Humidity & Salt Air

[buckeyes]

Here we are in Port Aransas, Texas which is on the gulf coast. Two issues that are confronting us are the high humidity and salt air. We love the beach and weather, but have been warned by the locals to wash our rig and jeep often as we are within 200 yards of the beach. In the morning everything is just soaked with condensation, and is white when it dries later in the morning. We just bought a dehumidifier to take some of the moisture from the coach as even our sheets are damp in the morning, ( and that is just from the air!)
Anyway, has anyone had experience with camping near the ocean, and what should I be cautious of, such as rust and such"? Other than that, it is beautiful here.

[buckeyes]

Here we are in Port Aransas, Texas which is on the gulf coast. Two issues that are confronting us are the high humidity and salt air. We love the beach and weather, but have been warned by the locals to wash our rig and jeep often as we are within 200 yards of the beach. In the morning everything is just soaked with condensation, and is white when it dries later in the morning. We just bought a dehumidifier to take some of the moisture from the coach as even our sheets are damp in the morning, ( and that is just from the air!)
Anyway, has anyone had experience with camping near the ocean, and what should I be cautious of, such as rust and such"? Other than that, it is beautiful here.

[jfb]

We park near the salt water in the PNW (Olympic Peninsula) and notice salt condensation on the wind shields. Am concerned about salt/rain water seeping under the MH windshield seals and down into those areas in front of the fire wall. Otherwise, if you don't go out into the surf with your toad, you shouldn't have any problems during your ownership. I see SOME older truck and car bodies along the WA and OR coasts falling apart due to rust but it's not universal. Recommend that you keep your rigs washed.

[Gary RVRoamer]

It is more than a cosmetic problem. I am acquainted with a fellow who has camped on the Texas beaches for years. His laughingly calls his high end coach the rust bucket, because EVERYTHING is corroded, outside, underneath, and even inside. He has had problems with corroded wiring, surface rust, frame and structure rust, oxidized paint, etc. But like you, he loves the beach and would not consider leaving it, despite the ongoing problems.

Do as much as you can to keep it clean and dry, budget plenty for repairs and enjoy yourself.

[Jackm]

The biggest problem you'll face is surficial oxidation. In short, you will need to battle rust to keep it from eventually compromising the integrety of various components (i.e. cargo bin frames). On my motor home, I have to occasionally scrape off blistered paint and surface rust, treat it with a commercial rust inhibitor, and finally repaint the treated area with primer and paint. The good news is that this task gets easier every time you perform it because the primer and paint is superior to the original coating. The bad news is that this is a never-ending task in areas with high humidity, frequent precipitation, and sea salt. All in all, it's part of the price we pay for staying in interesting places. Best of luck.

Jack
2004 Winnebago Brave 34D

[Bob (WA0MQE)]

I agree with the others. Last year was our first year staying near the Texas Gulf Coast. Being from Colorado and with most of our winters spent in Arizona, rust and corrosion had rarely been a problem.

One two month season in Texas changed that. After being on the Gulf Coast only a couple weeks I noticed rust coming through on the ends of the slide panels where the tires throw road grime against the metal end pieces. I cleaned them up with a drill powered wire brush to bare metal, primed and then applied paint & undercoating. I keep a spray can of primer, paint and undercoating in my arsenal now.

If you can, make sure you climb under and look up under the chassis in all areas.

[Steady Eddie]

There is one product, called "Fluid Film",
that stops rusting cold. It is made from
Lanolin, and is available at most John Deere
Dealers, or by Internet sales. It comes as a brush-on or in a spray can and goes on opaque,
semi-clear. I use the spray on my Lawn Tractor.
No rust under the deck. HD stuff.

[exrench]

Fluid Film is an excellent product and always on board my rig.It is available in Canada at Princess Automotive in either spray bombs or by the gallon-not cheap but worth the price.Can be used to remove light rust from metal trim etc and will not rust again.