Inspecting an old Alaskan

[AMB]

Hi. I'm new here and thanks in advance for considering my question.
I'll be checking out a mid sixties 10' nco soon. Can anyone advise me on ways to check for rot? The seller says that there's an area of the floor that needs attention. How does one determine if there's much decay within the walls?

 

[Ripperj]

There will often be water stains along the bottom inside of the upper section. This could be a sign of significant rot, but it's tough to tell.
If it were me, I would take any signs of water on the inside as an indication that the camper is a project.
Look carefully at the underside of the floor also. Replacing the floor is not a two minute job,as all the interior is attached to it. You may get away with just doubling up the floor with a new piece of 3/4" ply installed underneath

 

[Rusty]

the siding may be loose at the perimeter...a sign of rotted flooring

watch the inside corners of the top section....darker stains, stains around screws and water stains are all signs of water intrusion

collapsed interior paneling around the windows is a sign of rot

any older Alaskan these days is going to be a project of one level or another....you have to decide what it is you want as a final result...an Alaskan camper showpiece....or a camper which functions well but may have a few issues...and what you are willing and capable of accomplishing given your situation.

A nice large shop with a heater makes a project like this quite a bit easier....I've seen them done outside and done well...but it may be more of a trick in the Northwest these days to get enough dry days to roll back the tarp and get busy.

Watch for damage on the exterior...newer models have electric hydraulic lifting systems and they also have locking pins by the driver side front....I've seen Alaskans made in the last 10 years with severe damage to the drivers side front corner...from leaving the pin in place while operating the hydraulics...not pretty....watch for exterior damage repairs...tape/patches/lots of caulk...all signs of problems

loose vinyl on the floors isn't a good sign

watch the vent overhead...for staining of the paneling

good luck...always remember.....RipperJ just finished rebuilding one ....from scratch...so there is the standard on repairs...I still think about that one

An "area" of the floor doesn't happen....it'll be the entire floor...there are no water stops in old interior plywood

 

[Garden-gnomes]

Pull a few screws and look for rust on the threads. Any rust or corrosion means rot. If in a cabover pay special attention the the curved transition area where the cab over connects. I bought one that looked good on the outside and ended up being a soggy sponge on the inside, It's rebuilt now but it was quite a process.