Maintenance & Restoration

elash · 06-25-2018, 02:43 PM

I have a 17ft boler the cabinets r fiberglass so they won't fit thru door opening so how do I replace floor and is there supports to lay the new plywood on

redbarron55 · 06-25-2018, 07:46 PM

I can't speak for the Boler, but my Scamp 16 with fiberglass cabinets it can be done.
I removed all of them out the door after drilling out the rivets.
It takes a little maneuvering to do it, but since there is no back they can be twisted to get them out.
They went in didn't they?
However this does add a lot of work to the process.
The floor could be replaced in sections with much trouble, but while it could be done piecemeal I think the best repair is with the whole or half of the floor open.
In my Scamp I removed EVERYTHING and repaired and reinforced the frame and used 3/4" exterior plywood, covered with fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin on both top and bottom and the sides as well.
Most of the floors rot from the inside top where windows etc leak and the water pools and sits.

John in Michigan · 06-25-2018, 08:07 PM

Ed, my Boler 17 is covered by a complete fiberglass shell, top, sides and bottom. The plywood floor is on top of the fiberglass shell. However I understand that other Boler 17s were done differently such that there is NO fiberglass bottom. Kevin Johnston has posted a series of youtube videos where he completely disassembles his Boler 17 and repairs the plywood floor. It appears that his Boler 17 has just a plywood floor, no fiberglass shell under it. Check his videos.

-John

elash · 06-26-2018, 04:23 PM

Thnx my trailer is the same fiberglass bottom and I have fiberglass on top with the plywood in between unfortunately some of my cabinets have backs on them so they won't bend thru the door

John in Michigan · 06-26-2018, 04:32 PM

Ed, are you considering replacing the entire floor?

k corbin · 06-26-2018, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elash

Thnx my trailer is the same fiberglass bottom and I have fiberglass on top with the plywood in between unfortunately some of my cabinets have backs on them so they won't bend thru the door

take some measurements and see if removing the door and the frame for the door will give you the needed clearance. It could be that the cabinets were put it before the door was mounted in place. A bother to be sure but at least you will have fresh butyl tape under the door frame when you put it back in.

elash · 06-30-2018, 06:13 PM

Measured the door frame it's 2 1 inches wide the cabinet for the bathroom closet and fridge with furnace is 26 wide 73 long the kitchen stove and sink cabinet is 25 inches wide

elash · 06-30-2018, 06:16 PM

Won't know how much to repair until I cut out the top layer of fiberglass to see what's rotten

Jack L · 06-30-2018, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elash

Won't know how much to repair until I cut out the top layer of fiberglass to see what's rotten

You can probably determine the area of rot by taping on the floor with a small plastic tipped hammer or the plastic handle of a large screwdriver. Good flooring makes a "tap tap" sound while rotted floors make a "thud thud" sound. It's pretty easy to tell the difference with a little practice. Best of luck.

Tom 72 · 06-30-2018, 08:25 PM

Anything is possible, but I doubt they built the FG shell around the cabinets. Did they put them in through a window opening? Is that an option for removal?

redbarron55 · 07-01-2018, 05:53 AM

The furniture can perhaps be partially disassembled for removal?
I doubt that they put the furnishings in and then put the shell together.
I found that in my Scamp all of the floor rot came from the inside where water leaking in puddles and remained for a while.
To prevent this I installed new 3/4" exterior plywood fiberglassed with cloth and epoxy resin both sides and edges as well.
I used epoxy because it is more water penetration resistance and bonds well to the wood. I then fiberglassed the entire shell contact with the floor with strips of cloth and epoxy resin to make the floor a sealed monolithic barrier to water getting into the wood of there are any leaks from the outside or the utilities.
It is a true PITA to remove everything and removing and replacing the floor and I didn't want the rot to happen again.
Besides if the water caused a problem the smell would drive SWMBO crazy and be the end of camping in the FrankenScamp.
I recently had a water pump leak in the potable water system and ended up with an inch or so pf water in the sealed compartment under one of the beds. (I was checking the system for leaks with a new check valve before the pump).
No water ran from under the bed and the floor was basically a second tank.
No water on bare wood.
Perhaps not a good idea if there is a leak not found, but the floor is SEALED.
I pulled the drain line for the tank out to drain the compartment and died it with some paper towels.
The problem which caused both the pressure bleed down causing cycling of the pump and the leak when the check valve was installed was loose bolts holding the pump head together and to the motor.

thrifty bill · 07-01-2018, 09:23 AM

+10 If you can't get it through the door, you will need to go out the front or rear window.

John in Michigan · 07-01-2018, 09:57 AM

I have a Boler 17; front and rear window aren't any larger than the door opening

But realistically Ed, the Boler 17 has a relatively large interior area (almost 8 feet by 14 feet) so if you actually wind up wanting to replace the entire subfloor, you can take all of the smaller cabinets and benches out of the camper and then just move around the larger cabinets to replace the subfloor in sections.

elash · 07-01-2018, 01:04 PM

Thnx everybody for ur help gonna take a piece of the top piece of fiberglass out to see what I have to deal with

k corbin · 07-02-2018, 02:48 AM

Not sure why people think they would not have put the cabinets in before they put the two halves together. It is not unusual to do such things.

As far as working on the floor repair without removing the cabinets just remember that the plywood floor is itself made up of sections. Therefore you can stack the cabinets in one area, replace that section of plywood then move the cabinets onto the new piece and work on the area where they used to be stacked.

k corbin · 07-02-2018, 02:51 AM

Not sure why people think they would not have put the cabinets in before they put the two halves together. It is not unusual to do such things in RVs or even in houses where they might put the shower or tub in the bathroom before they finish framing the walls of that room.

As far as working on the floor repair without removing the cabinets just remember that the plywood floor is itself made up of sections. Therefore you can stack the cabinets in one area, replace that section of plywood then move the cabinets onto the new piece and work on the second area.

Remodeling trailers is not always quick, cheap or easy

Borrego Dave · 07-02-2018, 04:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k corbin

It is not unusual to do such things in RVs or even in houses where they might put the shower or tub in the bathroom before they finish framing the walls of that room.

Exactly and they always bring in the tubs or shower units in a house before the last bath end wall is framed. Square peg in a round hole.............

Tom 72 · 07-08-2018, 03:09 PM

Bear in mind that even if the end windows were identical in size to the door, they might work better because they offer a better angle of entry with less turning.

This could be an example of the rear door in a Lil' Snoozy being an advantage.

elash · 07-09-2018, 03:14 PM

Removed the vinyl flooring the floor is fiberglass ed to the cabinets so to rearrange the cabinets to get at the floor I have to cut the whole floor out