Scamp- rusty screws and rotten floor! - Fiberglass RV
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Old 07-29-2013, 01:10 PM   #1
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Name: mary
Trailer: Scamp 13'
Maine
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Scamp- rusty screws and rotten floor!

Hey there folks,
I've been an avid reader of the forums for over a year now and have learned a great deal from so many of you! Now that I've finally got myself a Scamp, I'm ready to join the conversation and ask for some advice. Hopefully as I learn, I'll be able to help other folks as well.

Here's where I'm at: I recently bought a 1988 13' Scamperoo. I noticed that it smelled pretty campy when I went to pick it up and so am unsurprised that there is some moisture damage to the floor. I'm guessing that the freshwater tank may have leaked a bit and the previous owner didn't actually resolve that problem (he rigged some kind of strap system around the tank and warned me to belt it in before traveling with it full!). I can stick a screwdriver right through the floor as you can see in the picture (one is the area under the rear dinette- I pulled up the carpet for the photo; the other is from underneath the scamp).

So it seems I'll have to replace a portion of the floor with exterior grade plywood as folks have suggested here. I'll need some help with figuring that out as I'm not very handy (YET!). But before I even get there, I've got to get the benches out from the rear dinette area. I'm having some difficulty with this as several of the screws are rusted and won't come up. It also seems that maybe the benches are screwed to the floor- would this be accurate? I'm sure this seems like a hopelessly basic query, but how the heck do I get those benches outta there? Is there a fair amount of brute force involved?

Any help at all would be so appreciated- thanks!
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Old 07-29-2013, 01:15 PM   #2
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Welcome to FGRV, Mary,
You will receive a whole lot of advice here, real soon, hang on.
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Never in doubt, often wrong
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Old 07-29-2013, 01:59 PM   #3
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Name: Steve
Trailer: Scamp 13
California
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Once you get the area stripped down to the benches there are screws along the top of the bench screwing into the wall. there is also silicone between the bench and the closet and you will have to cut through that with a utility knife with a sharp blade. inside the seat cabinet at the floor there are screws screwing the seat reinforcement to the floor. Unfortunately all screws are not created equil take out the best screw you can find and once you get it out make sure your screwdriver actually fits properly. if you get one of those handy driver kits you will find a whole lot of different driver bits that look the same. they are not exactly the same. try different bits until you find one that fits the good screw properly. when you get the right one use it on all the other screws. failure to do this may result in stripping all your screws especially the tough ones. in the cabinet unhook all the lines hooked up to the water tank so you can push the tank around to get at the screws. The factory strapped the tank down with steel banding probably before installing the seat. when they installed the seat they probably used a very long driver bit so they didn't have to fight the confined space. freeing the tank will let you get in there and pull the screws. A power driver with alot of down force will usually get them out. At least Scamp cheap and didnt use a whole lot of screws.
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Old 07-29-2013, 02:56 PM   #4
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Name: RogerDat
Trailer: 2010 Scamp 16
Michigan
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If you do strip out the head of the screw your next option is to either use a dremal and metal cut off disk to cut a "slot" for a big screw driver or drill off the head. To drill off the head use a drill bit just a little bigger than the threaded part of the screw. Once the seat is removed you will probably want a pair of vise-grip pliers. There will be a little tiny bit of the screw shaft sticking up you can sometimes clamp on that with the vise-grips and turn it out. Sometimes you have to dig a little wood from around the screw shaft to have something to grab onto and turn screw shaft.

Going back in with new screws putting a little candle or bees wax on the threads can make a world of difference if they ever have to be removed in the future, plus they go in easier with wax on the threads. Some people use bar soap instead of wax, I like wax better, I think it last better over a long time period.

Even if water tank does not leak it can get condensation. Have read here of people using foam board or the like to insulate the water tank to prevent that.

One sort of obvious tip when patching a floor, make the patch first. Trace around the patch on the floor, cut where you traced. Makes sure your patch matches the hole you cut in the floor. Works even better if you cut both patch and flooring at the same time, cuts are a perfect match done that way. Not sure if that cut at once is possible in location or size area you are working on.
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Old 07-29-2013, 04:19 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mary b. View Post
It also seems that maybe the benches are screwed to the floor- would this be accurate? I'm sure this seems like a hopelessly basic query, but how the heck do I get those benches outta there? Is there a fair amount of brute force involved?
Hi Mary,
No brute force required at all! I know as I was able to get mine out pretty easy on my own in order funny enough to fix the strapping on my water tank.

Yes there are 3 or 4 screws fastening the bench to the floor. Stick your head into the hatch and you will see a stip of wood attached to the front of the fiberglass at floor level - it will have 3 or 4 screws going down into the floor from there.
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Old 07-29-2013, 04:36 PM   #6
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Name: RogerDat
Trailer: 2010 Scamp 16
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Stapping on the tank is on my to-do list also. One screw head is broken off and it's sort of rigged to work for now. Was sort of mulling over new floor covering so holding off until I decided if I was going to do strap through the hatch or remove seats to re-do floor.
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Old 07-29-2013, 04:56 PM   #7
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Name: bob
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I have a couple impact drivers, you put whatever screw bit you need on it, hit it with a hammer and that puts pressure on the bit to keep it in the screw and also causes a twisting motion to loosen, or tighten, the screw. It may not work good though with fiberglass and a rotten floor. Another thing I've done to help loosen a screw is tap it sideways with a chisel. And if the head is damaged I have cut a new slot with a thin cutting wheel on a die grinder, but I do realize most people don't have these tools at their disposal.
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Old 08-05-2013, 06:28 AM   #8
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Name: mary
Trailer: Scamp 13'
Maine
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Thank you all for your help! I did manage to get the benches up with a combination of trial and error with various screwdrivers, WD40, a chisel, a good friend, and brute force. Turns out the previous owner sort of glued the benches in when he replaced the carpet... AND one of the screws seemed to be solidly fiberglassed into (and straight on through) the floor.
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