Bigfoot owners or those in the know...belly band question

[Davin W]

I have an 89 Bigfoot and it appears to me the previous owners put caulking in to fill the void found on the upper and lower belly band. Is this simply the PO gone wild with the caulk gun or did it leave the factory like this? It looks kinda funky in places and i would like to remove it permanently providing I am not going to spring any leaks in doing so. If it was meant to be this way then I will remove the caulk with the stripe removal wheel and replace it with new...thx in advance

[Tom Trostel]

My 1980 has a bead of clear caulk on the upper edge of the belly band. The belly band is there for cosmetics only. The upper and lower halves of the fiberglass shell are bonded together. I've read this forum for years and it's very rare to hear of a leak at the belly band.

[Donna D.]

If the caulk is done properly, it can actually look nice and serve a function. It keeps all the dirt, moss and grim away from the body, Most belly bands create a valley between the band and body and that area can get fugly nasty.

[trainjunkie]

I don't know Davin. I have a 1989 17-foor Bigfoot as well and the molding on mine is the exact same ivory (off white) color that the fiberglass shell is. Yours looks more like straight white, although it could be a lighting issue in the photo. Mine too has some silicone glopped on the area on each side of the door, but nowhere else on the belly band. I think the PO did this on yours.

I agree with Donna though, if done right it would keep all the grime and such out of there. Every time I wash mine tons of crap spills out from behind the BB molding. As much as I detest silicone sealer, I'll probably replace mine soon and seal it properly to keep out the filth. I found an almond color pure silicone sealant at one of the big box stores that is a good match for the color of these older trailers.

[natez]

I removed and painted my belly band on my trailer.to me it did not at all seem to appear to be molded together the top section and bottom section fit together but are held my the many many screws in the belly band. I had to use a grinder to slot 90% of the screws in order to remove them as they were rather corroded .. I had water damage all around the belly band you could feel the Moisture on the wood the belly band fastened to it. A good scrub new butyl tape and new screws its reinstalled. Took of the fridge vent to find more major dry rot... I got me a winner and paid a crisp penny for it as well. Originally only wanted to replace the interior wall panels on the rear gsnxho area