rotted out floor

[Philmay1]

Has any replaced a piece of flooring in a 16 foot scamp. Rotted out in the rear section under the table and the seats. Any help would be appreciated. Thank You all

[LyleB]

To answer your question, yes, lots of folks have had to replace all or part of a floor in their Scamp. Casitas too. Not fun, but not the end of the world either.

I just recently had to replace a small section of floor in my 13 foot Scamp, right in front of the door. Was a job, but not insurmountable for someone with any skill/experience and or common sense when it comes to basic building techniques. Plenty of helpful suggestions available on this website and SOI.

Did you try doing a search? Go to the search tab in the blue bar near the top of this page. Click on "Search" Then scroll down to the "Google Search". Type in "Floor Replacement Scamp" or something similar, you will get plenty of links to threads which will give you a great starting place for your research. Ignore the first few advertising listings, and scroll down to the actual threads in your search results.

Good luck, and be sure to come back with any additional questions.

[apfixer]

Here is something you might look at.
It is called "marine board" it is NOT marine plywood. Marine Plywood, is a wood product. Marine board is not wood, it is high density polyethylene (HDPE).
It is used on ships, boats, yachts, etc..
It is more expensive, but once done, it's done.

Just a thought,

[Kai in Seattle]

Hi. You betcha some of us have replaced rotted-out floors!

Four fabulous fotos below of some of the damage.

That Marine board product would be our choice if we had it to do over again...as it was, we used marine plywood in our 16' 1973 amerigo. Amerigos have bathtub- type bottoms, fiberglass beneath the trailer, unlike many other eggs which have the plywood at the very bottom.

Wishing you the very best with your repairs! One bit of advice: use the best product you can possibly afford, use non-wood products if you can, do it once, do it well, and never have to do it again.

We didn't do that. So far, so good, but someone down the years will probably have to replace the wood again.

It can be a lot of fun and work to redo your trailer, and how happy you'll be when camping in it and knowing you did it yourself!

BEST
Kai

[redbarron55]

If the floor is rotted out at the rear where the frame passes under the shell you basically have no support for the shell.

[Philmay1]

Thank you so much for all of the helpful information really put me on the right track thanks again

[Jon in AZ]

The basic process is:
(1) Remove the table, benches, water tank, etc.
(2) Cut the fiberglass tab around the outside edge that connects the shell to the floor.
(3) Remove the old wood. It's helpful to remove it in larger pieces that can be used as a template for the new.
(4) Cut a new piece to fit the entire raised floor area. You can use 3/4" OSB, outdoor-rated plywood, treated plywood, marine plywood, marine board (in increasing order of durability and cost).
(5) If wood, coat the underside with a layer of fiberglass resin. Screw or bolt in place with SS fasteners.
(6) Fiberglass the edge to the shell as before.
(7) Paint the top if desired.
(8) This is a great time to replace the taillights with LEDs and reseal well.
(9) Re-install tank, benches, etc. Make sure to seal any holes you cut (e.g., for the water tank drain).
(10) Add finish flooring.

[redbarron55]

I would fiberglass the top since the rotting starts on the top from leaks around windows etc.
In my rebuild I used fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin on both sides over each floor panel.
You could use Polyester as well, but I tend to use overkill to ensure that the trailer lasts another 30 years. Far longer than I will be able to use it.
If you look att he rear in this picture you can see the fiberglassed floor fitted to match the shell and it fiberglass strips used to bond it to the shell.
The center floor was also fiberglassed on both sides (The edges too for all).
If you were to fiberglass the edges you would have to round them so that the cloth will follow the contour.
The steel wheel wells and the square tubing framework I added to actually support the shell 360 degrees around instead of only the four points where the frame passes underneath.

In the stock trailer there is no bracing from the frame t the shell sides and the OSB that fills this gap is screwed in with some sheet metal screws and is basically fiberglassed to the shell for support from the shell.

[Paul O.]

Originally Posted by Kai in Seattle

Hi. You betcha some of us have replaced rotted-out floors!

Four fabulous fotos below of some of the damage.
....
BEST
Kai

Kai, each of those pics is a piece of modern art! Love it - when and where is the next exhibit?

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by apfixer

Here is something you might look at.

It is called "marine board" it is NOT marine plywood. Marine Plywood, is a wood product. Marine board is not wood, it is high density polyethylene (HDPE).

It is used on ships, boats, yachts, etc..

It is more expensive, but once done, it's done.

Expensive, indeed! I had to check it out, since this is not a product I'd heard of. Looks like a piece big enough to do just the raised dinette section would cost over $300 plus shipping.

The more I think about it, it seems too good to go on top of the rust-prone stock chassis. Better have a new frame, too. Aluminum, perhaps?

In the end, no matter how rot-proof you make the foundation, you'll still have to do regular maintenance on those windows, vents, and rivets that caused the problem in the first place. Nothing is ever really done. Or, as another member frequently observes, everything put together eventually falls apart.

[Raz]

If I'm not mistaken marine board goes under the brand name Starboard. The white cutting boards are the same stuff. Pricey for sure.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by redbarron55

I would fiberglass the top since the rotting starts on the top from leaks around windows etc. ,,l.

Or just fix the darn leaks!

You need to maintain these things.. and that includes checking for leaks after every major rain and not ignoring them.

And yes, marine / starboard is way expensive and not needed if you do the monitoring and maintenance that you should be doing.

I might add that even if you fiberglass the top of the floor, if you have leaks, you will have damage, mold, etc. sooner or later anyway.

[redbarron55]

While I was rebuilding my trailer I was glad several times that the whole floor was fiberglassed as I worked my way through sealing up things.
You have a point about the need to seal up the trailer, but as I said I tend to over do things more than a little.
But a leak will not rot the floor if it goes undetected for a while.
Most of the rot I have seen was from the leaks and if they did not exist then of course the floor would not rot.
Much of the smell from mold or whatever in the old trailer I rebuilt was from the rotted and soggy floor.
If you smell musty odors then check the floor!
Many of these trailers have poor door fits due to rotted floors and sagging shells where the only real support is where the frame passes under the shell two places on each end.
The floor is the only real support for the shell

[Kai in Seattle]

PaulO,

Why, thank you! LOL.

Here are the last four in the "abstract redemptionism" mode for your enjoyment.

BEST
Kai