Cracked Skylight

[heartmadeforyou]

We recently bought a 96 Winnebago Brave from a dealer. They would not allow us to see the roof of the RV and it turns out the skylight over the shower has a couple of older cracks. The inside portion of the skylight had screws that held it into the ceiling and those started to fall out, which is what gave us the indication that we had a problem. So... now we will replace the skylight but I'm not sure what to do with the rotted thin wood sheeting the inner portion of the skylight was attached to. Any ideas? There is some mold on the Styrofoam ceiling insulation, but I think I can clean it up with some bleach.

[Gjac]

I can't tell how much water damage there is from the inside photo it is dark, but I would remove all the old caulking and the old skylight separate the laminates( rubber roof, Styrofoam, wood) and look between them to see how rotted the wood is an how far back it extends. Are the headers sound and is the area around dry? If the area is wet insert some wedges between the laminates and allow several days to dry in the sun with a tarp over the hole. A heat gun from the inside can speed up the process. Very thin epoxies are sold such as Git-Rot that will soak into the rotted wood and restore strength however you can thin any epoxy resin with some acetone to do the same thing. I would use 4 pieces of pine board on the outside and 4 on the inside held with 8 C-clamps to compress the laminates together while the resin is curing. Hope this helps. Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

[heartmadeforyou]

We were told we could not climb the ladder and look at the roof because their insurance wouldn't allow it. There were no smells or water stains inside the rig. We also ended up with tires we were told were in good shape and could be retreaded that were actually 10 years old with dry rot. This is a reputable dealer so we were definitely more trusting than we should have been. Lichtsinn Motors in Forest City. Here is the rv we purchased. It is in pretty great shape for 18 years old. http://www.lichtsinn.com/inventory/372325/Used-1996-Winnebago-Brave-31RQ.aspx

Meanwhile, I have gathered all the necessary parts and sealants for the repair. In order to pull out the damaged wood, the sagging ceiling header fabric will need to be cut or removed and I'm not sure how big a mess that will be to repair. I taped up all the cracks with duct tape temporarily until this weekend when we can work on the repair. Regardless of how we ended up with this problem, I am most interested in what we need to do to repair. Suggestions and info are GREATLY appreciated.

[Flasho]

If a dealer would not allow me to inspect a motorhome, I would not allow them to sell me a motorhome.

[Bumpyroad]

heartmadeforyou wrote:
We recently bought a 96 Winnebago Brave from a dealer. They would not allow us to see the roof of the RV

and you didn't immediately leave? did it have a rear ladder? if so, I would just start climbing up myself.
bumpy

[harley-dave]

Welcome to the RV world.. If it helps any it's pretty common to have skylight damage or cracks. We just replaced the skylight on our Itasca sundancer. If you are a first time winnebago owner heres some parts and manual resources:

Winnebago manuals and Lists

Winnebego Parts (useful since you can't generally buy parts directly from Winnebago).

Hopefully your repair is not difficult or expensive.

Dave

[rgatijnet1]

I will assume that the dealer would not provide a ladder for you to inspect the roof of the RV.
Depending on the extent of the wood rot, most marine/boat shops sell epoxy type products that can be used to repair rotted wood. Changing the skylight is not that big of a deal once you remove all of the old caulking. Be sure to clean up the roof so that the new caulking and Eternabond tape will adhere properly.

[gbopp]

Would you please give us the name and location of the dealer that would not 'allow' you to inspect the RV before purchase?

You may save another RVer some grief by avoiding that dealer.

I would remove the rotted wood until I hit solid wood, then start replacing.

Is the rotted thin wood sheeting lauan plywood? You can get that at any lumber yard or home center.

[jerseyjim]

"ALLOW".....?????????

[Tinstar]

I'm not sure what you mean: They "would not allow us to see the roof of the RV".

Not to be factious but did they allow you to look at the outside or inside of it, or did you buy that sight unseen too.