Burro with tiny leaks!

[liladventurer]

Hi,

I recently purchased a 1982 Burro and as I've been familiarizing myself with it the past few weeks, I've noticed she's got a few little holes in the cabinet above the kitchen. The holes are little pin pricks but they're definitely letting some water get inside. The wooden board that lines the bottom of the cabinet has mold. I'm going to pull the wood out (it's been glued to the bottom of the cabinet ), clean the cabinet, then patch the tiny holes.

Does anyone have recommendations for how to seal these holes? I've seen someone use flex seal on the inside of their closet to supposedly help with insulation. Would this be a good option for my situation or is there a better product out there? The cabinet is painted on the inside, not sure it this would make a difference either.

Any advise would be appreciated.

[mszabo]

Take surface down to fiberglass. Use a two part epoxy and cover area as needed.
Don’t over think it.

[thrifty bill]

Flex Seal is a disaster. Use at your own peril. Isn't a Burro double wall? If so, you will need to find leaks on the outer shell first. Note, it could be leaking in somewhere else than where you are seeing it on the inside!

If it is single wall, then patch properly on the outside. Read up on patching fiberglass. Even small holes need to be done properly. I use J B Weld Water Weld for small holes. Whether it is the best product or not, I am not sure. I've used it on small screw holes.

https://www.jbweld.com/product/waterweld-epoxy-putty

[John in Michigan]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

Isn't a Burro double wall? If so, you will need to find leaks on the outer shell first. Note, it could be leaking in somewhere else than where you are seeing it on the inside!

Not sure about that. The photo appears to be from inside a cabinet viewing holes in the outer shell.

[Jon in AZ]

Burro is double wall. The cabinets are part of the inner mold, so when you look inside the cabinets, you’re seeing the outer shell.

I’ll second the epoxy solution from inside. Wondering if you want a paste with chopped fiber in it? Seems like the glass was sprayed too thin on the curve. It doesn’t have to be neat, since it’ll be hidden.

If you want some insulation, put Reflectix inside the cabinets. Attach with 3M90 heavy duty spray adhesive.

[John in Michigan]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

I’ll second the epoxy solution from inside. Wondering if you want a paste with chopped fiber in it? Seems like the glass was sprayed too thin on the curve. It doesn’t have to be neat, since it’ll be hidden.

Unless the Burro owner already has bulk supplies (epoxy resin part a and b, thickening powder, chopped glass, etc.), then the practical solution is just buy a small thickened epoxy paste kit (part a and b) such marine tex epoxy or jb weld epoxy.

[Mike_L]

A fix like flexseal may not be permanent, especially if applied to an exterior surface and a temporary fix isn't what want.
I'm not familiar with your trailer so I don't know if it's single or double walled. In any event, you want to seal the outer hull. If double walled you likely can't access the inner surface of the outer hull to make repair. If single hulled, you may be able to access the inner surface.
I have had success in this regard using fiberglass resin. It's a permanent fix and relatively easy to do.
When fiberglass is molded, the cloth/resin is shaped and the outer surface finished to smooth surface. I've seen fiberglass trailers stripped out during renovation with light coming through the walls, not through holes but through thin spots in the fiberglass. Thin spots are prone to holes A coating of resin, with or without fiberglass cloth fixes the problem permanently. If you have access, this would be the method of choice plus you don't impact the outer/visible surface.
I suggest you check the area for additional holes/thin spots as where there is one there could be more.

[John in Michigan]

Yes, polyester resin with fiberglass cloth is another option (as was originally used to form the molded fiberglass body). Can be purchased at HD or auto parts store.

[liladventurer]

To be clear- The Burro has double walls, however, the holes pictured are on the interior cabinet space where there is access to the single exterior facing wall. The holes are very small. Should these be sealed on the interior or exterior of that one wall? I have used a two part epoxy resin on a couple larger exterior holes where there was no interior access and that seems to have worked just fine.

[thrifty bill]

Although I have always done these repairs on the outside, in your case, I would consider doing it on the inside. I’d be doing a larger patch in the inside, covering several holes at once. Prep the inside for fi glass as would be done on any such repair.

By doing on the inside you won’t have an unsightly patch on the outside.

[John in Michigan]

Agree with Bill. If this were structural repair, I would apply fiberglass cloth and resin inside or both inside and outside. Since its just tiny holes/non-structural, easiest fix is to patch inside. I would first apply strong tape such as packing tape on the outside of the holes to get a clean, smooth finish.

[liladventurer]

Thank you, everyone for your suggestions and help!

I'll post an update on how it goes soon

[Green Frog]

I think the thread has both explained the source of your problem and given several reasonable solutions. If my 83 Burro were showing the same symptoms, I think I would be tempted to overdo the repair on the inside by buying the smallest fiberglass repair kit that contains a piece of FG cloth and reinforce the whole area with said cloth extending well beyond the area with holes. Inside the cabinet it wouldn’t show and the thin area in the original FG would be reinforced well. If you look at it from the inside on a sunny day, you’ll see the location and extent of the thin spot.

You don’t show an outside view. Are any of the pinholes visible from the outside? You may get some bubbling or spider web cracking in your gel coat around them. I would definitely keep an eye on the area and jump on it before damage spreads.

Good luck with your Burro. I gotta think of you like a long distance cousin!

Froggie