Post by Prowler@Nola on Jun 12, 2023 5:12:16 GMT -8
Hi there! I bought a 1976 Fleetwood Prowler a few weeks ago, with the goal of waterproofing and fixing up the interior to take on the road this August. I'm an artist in New Orleans, and summertime here is just BRUTAL, so I'm hoping to get out every summer to take my art to different parts of the country. I also have some experience working on historic architecture, and I'm using some of that knowledge to help me with this project. I'm sensitive to using the right materials and understanding the right method of doing this, but I'm also pretty tight on money and time! I appreciate the resources available here to help me do it right!
I'm starting with the roof - cleaning, then scraping the loose roof coating, investigating seams, removing caulking, replacing the sewer vents.... The living space looks like it's in pretty good shape from what I can see before any deep investigation, but the bathroom and entire back wall have water damage inside. The seam above this area is separating, so I've been working on that area. I've exposed the seam, and the PO used some sort of silver putty to fill it, which went over top of rusty bolts and has failed against them, letting water in again. But on closer inspection, I don't really understand what is going on with this seam anyway... It seems folded and raised on purpose, and it's the original green so looks original to me. Photos included below.
So I'm wondering if the folded aluminum isn't the issue, that it's mostly the bolts that are leaking, and if I should start by replacing those. What is the silver putty that they used? And what should I do about the raised metal?
There's also an area that is slumped and has been coated with a naaaasty black tar, then the roof rubber coating, which is now peeling up. I'm trying to scrape that off, but...
I'm willing to do more invasive work on her in future years, but this year I'd like to just get it good enough, ya know? Once I'm done with the problem seam, I was going to replace any seriously problematic j-rail bolts, touch up with butyl tape where it's failed, replace the sewer vents and seal them with tape (is this going to be really involved???), and then re-coat the roof with Dicor rubber roof paint (maybe primer too??). I got a bunch of Dicor lap sealant, but now I'm reading here that counts as "goop" and so isn't a sustainable solution. What do y'all think about my waterproofing plans? Thanks!!
Prowler roof explorations by Kate Clarke, on Flickr
Prowler roof explorations by Kate Clarke, on Flickr
Prowler roof explorations by Kate Clarke, on Flickr
Prowler roof explorations by Kate Clarke, on Flickr
Untitled by Kate Clarke, on Flickr
I'm starting with the roof - cleaning, then scraping the loose roof coating, investigating seams, removing caulking, replacing the sewer vents.... The living space looks like it's in pretty good shape from what I can see before any deep investigation, but the bathroom and entire back wall have water damage inside. The seam above this area is separating, so I've been working on that area. I've exposed the seam, and the PO used some sort of silver putty to fill it, which went over top of rusty bolts and has failed against them, letting water in again. But on closer inspection, I don't really understand what is going on with this seam anyway... It seems folded and raised on purpose, and it's the original green so looks original to me. Photos included below.
So I'm wondering if the folded aluminum isn't the issue, that it's mostly the bolts that are leaking, and if I should start by replacing those. What is the silver putty that they used? And what should I do about the raised metal?
There's also an area that is slumped and has been coated with a naaaasty black tar, then the roof rubber coating, which is now peeling up. I'm trying to scrape that off, but...
I'm willing to do more invasive work on her in future years, but this year I'd like to just get it good enough, ya know? Once I'm done with the problem seam, I was going to replace any seriously problematic j-rail bolts, touch up with butyl tape where it's failed, replace the sewer vents and seal them with tape (is this going to be really involved???), and then re-coat the roof with Dicor rubber roof paint (maybe primer too??). I got a bunch of Dicor lap sealant, but now I'm reading here that counts as "goop" and so isn't a sustainable solution. What do y'all think about my waterproofing plans? Thanks!!
Prowler roof explorations by Kate Clarke, on FlickrProwler roof explorations by Kate Clarke, on FlickrProwler roof explorations by Kate Clarke, on FlickrProwler roof explorations by Kate Clarke, on FlickrUntitled by Kate Clarke, on Flickr 
