How to fix an external crack on Trillium 1300 - Fiberglass RV
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 09-16-2011, 08:07 AM   #1
Junior Member
 
Name: Kurly
Trailer: Trillium 1300
Pennsylvania
Posts: 4
How to fix an external crack on Trillium 1300

I just bought a Trillium 1300, that I want to fixup and restore.

There is a vertical crack about 3-5 inches long in the fiberglass outer shell on the left front corner, just above the belly ring. The two pieces of the fiberglass on either side of the crack do not mesh up evenly, didn't pop back out in the right sequence. So there is an actual bump in the skin.

There are also some small spider spider web stress cracks a little higher on the skin in the same gereral area as the deeper crack. I also can see a very small crack in the skin just below the belly ring that lines up with the larger crack above the belly ring, but this crack popped out in the correct sequence, so there is no bump in the skin below the belly ring.

Also, the belly ring seems to have been damged and popped loose (pulled a rivet or two out) towards the back of the camper behind the cracks.

The guy I bought it from said a friend of his cut it to sharp and bumped into something, which caused the crack. I decided to buy the camper inspite of the crack.

My question is how would be the best way to fix a crack in the outer skin of the fiberglass and what material to use. Also, how best to get the bump out of the skin where the two pieces didn't pop back out in the correct sequence without causing any more damage or any structual damage.

Any help or thought would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Kurly
RKurelowech is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2011, 10:59 AM   #2
Junior Member
 
Name: tim
Trailer: 1972 Boler 13'
British Columbia
Posts: 1
i have a similar problem on my new boler. someone crashed into something, which bent the belly band and warped the fiberglass. i'm hoping it will pop back when i pull off the rivets around the belly band. but i'm also curious about what to fix the larger superfical cracks with. i understand a good paint job will cover minor crazing, but what for the larger ones?
Kootenay_Boler is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2011, 11:32 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Perry J's Avatar
 
Trailer: Toyota Sunrader and 16 ft Scamp
Posts: 975
Send a message via AIM to Perry J Send a message via Yahoo to Perry J
Without seening the damage I can't give you an advice on the repair.
If it were mine the first thing I would do is drill a small hole at the ends of the crack.
This will help stop the crack from lengthening.
John
Perry J is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2011, 03:31 PM   #4
Member
 
Name: Rick
Trailer: 1973 Bugeyed Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 50
Registry
Kurly

I just finished repairs to my Boler before I painted it. Mine had a quarter size hole in the front corner between the door and front window. This hole was surrounded by a dinner plate size spider cracks. This was a weak area caused by running into something. I sanded down the area. (removed all the gelcoat) laid up two layers of fiberglass cloth over the entire area. About 1 foot diameter. You can buy fibergass kits from Home depot or Cdn Tire for under $15. (contains fiberglass cloth and resin and hardener) Then sanded the area and covered the area with short strand filler. (bodyshop filler that contains fiberglass hairs) again under $15. Sanded this down and then filled with Bondo fiberglass body filler again under $15. Extend these two fillers out beyond the patch. The original 1 foot patch became 18" square. Sanded down with various grit sand paper down to 220. Fill small holes with filler and final sand. After this work I painted. You can not tell there was any damage. I also patched the old hole for the abandoned furnace and various cracks and old holes. Now painted it looks beautiful. To do my one dinner plate crack about one days work. Anyone could do this work.

Rick
rhkirkham is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2011, 06:28 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
MyronL's Avatar
 
Name: Myron
Trailer: Escape
New Mexico
Posts: 987
Registry
My scamp came with 4 nasty but not catastrophic cracks in the shell. Each crack was made ugly by the previous owner's repairs. Here's my solution. Job one was to clear out the silicone, etc., from the previous repair attempt. That done, job two was to connect both sides of the crack without creating an exterior bulge or scar. This was done by slathering Bondo on the undersides then soaking a fiberglass cloth strip with bondo and inserting the cloth into the wound like a patch that when hard bridged the crack. It wasn't too hard to do because of the interior rat fur, but you must have everything ready for fast, methodical work. After sanding I applied marine grade gelcoatings.
Attached Thumbnails
Scamphole02.jpg   Scamphole03.jpg  

Scamphole04.jpg   scamphole16.jpg  

scamphole05.jpg  
MyronL is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
trillium


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Trillium crack. Ian Harrad Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 17 01-26-2022 05:30 PM
Trillium Fix Update - Belly Band Caulk Ruth C. Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 1 06-16-2011 10:37 AM
What to use to fix seams in a Trillium? Mimi M Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 3 08-05-2009 05:50 PM
trillium 1300 frame crack recall info colinn Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 8 10-18-2008 02:36 PM
Sagging Trillium Door Fix Joseph Olajos Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 4 07-12-2007 02:36 PM

» Upcoming Events
No events scheduled in
the next 465 days.
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:26 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.