Delamination?

[craftsman]

Hi,

I have been looking for a 1990's Toyota RV for some time, and went to see a '91 Sea Breeze today. It was in pretty good shape overall with everything working, but the driver's side fiberglass panel seemed to be bulging a bit in the middle, and it moved inward, say, an inch when I leaned against it with a flat hand. Perhaps it was the middle that made the back (shower area) of the panel appear to bow inward (concave), but it seemed solid in back. The passenger side panel was solid front to back.

Is that a form of delamination, and should I run? Or do I just need to keep the rain out and watch that it doesn't get worse.

Also, they re-paneled the whole section over the cab; claimed to have redone the framing for additional support while they were making it look nice. I'm thinking of asking for pictures of the repair.

The windows were re-sealed, but it looked like they used caulk without butyl tape. 's okay or not?

Less than 75K on the engine, which sounded smooth, but it looks like they recently cleaned the engine bay, so it's hard to tell if there might be any leaks. No plates, so I didn't drive it. Wanted to get an RV tech to check it out, but I guess the area shops are busy for weeks.

thoughts or recommendations?

(incognito for now)

[craftsman]

I guess my general question is: how are the fiberglass siding sheets attached to the vehicle?

Since I don't see any holes, I'm guessing it's just glued, but there might be tabs on the inner side. I read somewhere that there shouldn't be any "give" when the panels are pushed, otherwise it indicates water got into the wall and caused the panel to separate from the wall structure. How are the walls constructed?

There are no creases on this Sea Breeze, but since the panel isn't solid, should I be concerned that it will soon fail? Or is it an indication that water got back there and I may have a hidden mold problem? There are windows above the bulging area, but they've been resealed with caulk (apparently not with butyl tape).

By the way, no pictures of the framing repair are available.

I want to go cross-country with it and keep it for a few years, so it needs to be solid.

thanks,

---mike...

Hi,

I have been looking for a 1990's Toyota RV for some time, and went to see a '91 Sea Breeze today. It was in pretty good shape overall with everything working, but the driver's side fiberglass panel seemed to be bulging a bit in the middle, and it moved inward, say, an inch when I leaned against it with a flat hand. Perhaps it was the middle that made the back (shower area) of the panel appear to bow inward (concave), but it seemed solid in back. The passenger side panel was solid front to back.

Is that a form of delamination, and should I run? Or do I just need to keep the rain out and watch that it doesn't get worse.

Also, they re-paneled the whole section over the cab; claimed to have redone the framing for additional support while they were making it look nice. I'm thinking of asking for pictures of the repair.

The windows were re-sealed, but it looked like they used caulk without butyl tape. 's okay or not?

Less than 75K on the engine, which sounded smooth, but it looks like they recently cleaned the engine bay, so it's hard to tell if there might be any leaks. No plates, so I didn't drive it. Wanted to get an RV tech to check it out, but I guess the area shops are busy for weeks.

thoughts or recommendations?

(incognito for now)

[85mirage]

Dont know how seabrezze is constructed but my 86 shasta was made of filon [corrugated fiberglass sheets] that were not mechanically fastened to coach. The interior of filon has rigid blue insulation contact cemented to it then the paneling you see cemented to insulation. Like a sandwich. And then there are metal moldings at corners and bottom and roof tying everything together.

I guess my general question is: how are the fiberglass siding sheets attached to the vehicle?

Since I don't see any holes, I'm guessing it's just glued, but there might be tabs on the inner side. I read somewhere that there shouldn't be any "give" when the panels are pushed, otherwise it indicates water got into the wall and caused the panel to separate from the wall structure. How are the walls constructed?

The give you feel is the insulation has become unglued from filon siding. Not a big deal in itself but someone probably made a repair in affected area. Did they replace some of the interior siding? If so they may have pulled to hard on interior siding to remove and pulled the insulation away from filon.Hows the roof?

There are no creases on this Sea Breeze, but since the panel isn't solid, should I be concerned that it will soon fail? Or is it an indication that water got back there and I may have a hidden mold problem? There are windows above the bulging area, but they've been resealed with caulk (apparently not with butyl tape).

Water penetration is the ruin of these rvs. Ask if he can shoot hose at rv while your inside.If you want to see how these are constructed look at burnt shasta post below.

[craftsman]

The give you feel is the insulation has become unglued from filon siding. Not a big deal in itself but someone probably made a repair in affected area. Did they replace some of the interior siding? If so they may have pulled to hard on interior siding to remove and pulled the insulation away from filon.Hows the roof?

There are no creases on this Sea Breeze, but since the panel isn't solid, should I be concerned that it will soon fail? Or is it an indication that water got back there and I may have a hidden mold problem? There are windows above the bulging area, but they've been resealed with caulk (apparently not with butyl tape).

Water penetration is the ruin of these rvs. Ask if he can shoot hose at rv while your inside.If you want to see how these are constructed look at burnt shasta post below.

Thanks for the reply. The inside wasn't replaced, and the ceiling seems solid. I heard that water can get between the insulation and the fiberglass (possibly from previously leaking window areas) causing them to separate (perhaps with the help of mold?). Since they've caulked it all, it shouldn't leak anymore for a while, but I wish they had used butyl tape instead of silicone.

I guess without digging through on the inside, I won't be able to tell what caused the separation. But I did want to confirm that there shouldn't be any give, and if it moves, it's caused by the panel no longer being firmly attached. The guy is claiming that it's moving because the whole wall isn't well supported and is flexing. I think the framing should be solid and should have no flexing, but if it does, then there a bigger issues.

The roof had a rubberlike cover that seemed intact, and they put a thin coat of "roof sealant" over all of it. But it seemed that the cover went under the plastic roof a/c cover, but the sealant did not go up the sides of the a/c unit. There seemed to be a soft gasket on the bottom of the edge of the a/c unit than went over the rubber roof cover. How are a/c units sealed at the roof?

[Derek up North]

I've got a SeaBreeze a similar age to yours. Assuming yours is like mine, you can see a sample of exactly what a wall is made of by looking under your dinette cushions. The cushions sit on a piece of 'recycled' wall, probably left over from cutting out the window openings. "Waste not, want not!"

So the challenge is to get some glue in there. Just whacky ideas to play with. Not binding, but might lead to a final solution.

- Drill a series of holes through the outer skin, inject some adhesive and patch the holes in the fiberglass. Disguise the patched holes with an additional stripe (either vinyl or painted on).

- Try the same from the inside (without drilling right through!) and then put new finish (wall paper or paint) on the inside walls.

Finally, you'll soon discover that there really isn't much 'structure' in these! Certainly not like I'm used to finding. I'm new to motorhomes in general and am constantly amazed that these don't self-destruct when an 18-wheeler goes past at 70mph in the opposite direction!

[85mirage]

"Finally, you'll soon discover that there really isn't much 'structure' in these! Certainly not like I'm used to finding. I'm new to motorhomes in general and am constantly amazed that these don't self-destruct when an 18-wheeler goes past at 70mph in the opposite direction!"

HA couldn't agree more. There is no framing in these Rvs! If you want you could take out windows and scrape old stuff off rebed with butyl tape. Not much of a job just do one at a time.if you cant smell mold dont be worried and a llittle bulge wont hurt.

[mikie]

I also have some bulging on the rear on my winnie below the window. I called Winnebego and they said if the M.H. no longer leaks it is probably good to go. It is just a tad unsightly. But Derek brought up an interesting thought about putting glue through a drilled hole. What type of glue and what method might be used to press the siding in?

[Derek up North]

You definitely don't want to use a glue that will attack the Styrofoam insulation. I guess I'd experiment with some of the glue sold specifically for gluing Styrofoam to walls in basements. Or perhaps silicone.

I occurs to me that if the delamination is below a window, you could get access by removing the window and frame from the wall. Then you could reseal the window with fresh tape.

Pressing the siding in would probably involve a lot of improv. Park next to a tree or wall and use 2"x4"s?