put a piece of duct tape over it in the shape of a heart?

Second question is a "what if" question. While we fit in the bed just fine, when I wake up and stretch just before reaching full wakeness(is that a word?) I find I push against the wall with my feet. Has anyone ever put their foot through the fiberglass? Do I need to worry?

And for a third weird question: Some one must have been lowering themselves on the throne as there is a small crack on the sink where it attaches to the wall. Can I just superglue it together?

[Frederick L. Simson]

Second question is a "what if" question. While we fit in the bed just fine, when I wake up and stretch just before reaching full wakeness(is that a word?) I find I push against the wall with my feet. Has anyone ever put their foot through the fiberglass? [b]Do I need to worry?

I trust you remove your steel-toe stilletto-heel shoes before retiring for the night...

[Kurt & Ann K.]

Linda & Dale,
The door on our 2000 17' FD has an aluminum skin which has been dimpled with a slight crack. In our case, a little bondo would fix it. The biggest problem would be duplicating the texture of the original. One could disassemble the door and replace the entire skin, but it doesn't bother me that much. A little white caulking to prevent water from getting into the door would be a functional fix, particularly if the caulk is a type which can be painted.
Considering the sink, we've not had it crack, but have wondered if there wasn't a good way to make the sink stronger. Vertical corner gussets would still allow the sink to flex along the curve of the rim. A piece of conduit bent to match the curvature of the sink lip, and placed behind the lip might help if the ends of the tubing were flattened and bent down. If the bent part was long enough to accomodate 2 rivets and the whole bracket were painted white it would not hardly be noticible. Another possiblity which would be easier to make would also utilize conduit. It would also require flattening each end. One bracket end would be centered along the curvature of the lip and the other would hang down at about a 45 degree angle and fasten close to the corner of the bathroom walls. This "gusset" should stiffen the sink.
So far we've been careful enough not to cause a problem, but the sink strength seems to be a kind of "weak link" waiting for the worst possible moment to break. I'm not in the trailer to check the material of the sink, but if the underside of the lip could be fiberglassed so it joined the bowl to create a flat bottomed tube at least the lip would no longer flex.

Has anyone actually modified their sink? Or for that matter, had to replace the sink?
Now you've aroused our curiosity!
Kurt & Ann K.

[Donna D.]

How do we fit this? Call the trailer repair place, put a patch on it or just put a piece of duct tape over it in the shape of a heart?

Ouch. A trailer repair place would probably just job it out to a body/paint shop that works on fiberglass boats...that's where I'd go. Or depending on how bad the crack, maybe repair it myself....but if you're looking to match the gel coat..yep and place that works on fiberglass boats would be the best bet in my opinion

If this is a possibility of happening again, consider adding a door stop...the kind used on home screen doors. It would prevent the door from opening all the way back.

There's not room in my side-bathroom Scamp for a sink!

[Pete Dumbleton]

One Scamper (Nevin Lescher) rigged a gas strut (the kind to hold up the hatchback on a car) of the right lenth and extension to fit his door when it was closed and also hold it open at a 90* angle -- Very handy!

Photo of door handle This photo is in the Files Section of Yahoo Scampers, so it might not be accessible to non-members.

[Pat R]

I trust you remove your steel-toe stilletto-heel shoes before retiring for the night...

Thats a pretty good one Frederick.

[jrnutpaul]

On Hwy 99 just south of Tualatin, Or, there is a store that sells merchandise the owner/buyer has gotten good deals on. It's sort of a what not store.

They have a huge selection of RV doors stacked around the building and they are for sale @very low prices. I think the store is at an intersection two miles south of Canby.

Paul

[Byron Kinnaman]

On Hwy 99 just south of Tualatin, Or, there is a store that sells merchandise the owner/buyer has gotten good deals on. It's sort of a what not store.

They have a huge selection of RV doors stacked around the building and they are for sale @very low prices. I think the store is at an intersection two miles south of Canby.

Paul

Are you talking about the building salvage place in Brooks where there's a bunch of RV type doors along the fence?

[Linda R002]

We desided that since the cut is only about one inch on the door and it could happen again, we are going to find a nice metal piece, seal the hole, and attache the metal piece so that next time it will just hit the same spot but not break. Can we use super glue to attache the metal piece?

[Frederick L. Simson]

Can we use super glue to attache the metal piece?

I don't think "super glue" would hold up.

An easier fix might be to use the specific adhesive tape made for "TV Hold Down System". Camping World sells just the adhesive tape part, and it is very easy to apply (clean both surfaces with alcohol first) and it holds securely.

[Garret Walther]

My suggestion is to use an epoxy glue, like Marine Tex (found at boat stores). This stuff is amazing. Glues metal to glass, metal to metal, etc. Garret

[peterh]

Super glue doesn't do fiberglass. The fiberglass flexes and expands at a different rate from superglue as it warms and cools in the sun, and since the superglue is hard and rigid it'll slowly crackle and fail. Household epoxy, marine epoxy, and other epoxies designed for fiberglass layups would be a better choice because they never fully harden and always have some "Flex" to them. "Weld" and metal repair epoxies do not flex, so they're a bad choice for fiberglass-to-metal joins.

Since you're adding a metal plate and want to protect your door there perhaps should make up a name plate for your door!

--Peter

We desided that since the cut is only about one inch on the door and it could happen again, we are going to find a nice metal piece, seal the hole, and attache the metal piece so that next time it will just hit the same spot but not break. Can we use super glue to attache the metal piece?