Burro floor repair help - Fiberglass RV
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Old 09-04-2022, 10:19 AM   #1
Junior Member
 
Name: Sarah
Trailer: Burro
Oklahoma
Posts: 11
Burro floor repair help

Hi! I have a 1982 Burro that has a few weak spots around the dinette areas. Most of the flooring feels solid, but underneath, you can feel some soft wood around the rim of the trailer as well.

I have secured the soft spots with Evercoat Tiger fiberglass filler and now plan to "sandwich" the existing floor with plywood to make the whole floor stronger.

However, when I place the new subfloor on the edges of existing fiberglass "furniture" (see photos), I'm left with about 1/4" gap between this new subfloor and the original floor.

I'm afraid that leaving a gap between the two could cause issues if moisture got in that gap

My question is, do I fill this gap with a thiner piece of plywood before laying the thicker plywood on top? Or am I overthinking this and that little extra gap doesn't matter?

First timer here.. so I want to make sure I am doing it right. Thanks!

*Pictures included*
Attached Thumbnails
burro subloor picture.jpg   burro flooring after filler.jpg  

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Old 09-06-2022, 04:55 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
Name: Gary
Trailer: UHaul CT13
Iowa
Posts: 311
Sarah,
Well, congrats on getting your Burro. Always something to fix or tweak on these older campers, but they tend to last & last.
I have a U-Haul CT, so pretty similar... I guess I'll start the responses to your question about floor issues. Others will probably chime in later.

I commend you for sealing up the topside of the floor with the reinforced & waterproof filler. This undoubtedly firmed & leveled things up some. Did you use some Fiberglass resin as well?...... I ask that because it looks shiny all over, but maybe you just 'feathered it out' over the whole surface?
Another question: Was the floor 'dried out' thoroughly?....... what I'm getting at, was this old leakage that softened the floor in spots, but whatever caused the leakage was dealt with, and the old plywood had a chance to dry out?
If not, that could cause problems later on.

All that said, there's not too many 'absolutes' about having an old camper, so if it enables you to get out & camp & use it, that's probably good. I'd just suggest not permanently attaching whatever plywood you put over top... just let it 'float'.
I had a few sagging spots in our U-Haul camper, old leak damage, and only one was still a bit moist---near the door. After removing the carpet etc, and before installing new, I put some additional drains in those low spots, so if water ran there again, it could get out. [If you were to do that, be sure and seal all the 'raw' edges of the holes.] I'd replaced all three back windows, and the roof vent, and caulked underneath the clearance lights on the outside of the camper shell, so I didn't think water would still be getting in... but the additional drains felt like 'insurance'.

Sorry for gassing on so long... old guy syndrome.
Best of luck with the Burro,
Gary
Attached Thumbnails
19-0603 FloorDrainage-03a.jpg   19-0603 FloorDrainage-03b.jpg  

19-0603 FloorDrainage-03c.jpg  
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Old 09-06-2022, 08:53 AM   #3
Junior Member
 
Name: Sarah
Trailer: Burro
Oklahoma
Posts: 11
Thanks so much for your reply, Gary! I did use resin on top of the filler for added waterproof protection. I just cut some subfloor yesterday, which I will also coat with resin on top/bottom/sides. I had planned on filling the gaps around the subfloor edges with the fiberglass filler as well before laying the flooring. I decided to go ahead and add a thin piece of plywood under the thicker piece for extra stability.

When I purchased our Burro in April, it appeared to be in great shape until I removed the threshold by the door to possibly change the flooring. That's how I discovered the rotted subfloor. Everything was bone dry when I removed the flooring, so that is a plus. I have been removing the rotted wood on the underside by the wheelwells, windows, and the front door, where I assume had been caused by leaky windows/doors/water kick-up. That task feels daunting, but I think necessary. I hadn't thought about adding any drainage for the fear of any moisture or water access. Have you found that to be an issue?

I will be receiving our new windows in the next few weeks. Hopefully this will remidy the leaking problems. I will also be sealing the air vent and anything that may allow moisture to come inside.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I bought this little thing. It was supposed to be turn key, ready to camp.. so a bit overwhelming and disappointing since it has just sat under our carport since April. I am hoping that making these improvements will allow us to enjoy it for many years with (hopefully) little issues.

Thank you again for your reply! It's always so nice to find a community to learn from and share the love of these little fiberglass campers with
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Old 09-06-2022, 12:44 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Name: Gary
Trailer: UHaul CT13
Iowa
Posts: 311
Sarah,
You're most welcome.
The whole "ready to camp" label covers a broad range of 'readiness'. It probably is good to just go out & use it as soon as whatever you deem 'essentials' are taken care of..... vs trying to get everything done. The list of what's next to do will probably change over time, and with the camping experience revealing other things you want to tend to.
I added the floor drains---similar to what our U-Haul had under the counter space, and I think clear in the back---"out of an abundance of caution", as they say.
Re the online camping community: It seems like sites like this one, with ongoing build 'threads' are falling out of favor, with a lot of folks going to Facebook sites, where there tend to be lots of activity [a good thing], but no continuity [a bad thing, IMHO]. So I've been a member on this site since 2014, but also on the U-Haul FB page, which also welcomes Burro owners... so I ideally get the benefits of both forums.
The U-Haul FB group I joined is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/UHaulCamper

Again, not bad-mouthing either group/forum... things I like about both.

Not sure how the Burro door 'eyebrow' is, but a lot of the U-Haul's have benefitted from a small 'rain gutter' above the door, to divert rainwater to the sides before it can wick around the eyebrow and run down the inside of the door & onto the floor. FWIW... see pic. I got ours from Amazon, and I think it was called "RV rain gutter" or some such.

Please don't get discouraged about the long list of things to do... it's like buying an old house--always something to do.
Best wishes,
Gary
Attached Thumbnails
19-0524 window-leak gutters-02b.jpg  
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Old 09-11-2022, 11:19 PM   #5
Junior Member
 
Name: dave
Trailer: trillium 1300
Ontario
Posts: 1
Burro floor repair

I just watched utube segment. They reolaced the whole floor

Hope it helps
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Old 09-12-2022, 07:05 AM   #6
Commercial Member
 
Name: Mike
Trailer: Boler13/trillium4500/buro13
Ontario
Posts: 1,138
The burro floor was built with a accident waiting to happen , It had good intentions but was a poor design .they covered the plywood in fiberglass but did not cover or seal the edges ,the double hull construction and poor window install allowed water to run down right onto the edges and rot the floor from the outside edge inward ,so your center floor may be solid but there is a good chance your perimeter is rotted or rotting with no easy way to repair it . There are many previous posts on how to fix it but it does involve removing the frame and wood floor and because of the wrap around fg bottom edge the new floor will need to be rebuilt in pieces .
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