Delaminating underside of Fleet

[badtoytrd]

I was just wondering if anyone has had the issue of the corners of the underside of their camper "delaminating"? I purchased a used 2010 Fleet last year and used it all of this spring, summer, and fall but it looks like I need to do a bit of maintenance this winter. I was hoping someone has already treated this and could give me some pointers. I have attached a pic below to show what I am talking about.

 

[shellback]

Delaminating, or rot? Looks a little like rot. I'd have to guess the edges of the plywood are getting wet. It doesn't look too bad yet, and there are materials to repair the rot or delamination. Once you make the wood repair, I'd try to flash up under your siding and wrap it under the wing to protect the plywood edges. PS the fridge is working fine in my 1979 Grandby.

 

[MattC]

Just looks like it's getting wet and starting to break down.
you can probably just get it resealed, and it will last a while longer before any major work needs done.

 

[Bombsight]

An ounce of prevention ... Herculiner bed liner.

 

[Squatch]

I'd clean the area well with a brush and some bleach water. Make sure it is good and dry then paint the whole bottom with some grey porch enamel. 2 coats. Work it in well with a brush. Then keep and eye on it. It'll probably last a long time if you keep it dry and painted.

 

[iowahiker]

I posted our experience under a new thread "Camper Drip Edge" to encourage more folks to look at the wood in the corners. Drying, caulking, repainting (we use exterior wood paint which breaths) and having a drip edge should be a permanent solution. Keep an eye on the new paint for water stains to see if the addition of a drip edge is keeping the water off and make improvements as needed.

 

[Beach]

Your picture shows the outer veneer splitting which allows moisture to enter between the plys. A good coat of paint every few years will prevent this in the future. As for repairs, there is a product used in the marine industry called "Git Rot", it's a 2 part epoxy that will wick into the affected layers and solidify things. You might need to open things up if the delamination goes back more than an inch or two. West System is another good epoxy if there is more than minor delam. After epoxy cures, sand and finish as you like.

 

[ckent323]

We have a set of 3/4 inch thick plywood wood strips attached to the underside of our camper (side to side).

Yes, it lifts the camper about 3/4 of an inch off the bed but it prevents the camper bottom from sitting in water in the bed during rain or whatever when it is installed on the truck.

I do see evidence of water damage to the strips but not the camper bottom so it appears they are doing their job.

Regards,

Craig

 

[badtoytrd]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I knew that I needed to repaint the underside and now this just motivates me. It is in storage for the winter and my plan is to address this extensively in the spring.

 

[badtoytrd]

Delaminating, or rot? Looks a little like rot. I'd have to guess the edges of the plywood are getting wet. It doesn't look too bad yet, and there are materials to repair the rot or delamination. Once you make the wood repair, I'd try to flash up under your siding and wrap it under the wing to protect the plywood edges. PS the fridge is working fine in my 1979 Grandby.

Thanks, glad to hear the fridge is working out.

 

[badtoytrd]

I was able to repair the delaminating/rotting wood this spring. I used a product called CPES from Rot Doctor. Once it was treated I filled it with an epoxy filler from Rot Doctor called Fill It, sanded it and then painted with exterior paint.


Before



After

 

[Bill D]

Looks good! It will be interesting to see what it looks like after a few seasons.

 

[longhorn1]

The problem is that the trim stops and water wicks back to the wood. I believe there was post earlier, and the person made repairs and then made a caulk drip edge. My wood was stained so I painted it and then made a caulk drip edge, and all appears to be fine.

 

[badtoytrd]

Thanks for the tip. I don’t think it’s shown on the pic but I did add a drip edge and also sealed along every edge of the trim.

 

[BobD]

I'm glad I found this thread. I had the exact same problem on my new to me 2012 Granby. I used the Git Rot, followed Rot Doctor Sculpwood Epoxy filler. I checked with FWC and they're currently using "PPG fast drying skid guard black" so I decided to go with the roll-on bedliner (Duplicolor from O'reilly's $89). The old boy is good as new!