Would love some help/ Gonna rip out rat fur in scamp

[greenzworth]

Hello friends,

I have decided to go on the Great Journey of removing the ugly rat fur wall coverings in my 91' 16ft Scamp. I'm going to pop the rivets on all the fiberglass furniture and remove the windows so I can tare out and replace the fabric. Has anyone done this before? Does anybody have any tips for me? So far haven't found anybody that has written about doing this, but there has to be somebody that's replace this rat fur before....

-I ordered more rivets, but since I'm taking them all out I'm wondering if I should use bolts when I put them back in to make it easier, is there a leak issue with bolts? Also, when putting back in the fiberglass components is there anything I should know structurally? I know I have to keep the metal supports.

-I've never really taken out the windows before and one of these, wondering if there is anything I need to know to make it easier and not break them.

-I'm also going to sell the dinette table and hardware, the screen door, the cushions for the dinette/ bed. So if anybody is interested in those let me know.

any help would be fantastic

[RogerDat]

People sometime replace the rivets with stainless steel bolts and nuts, as long as you use snap caps and a little butyl tape or other sealant under the snap caps you can be leak free. Rivets are easier in one particular way, you don't need someone on the other side to hold the nut as you will with bolts. You do rivets from the outside.

That headliner material (rat fur) is what keeps your camper from being opaque, as in see through when back lighted or lighted inside at night. Magic shadow show without it. Rat fur and relectix is also the insulation that prevents condensation from forming on the walls inside from the difference in temperature between outside and inside.

Might be able to replace it with something but in most cases something will be needed to replace it.

All of the furniture, especially the cabinet with steel brace and closet are structural to some degree. The seats, couch or closet stiffen the corners and act almost like a 45* corner brace would to the floor wall joint. You might want to do only one part at a time, so you only have some furniture/bracing removed at a time.

[Jon in AZ]

Agree. Before you pull anything down, figure out what you're going to replace it with. There aren't many alternatives, and some are more difficult and/or more expensive.

If this is new trailer to you, I'm going to go a step further and suggest a long, deep breath- for a year. Unless there's something broken, I recommend you use this trailer like it is for a while. More than a few gut and rebuild projects end up on the market for a low price as a shell and a pile of parts.

During the year, try some smaller projects- pull and reseal a window or two, replace rusty gravel guard hardware (gives some practice with rivets), that kind of thing.

After a year, if you still want to do the rat fur replacement, then go ahead.

[greenzworth]

Thanks for your consideration for the stress I will most likely induce in doing this project Jon, but I have had this trailer for year and I'm ready to do this. I can't stand this rat fur! I have already taking out the overhead shelves and take the rest out tomorrow
I have been told by a few people not to do this... But still hoping for some advice or resources on the deconstruction...

Thanks so much

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by greenzworth

Thanks for your consideration for the stress I will most likely induce in doing this project Jon, but I have had this trailer for year and I'm ready to do this. I can't stand this rat fur!..

Many an owner has initially expressed similar sentiments about the Marine Headliner.. but the important question is WHY do you hate it? Once you isolate the objection, you can focus on what options there are for something better. If the objection is that it is dirty then many an owner can tell you that a good cleaning can restore it to like-new condition. If the objection is something else, then consider the options.. when you weigh the sound-deadening, thermal insulation, and mildew resistant qualities (among other less important features) of the rat-fur / reflectix-type insulation combination , then frankly, it it hard to come up with a better option. If you have a better idea, we are all ears, after all... technology progresses.

[greenzworth]

My plan is to replace it with thick, light outdoor fabric which is also mold/ water resistant (I already have this fabric). I talked to the scamp company about pros and cons of this "Marine Headliner" and they told me it has little to do with insulation most of that is achieved by the silver installation underneath the fabric. Once I take off all the components I'm going to glue the fabric to the silver insulation achieving a very similar affect that the marine material has.
Maybe I'll even add more insulation under the fabric for sound.... after talking to several scamp employees I feel confident that the "Marine Headliner" is not as important as many think.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by greenzworth

My plan is to replace it with thick, light outdoor fabric which is also mold/ water resistant (I already have this fabric). I talked to the scamp company about pros and cons of this "Marine Headliner" and they told me it has little to do with insulation most of that is achieved by the silver installation underneath the fabric. Once I take off all the components I'm going to glue the fabric to the silver insulation achieving a very similar affect that the marine material has.
Maybe I'll even add more insulation under the fabric for sound.... after talking to several scamp employees I feel confident that the "Marine Headliner" is not as important as many think.

Sounds like you are replacing the rat fir with something much like it. But are you replacing the insulation also? I doubt you can remove the rat-fur without also removing the insulation. I'm no expert but I think this is an all or nothing rehab. And the ALL is a major project.

[hangemhigh]

pics please...before you get too far along. My shags looking like hello and two sided tape is about my skill level..wanna up my game

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by greenzworth

My plan is to replace it with thick, light outdoor fabric which is also mold/ water resistant (I already have this fabric). I talked to the scamp company about pros and cons of this "Marine Headliner" and they told me it has little to do with insulation most of that is achieved by the silver installation underneath the fabric. Once I take off all the components I'm going to glue the fabric to the silver insulation achieving a very similar affect that the marine material has.
Maybe I'll even add more insulation under the fabric for sound.... after talking to several scamp employees I feel confident that the "Marine Headliner" is not as important as many think.

From reading many posts of this being done, the only thing I'll comment on is you may want to look into the type of glue to use. Some don't seem to hold very well with higher temps. Haven't heard of the factory glue letting go, just sayin'. Replacing the interior covering is a major project, would be a bummer to have it come loose.

[Raz]

I don't think you can remove the rat fur without removing the reflectix as well. One is glued to the other. Removal is the easy part. Installation will require cutting new to fit and the use of adhesives in very tight quarters. The folks that do this work at the factory obviously are skilled and are able to achieve professional results. I wonder how much raw materials they go through learning the skills involved. There are few jobs I won't take on on my trailer but replacing the wall covering ..... I would probably sell the trailer first. I wish you well with your project.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Borrego Dave

From reading many posts of this being done, the only thing I'll comment on is you may want to look into the type of glue to use. Some don't seem to hold very well with higher temps. ...(.

See:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post631218

Also see:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tix-67249.html

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ner-50308.html

Also Tim Miklos on the Facebook group "Scamp Travel Trailers" has done this project and might be of help to you. See:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/6506...3677940026761/

[Darral T.]

Green....you DO know you will have to replace the ratfur AND the insulation right? While the ratfur doesnt contribute all that much to insulating...it DOES contribute some. BUt more importantly, they use a HIGH-GRADE contact cement that will rip the existing insulation to shreads.

SO, basically, you're going to be doing some heavy-duty stripping. You say you're going to glue yours to the insulation...so NEW insulation perhaps???

You're probably 1 in 5000 owners that does not like the rat fur. Casita uses carpet to which my wife does not like.

That's the ONLY complaint I have on Escapes, I do not like the "Elephant" hide. When it starts aging, it gets "gooey" feeling. The rat fur to me is "cozy". With that said.... we love it! (Ok...I realize at 7 yrs old, it's going to look alot different than being 26 yo!! )

Good luck, you're in for a pretty sizable job but you sound like you're ready for it.

If you can, keep us posted on your choice of insulation, covering, glue and progress if you can. We dig this stuff!!

[Gene680]

You might want to check the forums on replacing the rivets with bolts. Aluminum rivets are designed to shear off if the Fiberglas experiences severe flexing rather than crack or tear the glass. They're easy to replace and topped with snaps caps over a dab of sealant are in my opinion the best bet.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Gene680

You might want to check the forums on replacing the rivets with bolts...

I recomend this thread, esp my postings starting with #33 ...

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...etc-28989.html

[Jay H]

I know I am late to this discussion but this topic is one I feel strongly about. I replaced the headliner in my boler a few years ago. It can be done but here are some caveats (In my opinion).
First, I should acknowledge that my Boler did not have an insulation layer, the headliner was glued directly to the shell. I did buy reflectix but I chose not to install it because the idea of two layers worried me, especially the fear of the layers delaminating. So my experience is not as large a scale as your project appears.
Second, this is a big reno project, I gutted my trailer. I removed the kitchen and the dinette benches, all of the windows, the roof vent and the front and back upper cabinets. that's a lot of work because they all need to be reinstalled.
Third, keep your old headliner/ ratfur. I traced each sheet out as a template. I also laid all the pieces out on the floor to try and see how much carpet I would have to buy to replace it.
While I thought the corners would be the hardest to lay up, it was actually the ceiling. It honestly took 3 tries to get the headliner to stick to the roof. I started with the ceiling and used contact cement. I did not use a sprayer, tried rolling and brushing it on. It bled through the headliner, turned it yellow and looked awful. I ripped it down and cut a new piece (glad I bought a little extra on the roll!)
I spoke to a carpet installer I knew and bought indoor outdoor carpet glue. It looked identical to what I scraped off my shell in the first place.
So what am I trying to say? Go for it! It won't be easy though. But if it makes you happy in the end it was worth it.
Check out my rebuild if you want to see the results...
Best of luck,
Jay

[RV NUT CASE]

Originally Posted by greenzworth

My plan is to replace it with thick, light outdoor fabric which is also mold/ water resistant (I already have this fabric). I talked to the scamp company about pros and cons of this "Marine Headliner" and they told me it has little to do with insulation most of that is achieved by the silver installation underneath the fabric. Once I take off all the components I'm going to glue the fabric to the silver insulation achieving a very similar affect that the marine material has.
Maybe I'll even add more insulation under the fabric for sound.... after talking to several scamp employees I feel confident that the "Marine Headliner" is not as important as many think.

You want to do to your Scamp the same thing I want to do to my Big Foot mine is all loose and sagging and looks like crap. I also want to replace it with outdoor thin carpet . I want to gut everything out to the wall. Go for it ! I would really like to see it when you get it done. Please let me know how it goes . You and I are on the same page. Good luck 1

[Glenn Baglo]

Yup. Go for it!
I'll be sitting over here with a beer and watching it happen.

[bkboler]

Seems there are a few different threads on this topic so I'm not sure where to jump in but I am planning on stripping out my elephant skin and adding reflectix with headliner over it. I did see somewhere that there was a link to various types of headliner and some of it had a foam backing on it, so my question is, what would be better? Would it matter when it comes to gluing it to the refletix? I thought about using outdoor carpet instead but I didn't think it would feel as soft and not be as comfortable if I were leaning against it. Any ideas? Thanks!!

As for Glenn, you have the right idea.

[Jon in AZ]

Why not clean up and patch the Ensolite and put the marine headliner over that? Pretty sure Ensolite is a better insulator than Reflectix in this application.

I don't think marine headliner has any kind of backing. That's a good thing when it comes to fitting the curves.

[bkboler]

Thanks Jon, I was originally planning on that because I knew replacing everything was going to be a bigger project than I wanted. It sure looks like the skin was painted and I didn't think the adhesive would really stick the headliner to the original skin properly.
As for the headliner, I couldn't find the link I saw but googled it. Sailrite, and It's a marine hull liner with foam backing.