Scamp ensolite seam tape

[John Perry]

In my spare time, and when the temp is below a 100, I have been cleaning up a Navy surplus 13' Scamp. It was so dirty that I thought the Ensolite was beige. After a lot of scrubbing I find that is a very light gray and in pretty good shape.
I have been installing the Scamp seam tape.
I have a warning for anyone doing this. No matter how clean you think your Ensolite is wipe down the Ensolite in the area the tape is going with alcohol. If you don't the tape may come loose.
I redid the rear area 2 days ago and the seam tape is nice and tight now and looking very good.
I hope this saves someone a little extra labor.
John

[ericmarlo]

In my spare time, and when the temp is below a 100, I have been cleaning up a Navy surplus 13' Scamp. It was so dirty that I thought the Ensolite was beige. After a lot of scrubbing I find that is a very light gray and in pretty good shape.
I have been installing the Scamp seam tape.
I have a warning for anyone doing this. No matter how clean you think your Ensolite is wipe down the Ensolite in the area the tape is going with alcohol. If you don't the tape may come loose.
I redid the rear area 2 days ago and the seam tape is nice and tight now and looking very good.
I hope this saves someone a little extra labor.
John

I still have a roll of seam tape from Scamp in my garage. My current seam tape is ripped in some spots and sagging in others. When I looked at my new roll I was a bit surprised to see that it's not sticky on the back side. Your's too ? If so , can you suggest the best ways to apply the new i..e. Totally remove my current stuff and use rubbing alcohol to remove the sticky old residue left behind ? and then what ? What did you use to apply the new stuff. Did you also take pics of how it looks now with the new tape in place?

[Sandra Lair]

The seam tape I got from Scamp has plenty of "sticky" on it but it still sometimes comes loose in places. I guess the texture of the ensolite is not the best surface for sticking things on. I have used a hot glue gun to re-stick it in places. Thanks for the tip about wiping the surface with alcohol--I'm going to try that next time!
Sandra

[John Perry]

I still have a roll of seam tape from Scamp in my garage. My current seam tape is ripped in some spots and sagging in others. When I looked at my new roll I was a bit surprised to see that it's not sticky on the back side. Your's too ? If so , can you suggest the best ways to

There is a clear plastic covering that is almost impossible to see on the sticky side of the tape that you have to peel off. Make sure you clean the ensolite tape area very well with alcohol.
I haven't taken any photos as yet as I am not done with the interior. The days that I decide to work on the trailer turn out to be very hot and there is no shade where I have to park the trailer. It was 107 degrees today in the shade.

John

[Mike Watters]

For some, the favored solution is to dump the seam tape and fill the seams with caulk. In the Boler I did a few years ago, I used white acrylic (paintable) caulk to fill the seams. Just filled, flattened (with a finger, putty knife if the gap was too big) and let it dry. When all was said and done, I'd ended up painting over the ensolite anyway. Not because I needed to match the seams - just wanted to whiten it up.

Others may differ on this - but I thought they looked better with caulk than tape too.

Mike

[Lainey]

Others may differ on this - but I thought they looked better with caulk than tape too.

That was my personal opinion also Mike when I did the same on the Boler. To each his own. I liked that the seams were much less noticable with the caulk technique.

[Jim Stacey]

For some, the favored solution is to dump the seam tape and fill the seams with caulk. In the Boler I did a few years ago, I used white acrylic (paintable) caulk to fill the seams. Just filled, flattened (with a finger, putty knife if the gap was too big) and let it dry. When all was said and done, I'd ended up painting over the ensolite anyway. Not because I needed to match the seams - just wanted to whiten it up.

Others may differ on this - but I thought they looked better with caulk than tape too.

Mike

Good Evening Mike. The way I finished my caulking was with a wet paper towel and when finished, it was very hard to see where the seam was. Yours in Bolering. Jim

[John Perry]

Good Evening Mike. The way I finished my caulking was with a wet paper towel and when finished, it was very hard to see where the seam was. Yours in Bolering. Jim

I think I am going to give the caulk a try.
I live in a very hot area and the new seam tape has been coming loose lately.
I just got off the phone with Scamp and they tell me to go buy a hot glue gun and run a strip of hot glue in the seam before applying the tape.
Wish they had told me this when I bought the tape.
Thought I would let those of you that are considering the seam tape know the problem.
John

[Cam A]

What color of caulking best matches ensolite?

[Nancy F]

Originally Posted by Mike Watters

For some, the favored solution is to dump the seam tape and fill the seams with caulk. In the Boler I did a few years ago, I used white acrylic (paintable) caulk to fill the seams. Just filled, flattened (with a finger, putty knife if the gap was too big) and let it dry. When all was said and done, I'd ended up painting over the ensolite anyway. Not because I needed to match the seams - just wanted to whiten it up.

Others may differ on this - but I thought they looked better with caulk than tape too.

Mike

Mike how has this stood up over the years. I have a little boler and seams need redoing. Thinking of the caulking, not sure what type to use. Did your caulking shrink at all?

[Jon in AZ]

Nancy, Mike's post is from 2007, and his last log-in was in 2015. Hopefully someone else who has gone the caulk-and-paint route will see this and let us know how it has held up.

[Nancy F]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Nancy, Mike's post is from 2007, and his last log-in was in 2015. Hopefully someone else who has gone the caulk-and-paint route will see this and let us know how it has held up.

Thanks Jon.

[EdBlock]

I'm doing the caulk and paint treatment on our newly-acquired 1976 scamp 13. I had concerns about longevity of this method but we have no choice. Interior too dirty and mildewed to ever come clean. Previous owner neglected maintenance, allowed rivets to leak for years. I yanked all fiberglass 'furniture' and replaced rotten subfloor. Wish me luck as I learn how to re-rivet it all back together.

[k0wtz]

you guys that tackle these campers amaze me and give me hope for my tiny jobs compared to you.

good luck to you

bob

[EdBlock]

Originally Posted by k0wtz

you guys that tackle these campers amaze me and give me hope for my tiny jobs compared to you.

good luck to you

bob

I didn't intend to purchase a project but once we started trying to clean it we found it necessary to rebuild and repaint. I've usually had more confidence than experience but figure I can't f- it up any worse than it was. Grateful for this forum, I'm gleaning pearls of wisdom that help me decide how to proceed.

[k0wtz]

ed there are some real pros here on rebuilding or remodeling fiberglass campers!

bob