1994 Gypsy Casita 16' rebuild

[saucesquatch]

Hola fiberglass friends!

First post of our rebuild I have some questions, I'm currently gutting our 1994 Casita and it's August in Texas and I'm racing the sun before it's too unbearable to work. I plan to post pictures and the story of our adventure with this little camper, but first...

I am taking the subfloor out and replacing, unfortunately the existing subfloor rotted away and I'm left with all these rusted screws sticking up.

I'm assuming I need to cut these away and re-drill new screws for the new flooring.
Here is a photo of how the screws and bolts are sticking up:


link since it doesn't seem to be embedding: https://photos.app.goo.gl/aXr5ZY2vxGvA5zTh6

Does anyone know what depth the fiberglass is?

More to the point, how long of a screw do I need to buy so my sub-flooring screws grab without puncturing the floor?

Actually I may call casita today...

They have been really good with my questions!

...more to come.

[saucesquatch]

Okay so I'm deep into this sub floor project, it's Labor Day weekend and I took a couple additional days off to get work done. Before I get into the current project status I wanted to give a little back story...

My wife and I live in Austin, Texas, she is a hair stylist and I'm a web developer, we are both creative people who really enjoy renovating. We make a pretty good team, I figure out how to make things work and she makes it cute.

I love to tent camp but as a camping has never been our thing as a couple. But over drinks we got dreaming about how we could see the country with our kids and getting a little camper sounded pretty great.

Without knowing much (still don't), literally a week later, we purchased our little Caista and so this journey began.



Since we are crazy like that and I started doing the research after I was relieved to find such a following for them AND the company Casita is an hour and a half north of us.

So feeling pretty good about our investment, let's get the party started!

[dblcola]

Looking forward to following your rebuild. Good luck

[Davie B]

I’m confused about the screws. When I replaced the chipboard subfloor in my LiteHouse, it was glued to the fiberglass tub. The only fasteners were the big bolts that tie the camper to the frame. Do those screws go through the fiberglass or were they used to tie something to the plywood?
I’d probably try to back the screws out with a pair of vicegrips.

Getting the old floor out can be a big job. Mine was partly rotted OSB. Some of it came up easily but to get it all out I needed a vibrating tool, an orbital sander and an angle grinder.

[saucesquatch]

Okay, so I got all the screws cut out, I ended up using a grinder and just cutting them flat. I did not expect to gut it but...



Davie, our OSB floor was rotted away as well, there was water damage at one point and previous owner fixed the wood in the pathway, but not all the way around. So I cleared it out. Here is that rotted OSB, not very pretty:


SO as far as the NEW subfloor I have realize what I think is how they attached, there are a couple bolts up by the front of the frame, then just a bunch of counter sunk self tapping metal screws running the along the frame, through the wood into the frame.

I took the old bolts off, they just broke away they were so rusted and I upgraded to some nice thick 12mm x 40mm stainless bolts, seems like the right length on my test fit.


Here I am securing the first board first with rivets that to pull the fiberglass flat to the board so they are sandwiched, then I'm drilling in new self tapping metal screws. You can see in the pic I drilled down so my rivets could grab better.


Seems to be working, the floor is starting to feel secure again. I have my shapes cut and today I'm installing the rest of the floor, not before one more home depot trip

[saucesquatch]

for our master area/bed table post we have a huge hole where this table mount was protruding through the fiberglass then caulked around. Is that the correct way this is supposed to mount? Does it really require a hole in the camper on the bottom?

It looks right from the inside, but trying to eliminate any possible water seepage areas. Should I close this up with fiberglass patching or use the whole with a sealant on the outside?





from the outside:


Other Casita owners have this belly button sticking out?

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by saucesquatch

Okay, so I got all the screws cut out, I ended up using a grinder and just cutting them flat. I did not expect to gut it but...

<_<

For the next person who finds screws like that with a lot of the head sticking up. Just grab onto them with a pair of vise grip pliers and use that to turn out the screws.



As you are new to this work there is something you need to know about using stainless steel fasteners. Stainless steel fasteners can develop what is call galling when you twist the nuts onto the bolts. If that happens you will never be able to get the nuts back off. Nylock nuts are especially prone to galling. When you install nuts onto stainless bolts you should add some Anti-Seize to the threads. That will prevent them from seizing up. I just replaced all the bolts in my trailer with new stainless and I treated all the bolts with anti-seize. You can get Anti-Seize products from any hardware store.


Here is an article explaining thread galling on stainless steel fasteners.
https://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-i...d-galling.aspx

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by saucesquatch

for our master area/bed table post we have a huge hole where this table mount was protruding through the fiberglass then caulked around. Is that the correct way this is supposed to mount? Does it really require a hole in the camper on the bottom?

It looks right from the inside, but trying to eliminate any possible water seepage areas. Should I close this up with fiberglass patching or use the whole with a sealant on the outside?

Other Casita owners have this belly button sticking out?

It is typical that there is a hole through the floor but how you are showing the installation is incorrect, it won't be strong enough in terms of structural engineering design. The mounting plate will sit on top of your plywood subfloor. Underneath the trailer you should create a rectangular plate with a hole in it for the cup on the table mount to pass through. You need to use the backer plate and have the fitting on top of the subfloor because there is a lot of lateral stress on that rather shallow fitting. That stress can pull the screws right out of the fiberglass shell. Putting longer screws through the thicker pieces of wood is therefore essential structural engineering for this installation. When making repairs on your trailer always think about structural load forces...what happens to these parts if I???

To keep the water out put butyl rubber tape around the outside surface of the cup and also put it against the outside of the fiberglass shell. That butyl rubber tape becomes your waterproofing gasket. It will spread out under pressure covering the whole surface between the plywood and the shell, keeping out all the water.

For your exterior backer plate you can use a piece of plywood. Make a rectangle and use a hole saw that matches the diameter of the cup on the table mounting piece. The leftover pieces from the subfloor will work for the plywood for making this exterior backer plate, if you want it thicker just bond two pieces together. Be sure to seal the cut edges of the plywood. If you wish to you can coat the plywood with some of the underlining paint used for underneath vehicles, it comes in spray cans. Plywood is a better choice than solid wood for the backer plate as it won't split apart when you drive the screws into it.

[saucesquatch]

Thanks Corbin, that answers my question.

In the pic I was just sizing and showing placement, I assumed I would have to reinforce that sucker. That's a good idea to go at it from the outside, I may get ambitious and fiberglass it right on.

I will look into the galling as well, good tip.

[saucesquatch]

Well the long weekend is coming to an end and I finishing this up this sub floor just as the rain is starting to roll in. Despite needing a few simple finishing touches I had to call it a day early and cover up the camper.

Wow, what a journey so far, I was not expecting to completely gut the camper this weekend but I guess that happened

Here are some progress photos:


cracks me up when folks ask if it will fit, it's a Honda Element, even if it doesn't fit it will fit lol


looking good, feeling solid


that 5" board going across to the step up into the master area needed a slight curve to the edges, bandsaw came in very handy here. Just trimmed the corners, smoothed it out and gave it a quick sand and first try it snugged right in there.
This is all I needed to cut from the edges

[John Breiby]

Hi, I'm a newbie at this site, and I'm enjoying looking at your rebuild, and have to say that I'm very impressed with your persistence in this daunting task. I'm in the market for a Casita Freedom Deluxe, but your problem with the rotted OSB floor would seem to be a common potential for all the Casitas, and for that matter, to many of the fiberglass camper models out there, and the major reason I'm hesitating. As a boat builder and carpenter of fifty+ years, I just don't understand why these otherwise amazing trailers are built using anything other than a high-quality marine-grade plywood for the floor, sealed with epoxy or polyester resin. The small additional expense for building with a better material than OSB (I've had the experience several times in sawing an edge off a sheet of OSB and watched that edge delaminate in half into two thin sheets of wood chips) would only add a little to the initial cost, yet the savings in major maintenance and grief down the road would be immense. So I guess this a question to those with experience in repairing FG camper floors, as well as for the manufacturers of these otherwise little jewell-like campers: does anyone know why the manufacturers use this inferior OSB to begin with instead of a superior but slightly more expensive material? Thanks, John.

[dblcola]

Originally Posted by John Breiby

Hi, I'm a newbie at this site, and I'm enjoying looking at your rebuild, and have to say that I'm very impressed with your persistence in this daunting task. I'm in the market for a Casita Freedom Deluxe, but your problem with the rotted OSB floor would seem to be a common potential for all the Casitas, and for that matter, to many of the fiberglass camper models out there, and the major reason I'm hesitating. As a boat builder and carpenter of fifty+ years, I just don't understand why these otherwise amazing trailers are built using anything other than a high-quality marine-grade plywood for the floor, sealed with epoxy or polyester resin. The small additional expense for building with a better material than OSB (I've had the experience several times in sawing an edge off a sheet of OSB and watched that edge delaminate in half into two thin sheets of wood chips) would only add a little to the initial cost, yet the savings in major maintenance and grief down the road would be immense. So I guess this a question to those with experience in repairing FG camper floors, as well as for the manufacturers of these otherwise little jewell-like campers: does anyone know why the manufacturers use this inferior OSB to begin with instead of a superior but slightly more expensive material? Thanks, John.

John it is rare for someone to have do what Janie is doing. Just doesn't happen. Casita's quality is at the top of the heap.

Richard

[saucesquatch]

John, I should have stated that this was caused by water damage at some point in time. From what i could tell there was a leak at the kitchen faucet.

It was pretty deceiving at first to understand what was going on because I knew there was damage under the kitchenette and thought I would need to replace that, but clearly the damage went all the way around under the fiberglass molds.

I do like your advice about hitting this floor with a sealant, any advice on what I could use to seal and still lay a peal and stick tile down?

And just a reference, this is what I saw when I pulled up the linoleum, looked like a pretty decent floor but height was wrong and didn't support under the molding.

[saucesquatch]

Also, the ledges that the seating attaches to is the same OSB board but still very strong, I'm sure the floor would still be good if not for the leak.

[John Breiby]

Sasquatch, Since there is a solid fiberglass shell underneath your new plywood, I would hesitate in completely sealing the top side of the floor, as that would encapsulate any moisture that might conceivably find its way through plumbing openings, plywood joints, etc. This is controversial territory in boatbuilding, at least, as there are many so-called wood-epoxy boats happily sailing around, with wood, usually cedar, encapsulated on both sides with a fiberglass/epoxy skin, but once the plastic is penetrated--hitting a rock, dock, other sharp object--it is almost impossible to get the water out. In your case, since you probably (hopefully) won't be sailing your Casita, I would say that if you could at least saturate the edges of all the plywood with a good penetrating epoxy (West System or System Three come to mind), and then cover the floor with a single sheet of vinyl, rather than using individual tiles that might leak along the seams during floor washing, etc., you'd go a long way towards avoiding a rotten floor in the future. In addition, you could also seal the joints in the main body of the floor with a 1 1/2" fiberglass tape sealed in epoxy. And of course, the best cure for future rot will be to check your plumbing regularly to make sure it's not leaking to begin with. Hope this helps and best of luck to you on a big job! John

[saucesquatch]

Appreciate the advice John, I'll take a look into those epoxy's. The good news is I'm not doing plumbing (for now)! So no sneaky leaks. After the floors are good I'm going to patch the existing holes and seal the bottom.

The decision to not doing plumbing may change in time but as someone who tent camps on motorcycle trips I'm looking at the camper as a big tent and I've never felt like I needed a sink or a stove in my tent. Plus, it significantly reduces the rehab work to get this on the road. One step at a time...

[John Breiby]

Originally Posted by saucesquatch

Appreciate the advice John, I'll take a look into those epoxy's. The good news is I'm not doing plumbing (for now)! So no sneaky leaks. After the floors are good I'm going to patch the existing holes and seal the bottom.

The decision to not doing plumbing may change in time but as someone who tent camps on motorcycle trips I'm looking at the camper as a big tent and I've never felt like I needed a sink or a stove in my tent. Plus, it significantly reduces the rehab work to get this on the road. One step at a time...

Hi again, Saucesquatch. Your idea of not having plumbing sure makes sense to avoid any future leaks (don't spill your water container! ;-). The reason we are thinking about getting a little FG trailer over tent camping, which we enjoyed for many years, is because our bones are just getting too old to lie on the ground, and my wife has a fear of bears tearing into the tent. We both would like, she especially, toilet facilities, given the hit-or-miss cleanliness of campground toilets.

I should add about the epoxy: I'm most familiar with West System. It ain't cheap, but a quart of it (resin + hardener) will probably be plenty for your project, providing you just seal the plywood edges. It is mixed at a ratio of 5:1; I believe System 3 at a ratio of 2:1 (3:1?)--which sounds a bit easier to deal with, though West System has measurement cups to help come out with the proper ratio. I think they both use measuring pumps that come specific to the size kit you buy. They also come with various powder thickeners, as the un-thickened epoxies are quite runny--just what you want to soak into the plywood end-grain, so you may not even need thickeners. I have a local place to buy it; most marine suppliers would have either of these formulations, and it's available online, but there are shipping restrictions, at least to Alaska. One caution about use: use as little at a time as you think you'll be able to use, as these are thermo-setting resins. Use too much and they WILL kick off in your container, meaning they'll heat up to the point of occasionally breaking into flame. This can be retarded by pouring into a shallow pan like a pie pan, so it spreads out. My usual practice is to fill the bottom of a yoghurt cup about 1//4" deep and use that, then mix up another little batch. It mixes up fairly quickly, so it's not a hardship, compared to losing a cupful because it kicked off on you (speaking from experience!)

I've had more experience using epoxy, rather than polyester resin, which horrible smell I can't stand. it's important to use proper protective gear: rubber gloves and a good charcoal filter face mask--especially using it in an enclosed space like your camper--when using any of these product, as they aren't very healthy to ingest, either through your skin or lungs. Contact dermatitis can result from using it bare-handed. It's great stuff, but just like any tool, they can carry some dangers (skill-saws to fingers, etc.). Maybe you know all of this stuff, so apologies if you're getting old info.

Again, best of luck on your project! You sure have persistence!

John

[saucesquatch]

So last week we had rain all week
Hasn't rained in Texas in months, I drill out a few rivets in the camper and it rains for 10 days straight. We did get some water coming into the camper, I guess the bright side is it exposed our weaknesses of where we need to seal. For the time being I just put rivets back into anywhere that didn't have one and put a tarp (over the cover) over the door which needs the gasket to be replaced. Rained again Saturday night and no water.

Aside from water damage control we started prepping the interior components for paint, this required drilling out all the old rivets and unscrewing any remaining screws. Then I sanded down with 80 grit to get down till the sheen was gone.



Workshop in the rain


After a day of sanding I was ready for some cold beer and relaxing, these ladies decided it was a good idea to drink wine and shampoo the carpet

[Steve Hammel]

As a temp fix for those rivet holes just use a bit of plumbers putty or in a pinch some chewing gum. LOL, Advice from the Mickey Mouse club of trailer repair.

Steve

[saucesquatch]

Originally Posted by Steve Hammel

As a temp fix for those rivet holes just use a bit of plumbers putty or in a pinch some chewing gum. LOL, Advice from the Mickey Mouse club of trailer repair.

Steve

lol thanks Steve, anything would have been better than what I did which was basically nothing but cover it. My riveter broke, I was out of tape and I half didn't believe that it would even rain