Used FWC Hawk maintenance

[FiremanWanderer]

Excited to have our new to us camper! Just wanting to get a little advice on maintaining our camper. The camper is in great shape, we’ll taken care of. There are a few rivets pulled through the back panel but everything else is in great shape. Is regards to cleaning and maintaining the canvas soft side, the roof, walls etc. what do you recommend? Or is there a guide to help us? Took it out last week for a ski trip, currently have it inside to dry out the condensation.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Treat the outside vinyl with 3M 303 Aeospace Protectant a couple times a year. Be careful of other products.

Are the rivets you referenced the ones that connect the vinyl to the lift panel? If so, those help keep the vinyl inside when folding. Be careful to get everything tucked in when bringing the top down. I believe there is elastic that is riveted to the vinyl, and to the lift panel.

I suspect FWC has manuals on line, if not... give them a call.

And congrats on the new camper!

 

[FiremanWanderer]

Great, thank you. And the rivets are at the bottom of the rear lift panel above the door where it’s connected to the frame. It still works fine but has potential to keep getting worse.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Great, thank you. And the rivets are at the bottom of the rear lift panel above the door where it’s connected to the frame. It still works fine but has potential to keep getting worse.

My guess is you should be able to repair that by bringing the roof down a little, then inserting new rivets. If the panels are wood, they might have a little rot from condensation. If you need to replace the panels, ATC does great work at reasonable prices.

 

[Beach]

Never apply products to the fabric that have petroleum listed on the label. It will leach into the coating and can attack the adhesive over time or preclude you from getting adhesive to bond when repairing. Any good PVC boat adhesive/fabric will work for what you are doing. Remember you are applying adhesive and you need to apply thin coats. We cut down the bristles on a brush to about 1/2 to 5/8" and use the brush more like a squeegee. These adhesives are hyper sensitive to humidity, so if you see hazing on the surface of your coat, it is moisture. remove by swiping lightly with MEK(do not rub off the adhesive, light swipe only) before applying more adhesive or before bonding after the final coat. Always press the patch down with someone backing up the repair area with a hard surface as you press. Always follow open times on what ever product you choose.