New 16' Scamp - Poor Door Fit - Cannot close from inside

[Rasaraja]

Hello,
We just got a 2015 - 16' Scamp Deluxe and have a problem with the way the Door Fits. It is practically impossible to pull it shut from inside. There is a bow in the door and pulling it shut to close the gap between the latch and shim takes Hulk strength to close it. I was told that the door will adjust in time (6-8 months) and the factory would send me some different type of sealer

Anyone have a similar problem and/or solution?

[Darwin Maring]

Does it close OK with minimum effort on the outside?

[Rasaraja]

It closes ok from the outside - but ya really got to push.

[Darwin Maring]

The reason I asked if it closes OK from the outside is because could standing on the floor on the inside cause the floor to flex down causing a problem?

[Vanderscamper]

Our brand new 16' Scamp has similar action, but I think it seems good to have a door that needs a little push from the outside right at the latch, NOT the fiberglass. The inside has similar "problem", but then again I can close it and I have fibromyalgia; makes me wimpy and weak. Don't worry-new things should be tighter. Also we have the Sliding screen door that older Scamps do not have. I have seen some complaints in these forums about the door flying open while traveling down the road- be glad it fits tight!
Carol

[gordon2]

I have read of this happening a lot with new Scamps (and in 25 days I will be picking up my new Scamp and seeing for myself). A related problem I have heard frequently is the door on new Scamps coming open in travel.

All of this appears to be happening because the seal is a little thick. The cures I have heard Eveland has done for different people is to replace the seal (with I assume a thinner one), or to add shims to the latch so it can be engaged easier. I wonder if there was a change that has caused this to be a recent problem.

I think they are recommending the shims most of the time, and that makes sense if the door seal is going to compress after a few months. When it does you simply remove the shims and all is well. If you replace the seal and it shrinks, then you might not be able to get a good seal in the coming months. However they did that exact thing for one new owner on Facebook, who went right back to Evelands after picking up their camper.

Anyway, its under warrantee so call Kent and ask him what you should do, then report back here for an evaluation of the recommended fix by the knowledgeable people here (which is not me, not yet).

PS, I have also seen someone add a larger handle to the door structure to give them something to pull on for closing from the inside.

[John Linck]

I added the dark handle in the picture to increase our grip when closing the door. There is substantial "wood" behind the ratfur to accept screws. If you look closely you can see the tips of the wooden wedges I used to shim out the latch. With the larger handle and shimmed latch we reached a good balance between a good seal and reasonable closing effort. In hindsight I wish I had installed my handle above the latch for better leverage when closing. The original Scamp supplied brass handle is located even more poorly towards the middle of the door making closing more difficult.

BTW. Scamp sent us a better weatherstrip for the door free of charge. The original was soft open cell foam which really soaked up rain water. The replacement is hollow and closed cell making a better and more waterproof seal.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Rasaraja

It closes ok from the outside - but ya really got to push.

Mine will not close if I use only the lock handle to close it - I have to pull on the handle on the middle of the door - even more so since I replaced the seals with the new rubber ones Scamp is using now on their new trailers.

[beckyruns]

Here's another problem related to the Scamp door. We had to get new lock hardware and did not even notice until our first overnighter with it that the hardware did not have the hole into which to put the pin so the door could not be opened from the outside. My husband called Scamp and was told that yes, some of the hardware that they had recently shipped did not have the hole and that we should get one drilled. We're going to follow up requesting that they send us one that has the hole.

[Rasaraja]

Thanks for all the info and feedback everyone.
Except for this one issue - Love the Scamp.

I'll see what Eveland sends in the way of different sealer
and I'll probably add another handle for more leverage.

[Wayne Collins]

Yes, even back in 2000 when we bought our 16er, closing the door took some push or pull. New seals are intended to need some compression to make a complete seal around the opening. the original seals were foam. I have since replaced it with 1/2 inch "D" section hollow seal along the top, bottom, and latch side. purchased at a RV store.
It was too thick for the hinge side, so i used closed cell rectangular cross section foam. All of it is the self stick kind. New seals take more ooomph to latch tight. The extra handle on the inside is a good way to go.
I also added a home style Dead Bolt lock above the Scamp latch. It makes us more "secure" at night, don't have to depend on that skinny little pin.
The dead bolt required a block of hard wood, inside, to add enough thickness for the lock and strike plate.
Another trick I learned from an old Scamper, is to reverse the outside door handle, so you have to lift it up to open the door. That way it's weight helps to keep the latch engaged, and it fools the casual snoop who may try to get in.

[Jon in AZ]

Scamp recently changed the type of door seal. I don't know exactly when, but probably less than a year ago. Here is a discussion of the new seal from back in January: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...eal-67571.html.

The complaint about the old seal was that it left gaps, especially at the lower front, and allowed water intrusion. The new one seems to solve that problem but introduces a new one. It's like Goldilocks… too loose, too tight,...

I believe the tightness makes it more likely that the door will come open when towing. Unless you really compress the seal tightly when you close the door, the tongue on the latch can hang up on the tip of the striker rather than fully extending behind the striker. It catches just enough to make you think it's latched, but vibrations while towing cause it to pop loose.

Over time, I think it likely the new seal will soften and become easier to close. If it's bothersome in the meantime, I like the idea of shimming out the inside portion of the latch so the tongue can more easily extend behind the striker plate. Nice thing about that solution is that as the seal gets broken in, you can remove the shim and maintain a nice, tight seal.

[Darwin Maring]

Quality Problems

[Vanderscamper]

Originally Posted by John Linck

I added the dark handle in the picture to increase our grip when closing the door. There is substantial "wood" behind the ratfur to accept screws. If you look closely you can see the tips of the wooden wedges I used to shim out the latch. With the larger handle and shimmed latch we reached a good balance between a good seal and reasonable closing effort. In hindsight I wish I had installed my handle above the latch for better leverage when closing. The original Scamp supplied brass handle is located even more poorly towards the middle of the door making closing more difficult.

BTW. Scamp sent us a better weatherstrip for the door free of charge. The original was soft open cell foam which really soaked up rain water. The replacement is hollow and closed cell making a better and more waterproof seal.

John, Please tell me how long the screws that you used were; sounds like an appealing idea!

[John Linck]

Originally Posted by Vanderscamper

John, Please tell me how long the screws that you used were; sounds like an appealing idea!

My screws are ⅝ inch. You need to penetrate the inner layer of fiberglass. Its not necessary to go into the wood very far. Screws grip fiberglass very well. Depending on how thick your hardware is I expect ½ inch would be plenty. The door is about one inch thick.

I did move my handle to a position above the latch yesterday. Better.

John

[John Linck]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Over time, I think it likely the new seal will soften and become easier to close. If it's bothersome in the meantime, I like the idea of shimming out the inside portion of the latch so the tongue can more easily extend behind the striker plate. Nice thing about that solution is that as the seal gets broken in, you can remove the shim and maintain a nice, tight seal.

Scamp juggles how tight to make the door latch knowing that it will loosen over time as the weatherstrip compresses with age. So they start out pretty snug realizing that most folks will never adjust their door. I chose to loosen my latch with shims and plan to tighen it over the years as the weatherstrip loses is resiliency.

I would really like to see a magnetic seal like a refrigerator. I will add that to my long list of future mods. ;-)

John

[Rasaraja]

Thanks everyone - esp John L.

An extra handle above the latch = (extra leverage) solves the problem.
I got a handle at Home Depot and placed some wood behind the handle to be sure the screws didn't go thru the fiberglass - didn't need any shims for the latch.

The drill slipped a little so it's a little sloppy crooked and close to the curtain rod - I'll try to adjust the handle at a later date.

The handle here allows *PLENTY* of leverage.

[Laughingindian]

Whenever I close the door on ANY camper whether inside or outside, I turn the handle then pull the door shut. To make the latch slide on the plate is asking quite a lot in my opinion.

[Rasaraja]

Originally Posted by Laughingindian

Whenever I close the door on ANY camper whether inside or outside, I turn the handle then pull the door shut. To make the latch slide on the plate is asking quite a lot in my opinion.

We weren't asking to make the latch slide. This issue IS when closing the door properly - i.e. Turn the handle and pull it shut. You may have misunderstood the issue.

[Laughingindian]

Sorry, I did misunderstand.