Re-sealing my Alaskan - places and products?

[Land-roamer]

Hi again.
As I indicated in my introductory post, I'd like to re-seal and re-caulk my Alaskan while in the garage this Fall.

Areas to re-seal my Alaskan

I put arrows on this picture of mine, to show the places I figure should be re-caulked with new sealant, and would appreciate confirmation from you that these are the spots that should be addressed, and whether I am missing some.

I also want to either adjust the top door so it shuts more snugly, or install a thicker sealing strip because there is currently a gap that probably allows rain to get in and accounts for some wood rotting on the bottom of that door.

For sealant, I have been advised on another forum to use Sikaflex polyurethane sealant (which I can obtain locally).

Some of their marine products look particularly well suited:

Sikaflex marine grade sealants

Any other recommendations (places to reseal, and/or products to use)?

Thanks!
--Robert

 

[Rusty]

Caulking with an Alaskan is kind of like placing a bandage over a wound. The screws that penetrate the skin are the culprits and there are a be-gillion of them.

Some of the sealants used in the original construction are linseed oil based...works well with wood and a coat of paint but today there are several others better suited to our needs. Sika is an excellent product, the polyurethane caulk is one of the best, used as a finish caulking over edges with the tip of the tube cut properly.

However, if you're going to attack this problem at the source, there is another layer to consider.

Original installation has a layer of sealant under the flashing, eyebrows and at the doors...(which is a horse of a different color). Under eyebrows, gutter ends, windows and front drip I used a butyl glazing tape, available at your local glass shop. The material does not dry, remains flexible and fills every conceivable deviation in the surface. It's easy to apply and sticks to almost any relatively clean surface...clothing included.

It is applied UNDER the flashing, eyebrow and after the screws are replaced can be carefully trimmed with a sharp razor blade. After that, the fine caulking line of urethane can be applied on the edge of the flashing, providing a flexible edge covering which will weather well and be paintable as well.

Covering the edges, without sealing the surface under it is tantamount to hiding the problem and it WILL bite you....later down the road.

Surfaces move and shift on these campers and the top edge seals will get broken and wear with constant uv damage. The underseal needs to be just as good if not better than the surface coat. when caught by the threads of the screws the butyl will track into the screwholes too.

I was going to wait with this, I'm assembling a series of photos for bodywork/sealing and exterior finishing....when you use the polyurethane caulk as a finish to the edge of the flashing, it now is a paintable surface. Linear polyurethane paint bonds well with it and provides yet another layer of protection. While a little difficult to work with linear poly is an aircraft paint and will provide a fine surface for many years. It stands up to the UV better than any latex or oil based paint and is fairly forgiving when it comes to glossing with a gun.

More.....much more

 

[Land-roamer]

Hi Rusty and thanks for taking the time to write that out. Sounds like I've opened up a rather more complicated subject than I originally thought

I think I'm following what you're saying about the butyl tape, but just to put it in my words so I can see if I understood: not only does one add a bead of sealant to the edges of the areas you mentioned (eyebrows - which I assume are the two side-C shaped metal edges around the roofline front and rear - gutter ends, windows, front drip), but one should also REMOVE those pieces (in the case of the eyebrows, that's a fair number of small hex-head screws!), scrape off the sealant that's there from factory, substitute it with the butyl glazing tape you refer to, re-install/screw the metal piece, cut off the excess butyl, THEN add a bead of the sealant for good measure. Did I get that right?

As far as the multitudinous screws, someone on the expedition forum had earlier suggested the following approach:

Since the aluminum can't leak it's only the screw holes to worry about. After I pull one out if there's no sign of rust & they weren't stripped in the wood stringer that runs under the skin I just put a dab of sikaflex & put it back. If the screw was stripped (well the wood actually) I mark that hole & keep moving doing the sikaflex the holes routine. Later I mix some thickened epoxy, put it into a syringe and pump that into all the bad holes. Next day just sika & replace the screws. Goes pretty fast.

In reading other posts, I've also come to realize that jack brackets (of which 4 were installed in mine by the PO) can also be a source of problem. From the yahoogroup forum:

The holes drilled through the plywood and the flat
surface attachment of the brackets have allowed a surface tension migration of
water into the holes and subsequently into the plywood seating deck. A full
layer of polyurethane adhesive caulk on the Jack plate when installed would have
prevented this...to all who intend to install those types of jacks...bed the top
of the plate where it meets the bottom of the camper and fill the bolt holes
with sealant before assembly.

I hope this cross-pollination of things I've picked up here and there are helpful to the community, and I appreciate any and all other input to help me better prepare for the job ahead of me, so I do it once and for all, and then not worry about it for many years...

Thanks!
--Robert

 

[Rusty]

Yes to all of the above....

It may seem a little extreme but when I took on the paint job a few years back I replaced...ALL....of the screws on the camper. The old plating had worn off and rusted screws have no place on a new paint job.

That's my post about the bedding of the jack plates in Poly....I'll include the photos of the repairs necessary from the surface tension migration from the jack plates and the bolt holes.

When you do the eyebrows...take a look at the condition...I noticed a few bing, bang, batta, batta bings in the edges...might be worth replacing it.

Cleaning is the most important issue when resealing...all previous caulk, dust, dirt, leaves etc....must go for there to be a good seal.

I used two strips of the 1/16 inch butyl glazing tape for the eyebrows. full bed.

Inspect the gutter ends to determine whether you think you will need to remove them...it's a chore to clean the bed under the gutter...I used 1/8" glazing tape there.

A dab of Sika on the screws is a great idea....as long as it's polyurethane...

It can appear like a daunting task...."a little at a time" is one way to approach it....I did that for quite a while before I decided to grin, bear it and push hard through to the finish....worth every minute of it.

 

[Land-roamer]

Yes to all of the above....

It may seem a little extreme but when I took on the paint job a few years back I replaced...ALL....of the screws on the camper. The old plating had worn off and rusted screws have no place on a new paint job.

That's my post about the bedding of the jack plates in Poly....I'll include the photos of the repairs necessary from the surface tension migration from the jack plates and the bolt holes.

When you do the eyebrows...take a look at the condition...I noticed a few bing, bang, batta, batta bings in the edges...might be worth replacing it.

Cleaning is the most important issue when resealing...all previous caulk, dust, dirt, leaves etc....must go for there to be a good seal.

I used two strips of the 1/16 inch butyl glazing tape for the eyebrows. full bed.

Inspect the gutter ends to determine whether you think you will need to remove them...it's a chore to clean the bed under the gutter...I used 1/8" glazing tape there.

A dab of Sika on the screws is a great idea....as long as it's polyurethane...

It can appear like a daunting task...."a little at a time" is one way to approach it....I did that for quite a while before I decided to grin, bear it and push hard through to the finish....worth every minute of it.


Thanks for the added advice and lessons of experience. I'm preparing my plan for resealing the camper, and looking for local places to buy the supplies from.

Yes, the side eyebrows have been a bit beat up. I may try to straighten them out a bit.

Looking forward to further advice on the jack plates, bolt holes, etc.

Another question: would it be a good idea to paint the exterior side of the bottom plywood (floor), as a preservative measure? If so, what kind of paint or finish would be recommended? Mine's in good shape and even though it may not be easy to paint underneath, I'd like to give it a try at some point, if it's a good idea to do so. Maybe Alaskan had a reason to leave it bare? (too bad there wasn't pressure-treated plywood in the early 70's...)

 

[Hyakian]

Hi,

Just took mine back to the mothership (Alaskan Campers) as I am fortunate enough to live within a reasonable drive to Chehalis WA. While there I had them replace seals and check the function of the 93 10' CO that I recently purchased.

They used and recommended this product (http://www.flexibleseal.com/) while working on my rig.

 

[MikeDahlager]

Here's my 2 cents worth on the subject. When I was a commercial fisherman in Alaska, I used both Sikaflex and 3M 5200 depending on the application. Using the 5200, I repaired several holes in an aluminum skiff and never had another leak. It took forever to set up but when it did, it was permanently attached to the surfaces, extremely tough and yet had a limited amount of flex. I understand they have a new version which has a faster setup time. The downside/advantage to 5200 is that it is permanent, unlike the Sikaflex which will release from the surfaces quite easily.

Mike