Beat up 82 20' Dolphin- need new everything.

[Tundrawolf]

Hello,

Some years back I bought a 1982 Toyota Dolphin RV, 20' RV with a 4 speed manual and 4 cyl engine.

I put a full floater in the back (It had the dangerous axle there), plus a 5 speed and rebuilt the engine.

Well, now that that is done... The inside is just... Rotted. It was stored by the ocean for thirty years, and everything is falling apart.

I ripped *everything* out of it, so it is just a shell. The inner walls are still there, though, in various stages of rot.

Portions of the seams are so wide I can see the road through them. I can feel breeze in the cabover portion with all the windows shut.

There are large holes in the floor.

So... I need to buy some sheets of plywood for the floor, and some of the material for the inner walls. And 1x1's. I plan on insulating it with insect proof foam.

I am on a big budget. I want to get it... "Sound". I will re- use the skin, which is not that great, but it will be painted.

So... My question is, who has done this? What troubles were there?

And what materials have you all used?

[zero]

Hello,

Some years back I bought a 1982 Toyota Dolphin RV, 20' RV with a 4 speed manual and 4 cyl engine.

I put a full floater in the back (It had the dangerous axle there), plus a 5 speed and rebuilt the engine.

Well, now that that is done... The inside is just... Rotted. It was stored by the ocean for thirty years, and everything is falling apart.

I ripped *everything* out of it, so it is just a shell. The inner walls are still there, though, in various stages of rot.

Portions of the seams are so wide I can see the road through them. I can feel breeze in the cabover portion with all the windows shut.

There are large holes in the floor.

So... I need to buy some sheets of plywood for the floor, and some of the material for the inner walls. And 1x1's. I plan on insulating it with insect proof foam.

I am on a big budget. I want to get it... "Sound". I will re- use the skin, which is not that great, but it will be painted.

So... My question is, who has done this? What troubles were there?

And what materials have you all used?

I haven't done that kind of work to a Dolphin. I HAVE done it to several other RVs including a Toyota Chinook,

It's easy to start going overboard with heavier materials and making the RV gain too much weight. If you need plywood like in the floors and it's only going to be 3/8" or 1/2" thick . . . I suggest you spend the extra money and get some plywood with some strength. Pine 3 ply plywood like many lumber-yards sell - as well as Home Depot or Lowes is pretty useless. Marine grade Doug Fir plywood is what I use. Even the 3/8" thick stuff is four ply. The 3/8" thick Doug Fir is stronger then the 1/2" pine they sell locally. It's expensive though unless you're lucky enough to live near a marina that stock the stuff.

In regard to spray-foam - I suggest you find something that is truly closed-cell. Some of the spray foams that claim to be closed cell are only that way if you spray it in and leave it undisturbed. If you trim it with a knife - some brands become open cell and take on water.

For smaller wood support wood - e.g. 1" x 1"s and 1" X 2"s, I use rot resistant white cedar, white oak, or pressure treated (copper azole) southern yellow pine.

[Dolphinite no longer here]

Tundrawolf,

What jdemaris said makes a lot of sense. Although marine ply is much more expensive, in this case, you really do get what you pay for. You'll be glad you used the best materials you can afford down the road (literally).

John