Interesting delam issue - revised 6-24, more pics

[Boatycall]

My Eagle Cap 1160 filon has let go under the bunk.

But here's the interesting part - I haven't camped in the rain in years, no signs of leaks, and it's fully garaged 24x7.

Input I'm looking for -
Why would it have delam'd?
and..
What would you do to re-glue it? I'm thinking of drilling a couple small holes, shooting it full of glue, then making a reinforced plywood piece that I'll jack up with a floor jack to pinch the filon while the glue sets.

Here's the only pic I could find showing the condition and where I keep it, inside a purpose-built garage---

[AnEv942]

ah thanks! AP Products 021-39201. Looked earlier kept getting marine stuff. Must slip over ends of flat rail

[wnjj]

AnEv942 wrote:

Boatycall wrote:
.. with endcaps and a couple rolls of Dicor Butyl seal tape. I have the drawings from Eagle cap on the stud/cross brace spacing, so now to locate those and put the aluminum strips in.

Curious where you found end caps and what they look like.

How about these? https://www.amazon.com/AP-Products-0911-1527-White-Pack/dp/B00T36NMWK/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_263_t_1?_encodi...

They might be a bit too wide though.

[AnEv942]

Boatycall wrote:
.. with endcaps and a couple rolls of Dicor Butyl seal tape. I have the drawings from Eagle cap on the stud/cross brace spacing, so now to locate those and put the aluminum strips in.

Curious where you found end caps and what they look like.

[egarant]

I posted here a few years back about the very same problem I had with my 2013 Eagle Cap single slide 950.

The camper at the time was still under warranty so it had to go back to the factory in Yakima, WA where they completely removed the front cap and replaced it with another one.

I've had other major out of warranty work done at the factory and they do great work at a reasonable price. I would not trust anyone else to work on it.

PM me if you have any further questions.

Mr. E

[JTLance]

I have to say, getting rid of that heki vs a smaller Fantastic Vent looks like a wise decision....but one required at the time the camper is being made...

How is the project going?

[Boatycall]

I have found the actual source of the leak and fixed it. Sorry, no pics yet, I do have a couple, just taking a break from working on the thing all day today.

So one of the three hinges on the vent had cracked off and was no longer attached to the vent frame, but was still attached to the plexiglass. It lifted off and created a nice area through which water could easily get in.

It's my guess it cracked due to several reasons--
* Poor design, thin plastic hinge on the windward/leading edge.
* Likely a strong headwind on the highway over stressed it and busted it, no scratches or signs of a tree branch impact.
* Age - my TC is a 2012, the poor design had a very thin amount of plastic actually holding the whole thing together.

The repair involved taking what was left of the hinge, which still had a fair amount of plastic left, drilling 3 holes in it, and screwing it into the TC roof, then adding epoxy that to the original vent frame. It is now far stronger than the original way they had it. Next, to reinforce the remaining hinges, drilled a couple holes, ran screws into them... then two entire tubes of dicor to re-seal the entire vent and rubber roof to front cap seam, and liberally covering the new screw heads.

I bought 5 of those aluminum strips AnEv942 posted, with endcaps and a couple rolls of Dicor Butyl seal tape. I have the drawings from Eagle cap on the stud/cross brace spacing, so now to locate those and put the aluminum strips in.

[d3500ram]

Boatycall wrote:
....

I, Jim (aka Boatycall), now do the TC walk of shame.... I should have caught that sooner. I am no longer worthy of being on this forum... 😮

I can hear ya' and appreciate the tongue-in-cheek sarcasm...:o Been there, done that on things we would do differently given a second chance (on campers too!)

Regardless of ineptness or ignorance, (and not saying that you or others are either one) but these RV's take maintenance. One could be the most dedicated, meticulous and focused maintainer and something still happens. I would spend almost a full weekend almost every year inspecting, cleaning, removing-bad & replacing-with-new caulk and sealant. I religiously would sweep the roof after every snowstorm and was regularly on the roof inspecting. Good thing too as I was able to catch a problem early and correct it before it got worse. It got to the point where having a camper was not worth the time to keep it up.

It happens to the best of us, Jim. Hopefully others can live (and prevent) vicariously through your tale.

[jimh406]

The first step is admitting you have a problem, right? :D. I say you get a pass because my name is Jim, too. Well, and you never know when I might develop a leak. 😉

[Boatycall]

billyray50 wrote:
Sounds like your not far from ALP. Did Brad give you an option to bring it to factory and they could look at it and maybe fix it for you?

Yes... I may take him up on it. He said $3-$4k.

But...

Y'all, I have a confession...

I DID have a leak. I found it this evening, and the source - the Heki vent had several spots that showed signs of Dicor delam and water penetration, and the few inches of rubber roofing between it and the top front cap had bubbled. Looks to be recent, and I did camp in a downpour over Memorial weekend.

I, Jim (aka Boatycall), now do the TC walk of shame.... I should have caught that sooner. I am no longer worthy of being on this forum... 😮

[billyray50]

Sounds like your not far from ALP. Did Brad give you an option to bring it to factory and they could look at it and maybe fix it for you?

[wnjj]

Glacier D wrote:
The Old Eagle Cap owners website had some pictures of a 1050 being built with a picture of the nose prior to the cap being glued on. Plenty of luan behind that cap. That 1050 was built around the same time as mine in late 2008, not sure how Adventure RV built them a couple years later.

I remember some wood to fill the radius near the top and bottom corners but thought the rest was aluminum frame with foam panels between. It would be nice to find those pictures again.

[Glacier_D]

The Old Eagle Cap owners website had some pictures of a 1050 being built with a picture of the nose prior to the cap being glued on. Plenty of luan behind that cap. That 1050 was built around the same time as mine in late 2008, not sure how Adventure RV built them a couple years later.

[Glacier_D]

The exterior Fiberglass walls were vacuum bonded directly to the frame, no Luan used for a backing, however, the front cap was glued to Luan that was applied to the nose. Therefore if the is any kind of leak up there it will delaminate due to the Luan swelling and then drying out. Not sure why they were built like this, should have used Azdel instead of Luan. Azdel doesn't swell or rot when wet, has better insulation value, and does well with many adhesives.

Just my 2 cents here, but I will never again buy any camper or 5th wheel that uses Luan for an exterior backing. Lance and Cirrus use Adzel for backing and Arctic Fox uses luan. Not sure what the newer Eagle Caps use or Host as their websites don't say.

[bighatnohorse]

wnjj wrote:
I thought the fiberglass nose was glued directly to the aluminum frame. It was done that way for the walls for sure. bighatnohorse had posted some pictures from the factory back in '08 (https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/22030250) but they were linked to his old forum server.

Rich, if you still have these photos it may help a bunch:

20081016182818_front_cap_mold.jpg
20081016183131_frontcap_install.jpg
2008102281843_front_cap3.jpg

They were in http://www.eaglecapowners.com/campfire/upload/Admin-Rich.

Okiedok: