Leaking belly band

[sonny75]

Got out a garden hose and indeed my belly band is where my ventura is taking in water. Once the trim is unscrewed and removed, does anybody have any advice on how to reseal it? I plan on putting the same trim back on afterwards. Thanks

[thrifty bill]

I would grind and fiberglass. I would NOT reinstall old band as this just punctures the fiberglass repair. Instead, I would use an automotive tape on body side molding to create a similar look without the screws.


belly band done by wrk101, on Flickr

[sonny75]

Thanks for the advice Bill.

[murffie]

We pulled ours off and currently using bondo on the seam... which has turned into bigger task (of course of replacing inside framing around belly band..

[sonny75]

Thats too bad. Was there rotten wood around the entire seem? Or was it contained to certain areas? Sounds like our wrecks are similar.

[sonny75]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

I would grind and fiberglass. I would NOT reinstall old band as this just punctures the fiberglass repair. Instead, I would use an automotive tape on body side molding to create a similar look without the screws.


belly band done by wrk101, on Flickr

Any thoughts on using butyl tape to seal my leaky belly band? Take of the trim, put on the tape, and screw the trim back on? A friend suggested it to save me time and fibreglass repair. Not sure if its a legit idea.

[sonny75]

Sounds like sound advice

[murffie]

The wood inside was rotted in few places... bit by bit we ended up replacing all of it. If it wasn’t rotten it was aged with old screws.