We have just brought a 1976 Jayco Starcraft pop top camper trailer... (The type that winds up and down with the canvas not the Caravan one).
It has a bit of dry rot in each of the four corners of the roof. I am just wondering if there is an easy way to fix it and how i would go about doing it?
It winds up and down very well and doesnt appear to have any problems its just a bit unsightly. The guy i brought it from said that it had been there since he brought it and hadnt worsened as they had sealed it off and it had just dried out.
Am i over my head? How much $$ do you think this will cost? Should i consider taking it to someone to fix it?Dry Rot in Camper Van?
You're asking questions you should have asked *before* you bought the trailer, but let's see ....
The roof winds up and down, "stretching" the canvas walls so you can walk inside, right? If the roof appears sound, that's in your favor. Unsightly water damage isn't dry rot. Take something thin and sharp, like an ice pick or sewing awl and try to push it into a part of the wood that you're sure is fine. You should be able to poke it in a short distance because it's got a sharp point and the wood is softer than the steel. Now try to poke the part of the wood that looks ugly. If you can't poke the steel in too far, it's probably all right. If the steel goes in a long way, then you've got damaged wood. Depending on your woodworking skills, you can either replace the wood or repair the wood. Repairing the wood may take some finesse. If you can remove the piece of wood temporarily, you might have some luck with ripping some wood the same dimensions as the damaged part, then try drilling something like a 15/64" hole through the new piece of wood, going into the existing wood strut, then threading a 1/4" threaded rod through both pieces, using a bit of glue to make the joint secure. If this seems not a good fix, you'll have to replace the wood pieces, but removing the old pieces and installing the new ones could be a problem. Might have to take the whole roof off. Can't tell from here. A few pieces of wood shouldn't cost much, but make sure you replace it with some good, straight wood, not one of those el-cheapo studs from your local home repair warehouse. Find a good *lumber* store and ask about what you need. Might be, the lumber store can rip the wood for you and let you select a couple of good pieces of wood. If you can get something like ash, it's strong and flexible. Before you put the new pieces back into the roof, make sure you seal the wood and give it a few coats of waterproof enamel or spar varnish. (Spar varnish will resist both UV and water.)
Oh, I spend plenty of time and money at Lowe's and Home Depot, but for a couple of sticks of really good wood, I go to my local, dedicated lumber shop. Take care!
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