Going in
I've never been described as overly sane.
Took on a refurbishing project on a 1999 Prowler 721c hybrid. The idea is for the project to be a learning experience (did I say that out loud?) as regards Rv construction and systems. I will be upgrading all the systems to modern, high efficiency tech, but first is pulling the existing systems and teaching myself how these things go together.
Started digging into the interior in earnest today. The Prowler interior looks good and everything works, though age and use are apparent. There had clearly been leaks in the last, but after a steady three day rain I was unable to locate a single drip inside. The one thing that caused concern is the floor, which clearly had issues in the bathroom and front storage. Today I started cutting away the linoleum (?) in the storage areas and discovered good news and bad news. The bad is that the thin plywood layer is completely dissolved. I actually found earthworms living in it! I've only found one wood crossbeam so far and that is badly rotted. I will have to pull the seat structure out (expected) to access the front area floor. The interior furniture structure is all clean, dry and solid and will be reused. The advantage of a welded aluminum frame is clear, as all the structure is sound with no evidence of corrosion.
The good news is all the bits that are not wood are in good shape, so only the wood needs replacing. Framing, so far is surprisingly minimal, with all the spaces between frames under the thin (formerly) plywood layer filled with a dense styrofoam insulation. So, the main job will be replacing the plywood subfloor.
Question 1: The plywood appears to have been very thin, maybe 1/8", which seems too thin to be rigid enough to be a subfloor. Is it possible it was originally that thin, or is 1/4" more likely? I intend to replace it with 1/2" ply to ensure proper stiffness.
Question 2: Rather than repeat the obvious and replace a rotted wood layer with more wood, are there other synthetic laminate options that would do the job, but not be prone to rot?
That's it for this visit. I can see where my next few weekends will be spent!
I've never been described as overly sane.
Took on a refurbishing project on a 1999 Prowler 721c hybrid. The idea is for the project to be a learning experience (did I say that out loud?) as regards Rv construction and systems. I will be upgrading all the systems to modern, high efficiency tech, but first is pulling the existing systems and teaching myself how these things go together.
Started digging into the interior in earnest today. The Prowler interior looks good and everything works, though age and use are apparent. There had clearly been leaks in the last, but after a steady three day rain I was unable to locate a single drip inside. The one thing that caused concern is the floor, which clearly had issues in the bathroom and front storage. Today I started cutting away the linoleum (?) in the storage areas and discovered good news and bad news. The bad is that the thin plywood layer is completely dissolved. I actually found earthworms living in it! I've only found one wood crossbeam so far and that is badly rotted. I will have to pull the seat structure out (expected) to access the front area floor. The interior furniture structure is all clean, dry and solid and will be reused. The advantage of a welded aluminum frame is clear, as all the structure is sound with no evidence of corrosion.
The good news is all the bits that are not wood are in good shape, so only the wood needs replacing. Framing, so far is surprisingly minimal, with all the spaces between frames under the thin (formerly) plywood layer filled with a dense styrofoam insulation. So, the main job will be replacing the plywood subfloor.
Question 1: The plywood appears to have been very thin, maybe 1/8", which seems too thin to be rigid enough to be a subfloor. Is it possible it was originally that thin, or is 1/4" more likely? I intend to replace it with 1/2" ply to ensure proper stiffness.
Question 2: Rather than repeat the obvious and replace a rotted wood layer with more wood, are there other synthetic laminate options that would do the job, but not be prone to rot?
That's it for this visit. I can see where my next few weekends will be spent!
