I've used Git-Rot for what it was designed and have no reason tobelieve it
didn't do a goodjob (repairs to a boat, and later window frames in a house,
both prior to sale of each), so I have a good respect for the product.

However, I did try finding a different use that did not work, and I suspect
you would too. I found it did not set up hard. Perhaps, soaked into wood, it
is formulated to set up to a hardness comparable to wood.

Some years ago I was trying to make a custom canvas snap fitting. I tried to
make use of the low viscosity of the Git-Rot to flow into the back side of a
snap base after I had first placed a machine screw head into the cavity. A
day or so later, I could pull them apart with my fingers.
Can youslip a strip of wood in there after the GitRot cures ?

"Bill" wrote in message
...
I know this is a boating forum but most of the posts I've seen on Git-
Rot seem to be be in the boating arena so here goes.

Does Git-Rot harden without being soaked into wood like a normal
epoxy??

What I'm dealing with is an RV that has some rotted frame members in
the overhang above the cab. I've removed most of the really bad wood
and will be drying out the rest over the next week or so with a
humidifier. I was thinking of soaking all of the remaining wood with
Git-Rot to stabilize it then replacing the missing structual members
or sistering in new frame parts if the pieces are still there but not
as strong as I think they should be. All this is well and good except
that the skin of the camper was placed over 1/4 paneling and nailed or
screwed through into the frame. I had to remove much of the 1/4
paneling and now have a 1/4 inch gap between many of the frame members
and the aluminum skin. What I was thinking of doing is filling that
gap with an epoxy so it will bond the skin to the frame and fill in
the gaps so I wont have holes if the skin gets pushed up by wind when
I'm driving. My first thought was to use Git-Rot to soak the wood and
then another type of epoxy to do the filling, I'd have to find one
with a high viscosity so I can pour it into the cavities and let it
flow under the frame. I figure that if I pour a 1/2 inch of epoxy
that is should do what I need. I then got to thinking that maybe Git-
Rot might be all that I need, I could cover all of the bad wood and
then keep filling in the cavities until it stopped being absorbed and
puddled but I wasn't sure if it would cure hard enough or bond to the
aluminum.

Anyone have experience with something light this using Git-Rot??



Bill

I know this is a boating forum but most of the posts I've seen on Git-
Rot seem to be be in the boating arena so here goes.

Does Git-Rot harden without being soaked into wood like a normal
epoxy??

What I'm dealing with is an RV that has some rotted frame members in
the overhang above the cab. I've removed most of the really bad wood
and will be drying out the rest over the next week or so with a
humidifier. I was thinking of soaking all of the remaining wood with
Git-Rot to stabilize it then replacing the missing structual members
or sistering in new frame parts if the pieces are still there but not
as strong as I think they should be. All this is well and good except
that the skin of the camper was placed over 1/4 paneling and nailed or
screwed through into the frame. I had to remove much of the 1/4
paneling and now have a 1/4 inch gap between many of the frame members
and the aluminum skin. What I was thinking of doing is filling that
gap with an epoxy so it will bond the skin to the frame and fill in
the gaps so I wont have holes if the skin gets pushed up by wind when
I'm driving. My first thought was to use Git-Rot to soak the wood and
then another type of epoxy to do the filling, I'd have to find one
with a high viscosity so I can pour it into the cavities and let it
flow under the frame. I figure that if I pour a 1/2 inch of epoxy
that is should do what I need. I then got to thinking that maybe Git-
Rot might be all that I need, I could cover all of the bad wood and
then keep filling in the cavities until it stopped being absorbed and
puddled but I wasn't sure if it would cure hard enough or bond to the
aluminum.

Anyone have experience with something light this using Git-Rot??



Bill

Bill,

Git-Rot is little more than a laminating epoxy (very low viscosity) that
sets much softer than most epoxies you probably familiar to you.

Now, to your situation as I understand it.
You have a typical aluminum skinned RV. You have removed a good portion
of the degenerated wood. The 1/4 plywood paneling that supported the
skin is gone as well as some of the structural framing.

Repair processes:

You can safely use Git-Rot to recover the stability of small sections of
frames you choose not to replace.

Epoxies do not bond well to untreated (etched) aluminum. Filling that
much volume inside the RV shell will not be simple. I could do it and I
know how, but I would still not suggest it be done. The heat of the
cure may discolor the skin and there are other considerations.

If it were my job, I would fit the paneling back in place. In pieces if
I have to. I would then use a urethane adhesive to bond the skin to the
plywood. Finally, I would join those pieces with either more panel and
epoxy or glass cloth and epoxy. You can then recreate the missing frame
pieces. As you will not be able to nail the plywood to the new frames
from the outside, epoxy the frames to the inside.

Both West and System 3 epoxies will do most of what you need to do very
well. Go to the West System site or a West (no relation) store and get
the books that company sells.
www.westsystem.com/
http://www.systemthree.com/

Which ever epoxy you choose to use. Get the mixing pumps, a light
weight filler, a filleting blend filler and what ever other tools you
think you might need.

It sounds like you are doing a job that would probably cost 2k in a
shop. They would rip the skin off replace all the bad wood, put new
skin back on and paint it all to match. (And let you worry about the
water leaks that started the problem some time down the road.

Advice from a BTDT..... Don't try to save money on tools and material.
This job will be hard enough to get right even if you only have to
fight the repair.

Good Luck Guy

Matt Colie


Bill wrote:
I know this is a boating forum but most of the posts I've seen on Git-
Rot seem to be be in the boating arena so here goes.

Does Git-Rot harden without being soaked into wood like a normal
epoxy??

What I'm dealing with is an RV that has some rotted frame members in
the overhang above the cab. I've removed most of the really bad wood
and will be drying out the rest over the next week or so with a
humidifier. I was thinking of soaking all of the remaining wood with
Git-Rot to stabilize it then replacing the missing structural members
or sistering in new frame parts if the pieces are still there but not
as strong as I think they should be. All this is well and good except
that the skin of the camper was placed over 1/4 paneling and nailed or
screwed through into the frame. I had to remove much of the 1/4
paneling and now have a 1/4 inch gap between many of the frame members
and the aluminum skin. What I was thinking of doing is filling that
gap with an epoxy so it will bond the skin to the frame and fill in
the gaps so I wont have holes if the skin gets pushed up by wind when
I'm driving. My first thought was to use Git-Rot to soak the wood and
then another type of epoxy to do the filling, I'd have to find one
with a high viscosity so I can pour it into the cavities and let it
flow under the frame. I figure that if I pour a 1/2 inch of epoxy
that is should do what I need. I then got to thinking that maybe Git-
Rot might be all that I need, I could cover all of the bad wood and
then keep filling in the cavities until it stopped being absorbed and
puddled but I wasn't sure if it would cure hard enough or bond to the
aluminum.

Anyone have experience with something light this using Git-Rot??



Bill

Matt Colie wrote:

Advice from a BTDT..... Don't try to save money on tools and material.
This job will be hard enough to get right even if you only have to fight
the repair.

Good Luck Guy

Matt Colie



Matt gave a lot of excellent advice here.
And for free too!

The only place I would offer a differing opinion is the mixing pumps.
I've used them and come to not trust them.

I think they are too wasteful - besides being too expensive.

Instead, I'd suggest the use of syringes.

I buy mine at Tractor Supply, but almost any farm supply or Vet store
will have them.

For West Fast (5:1 ratio), I use a 60cc for resin (pulled to the 50
line) and a 10cc for catalist.

For West Slow or Epiglass (3:1) a 60 and 20 - and just count (OUT LOUD)
the shots.

FWIW...


Richard

(remove the X to email)

On Jul 17, 11:22*pm, Matt Colie wrote:
Bill,

Git-Rot is little more than a laminating epoxy (very low viscosity) that
sets much softer than most epoxies you probably familiar to you.

Now, to your situation as I understand it.
You have a typical aluminum skinned RV. *You have removed a good portion
of the degenerated wood. *The 1/4 plywood paneling that supported the
skin is gone as well as some of the structural framing.

Repair processes:

You can safely use Git-Rot to recover the stability of small sections of
frames you choose not to replace.

Epoxies do not bond well to untreated (etched) aluminum. *Filling that
much volume inside the RV shell will not be simple. *I could do it and I
know how, but I would still not suggest it be done. *The heat of the
cure may discolor the skin and there are other considerations.

If it were my job, I would fit the paneling back in place. *In pieces if
I have to. *I would then use a urethane adhesive to bond the skin to the
plywood. *Finally, I would join those pieces with either more panel and
epoxy or glass cloth and epoxy. *You can then recreate the missing frame
pieces. *As you will not be able to nail the plywood to the new frames
from the outside, epoxy the frames to the inside.

Both West and System 3 epoxies will do most of what you need to do very
well. *Go to the West System site or a West (no relation) store and get
the books that company sells.www.westsystem.com/http://www.systemthree.com/

Which ever epoxy you choose to use. *Get the mixing pumps, a light
weight filler, a filleting blend filler and what ever other tools you
think you might need.

It sounds like you are doing a job that would probably cost 2k in a
shop. *They would rip the skin off replace all the bad wood, put new
skin back on and paint it all to match. *(And let you worry about the
water leaks that started the problem some time down the road.

Advice from a BTDT..... Don't try to save money on tools and material.
* *This job will be hard enough to get right even if you only have to
fight the repair.

Good Luck Guy

Matt Colie



Bill wrote:
I know this is a boating forum but most of the posts I've seen on Git-
Rot seem to be be in the boating arena so here goes.

Does Git-Rot harden without being soaked into wood like a normal
epoxy??

What I'm dealing with is an RV that has some rotted frame members in
the overhang above the cab. *I've removed most of the really bad wood
and will be drying out the rest over the next week or so with a
humidifier. *I was thinking of soaking all of the remaining wood with
Git-Rot to stabilize it then replacing the missing structural members
or sistering in new frame parts if the pieces are still there but not
as strong as I think they should be. *All this is well and good except
that the skin of the camper was placed over 1/4 paneling and nailed or
screwed through into the frame. *I had to remove much of the 1/4
paneling and now have a 1/4 inch gap between many of the frame members
and the aluminum skin. *What I was thinking of doing is filling that
gap with an epoxy so it will bond the skin to the frame and fill in
the gaps so I wont have holes if the skin gets pushed up by wind when
I'm driving. *My first thought was to use Git-Rot to soak the wood and
then another type of epoxy to do the filling, I'd have to find one
with a high viscosity so I can pour it into the cavities and let it
flow under the frame. *I figure that if I pour a 1/2 inch of epoxy
that is should do what I need. *I then got to thinking that maybe Git-
Rot might be all that I need, I could cover all of the bad wood and
then keep filling in the cavities until it stopped being absorbed and
puddled but I wasn't sure if it would cure hard enough or bond to the
aluminum.

Anyone have experience with something light this using Git-Rot??

Bill- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I'm changing my thoughts on epoxying the entire bottom, what I'm
leaning toward now is using Git-Rot to harden up the questionable
frame parts then shooting some under the frame members where each
screw coms through from the outside. Even if Git-Rot doesn't harden
rock hard I'm thinking that it will flow/seep in and around the screw
shank and the hole in the aluminum skin and block up any water path.
Then I'm going to use expaned foam to fill in the empty area bewteen
the frame and the skin where I removed the water damaged panel. I'm
going to replace the missing pieces that the rot completely destroyed
and sister some new frame members along other questionable ribs. Top
the entire thing off with a 1/2 inch piece of marine grade plywood and
screw and glue the living heck out of it. The 1/2 ply should
structually strengthen the frame, maybe not as good as having a
continuous panel on top and bottom but close and the foam fill will
stop the skin from coming up off the screw heads and opening up
holes. I'm going to try the epoxy/foam on a small area first to see
how it works and if I run into problems your method or a variation of
it will have to do.

Keep in mind I've never done any glass work, how strong would a
sectioned panel be if I just glassed the topside of it right over the
frame down to the panel?? I could fill in the panel pieces like you
mentioned then basically lay a fibereglass layer over the entire frame
and panels making them basically one piece?? Just looking for
options. I like having different options so I can weigh the pros and
cons of each before making my desision.

I looked at the westwood and system three products and you're right
that they would do what I want but I'd need about 2 gal plus to do it
the way I was planning and that adds up quick and I'm on the tightest
budgest imaginable, think negative numbers, alse some people on the RV
groups have mentioned worries about the epoxy over stiffening the
overhang to the point that it might cause problems down the road.

wrote:

On Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:55:58 -0500, cavelamb himself
wrote:


Matt Colie wrote:

Advice from a BTDT..... Don't try to save money on tools and material.
This job will be hard enough to get right even if you only have to fight
the repair.

Good Luck Guy

Matt Colie



Matt gave a lot of excellent advice here.
And for free too!

The only place I would offer a differing opinion is the mixing pumps.
I've used them and come to not trust them.

I think they are too wasteful - besides being too expensive.

Instead, I'd suggest the use of syringes.

I buy mine at Tractor Supply, but almost any farm supply or Vet store
will have them.

For West Fast (5:1 ratio), I use a 60cc for resin (pulled to the 50
line) and a 10cc for catalist.

For West Slow or Epiglass (3:1) a 60 and 20 - and just count (OUT LOUD)
the shots.

FWIW...


Richard

(remove the X to email)


You were doing great until you gave the wrong ratio for "West Slow".
West System has different hardners for different uses, (including one
called SLOW) and they all mix 5:1. West specifically warns aginst
varying the ratio to try and modify the cure times, as it also
negatively affects the final product properties and quality.

You can play with temperature changes to some degree to hasten or
retard the cure rate.



Sorry, Dog, I got confused.
That happens sometimes before coffee takes effect.

207 and 209 are 3:1, the rest, including 206 Slow are 5:1

It's 99 to 105 outside in the shop.
206 seems to gell in 10 minutes.

I'm using 209 and trying to get done in 15 - 20 minutes.
'Cuz after that, it's not gonna go...


--

Richard

(remove the X to email)

Bill,
I'm going to put answers and comments in line. I don't like this, but
it will be clearer alone the way.

Bill wrote:
I'm changing my thoughts on epoxying the entire bottom, what I'm
leaning toward now is using Git-Rot to harden up the questionable
frame parts then shooting some under the frame members where each
screw comes through from the outside.
OK
Even if Git-Rot doesn't harden rock hard I'm thinking that it will
flow/seep in and around the screw shank and the hole in the aluminum
skin and block up any water path.
Don't count on that. Git-Rot can not be counted on to hold screws or
fill if it has to go up.
Then I'm going to use expanded foam to fill in the empty area between
the frame and the skin where I removed the water damaged panel.
No foam that you can buy at a big box or building supply will have
anything like the structural rigidity you need to to stabilize the skin
at road speed wind load. You can get high density Divicel(sp?) or
Aerex(sp?) foam that would work, but it costs more than marine plywood.
I'm going to replace the missing pieces that the rot completely
destroyed and sister some new frame members along other questionable
ribs.
Good Plan
Top the entire thing off with a 1/2 inch piece of marine grade plywood
and screw and glue the living heck out of it.
By top it off, do you mean inside the cabover? That still leaves the
skin ineffectually supported. Remember when you were a kid and you put
your hand out the window - Think about that.
=Don't spend the money on marine grade plywood exterior uses that same
laminating process, but may(will) have voids in the core. You can cut
around those.
The 1/2 ply should structurally strengthen the frame, maybe not as good
as having a continuous panel on top and bottom but close and the foam
fill will stop the skin from coming up off the screw heads and opening
up holes.
Let me get this right....
Are you proposing to rebuild the frames, put plywood inside and then use
an expand-in-place foam between the skin and the plywood?
It that is the case, please listen. Without proper controls (a heavy
plywood form) in place, the foam will push the skin all out of shape.
Arrange things so screws go into wood only and be ready re-tighten them
after the moisture content of the wood settles down.
I'm going to try the epoxy/foam on a small area first to see
how it works and if I run into problems your method or a variation of
it will have to do.
Always a good idea to do a small trial before committing resources.

Keep in mind I've never done any glass work,
This would be a god time to learn, but start with some experiments
outside the RV and where you can see and work.
how strong would a sectioned panel be if I just glassed the topside
of it right over the frame down to the panel??
To paraphase:
You have rebuilt the frame and put in a plywood panel and want to wrap
glass/epoxy over the frame to the panel both sides of the frame?
= West and System 3 epoxy are very capable materials. The larger
bending load on the panel will be between the frames, not at the frames.
This could be a very strong assembly, but it may be difficult to
manage. The screws for the skin will have to be long enough to reach
the frame. If you put the panel joints between the frames and are
afraid of the bending load, the use epoxy to do a single fishplate (a 4"
wide - panel high) of the same plywood. When you bond that with epoxy
(you can hold it in place with a few 5/8 dry wall screws) it will be at
least as stiff all the way across the joint as the plywood itself.
I could fill in the panel pieces like you mentioned then basically
lay a fiberglass layer over the entire frame and panels making them
basically one piece??
That would be very effective.
Just looking for options.
Thinking is the cheapest thing to do.... keep it up.
I like having different options so I can weigh the pros and cons of
each before making my decision.
As I said....Keep it up, you get there.

I looked at the westwood and system three products and you're right
that they would do what I want but I'd need about 2 gal plus
WHAT? Remember, you're not going to fill large volumes with epoxy
anymore, I thought we crossed that one off. Even if you did, West epoxy
with microlight filler is only going to be 10/15% epoxy by volume.
- Trust me on that one.
to do it the way I was planning and that adds up quick and I'm on the
tightest budget imaginable, think negative numbers,
Think, you got that right so far - keep it up.
also some people on the RV groups have mentioned worries about the
epoxy over stiffening the overhang to the point that it might cause
problems down the road.
The Gougeon Bros. formulated the West System (West is Wood Epoxy
Saturation Technique) so they could build strong boats. Let those
people worry, do the job right and don't worry about doing it again.
Flexibility in an RV shell is not a positive attribute. How may 30+yo
Airstream, Avion, Travco and GMC (real GMC, not just the chassis) RVs do
you see out there still? The answer is lots... they just don't look old
and they are still in use. They are not flexible. If it is flexible,
it will probably leak. There aren't many caulking systems that can stand
very much movement.

Back to the tight budget issue. We already left out the in-place foam,
and traded off the marine plywood for exterior (just plan on throwing
some away). You can use 5/8 or 3/4 (hard to get) dry wall screws for
everything inside. If you go the fit panel pieces with fishplate
joints, you can do that with a urethane construction adhesive (this will
be adequately strong, but you will have to use more and be sure it oozes
out of any joint you assemble). This would be a fraction of the cost of
epoxy, but it will take somewhat longer (not good in my case).

If you get the whole thing stable and want to squirt in foam for
insulation (sound and heat) go ahead.

My office has recently been upgraded, it was in a 1978 19' Cayo/Dodge.
It is now in a '73 23' GMC. The cabover space was difficult for an old
man to use for tool storage, so I gave up and commandeered the family
coach. Everything is a compromise.

My clients count on me to fix things once - just once. I stand behind
that (some as much a 15 years now. If I were you, I would be worried
about this guy by now. Want to know more? www.southpointechandler.com

I'm at the point in my life that I would like to sell of the hard won
lessons - if I could get 5c on the $, I could live the rest of my life
in comfort. As that is problematic, I just don't want it to be lost
when I check out.

Good Luck Guy,
If I can help more, I'm here a lot.

Matt Colie

On Jul 19, 5:47*pm, Matt Colie wrote:
Bill,
I'm going to put answers and comments in line. *I don't like this, but
it will be clearer alone the way.

Bill wrote:
I'm changing my thoughts on epoxying the entire bottom, what I'm
leaning toward now is using Git-Rot to harden up the questionable
frame parts then shooting some under the frame members where each
screw comes through from the outside. *
OK
Even if Git-Rot doesn't harden rock hard I'm thinking that it will

* flow/seep in and around the screw shank and the hole in the aluminum
* skin and block up any water path.
Don't count on that. *Git-Rot can not be counted on to hold screws or
fill if it has to go up. Then I'm going to use expanded foam to fill in the empty area between


The screw holes I'm trying to 'seal' are on the bottom of the overhang
so the git rot wont have to flow up just wick down through.


the frame and the skin where I removed the water damaged panel.

No foam that you can buy at a big box or building supply will have
anything like the structural rigidity you need to to stabilize the skin
at road speed wind load. *You can get high density Divicel(sp?) or
Aerex(sp?) foam that would work, but it costs more than marine plywood. I'm going to replace the missing pieces that the rot completely
destroyed and sister some new frame members along other questionable

* ribs.
Good Plan Top the entire thing off with a 1/2 inch piece of marine grade plywood

* and screw and glue the living heck out of it.
By top it off, do you mean inside the cabover? *That still leaves the
skin ineffectually supported. *Remember when you were a kid and you put
your hand out the window - Think about that.
=Don't spend the money on marine grade plywood exterior uses that same
laminating process, but may(will) have voids in the core. *You can cut
around those. The 1/2 ply should structurally strengthen the frame, maybe not as good


I hadn't realized that the marine grade ply was alot more expensive
than plain exterior, I like overkill but it sounds like a bit too much
overkill for my budget.



* as having a continuous panel on top and bottom but close and the foam
* fill will stop the skin from coming up off the screw heads and opening
* up holes.
Let me get this right....
Are you proposing to rebuild the frames, put plywood inside and then use
an expand-in-place foam between the skin and the plywood?
It that is the case, please listen. *Without proper controls (a heavy
plywood form) in place, the foam will push the skin all out of shape.
Arrange things so screws go into wood only and be ready re-tighten them

Biggest problem is that I cannot get to the majority of the screws
under the overhang since it is online an inch or so apart from the cab
of the camper chassis.

The original deck of the overhang consisted of a frame with paneling
on both sides to which the skin was attached to the frame members with
screws. Looking at it the way it was I really can't see the piece of
paneling that was between the skin and the frame as a support for the
skin I think it was more of a structual thing to help keep the frame
stiff. When I said about using foam as a filler what I meant was that
I'd inject the foam directly under each frame member to fill up the
void where the rotted paneling was removed so I'd have plenty of
overflow out the sides and should not force the skin away from the
frame. This was just to stop the skin from comming up toward the
frame and creating gaps where the screw heads pulled away. Topping
the new frame and conditioned old frame members with a 1/2 inch piece
of plywood glued and screwed to the frame members was my way of
increasing the structual integrity without being able to add a new
panel to the bottom.

after the moisture content of the wood settles down. I'm going to try the epoxy/foam on a small area first to see
how it works and if I run into problems your method or a variation of
it will have to do.

Always a good idea to do a small trial before committing resources.

Keep in mind I've never done any glass work,

This would be a god time to learn, but start with some experiments
outside the RV and where you can see and work. how strong would a sectioned panel be if I just glassed the topside
of it right over the frame down to the panel?? *

To paraphase:
You have rebuilt the frame and put in a plywood panel and want to wrap
glass/epoxy over the frame to the panel both sides of the frame?
= West and System 3 epoxy are very capable materials. *The larger
bending load on the panel will be between the frames, not at the frames.
* *This could be a very strong assembly, but it may be difficult to
manage. *The screws for the skin will have to be long enough to reach
the frame. *If you put the panel joints between the frames and are
afraid of the bending load, the use epoxy to do a single fishplate (a 4"
wide - panel high) of the same plywood. *When you bond that with epoxy
(you can hold it in place with a few 5/8 dry wall screws) it will be at
least as stiff all the way across the joint as the plywood itself. I could fill in the panel pieces like you mentioned then basically
lay a fiberglass layer over the entire frame and panels making them
basically one piece?? *



I think you got the paraphrasing a bit off. The glassing question was
combined with putting small panels under the frame that I could glue
to both the frame and the skin. If I put in pieces with slots for the
existing screws from the skin side I could theoretically fill in the
entire panel that was removed from under the frame. I was then
wondering if I glassed right over the frame and across the butt joints
of the panel pieces if that be worth it to create essentially a solid
frame panel that was glued to the skin. Then if I'd top that off with
the 1/2 inch plywood glued and screwed to the frame/panel I'd have a
stable strong deck again.



That would be very effective.
* Just looking for options.
Thinking is the cheapest thing to do.... keep it up. I like having different options so I can weigh the pros and cons of
each before making my decision.

As I said....Keep it up, you get there.

I looked at the westwood and system three products and you're right
that they would do what I want but I'd need about 2 gal plus

WHAT? *Remember, you're not going to fill large volumes with epoxy
anymore, I thought we crossed that one off. *Even if you did, West epoxy
* with microlight filler is only going to be 10/15% epoxy by volume.
* - Trust me on that one. to do it the way I was planning and that adds up quick and I'm on the


This was just to say that I went and looked at what was recommended
before when I asked about epoxying the entire bottom.

tightest budget imaginable, think negative numbers,

Think, you got that right so far - keep it up. also some people on the RV groups have mentioned worries about the

* epoxy over stiffening the overhang to the point that it might cause
* problems down the road.
The Gougeon Bros. formulated the West System (West is Wood Epoxy
Saturation Technique) so they could build strong boats. *Let those
people worry, do the job right and don't worry about doing it again.
Flexibility in an RV shell is not a positive attribute. *How may 30+yo
Airstream, Avion, Travco and GMC (real GMC, not just the chassis) RVs do
you see out there still? *The answer is lots... they just don't look old
and they are still in use. *They are not flexible. *If it is flexible,
it will probably leak. There aren't many caulking systems that can stand
very much movement.

Back to the tight budget issue. *We already left out the in-place foam,
and traded off the marine plywood for exterior (just plan on throwing
some away). *You can use 5/8 or 3/4 (hard to get) dry wall screws for
everything inside. *If you go the fit panel pieces with fishplate
joints, you can do that with a urethane construction adhesive (this will
be adequately strong, but you will have to use more and be sure it oozes
out of any joint you assemble). *This would be a fraction of the cost of
epoxy, but it will take somewhat longer (not good in my case).

If you get the whole thing stable and want to squirt in foam for
insulation (sound and heat) go ahead.

My office has recently been upgraded, it was in a 1978 19' Cayo/Dodge.
It is now in a '73 23' GMC. *The cabover space was difficult for an old
man to use for tool storage, so I gave up and commandeered the family
coach. *Everything is a compromise.

My clients count on me to fix things once - just once. I stand behind
that (some as much a 15 years now. *If I were you, I would be worried
about this guy by now. *Want to know more? www.southpointechandler.com

I'm at the point in my life that I would like to sell of the hard won
lessons - if I could get 5c on the $, I could live the rest of my life
in comfort. *As that is problematic, I just don't want it to be lost
when I check out.

Good Luck Guy,
If I can help more, I'm here a lot.

Matt Colie

Thanks for the input, I'm still not entirely sure which way I'll go
yet but the more info the merrier.

Bill

Another shipboard item that works on the road.
For an insidious leak nothing beats 3M 5200 Adsive / Sealant. Very
expensive, but worth every dollar. The UNIFLITE people used it to glue
2 2X4's together to make a 4X4.
A friend had a partly rusted out roof on his van, and a few squirts
of 5200 fared in sealed it up better than original.
I had a '60 Owens 35' carvel planked, with a rotted bow. Used the
git-rot to address the rotten wood, then fit and epoxied new wood to
pretty it up. Had the boat for 13 years, and never saw any more of
that kind of problem. Of course took to washing down with salt water
once a week which I do NOT recommend for you!

Good luck on your project.
Den

http://www.densnet.net

On Jul 21, 11:03*pm, den wrote:
Another shipboard item that works on the road.
* *For an insidious leak nothing beats 3M 5200 Adsive / Sealant. Very
expensive, but worth every dollar. The UNIFLITE people used it to glue
2 2X4's together to make a 4X4.
* A friend had a partly rusted out roof on his van, and a few squirts
of 5200 fared in sealed it up better than original.
* I had a '60 Owens 35' carvel planked, with a rotted bow. Used the
git-rot to address the rotten wood, then fit and epoxied new wood to
pretty it up. Had the boat for 13 years, and never saw any more of
that kind of problem. Of course took to washing down with salt water
once a week which I do NOT recommend for you!

Good luck on your project.
* Den

* *http://www.densnet.net

Very cool! I'm now leaning toward using panel pieces I can slip
between the frame and skin and the 3m 5200 looks like it will work
wonderfully for glueing the frame to the panel, the panel to the skin
and the individual panel pieces together.

Thanks

Bill