Looking at the fiberglass world.. :)

[thegadget]

Hello, I am looking into the Fiberglass campers. This forum is a huge collection of knowledge. So glad you guys are here. We are in Texas and looking for a camper to take our 6mo and 4yro on a couple camping trips. I found a '92 Casita 16' Spirit Deluxe for around $5k and just wondered if that was reasonable or not. The top was bowed a little bit, so the owner put a couple of oak boards underneath the roof and screwed in from the top of the shell to pull up the bow. It seams to me that would compromise the fiberglass with the screw holes, but what do I know. It has never been smoked in and no pets. Has the Window a/c from 92 and has the small bathroom. We can spend no more than around $5k on a camper. Anyway, just wanted to get the masters of the forums feedback. Thank you and have a great day!

[David Tilston]

Roof sag is tough to fix, and it sounds like it was fixed wrong. I would walk away.

[thegadget]

Thank you for your quick reply. I very much appreciate it. Why would the roof sag like that? Is there a way to prevent it?

[David Tilston]

Mostly age and gravity. When manufactured the roofs bow up for an arch effect. Once this collapses, the fibreglass settles into that shape, and it takes a fibreglass repair to fix it. One member put a mohawk like ridge on the top of the trailer to support the sagging roof. I have a trailer that has a completely collapsed roof:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post423295
There is a section at the front where the inversion I described earlier has happened to this trailer. My plan to fix it is detailed in this post:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post460300

[Mike Magee]

One possible explanation for roof sag would be that a previous owner removed some cabinets or other supporting objects from the trailer; interior stuff serves to stiffen and support the outer shell. Or if someone installed roof AC on a roof that wasn't meant for that extra weight, that could also do it.

It would be possible to custom-shape some wooden bowlike supports for the interior, but never should it be necessary to penetrate the shell with holes and create future leak points.

[carlkeigley]

Welcome Josh.
You will definitely find lots of knowledgeable
folks here. Good luck in your search.
That's part of the adventure also.

[Donna D.]

You are in Texas? Home of Casitas. If you check FiberglassRV-4Sale.com you'll probably find more "used" Casitas in Texas than in other areas of the country. That DOESN'T mean that brand is "less" than others.. it's more about availabilty.

Good luck in your egg hunt

[Mike Magee]

Figure that some additional repair work may be needed to get the roof properly repaired and stuff. You could offer the owner less, and maybe end up with a decent deal. Since you only have about $5k, it's better to offer $3500 or $4000 and leave a cushion of money for whatever needs to be done.

[David Tilston]

In Calgary, that fix would be around $3000.

[Jon in AZ]

How are four people going to sleep in that floor plan? I was under the impression that it only had 3 berths: rear double and side single.