Issues to look for in an Alaskan?

[beaker]

Hi, I am new to this forum, but I've always been casually looking for a used Alaskan camper. This 10' cabover appears and seems to be selling for a decent price. We currently have a Lance 1181 but we live 20 miles from the Denali Highway. There are some very remote spots that we camp in that cause heart palpitations (and sometimes damage) when trying to navigate the big Lance in. The Lance also drops my fuel economy to 11mpg at 70mph, which bothers me on many fronts.

I'd like to know what I should be looking for on an 18-year old camper. I realize that the seals are likely shot and I'm guessing that this camper has been stored outside for a good part of its life. Having had a truck camper, I will inspect the jack/tie-down areas closely. Are there spots these campers that tend to show water damage?

https://kenai.craigslist.org/rvs/d/anchor-point-alaskan-camper/7170454307.html

Thanks in advance for the replies and advice.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

beaker,

My 2¢... look for evidence of leaking, mostly in the corners, floor pack, and around any opening. Then check the systems for proper operation, including the hydraulics.

 

[wcj]

Look for water damage around vents, windows and where the roof and back wall come together. Look at the sliding guides at each corner to see if they are bent and if they track straight. Leaks in the hydraulic system?do the four corners go up and down smoothly and evenly? Most are not perfect but they should be close. Look for rotten wood under the side windows. Is the piece under the window soft if you push on it? If the windows leak this piece gets damaged. Look at the floor from under the camper, off the truck. Make sure it is not soft or rotten, make sure nobody walked in the camper when it was on jack out of the truck.
Perelli tape, appliances, lights, hydraulics you can replace, the frame of the camper is much tougher to replace (I've done it). If the basic frame and structure are straight and not water damaged, the rest is fixable. When you start tearing into rotten wood, you are going to be hating life.
They are amazing campers, mine has been in and out of lots of rough 4x4 miles that a traditional would never have been able to do. They are low tech and pretty easy to work on if you don't have wood rot to deal with.
I have rebuilt three and learned most of it the hard way. If it's solid, you will enjoy it. Good luck.

 

[Keith in Co]

Nice looking camper, from the pictures.
I had a 10’ Alaskan cab over, and learned that many C/Os have a problem with the lower cab over section drooping down over time, such that the very front is lower than the connection point at the front camper wall. I don’t know of any easy way to fix this. It seems that the cantilever was not adequately braced. Since then I’ve seen many Alaskan COs for sale in which this problem is apparent from the pictures.
Maybe others can chime in as to whether Alaskan corrected this design problem in later years.