support bars

[jim ellis]

My 1999 scamp does not have the support bars between the sink and the upper cabinets. It looks like it never has had them. Are they necessary?


Thanks again
jim ellis

[Bob Miller]

I a word, YES. I have never seen one without them. Your Scamp may have been original without the upper cabinet that was then later added by a subsequent owner. You are putting a lot of strain on the rivets as well as the roof without that singular (albeit unattractive) support to transfer that load to the counter and then to the floor.

[David Tilston]

Truth be told, Trilliums should have them too.

[james kent]

Never been any support bars in our Boler. Maybe because the cabinets are glassed into place and not riveted makes a difference.


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[David B.]

Jim, our 1990 Scamp 13' Deluxe that we bought second hand, did not have support bars. The wooden overhead cabinets started to separate at the bottom of the adjoining cabinet seam, and a noticeable roof sag over that area became evident.
I jacked up the roof from the lower cabinet and added support bars made out of round wooden dowels covered by chrome towel racks, then added wire closable storage boxes between them, and tied the two cabinets together with a through and through bolt. The sag and the cabinet separation were corrected and never returned. Take a look at our mods pictures of this. I would add support if I were you. Good luck.
Dave & Paula

[Gardnpondr]

Mine doesn't have any support rods either. I never even thought about that. IF that AC we're going to install starts making the roof sag any I could always add some decorative wooden post on the cabinet I guess. Hopefully that wont be happening!

Good fix David and useful at the same time.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Gardnpondr

Mine doesn't have any support rods either. I never even thought about that. IF that AC we're going to install starts making the roof sag any I could always add some decorative wooden post on the cabinet I guess. Hopefully that wont be happening!

Yours is a Bigfoot- different animal. I don't know much about how they were built back in 1985, but I'd post a question about whether they were designed from the factory to support roof AC before I put one up there. I know that with Scamps, cabinet supports alone aren't enough; fiberglass reinforcement is required for roof AC. But again, a Bigfoot is different.

[Gordon in Idaho]

When I called Scamp and asked about hull support in my '72, I was told to "never" take out the closet (even briefly), and that those kitchen support bars were functional as well. But he said they now have them in white. Heck, they reminded me of an old screen door from the fifties. So, use something or take your chances.
My solution was a bit extreme, but I like it. A lot.

[Donna D.]

Jim, what would you lose by adding them? And, as you can see from the shared pictures, the support don't need to be the twisty metal from Scamp. I've seen all manner of items used, they all work. It's more about your needs/wants or theme than what the material is made out of.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by james kent

Never been any support bars in our Boler. Maybe because the cabinets are glassed into place and not riveted makes a difference.


Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

James the issue is actually unsupported weight. Glassed in or not is not the issue. I personally know of more than a few seriously cracked Bolers and Trilliums that have suffered due to no upper cabinet supports and left to on their own during heavy snow falls.

Here's picture of what happened to a Boler during one of the few heavy snow fall years we have seen here in Vancouver in the past 20 years - believe it was the winter of 09.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by james kent

Never been any support bars in our Boler. Maybe because the cabinets are glassed into place and not riveted makes a difference.

Maybe you were looking in the wrong place. Unlike Scamp and many others that put the supports on one end of the counter, the old Bolers I've seen have it in the center of the kitchenette toward the back wall, as in this picture:


Regardless, I agree with Carol. Some kind of counter-to-cabinet support is needed. If I lived in a region subject heavy snow and stored the trailer outside, I would also put a temporary brace in the middle of the trailer for long-term winter storage. The bad news is that I've seen a few other trailers meet the same sad fate as the one in her photo. The good news is that they can be revived. But you don't want to go there!

[Gardnpondr]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Yours is a Bigfoot- different animal. I don't know much about how they were built back in 1985, but I'd post a question about whether they were designed from the factory to support roof AC before I put one up there. I know that with Scamps, cabinet supports alone aren't enough; fiberglass reinforcement is required for roof AC. But again, a Bigfoot is different.

ah OK I see.