new member, new owner of old !3' scamp

[M in mi]

what a wonderful place to gain insight, experience on fiberglass trailers, all aspects. Thank you, My old new scamp needs repairs and modifications. It was simplified and i believe well repaired so far. It has fiber skin (maybe mold underneath) on the interior walls and a funny smell. I would like to learn about removing this material and painting the interior. Can anyone offer any threads or advise?
M in Mi

[Jon in AZ]

Welcome, Margaret! Congratulations on the "new" Scamp!

Regarding the walls... Some more information would be helpful, like the model year. Early units, through the mid-80's, used Ensolite on the walls, closed cell foam with a bonded vinyl surface, sometimes referred to by its nickname, "elephant hide." Since the mid-80's they have used marine headliner over foil bubble wrap. The headliner is a fuzzy, carpet-like material nick-named "rat fur" hereabouts. Designed for marine applications, it does not absorb moisture or odors and resists mildew and mold. (There may have been a brief transition in which they used some other lining material.)

The lining serves a number of important functions: controlling light and sound, preventing condensation in colder weather, and adding some insulation. Bare painted fiberglass gives up most of those benefits. Both Ensolite and headliner are very sturdy and cleanable. Personally, I would do everything I could to save it first before ripping it out.

Tell us, or better yet, show us what you have and you'll get advice on how best to attempt a rescue operation.

[k0wtz]

welcome Margaret yes great info here great generous folks also. I wouldn't consider messing around with your ratfur or naughahyde at this point. No doubt a touch of mildew somewhere could be in your floor even.

I bought an ionizer off amazon I use it in my musty basement and have put it in the 13f scamper for a bit!

by the way a 13f scamper looks sort of ridiculous!!

best of luck

bob

[bill&sandra]

Margaret , welcome! If you have the ensolite vinyl interior, several washes with a soft sponge and half n half vinegar and water should remove any smells clinging. BUT... Smells cling to all porous surfaces so you might want to wash all surfaces, including inside cubbies and bins! Our baby Scamp smelled terrible from smokers and it took 4 thorough washes to remove. We also used an industrial ‘odor removal’ canister. Don’t forget the fridge!

[M in mi]

Thank you for good advise. I had a hard time finding my way back to my own thread. Learning curve.
I have a 1983 13 ‘ scamp. It has a carpet like wall covering with a foil underlayment. I could learn to live with it but don’t like it much.
There is a smell, i’ll try an ionizer and look for hidden mold. I get the impression the smell may be a chemical cleaner maybe that was used to clean the fabric like covering.
I’ have much to learn, the scamp was stripped of it’s kitchen and heater, i’d like to do a pantry like floor to ceiling built in that has a fold down work surface instead of the traditional kitchenette.
I trust folks are open to these kinds of ideas and may have thread or forums to recommend.
I’ll have to learn how to use a rivet tool. I want to learn all about how these trailers were built so i can repair etc.

[JudyG]

check out removing a roof vent from a 75 scamp - lots of riveting info

[M in mi]

Thank you, i’ll try to figure out how to do a search.