Scamp Rear Dinette Cabinet Repair

[Bill L in PA]

Hi, Friends,

I am the proud owner of a 2005 Scamp 16 (layout 6), that I purchased this summer. On our most recent road trip one of our cabinets over the rear dinette pulled loose and fell off. The two wood nailing strips that the cabinet was attached to are still intact, and the front and side piece seem to be undamaged. However, the bottom of the cabinet is unusable, as the fiberboard (or whatever it is made from) has pulled apart and delaminated. I was thinking of just replacing the bottom of the cabinet with half inch plywood, attaching the front and side piece and then remounting. However, I have a couple of questions:


1. Since the cabinet box is all that same fiberboard, would it be better to redo everything...the base, the side piece and the front...in paint or stain grade plywood?


2. Originally the cabinet box was attached to the strips with staples. Has anyone had experience reattaching the cabinet to the nailers in another way...screws or finishing nails? I want to be sure that the cabinet stays put once the job is finished.



Any advice would be appreciated!


Bill

[fastdixie]

I'm also a new scamp owner "2008" with things falling apart inside. I have screws that vibrate loose on all the cabinetry. I reinforced several screw locations and put back together. After a 2 hr weekend excursion during which my recent screw repairs nearly all failed, I put on new radial tires and had them balanced. 1500 miles later this week, several of the again repaired screws have loosened vibrated back out. First, if your cabinet fell, there was either poor installation, rot or vibration causing this problem. Determining that will influence your repair. The particleboard is pretty strong stuff, but can disintegrate with force. Good luck!

[Bill L in PA]

Hey Galen, Thanks for the well wishes! Yes, those Scamp screws are tricky little buggers and I, too, have had my share of screws shaking loose which I have been able to overcome with some locktite. I did find the issue with the cabinet was with one of the nailers and the base of the cabinet which began to delaminate. I used the existing cabinet to draw out the dimensions onto some sturdier half inch plywood, and have replaced the existing nailers with oak strips (although kept the cabinet door which is in perfect condition). I haven't had the time to finish the cabinet and reinstall, but I hope the sturdier wood and nailers will do the trick. I'll let you know!

[Bill L in PA]

I got this message from Jon in AZ but don't see it in the thread. So I am posting his suggestion here hoping it may help others:



"I assume you mean the two small side-saddle upper cabinets?

Another option might be replacing the MDF cabinets with the newer molded fiberglass versions from Scamp. I think the change came after the 2006 factory fire, and I can't say for sure if they will fit your pre-fire unit, but Scamp could tell you.

The fiberglass ones are installed with rivets at the factory, but you could also install them with SS bolts, washers and lock nuts.

Not the cheapest solution, but IMO they look better, and with bolts they'd be quite strong."


Thanks for the suggestion, Jon! If my fix does not work out I will look into purchasing the fiberglass cabinets from Scamp. It would be expensive because of shipping but it is definitely an option.

[Jon in AZ]

You’re welcome, though I’m not sure how it got out there. I had decided it probably wasn’t the direction you were headed and didn’t intend to post it. I’m far too good at spending other people’s money... .

It also occurred to me the attachment strips might get in the way, and you might not want to drill a bunch of holes through the outer shell, which is how the fiberglass upper cabinets are mounted.

[floyd]

Where screws go into wood....

In addition to the toothpick trick when necessary, generously dip your screws in Go2 glue before reinstalling them. It works great....

[Bill L in PA]

Good suggestion, Floyd! LocTite has become my new best friend this summer!

[Bill L in PA]

Hi, Jon, I removed the attachment strips for the time being and inserted SS bolts with washers and nuts through the exterior (with plastic caps) so that no water could leak in. Once I am ready to reattach I will replace the bolts with SS wood screws and make sure that I silicone the exterior screw heads and plastic caps. I am hoping for a neat and waterproof fix.