Scamp Door Repair Issue

[Sohkraites]

Just like many other Scamp owners, we have a door problem. Actually, the door has several issues (including not curving enough near the bottom of the door to meet the body of the trailer), but the one issue I need some advice on is the delamination of the door around the window.

The window obviously leaked...a lot and over a long time. The material between the layers of fiberglass appears to be "wood," though it appears to be "rotten."

The question is...how do I fix this the right way? Ideas?

Also, the door off the hinges is fairly heavy...Is it supposed to be? I thought initially it was waterlogged like some doors I've seen on the site, so I drilled some weepholes at the bottom and stood it up...but nothing came out. Is it supposed to be fairly heavy?

[Sohkraites]

I think I found the answer...in the document center! Someone reminded me that there was a great detailed document that was a step by step guide... guess I have some serious work ahead!

[Paul O.]

Good luck with this, it sounds like a little bit of a challenge. If the particle board between the fiberglass layers was waterlogged, it will swell, soften, and it will probably never dry up unless you bake the whole thing (kiln dry?). There is liquid water, most probably, but soaked into the stuff. The bottom of the door has more of a curve than the top and it might fit better if the hinges hold it a little bit higher. Is that possible? Also, the original open cell foam seal at the bottom is usually not adequate, replace it with the D-section hollow seal like that around the rest of the door.

How much would Scamp ask for a whole new door? Shipping cost could be the killer.

[Sohkraites]

Paul --

After researching more on the forum, I have come to the conclusion that a "forensic action" is required for the door. One of the threads I saw had photos of the door cut open. The fiberboard "guts" of the door had been exposed to water just as ours has been. It was NASTY. I'm pretty sure that ours is toast. And it's HEAVY....

Thinking that it was waterlogged, I drilled several holes across the bottom. Nothing came out, but as you said, that fiberboard has probably soaked it all up. It's also probably growing stuff in there, too. Yuck.

I could order a new door from Scamp, but you're right -- the shipping would be killer. And I know that our pod is not quite "square." So a new door may have the same issues as we have now.

I know we have issues with the door frame... The POs, when they installed the new floor, they did so without keeping the door frame square -- so the door opening is about 3/8" wider at the bottom than the top. So, right now the plan is to brace the door frame using wood "struts" which will become part of the cabinets, and then, once that's secure and solid, we'll "recurve" the door.

In the mean time, we'll schedule the door for surgery to get that nastiness out of there. We'll then see about putting in struts inside and fill in the voids with the insulating foam before sealing it back up.

And as for the D foam, would that be better than the new stuff Scamp has on their site?

Thanks for the advice!!

[Paul O.]

It seems you have a good plan. The insulating foam is a great idea. The seal that Scamp has on their web page is an improved version of the hollow "D" that they had before. The lip(rib) should help.
"This NEW seal is called the "Rib Seal" custom engineered by Scamp Trailers!"
Good luck!

[Ladiesandthescamp]

Hello like you, I have the same issue with the door where the fiber board has been compromised by water. I am following one of the guides on this forum to add wood back to the inside of the door and bend it using ratchet straps. One thing I can't figure out is how curved the door should be when strapping it with the ratchets. Is there any measurable system to determine the curve the door requires to make a good seal with the bottom of the trailer?