1989 Lynx Prowler

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bcraig

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Jul 6, 2016
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Hi,this is my first post here but I am sure it wont be my last !
I have a lot of questions.

I Just bought a 1989 Lynx Prowler 24 ft to use to camp Locally and fish.

The Camper looked good on the outside and inside and I bought it without crawling up on a ladder to look at the roof.
I can see where it has been Patched in 3 or 4 places.

Can someone please tell me what the roof is made of(it appears to be made of very thin Plastic)
And what I need to do to make sure there are going to be no leaks and I am dry !
I am on a very limited budget but want to do it right.
I am 56 and Had Triple bypass In Feb so my health is not real good at the moment and don't want it made worse by a leaky camper.

Thanks
Craig
 
Since repairs are beyond your abilities you need to have someone knowledgeable inspect it for you. Roofs are the one area that should be the first area inspected when buying a used unit. The material is called "rubber" it is what commercial buildings use on flat roofs. They are glued down and the edges are held down by moldings and sheet metal in the front and back. I did a 32 foot trailer and I believe it t cost me aproxamently 800.00 Since my roof had been leaking for quite a while I had to replace a lot of structure under the rubber. If I haven't answered all your questions send me a PM.
 
The roof is very likely EPDM rubber sheeting over a luan substrate, but some back then had panels of galvanized metal. Metal was being phased out by then, though.
 
Well I climbed up on a ladder again and took a pocket knife and scratched through the outer surface of the material.
It was shiny ,so the material is aluminum or galvanized ?
I guess I can tell by putting a magnet on it and see if it sticks?
What is a good material to put on the roof and how do I put it on?

Thanks
Craig
 
The roof is aluminum without seams
So what to put on it that is not too expensive ?

I dont know whether to just use in obvious areas or to coat the entire roof?
 
All you have to do is get some self leveling caulk and seal around the roof vents and other penetrations.  Remove any loose caulking first, then apply a generous bead around the openings.

If you use an Elastomeric metal roof paint and do the entire roof, the thick coating will reduce or eliminate the sound of rain hitting the metal roof.  This by itself was why I painted the roof of my 5th wheel that had an aluminum roof.

Keep in mind whatever you put on the roof will only adhere as well as whatever's underneath it, so make sure you remove any loose stuff first.

Don't forget to check other areas like around windows and doors.  If you decide to caulk them, avoid any caulking that contains silicone.  Silicone caulking leaves behind a slick surface that's impossible to completely remove once and afterwards nothing else will stick to that area.
 
Thanks Lou ,I am going to do the whole roof to make sure that I am sealing the obvious previously repaired places but also to make sure there are no pinholes in the roof I am missing.
Which elastomeric sealant would you recommend ?
I want to us to use a sealant do the job as inexpensively as possible But that still does the job well.

Both the roof Plastic vent covers were broken as well and I ordered a couple which should be in mid next week.
I suppose I need to replace the vent covers before doing the roof? Are they put on by putting the pin through the hinges on the top and closing then going inside and putting the raising mechanism in place?

Thanks
Craig
 
Since it's a metal roof you can use any of the roof coat products sold for mobile homes and such. Available at most any home or hardware stores. Kool Seal and Henry's are popular brands. Something like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Henry-4-75-Gal-587-White-Roof-Coating-HE587871/202091022

For the seams and openings, Dicor Self-leveling Lap Sealant is a good choice.
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
Since it's a metal roof you can use any of the roof coat products sold for mobile homes and such. Available at most any home or hardware stores. Kool Seal and Henry's are popular brands. Something like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Henry-4-75-Gal-587-White-Roof-Coating-HE587871/202091022

For the seams and openings, Dicor Self-leveling Lap Sealant is a good choice.
Click to expand...

Hi Gary,I followed the link that you provided and read about the product and it seems that it is not good for sealing leaks and the company recommends this instead http://www.homedepot.com/p/Henry-Tropi-Cool-4-75-Gal-887-White-100-Silicone-Roof-Coating-HE887HS073/205049553 Henry Tropicool silicon.

I am more than a Little confuzzled as I have been reading all I can about roof coatings and it seem the general consensus is NOT to use silicon !

I would appreciate your comments.

I sure do wish I could find a product that would coat the entire roof and seal off any unseen pinholes and the areas previously sealed for less than 2-$300.00 dollars !

It seems that any product I find for less money is just basically a reflective paint !

Thanks
Craig
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
Since it's a metal roof you can use any of the roof coat products sold for mobile homes and such. Available at most any home or hardware stores. Kool Seal and Henry's are popular brands. Something like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Henry-4-75-Gal-587-White-Roof-Coating-HE587871/202091022

For the seams and openings, Dicor Self-leveling Lap Sealant is a good choice.
Click to expand...

Hi
I believe I am going to use the Kool Seal and a self leveling Lap sealant.
I have a couple of questions though.

Concerning the Kool Seal ,I see they make several different types.
I am thinking the Kool Seal Elastomeric would be the best for the Aluminum roof,what do you think?

Concerning the roof someone coated the roof with a grey type of material.And there are 4 areas where they put it on thick I presume to fix a crack or hole.Now where it is thick it is Cracked badly.
What would be the best way to approach this?
Scrape all off i can?Put some Eterna bond tape over it ,use the Self leveling lap sealant around the edges then use the Kool seal elastomeric  and coat over it?
Or Just fill the cracks wit Lap sealant and Kool Seal?

Seeing as how the roof has been rolled with this grey type of coating do I need to use any type of primer or just clean with soap and water to remove the Oxidation and then use the Lap sealant and Kool seal Elastomeric ?

A lot of questions I know and I really appreciate the help that you and everyone is helping me.

Thanks
Craig
 
You have it right. No silicone because silicone does not stick to silicone so if it ever needs re-done it would have to be completely stripped off. That is why RV stores sell products like Dicor because as long as it is not peeling or crumbling you can put another layer on. If I were you I would clean the roof thoroughly and re-seal any caulking/sealant then coat with elastomeric. It should be that simple. Good luck, take some pictures if you think of it.
 
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