How is roof put together

[Fred3]

Mine is an '84 Dolphin, which is aluminum over wood construction. My current project is to replace all of the roof vents and hatches. I'm removing all of the old, and replacing with new. So far so good.

Now I'm looking at the seams where the horizontal aluminum roof sheet attaches to the vertical sides. There is one of those hardware pieces that has the rubber/plastic inserted molding strip that probably covers hex-head screws. I'mwondering how (before I start any disassembly) the roof is attached at theedge. Is the sheet aluminum "bent" overto the siding to make a more water resistant seam?

Has anyone on the board seen one of these taken apart? Can you explain how the aluminum roof joins to the side?

I'm thinking if it is a design that would be considered unlikely to leak, then maybe I should leave it alone.

Any insight???

Thanks,

Fred

[Oldiesel]

I dont know about your Dolphin,but i am in the final stages of a complete roof replacement on my Mini Cruiser. The original roof was attached at the side walls as you describe,bent over about 2'' down the side with a moulding with square drive screws about every 3" under the plastic insert,there also appeared to be some sort of glue that almost looked like contact cement in the joint but it was not holding to the fiberglass sides very well if at all. it does not seem to me that it would be a likely place to leak unless the aluminum was cracked at the bend as mine was in a couple of places.I hope your project goes well for you,mine turned out to be about 10 times more work/expense than i expected. There is lots of onfo and warnings here too bad i didnt see them before i bought,probably would have kept me from buying this unit at all. Don

[Fred3]

I dont know about your Dolphin,but i am in the final stages of a complete roof replacement on my Mini Cruiser. The original roof was attached at the side walls as you describe,bent over about 2'' down the side with a moulding with square drive screws about every 3" under the plastic insert,there also appeared to be some sort of glue that almost looked like contact cement in the joint but it was not holding to the fiberglass sides very well if at all. it does not seem to me that it would be a likely place to leak unless the aluminum was cracked at the bend as mine was in a couple of places.I hope your project goes well for you,mine turned out to be about 10 times more work/expense than i expected. There is lots of onfo and warnings here too bad i didnt see them before i bought,probably would have kept me from buying this unit at all. Don

Thank you for your input.

This is a truly great Discussion Board, and has been very helpful.

I'll attempt a "non destructive" visual inspection inch-by-inch at the bend without removing the moulding.

Fred

[Dolphinite no longer here]

Fred,

I have an '85 Dolphin with the same construction as yours. I've had the molding strip off mine to re-bed it with new butyl rubber. The roof is indeed bent over the side and held in place with small staples. The molding strip covers this seam and the vinyl insert covers the heads of the screws. Kind of a stone age construction method in my opinion but it works as long as the screws don't wiggle loose and the old grey putty tape beddding doesn't dry out. You can remove the screws and gently pry the molding strip loose if you want to check for leaks or dried out putty tape. When you put it back together, throw away the old screws and get new ones. They're available at Lowe's (1" x #8 hex head sheet metal screws) for about $7.00 or $8.00 for a box of 100. Also clean off all the old putty and replace it with black butyl rubber tape available at most RV supply stores. The job goes much easier and quicker if you have an electric screwdriver.

John

[WME]

You need to check yours, cause on mine the roof is just a flat sheet. The factory used putty tape to make the corner and then the trim covers that. I used Eterna Bond tape for the corner and then Pro seal caulk on the trim piece.

[Fred3]

Well, I think I'm going to have to do the removal and re-seal as appropriate.

I'll update with what I find. Tonight after work...

Fred

UPDATE: Well, that was not that difficult. I pulled the vinyl insert. Then drove the hex-head screws out. Then gently pried the moulding loose. The construction I found is exactly as described by John (Dolphinite) in the post above. This is good, as the design though cheap to build seems adequate - provided the guy with the staple gun did his job correctly.

I was worried that I might be opening the proverbial can of worms - but not so.

The flat room aluminum bends downward 90 degrees - not so that it would be expected to crack - and overlaps the verticle by 1/2 inch. There are narrow staples from the factory that hold it down. When fully assembled, the trim piece is gobbed up with putty, and it is all held down with the hex-head 1" screws. The potential for a leak would be around the screws.

Then there in the vinyl insert, which is just cosmetic.

It seems that an annual roof maintenance could include application of a sealant (bead) at the place where the trim meets the aluminum - right at the 90 degree bend. Or scrape out the old bead and replace it each year.

With the proper setup, removal and replacement of the screws, trim, butyl tape should take maybe 1 hour per side. Half a day if you're slow like me and are constantly in the state of discovery.

Fred

I'm glad I tore into it.

Edited July 30, 2011 by Fred3

[89toycentral]

I'm a first time 89 Dolphin owner. I've been addressing some issues with delaminated areas on the roof and wondered if anyone can tell me what I will find if I pulled the staples at the wall to roof seam. I have everything off the roof except the a/c and was planning to attempt to reattach the aluminum roof through the vent holes, etc. I contemplated lifting the edges by removing the staples but they are in there good (although rusty looking). Is there Styrofoam insulation up there? It would make a difference as to what type of adhesive I'd use. Any suggestions would be helpful. We are really enjoying the Dolphin and want to get it back on the road.