Scamp 13 a/c roof support and lights

[Gompka]

I want to install a couple of lights on the roof of the scamp. Lights on amazon. I have found a picture of what the roof support looks like, but from the picture it looks like i should be able to feel the transition at the back near the fantastic fan where the support stops. I have tried feeling around on the whole roof and I do not feel any height differences through the rat fur.
Can anyone else chime in on this? If the wood is there it would be very easy to attach the lights with some small screws, but if it isn't there I will have to find a new idea. At this point, obviously i have an a/c so the support is there, but i don't know how far it extends past the a/c cutout. I guess i can take off the a/c shroud on the inside of the scamp and look around that way, but looking for input before i go through the trouble.

[Jon in AZ]

Scamp's roof reinforcement for A/C only involves an extra layer of fiberglass cloth, no wood.

[Gompka]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Scamp's roof reinforcement for A/C only involves an extra layer of fiberglass cloth, no wood.

My a/c shroud (on the inside) has screws at both ends that keep it attached to the roof. Does scamp screw right into the fiberglass? I would image they would have to be very short screws in order to not pierce through the roof?

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Gompka

My a/c shroud (on the inside) has screws at both ends that keep it attached to the roof. Does scamp screw right into the fiberglass? I would image they would have to be very short screws in order to not pierce through the roof?

Exactly... see http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...eak-76482.html

[Gompka]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Exactly... see http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...eak-76482.html

Thanks Gordon, it looks like i will have to figure something else out for my lights. I will check my screws when i clean the a/c at the end of the season, scamp does a pretty good job of at least putting silicon on any penetration to keep the water out. It does make me feel like its another one of scamps shortcuts though and makes me see why an Airstream costs so much more than a scamp.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Gompka

Thanks Gordon, it looks like i will have to figure something else out for my lights. I will check my screws when i clean the a/c at the end of the season, scamp does a pretty good job of at least putting silicon on any penetration to keep the water out. It does make me feel like its another one of scamps shortcuts though and makes me see why an Airstream costs so much more than a scamp.

Yes there are many places where Scamps are minimal compared to other campers (including cost).

In the long term, silicone will not stop water where there is penetration. For things like the bath vent however (where IIRC there are ten screws penetrations), Scamp will use silicone around the perimeter but its the butyl under the flange that actually stops leaks.

You could "glass in" some wood blocks for your lights, like I did for the A/C air box screws, but then you still have to figure how how to run wiring. If it were me I would find another way to handle your lighting needs.

[Gompka]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Yes there are many places where Scamps are minimal compared to other campers (including cost).

In the long term, silicone will not stop water where there is penetration. For things like the bath vent however (where IIRC there are ten screws penetrations), Scamp will use silicone around the perimeter but its the butyl under the flange that actually stops leaks.

You could "glass in" some wood blocks for your lights, like I did for the A/C air box screws, but then you still have to figure how how to run wiring. If it were me I would find another way to handle your lighting needs.

Wiring i don't think is too big of an issue, i'm sure i could fish the wire either to the vent fan or one of the top cabinets. I specifically selected lights with their own switches. I just want some light to come down from the top as the lights scamp puts in are all down low, basically task lighting. I'll think of something just have to get more creative.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Gompka

Wiring i don't think is too big of an issue, i'm sure i could fish the wire either to the vent fan or one of the top cabinets. I specifically selected lights with their own switches. I just want some light to come down from the top as the lights scamp puts in are all down low, basically task lighting. I'll think of something just have to get more creative.

Let us know what you decide.. I have also wanted lights mounted higher but have not done more than think about it.

I did attach a LED string to the rat fur with safety pins as a test. It was powered from a battery pack at one end. The strip I had was way too blueish so I took it down, but other strips have better quality light, many are dim able and some are multi-color. A few people have done that mod.

[Gompka]

Gordon my first idea was to use a warm white led strip with an aluminum extrusion as a diffuser, this really helps make the led strips nicer to look at. However, the amazon round lights have their own switches and look to have less weight to them. I was thinking of just putting in a piece of aluminum under the rat fur to attach the lights to, but i'm worried over time the weight would cause the rat fur to sag. I may just end up glassing in thin wood blocks, this project will probably be pushed to next year since its harder than i thought.

[Rich G. and Val F.]

I don't know how much of a project you desire to do.

For less than $20 you could put a piece of adhesive velcro on the back of an inflatable Luci light and attach it to the rat fur anywhere in the trailer. These lights are solar rechargeable and can be taken outside for a picnic table. They provide enough light to read by and come in several options for brightness. I use them in my trailer and have no connections to the corporation.

[Gompka]

Rich, thanks for the recommendation, i am going after something a little more factory looking and hardwired. I have a few ideas, just the time to go through with them is the issue!

[Garyscamper]

I didn't want to add any new holes to the roof of my Scamp, so I did the following.

1.Made a 14" plywood mount for the lights. routing a small chase for the wires out one side.
2. Ran the 18 gauge wiring by fishing it from the bench seat up behind the rat fur. You should be able to do this with a stiff (fish) electrical snake.
3. Cut a hole in the rat fur about 1/4" smaller than the plywood base
4. wired the lights
5. Using strong construction adhesive I glued the plywood base and light to the exposed fiberglass, and tucked the rafter under the edge.

See my blog. It has pictures.

My Scamp Fiberglass Egg Camper: uplifting delight

[holderfield]

I did a video on how a Scamp is built......last year. It shows the roof support for an unit with an A.C. being I installed in it. My Scamp Adventages.........John Holderfield.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Gompka

My a/c shroud (on the inside) has screws at both ends that keep it attached to the roof. Does scamp screw right into the fiberglass? I would image they would have to be very short screws in order to not pierce through the roof?

My Coleman Mini-Mach A/C is not attached with screws into the fiberglass. It is mounted with spring loaded machine screws to an inside bracket through the standard 14X14 opening, and sealed to the roof with a gasket.
How about mounting LEDs in the A/C shroud?

[Gompka]

Coming back to this, i was recently watching this scamp factory tour video https://youtu.be/s-qvd74DHn0?t=249 and in it Wayne Pitlick mentions, "this is a 13, we put extra support in this one for an airconditioner" and when the video pans to the roof you can clearly see an extra wooden support on the roof for the a/c and then the fantastic fan hole right behind that. John's video is from late in 2017, so now I have conflicting information about the roof support.

I have reached out to scamp with a screen shot of the video and my vin number so that they can confirm or deny. It seems like the wood is fiberglassed in place so to the unsuspecting person it may seem like the a/c shroud is screwed directly to fiberglass.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Gompka

...
It seems like the wood is fiberglassed in place so to the unsuspecting person it may seem like the a/c shroud is screwed directly to fiberglass.

I refer to the cover on top (on the roof) the shroud and the inside on the ceiling is the air distribution box. The shroud is attached to the frame of the A/C but the air distribution box in my 2015 sixteen footer was screwed into (and clean through) the fiberglass roof. There was no wood at that spot for the screws until I added some. See this thread.

Originally Posted by Gompka

...
I have reached out to scamp with a screen shot of the video and my vin number so that they can confirm or deny. ..

I assume you sent an email.. you might need to call. I know they made some changes to the roof support in different years but I don't have the specifics.

[Gompka]

I assume you sent an email.. you might need to call. I know they made some changes to the roof support in different years but I don't have the specifics.[/QUOTE]

Gordon, I did see your post, the YouTube videos are showing a scamp 13 so not sure if 16 is any different. Scamp got back to me and said that all scamp are "prepped for a/c unless owner requests they don't do it." I specifically attached the video screen shot and asked about the wood so it seems like it should indeed be there. Looking at the screen shot it's not just extra fiberglass because of the color, it's much lighter. In your photo it does look like just fiberglass, but are you sure there wasn't a fairly thin piece of wood that was glasses over? Do you recall how long the screws were holding in the air distribution box? I believe the shell should only be about 1/8" thick, I'm guessing the wood would be 1/4" so total thickness if there is wood there should be a little less than 1/2".

[gordon2]

Well I cant be 100% sure but I'm close to 100. Any wood in the my roof would have to be so thin that I don't think it would add much strength.

I wonder if the wood on the roof was just temporary backing for a thicker coat of fiberglass. The talk about "all wood" in the video seems to be about the supports for the benches, etc., and not the roof. Thats my guess at least.

At any rate, ask the right person at Evelands the specific question, how is it reinforced and what methods were used in which years, and that will the authoritative answer.

[Gompka]

Alright, so i finally got an explanation from Wayne Pitlick at scamp about the roof.

Don't put any screws into the ceiling, the support is only 1/8th inch thick, it is a pad that is soaked in fiberglass resign. The combination makes the roof stronger.
thanks,
Wayne Pitlick

So you guys were right that it is only fiberglass, I was thrown off by the way the fiberglass was a different color in that part of the roof, which I guess is caused by the pad that Wayne mentions. I'm guessing the roof thickness is then 3/8 - 1/4". I do have screws in my air distribution box like Gordon mentioned so I will have to check those in the spring time, i don't have a leak there but better be safe than sorry.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Gompka

Alright, so i finally got an explanation from Wayne Pitlick at scamp about the roof.



So you guys were right that it is only fiberglass, I was thrown off by the way the fiberglass was a different color in that part of the roof, which I guess is caused by the pad that Wayne mentions. I'm guessing the roof thickness is then 3/8 - 1/4". I do have screws in my air distribution box like Gordon mentioned so I will have to check those in the spring time, i don't have a leak there but better be safe than sorry.

Good research.

I tried to convince them to glass-in some wood (like they do for the benches) so that the A/C air dist box screws would have something more to bite into. It seems that they have declined to make the change.