Autopsy and Resurrection of a Scamp Door - Fiberglass RV
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Old 08-07-2006, 11:01 PM   #1
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Trailer: Scamp
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Here's a recent post to Yahoo Scampers:

QUOTE
Hi all -

If you want to learn about your Scamp's door follow the link to my
newest addition to the now seeminly epic saga of refurbishing Millie
the Scamp....

http://public.fotki.com/Joncassino/p...mp/scamp_door/

END QUOTE
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Old 08-08-2006, 07:45 AM   #2
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Trailer: 84 16 ft Scamp
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Quote:
Here's a recent post to Yahoo Scampers:

QUOTE
Hi all -

If you want to learn about your Scamp's door follow the link to my
newest addition to the now seeminly epic saga of refurbishing Millie
the Scamp....

http://public.fotki.com/Joncassino/p...mp/scamp_door/

END QUOTE
Thanks, Pete. I already spend more time reading interesting forums than I really want, so I welcome those who go to the effort to sort out the 'chaff' and send on the 'kernels'.

I suspect my door is the same construction. I have been involved in too many other Scamp projects lately to even think about the door.

Am thinking I would replace the wood/fiberboard with something lighter. Maybe plastic tubing.

Got any better ideas?
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Old 08-08-2006, 09:04 AM   #3
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Trailer: 2000 Scamp 16 ft Side Dinette
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You can see how Scamp builds doors on the Scamp Trailer web site. Go to http://www.scamptrailers.com/ and click on "Rebuilding Scamp", then "More Pictures".

-- Dan Meyer
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Old 08-08-2006, 09:41 AM   #4
Con
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Trailer: 1977 Boler 1300
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Isn't it sad that a manufacturer would turn out something like that?
And then a so called "Home hanyman" does some work on it and makes it worse.
I thought my Boler door was bad but that was really bad, bad bad.
Good repair job though.
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Old 08-08-2006, 03:22 PM   #5
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You can see how Scamp builds doors on the Scamp Trailer web site. Go to http://www.scamptrailers.com/ and click on "Rebuilding Scamp", then "More Pictures".

-- Dan Meyer

The link states that they use "buffalo board" and "plywood" between the two door layers.

I'm not sure I really want to know what "buffalo board" is. I'm also a little afraid to ask.
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Old 08-08-2006, 08:59 PM   #6
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I'm not sure I really want to know what "buffalo board" is. I'm also a little afraid to ask.
I'm not sure, but I think a trade name for Buffalo Board is Masonite. I envision it to be like pegboard without all those holes.

Also, everyone complains about the Scamp and Boler curved door. Does anyone have a better idea for a door that preserves the rounded shape of our trailers?

-- Dan Meyer
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Old 08-08-2006, 11:16 PM   #7
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Howdy, Buffalo board is about 1/2' thick and is a light board of what looks like lightly compressed pulp and was sometimes used as bulletin board for thumb tacks....basically it is like K-B board that is used to sheath the outside studs of homes, except that K-B is black on one side and brown on the other possibly because of the tar content, whereas buffalo board is kinda off white beige color.....K-B is that material that you can almost push your finger thru and used to be used under the stucco wire....if it gets wet, it turns into mush.....masonite is a much harder board and tempered masonite is harder yet....was used not only for peg board, but also for those wood grained panels about 1/4" thick that warped from humidity in basement rec rooms......used to have vertical grooves that lined up with either 16" or 24" centers for nailing with colored hardened finishing ring nails......Benny
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Old 08-09-2006, 05:30 AM   #8
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Trailer: 1988 16 ft Scamp Deluxe
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I removed the door window from my Scamp this summer and found the door wood is Oriented Strand Board (OS. It appears to have been resin coated (at least on the interior side), but the area of the window cutout was NOT sealed. Consequently, that area started to delaminate...not bad, just enough to know it was separating. Prior to putting the window back in, I ran waterproof glue around the entire opening and clamped the area.

Seems to me, if all the raw edges were sealed during manufacturing, there wouldn't be half the problems we're seeing in older trailers due to moisture problems.

Quote:
Am thinking I would replace the wood/fiberboard with something lighter. Maybe plastic tubing.
Got any better ideas?
Square tube aluminum? I think Scamp should have used it to begin with. Build a door frame and lay the door skin on it, room for insulation too. Aluminum wouldn't allow the door to sag either.
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Old 08-09-2006, 08:00 AM   #9
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Here's the interior of my 2004 door from the hole I drilled for a deadbolt. It's not plywood, but rather a compressed wood product.

Maybe like Buffalo chips!
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Old 08-12-2007, 11:34 AM   #10
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Trailer: One 13 ft Scamp and One 13 ft Trillium and Two Trillium 4500
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I had the same problem with the door on my 77 scamp...So I cut the interior skin off just like the other guy did but I use a piece of 1/2 plastic ..I was working on a grocery store and the owner had bought some 1/2 white plastic 4x8 sheets to install on the meat cutting room walls, he had 4 pieces left over and gave them to me...the stuff looks just like a white cutting board...I took and cut a piece the size I needed and heated it with a small torch and bent it to the shape of the door..after it had cooled and I double checked the shape I fiberglassed it to the inside of the door where the fiber board was removed when that had dried I repeated the process for the inside skin...Now it doesn't matter if water gets in or not because there's nothing to rot...This is how it should be done at the factory...Wish I had taken pictures when I done it but didn't..Now I have 3 Scamps (13'ers) 1 Burro (13') and 1 Casita (16') that I'm redoing and taking several pictures as I go along..will share them as I finish them...been way to hot down here in the south to get much done lately..........
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Old 08-12-2007, 06:34 PM   #11
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Trailer: 1972 Boler American and 1979 Trillium 4500
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Also, everyone complains about the Scamp and Boler curved door. Does anyone have a better idea for a door that preserves the rounded shape of our trailers?

-- Dan Meyer
Dan,
I have an idea I just finished on my Boler American. I just finished it this week, and then spent a couple of days camping. I'm attaching some pictures to this thread now, and will post the entire fix in the thread on my trailer. (I'll edit this post with a link once I have done so, [that is if the forums software will let me do so in a few days])

I looked at every door and door fix I could find for the last year. In my opinion, most of the door problems are not door problems but body problems. I've read it explained before that the body tends to expand at the sides as the roof sags. Much of this is due to a lack of support at the door hinge side. Sure there is a metal bar that some flatten to supposedly fix their problem, but the real problem is their body has bowed out at the points from where the metal bar is attached. Most of the fixes attempt to solve the problem by bending the bottom of the door in rather than actually trying to straighen the body. The link that starts this thread actually shows a saw kerf fix erroneously blamed on the original fabrication.

Just below where the body meets the floor, most trailers I've seen have a loose peice of plywood attaching the bottom edge of the trailer wall to the cross frame. On both sides of the trailer, I always thought the cabinets and closets were for support. But for anybody who has pulled these, they will confirm that the bottoms are not connected to the floor, nor are they supported properly.

The simple thing to blame and fix is the door, when that is only resolving the symptoms and not the problem.


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Roy
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SmFrameProfile.JPG   SmFrameClamped.JPG  

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Old 08-12-2007, 10:22 PM   #12
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Trailer: 88 Scamp 16 ft
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Just by coincidence I'm experienceing the same isue with the door on my 88 16' Rebuild. The problem is not caused by the saw kerfs at the bottom of the door. Someone somewhere along the line tried to fix the problem with these cuts in order to allow all of the moisture out of the door that was getting in through a leaking window or door handle. This is just my opinnion anyways. This was certainly the case for my door because there was no saw kerfs or drain holes.

The interior components of the door are 2 -3/4" thick strips of osb at the door handle attachment point, and then what I believe is MDF (medium density fiberboard) aka "Black-Board". Once wet the MDF will NEVER dry out, saw kerfs, drain holes or not.

A very interesting door rebuild method was explored on this board by board member Con.

See the thread that contains some discussion about the door repair and some modifications Here. Also follow his link to his photos that show the repair in quite good detail.

My plans are to follow Con's steps but to use 3/4" mylar backed foam insulation in the voids, and then glass the 2 door halves back together. I will be drilling drain holes in the bottom to let any water that may end up getting past my re-sealing of the windows and handles.

Here is the view of the "guts" of my door after splitting it open.


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