When I lifted the sofa to de-winterize the 2499 this spring, I was dismayed to see tell tale water stains in the left rear corner. The OSB was still solid except a finger's width next to the wall. The right rear corner was still ok with no staining and no wet carpet. However, the floor framing underneath was soft.
My theory is that our trailer is just old enough to have the putty tape under the rear corner molding crack. Melting snow plus spring rain plus tiny gutters meant water cascading over the side. Since we were having almost daily rain, I caulked all the putty taped molding in the area even though I knew the corner would still be wet underneath--nothing to lose. I was glad to see it didn't get worse and it eventually dried out too although the stain of course remained.
Our May-Oct. plans and commitments involved 12 weeks of travel. We couldn't afford any downtime. Fiberglass trailers are more difficult to fix than Al siding which allows the whole area to be opened for easy access. My skill set, constant rain, no barn and little time meant looking at alternatives.
Plan A--Damage is minimal, keep it caulked and forget it, use it as is for a couple more years.
Plan B--A local RV body shop--not a dealer--estimated $1500-$2000 if the floor didn't need to be replaced. So when was the last time there wasn't hidden water damage... and when the rear end is opened up and the bill keeps going up, do I tell them to forget it and close it up again?
Plan C--Declare it wet and sell. There was no time to sell privately and no way I would buy new and keep the old one around. So we decided to trade and began visiting dealers and the web.
Stay tuned for the outcome.
Henry
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