Community Forums

danlee · 09-25-2013, 10:00 AM

So I purchased a 1988 Winnebago Class C RV, looked for leaks on the unit when I bought it but had no idea the over head sleeper was this bad, I was wondering if anyone s done this before, looks like I could do this repair. Anyone have any goood pictures or good video, or even good advice?

I've seen a few videos online, seems simple enough

Thanks

Skip426 · 09-25-2013, 12:37 PM

A belated welcome ; first post I see.

Depending on your skills and patience , it is not really complicated, usually time is the biggest factor.
I have seen a couple of posts from members who have undertaken the repairs on their own , I'll track the posts down and direct you to them .

Edit: Click search this forum, in the blue bar across the top , above post #1 of Class C Discussion, enter " Mini Bunk rebuild "
It's by " Class C newbie " with pictures from Jan 2013.

gklehner · 09-25-2013, 08:07 PM

Check out "Bunk water damage rebuild" under the search. A 2011 post, great pictures of a great job restoring the overhead bunk. Not sure how simple, depends on the extent of the rot and any framing damage. Good luck!!

freelander07 · 09-26-2013, 02:13 PM

I have a 2007 freelander and had to repair the bunk area in july all my water damage was contained inside the wall had a number of rotten wooden braces. I removed the ceiling panel and replaced the rotten wood and installation. Not a difficult job. Make sure you redo the seam on the roof over the bunk area that's where my water got in.

Oldme · 09-27-2013, 02:13 PM

Many of us have faced this.

The very first thing is to locate and STOP the leak that caused it.

It is a slow process, but very doable with normal wood working skills.
When I did mine I learned a lot about RV construction.
I also found that behind the side walls, I have an aluminum framework.
So I used 2" aluminum "L" the width of the bunk and also the length of the bunk, pop-rived to that framework to support it. I also used marine epoxy
to bond to bottom of the overhang.

Every one is slightly different from what I understand.
The is no industry standard.

Phobos · 09-28-2013, 09:59 PM

I just rebuilt ours over the summer. I am by no means a carpenter and just have basic wood working skills. It really wasn't all that bad to do.
It was hot, and it took me a week or so (maybe 5 days @ 2-3 hours a day?), working on it in the evenings when I got home from work.
It's fairly simple construction after you get it apart and look at how it's built.

A couple sheets of plywood, and basic tools (and skills) is really all you need.

frankdamp · 09-29-2013, 10:01 AM

A neighbor has an Itasca Class C, about 5 years old, I would guess. He had the entire overhead rebuilt 18 months ago. One thing I noticed, both before and after, is that the rain gutter leading to the front of the overhead is terminated before it gets all the way past the front edge. It dumps the water along the top edge of the side window, right in the middle whet the two sections of the sliding glass meet. If I were doing a rebuild, I'd make sure the gutter went out past the front of the overhead by at least a couple of inches.

He'd bought the rig at Camping World and I think the rebuild was done by them under warranty.

Phobos · 09-29-2013, 10:09 PM

Well ours is one-piece fiberglass that is screwed into the plywood floor of the bunk.
The problem with ours was, somebody had removed the aluminum molding that goes around the front and 'resealed' it with silicone caulking instead of butyl tape behind it.

Anyway, the water ran right behind the molding and under the lower sheet metal that covers the bottom, getting trapped in there with no where to go. At the end of the day, all of that water wicked up through two layers of plywood and turned them to mush.
Fortunately, I was able to remove the pieces and let them dry to get a good rough pattern to cut the new wood.
I wish I had documented it all with pics now, but at the time I was pretty upset and it was extremely hot. I was also under pressure to get it done so we could use the thing for a trip we had already planned and paid for.
It all worked out well in the end.

RoyM · 09-29-2013, 10:30 PM

I need to open up the bunk on our new to us Prowler fiver, looks like the seams at the base of the wall were not properly sealed. Part of the floor is rotted allowing the outer skin to sag, the previous owner 'fixed' it with gorilla tape. Should be able to fix it with hand tools and patience but we shall see.

danlee · 11-11-2013, 07:29 AM

Well, My Father in law and I started the project this weekend, unfortunately I had to rent a indoor storage unit for a month to do this, didn't want to risk doing this outside, based on the weather forecast, it was a good decision. The old sleeper board was fully rotted, I will see if I can post a few pictures, all in all it went well, I was able to find the right material locally, with the storage rental & materials, I am into it for about $600.00, (storage unit included) I need to finish up the inside, i figure that will run me another $100.00

RanCarr · 11-11-2013, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danlee

So I purchased a 1988 Winnebago Class C RV, looked for leaks on the unit when I bought it but had no idea the over head sleeper was this bad, I was wondering if anyone s done this before, looks like I could do this repair. Anyone have any goood pictures or good video, or even good advice?

I've seen a few videos online, seems simple enough

Thanks

We bought a 1993 Ford Dutchman Class-C and the overhead sleeper had already been rebuilt. If you rebuild it yourself, don't replace the windows. It seems leaks around the windows are what cause the sleepers to rot out.