Modifications for Scamp 13 - Fiberglass RV
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Old 01-12-2014, 11:59 AM   #1
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Trailer: 1990 Scamp 16 ft
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Modifications for Scamp 13

I have a long list of probable modifications I want to do to our Scamp 13 footer. They include lots of custom woodwork for storage and utility. There will also be lots of tweaks to the systems. Here is a list of initial ideas, most will happen.

Change all lighting to LEDs.
Add extra brake and clearance lights to rear of trailer.
Consider moving porch light away from entry door to keep bugs out. I should have asked Scamp to not install it.
Add charge wizard to converter.
Cut off tongue jack handle and weld on a nut to allow use of my electric drill.
Add a panel display to show battery's voltage.
Add a main battery disconnect switch.
Add removable 12 gauge shore power cable. (I intend no AC)
Build a box to contain propane tanks, battery, chocks, etc.
Add a deadbolt to the entry door and install pins on hinge side to defeat hinge removers.
Replace Scamp's porus foam door seal with a water tight version. (bad form Scamp)
Mod water pump with silencer kit, 2 gallon expansion tank and anti freeze filler hose.
Add low profile Camco cover to fantastic fan and buy resistor from Fantastic to allow lower current draw, quieter operation and 6 speeds.
Insulate floor from underneath with foam. Consider insulating exposed plumbing while I am under there.
Consider adding stabilizer jacks powered by an electric drill.
Add fence post stinky slinky storage under trailer if I can find clearance. I asked Scamp not to install their storage over propane tanks.
Investigate the possibility/cost of lifting the trailer 2 inches.
Add a 100 watt solar panel.
Add storage cabinet under dinette. With the 54 inch bed and benches it looks like 12 inches could be use for bedding storage against rear wall.
Think about replacing Scamp's table design with a more flexible arrangement.
Screen all outside vents, frig, water heater, furnace.
Consider adding fan to outside frig vents for circulation if necessary. We don't camp in hot weather very often.
Permanently mount my macerator to allow black and grey tank draining if I can find clearance underneath.
Add Oxygenics sprayer in shower.
Add peep hole in bathroom to view tow vehicle when things go bump in the night.
Add EZE gutters on at least the door side. This is also handy when using an EZ up or tarp like "awning". Probably above the rear window too since we like the window open on rainy days.
Add 12 volt powered usb chargers for i devices.
Use furnace's additional duct options to feed heat to bathroom and water tank storage area.
Add small fan in black tank vent to create slight negative pressure to lessen smell when flushing. Perhaps power it from light switch.
Add drain valve to water heater drain plug.
Consider soft pad over door to save my forehead.
Consider adding hose to drain pressure from accumulator tank into freshwater tank when traveling.
Add digital thermostat to furnace.
Consider lexan or plastic film storm windows.
Add long oak tray under back window to store glasses, phones, flashlights, etc.
Add wheel to tongue jack.

That's my list. Might take a few years. There are always projects for a fellow who likes to tinker.

Please suggest any ideas you find useful.

John
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Old 01-12-2014, 12:09 PM   #2
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Name: Ian
Trailer: 1974 Boler 1300 - 2014 Escape 19'
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Hello John, Great list ... very ambitious.
One suggestion I can make that will save you some work, a little known fact is that bugs (insects) are not attracted to LED lights. I have installed LEDs both inside and out on both my trailers and before with the standard bulbs we attracted every insect within a quarter mile, when we replaced them with LED, NO insects were attracted. Try just replacing the bulb in your porch light with an LED bulb and I think you will find that solves your bug problem.
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Old 01-12-2014, 12:17 PM   #3
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Hmmmm Sounds like a looong weekend of fun to me.

More seriously, the 13' Scamp with bath is already very tongue heavy. I'd rethink adding a box and more stuff to the tongue weight load. Our used to get close to 300 lbs if we weren't careful.

I think that your gray tank already pretty much takes up most of the available space under the trailer.

Good Luck and Have Fun



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Old 01-12-2014, 01:06 PM   #4
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Hmmmm Sounds like a looong weekend of fun to me.

More seriously, the 13' Scamp with bath is already very tongue heavy. I'd rethink adding a box and more stuff to the tongue weight load. Our used to get close to 300 lbs if we weren't careful.

I think that your gray tank already pretty much takes up most of the available space under the trailer.

Good Luck and Have Fun
Agreed Bob,

My tongue is 230 pounds fresh from Backus. I did opt for one propane tank to help. I have a hitch receiver on the back bumper and may have to add some weight back there, more so if the black tank has some cargo. Not to mention the "huge" front closet, empty as yet. I had hoped to carry bikes above the hitch, but its looking like they will go on the back. I am going to monitor how much my battery charges from the tow vehicle when driving. If not much I may move the battery to the rear (like Casita) of the Scamp and rely on the solar panel if its too far to charge effectively from the tow. It would fit nicely in the old shore power cable storage (properly vented of course) and keep warm to boot, a nice advantage in cool weather.

And I looked under and see as you suggest the grey tank is huge. Thanks.

Ian,

Thanks for the LED tip. I will change the porch light on my house today. How long will it take those pesky critters to evolve to like LEDs?

Thanks fellows, john
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Old 01-12-2014, 01:47 PM   #5
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As far as LEDs not attracting insects; my Escape has all LEDs ( except the porch light ). With the porch light off and lights on inside, I thought I had an electrical problem until I realized it was thousands of mosquitoes on the other side of a screened window.
I suspect that switching to LEDs isn't going to help, unless you also stop breathing and emitting carbon dioxide.
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Old 01-12-2014, 01:53 PM   #6
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John,

I have made many of the modifications you suggest on our Scamp 16 (Preparing a 1991 Scamp under Modifications). We have replaced our porch light with LEDS and have notice no particular bug problems. Our latest od is one of the best, a light screen door.

We have added a sewer hose connection in a plastic fence post off the rear bumper, in our case below a storage box.

We added a two gallon expansion rank to our motor home, we felt it was not worth the effort to save the water pump from turning on occasionally. As to the noise of the water pump it really rarely runs when boondocking.

A place to add a small negative pressure fan is the black tank's outside vent on the side of the trailer though I've never done it.
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Old 01-12-2014, 02:25 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo View Post
As far as LEDs not attracting insects; my Escape has all LEDs ( except the porch light ). With the porch light off and lights on inside, I thought I had an electrical problem until I realized it was thousands of mosquitoes on the other side of a screened window.
I suspect that switching to LEDs isn't going to help, unless you also stop breathing and emitting carbon dioxide.
Interesting Glenn, I have found the exact opposite as I mentioned above but with your comment I quickly searched Google and found an interesting paper on insect vision & LED wavelength (we probably paid for this study with tax dollars). here is an excerpt from the paper:
"Based on our knowledge of insect vision and their subsequent sensitivity and photo receptivity to UV light and colors across the visible spectrum, it can be assumed that if the LED light emission is towards the higher end of the visible spectrum (> 550 nm) this may be out of the range of vision for most insects. However if the LED light is within this range you can assume that it is visible by insects. Furthermore, there was little evidence of insect attraction to
infrared radiation." Entire paper can be found here.

It appears that insects are attracted to a specific range of light and it now depends on the wavelength the LEDs emit.
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Old 01-12-2014, 02:50 PM   #8
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John,
Of course one mosquito inside is too many. A first order modification is to eliminate entry paths for mosquitos.

Our Scamp 16 has a 200 lb tongue weight. Some of this is due to rearward weight. We have a rear bumper box, carry a half tank of water, carry some tools in the water compartment, have added a rear over the dinette/table cabinet and have 5 under the trailer storage boxes (two of them large).

On the other hand we have a lighter folding table.
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Old 01-12-2014, 02:59 PM   #9
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Thanks Norm,

Your posts about your 16' inspired many of my ideas. Also I had a 16' back in the day and some of the mod ideas came from those days. I plan to photograph and describe each one following your model.

Many thanks for all your posts, john
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Old 01-12-2014, 03:17 PM   #10
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John,


On the other hand we have a lighter folding table.
Scamp and probably all RVs rely on cheaper composite sheet panels (OSB, particle board, etc). I replaced all the doors and the table in my 90 Scamp with Veneer core oak plywood and saved over 60 pounds of weight. Unfortunately in the Scamp deluxe wood, the composite panels and sold oak trim add 3-4 hundred pounds overall. It is beautiful though and the woodworking is better than many RVs, if not the highest quality. When and if I arrive at an improved table design it will likely be lighter, probably increasing my tongue weight. Its looking more and more like the battery will migrate to the rear. One problem with RV woodworking in general is the lack of attention to interior spaces. Lots of gaps and sharp edges. I always go around with sandpaper and round off all the sharp edges to save skin scrapes. I also seal up many of the gaps. Refrigerators are notorious for huge gaps, though this 2014 Scamp is much better in this area than my 1990.
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Old 01-14-2014, 11:28 AM   #11
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I just added the great dinette changes by floyd to my to do list. Really nice professional looking job.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...s-62593-2.html
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Old 01-14-2014, 11:47 AM   #12
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I just added the great dinette changes by floyd to my to do list. Really nice professional looking job.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...s-62593-2.html
Thank you for the kind words.
We have dozens (maybe a hundred) of mods to Eggy-Sue (the pull-it surprize)
I want to address your tongue jack for now...
I suggest not to cut the factory crank, instead pop the cover, knock out the roll pin, and replace the crank with a long shoulder bolt with the threads cut off or a piece of drillrod cut to length with a nut welded on. Save the crank to reinstall if needed in the future.
I did the latter since I already had the drillrod.
I used a nut the same size as my BAL stabilizers.
I can use a battery drill or the crank which came with the stabilzers(since modified of course) on all three points.
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DSCF0119.JPG   June 2009 112.jpg  

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Old 01-14-2014, 11:49 AM   #13
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John, when modding, be sure you install the water shutoff valve between water and toilet (most put it in the bathroom -- can save a disaster when camping!!!).

Sharon
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Old 01-14-2014, 01:04 PM   #14
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As usual Floyd, you are way ahead of me. Great idea about the jack. I carry a cordless drill anyway so its a no brainer. I like to think I would have checked under the cover before wielding the hacksaw, but my track record with foresight is spotty. Now I will for sure. Your technique is easier and reversible. Win-Win.

And SharonM, I will take your toilet cut-off suggestion. Sounds like easy insurance.

Thanks,

John
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