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hjhancock
Samba Member
Joined: October 13, 2020
Posts: 1
Location: WA
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 Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 1:51 pm Post subject: Poptop Cracks around Strut |
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Does anyone have any experience with fractures in the poptop at the location where the forward poptop struts meet the fiberglass roof? We can see daylight through the roof which is unsettling.
I imagine there is a lot of stress on this location when popping the roof up so I wouldn't think spot repairing or filling it with temporary silicone caulking isn't going to keep the cracking from getting worse. Any help or suggestions about what to do would be much appreciated!
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khughes
Samba Member
Joined: July 13, 2013
Posts: 747
Location: Phoenix AZ
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| Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 2:54 pm Post subject: Re: Poptop Cracks around Strut |
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Wow, that's unfortunate. I've never seen that happen; is your tent really, really tight? Either way, I would think you'll need to repair with glass and epoxy, not any kind of caulking. I'd suggest the braided fiberglass roving and a serious epoxy like West Systems designed for laminating. You can clean a spot on the inside (remove the flocking and rough sand) and laminate a couple of layers of roving. You can use thickened epoxy to patch the cracks and fill voids on the topside after the inside repair (if the tent tightness is the problem doing an inside repair will make that worse).
Or, you could machine backing plates to span the cracked areas. Sealed with 3M 5200 polysulfide sealant they'll be there forever and not leak (use the slow cure, not fast - it will take 3-5 days to harden).
Probably other ways too.
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'86 Westy FAS GenV Turbo (Marvin) |
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Ahwahnee
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Joined: June 05, 2010
Posts: 9798
Location: Mt Lemmon, AZ
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| Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 2:55 pm Post subject: Re: Poptop Cracks around Strut |
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I could be wrong but neither the part nor the interior surface look original to me raising the possibility of prior damage and repair. That is not a failure that I have previously seen in normal use.
What does the top side look like? Any evidence of prior work?
I agree it will require strength which means removal of material in the area - that may reveal the nature of the problem and suggest the extent and form of the repair. |
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MarkWard
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Joined: February 09, 2005
Posts: 17115
Location: Retired South Florida
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| Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 2:56 pm Post subject: Re: Poptop Cracks around Strut |
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The roof is fiberglass, so it can be repaired. The hard part is doing it so that you can’t tell it’s been patched.
You might have a cleaner look if you sandwiched the roof with some aluminum flat stock. It could help spread the load and have a more finished look. You could use a bonding type sealer to adhere the aluminum and prevent moisture from leaking in.
Otherwise it’s a lot of grinding, patching, and finishing. I’m sure you could find some you tube videos on patching fiberglass.
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dgbeatty
Samba Member
Joined: October 26, 2006
Posts: 702
Location: Sacramento
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| Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 3:41 pm Post subject: Re: Poptop Cracks around Strut |
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For some of the very best advice rely on West Systems. Much of the advice is free. This is one are where short cuts and shoddy work both look bad and fail quickly. Epoxy is one part of a composite structural assembly where the end strength is greater than the sum of the components.
https://www.epoxyworks.com/ a high quality magazine, both print and pdf
is.gd/12R2Tz Link to a free catalog / basic manual
is.gd/LCUjNB lastly is a link to their YouTube channel.
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djkeev
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Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32586
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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puchfinnland
Samba Member
Joined: December 26, 2005
Posts: 279
Location: Deale Maryland
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| Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 5:55 pm Post subject: Re: Poptop Cracks around Strut |
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Being in the boat repair business I see stuff like this all the time,
my fix would be
grind out both inside and outside surfaces clean, use west system and some chopped strand to try to repair it,sand in flat on both inside and out.
then
purchase some small scraps of
gpo-3 material 1/4 inch
its pre-made fiberglass sheet,
cut backing plates that are at least 1/2 wider and longer then the metal bracket, laminate it on the inside and redrill the holes, its now far stronger ten it was before
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ABYC marine master technician , EX European auto technician, new business- EASTCOASTWEST , custom work on campers, only systems, no mechanical |
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pbrown
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Joined: July 15, 2008
Posts: 443
Location: Seattle, WA
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