Preventative Maintenance

[cc7665]

I'm wondering what I should be doing maintenance wise on my Alaskan. I want to make sure no water gets in. I have a 2016 8' cabover. I talked to Brian at Alaskan a bit and he said to check around the seams and use non-siliconized caulk on it. I'm interested in what everyone suggests and maybe the specific products you like for touching up seals, etc. Also Brian said to put some support saw horses under the front and back of the camper and have the jacks a bit limp in case the saw horses give out.

 

[popRoid]

cc7655: I have a 2018 10ft Alaskan cabover and it is parked in my barn when not in use....keeping it out of weather/sun is probably the best thing you can do besides resealing seams once a year or so. Rick Baumgartner at Alaskan gave me a couple tubes of that non siliconized caulk and I'll take a look at the brand next day or so and get back with you. As for sawhorses go over to https://www.torklift.com/rv/camper-packer

You can save money by getting the lumber from Lowe's or Home Depot to build the camper-packer sawhorses . These work great to distribute the camper weight and take pressure off ...especially the rear door which will warp a bit if things are unevenly distributed using the jacks only for long term storage. If you are in the south there's the humidity and mold to deal with....I run a dehumidifier all summer long in mine while it's parked in the barn.

Here's one of the best documented Alaskan buildups I've read: https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/alaskan-camper-build-up.9502/

All the best !

 

[wagoneer]

Don't know if older campers are hardier but i have left my 1976 camper on for ever and see no change . Of coerce I paid a lot less than you (probably) and will move on when needed.

 

[PackRat]

if the subject of sawhorses came up then I assume you dismount your Alaskan for some periods of time. I would add to the caulking suggestion by saying why not tarp the rig to keep rainwater at bay? I would also say that two sawhorses won't be enough. Many guys who dismount them have built roll-around frames with several side-to-side supports (one at the front and rear and four in the middle) and one on each side running fore and aft to give your rig the same support it has when mounted.

Indoors storage is best, but in damp locales, keeping a 100-watt bulb burning 24/7 or a dehumidifier going is a good idea. The weather in your area will dictate how detailed your off-season preparations need to be (freezing temps or the hot sun?).

There are a few posts about how to "winterize" the Alaskan and others on pre-season preparations here well worth the read.

 

[cc7665]

I’m in Utah so it is very cold and then the snow is a problem. I’ve thought about putting together some sort of dolly so I can roll it into the garage. Not sure if I can get it low enough to make that work since it has the air conditioner on it. I read some mixed feelings on a tarp, I think when I talked to Brian he said it rubs and can trap moisture. So I’m not sure if that’s a good idea or not. It’s pretty dry here when there isn’t snow. It sounds like building out some sort of platform may be the key. I talked to Brian about using the Rieco Titan dolly but I guess the frame isn’t designed well to fit the Alaskan. He suggested adding timber to the top may fix it, but then I think just building one would be a better approach. Do you know of any photos of what people have built to support their camper? I’ve searched around and haven’t come across it yet. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[PackRat]

Off hand I'd say that Brian would be right on about a tarp trapping moisture, however my Alaskan has the front and rear "racks" which hold up the tarp I have and allow wind to circulate under the tarp. You have an AC unit and if you had those racks also I would not think that condensation would form as long as the tarp wasn't tied down too tighly. As long as you can see the breeze lifting the sides of the tarp and the top, then I would not be too afraid of condensation.

The point is; if you have sealed up the vents and the front/rear and window trim recently, you should have no problem with water intrusion anyway. My '76 isn't bothered by a little chaffing of the tarp to the paint as the paint is still in good condition. If you had a NEW Alaskan, I would not suggest the tarp and would hope that it had no leaking seams anyway.

Your option of putting it on a rolling frame to keep inside is the best possible option if you have room in your garage though...then you just need to insure mice don't find it as nice a place to use in the winter as you do in the summer!