Roof Filon damage

[John Stephens]

While moving my 2005 Adventurer 38J to a new to me storage facility. I clipped the overhang of a storage building at the new site, ripping the radial on the driver's side. The damage consists of three rips. One is about 12-14" long and the other two are on top of each other, separated by about 2-3" and located roughly two feet in back of the first.

I called my coach guy and asked him for a rough estimate on repairing the damage. He quoted me at least $1,000 without looking at it but with the description I gave him. I told him that since I just purchased four Toyo tires for the rear end the week before, I can't afford another $1,000 repair bill right now and would try to patch it with Eternabond tape until I can get it into his shop. He assured me he would be able to remove the tape to make the repair.

I bought some 3" wide Eternabond and very carefully patched the rips, and it appears the tape will hold indefinitely. My primary concern right now is getting by on our next long trip, a 96-day excursion out west, leaving on April 5th. When I made the patch, I was astounded by just how thin the filon is. The areas where the rips occurred seem to have paper-thin fiberglass that could be easily torn. I can push it into the rips with my fingers very easily. I also noticed the integrity of the radial now seems compromised because in between the rips, I can push the radial in without much effort, while in front of, or in back of the rips, the radial still is hard and cannot be pushed in. This gives me the idea that not only the rips will have to be repaired, but also the area in between the rips. Knowing nothing about fiberglass or filon repair, I have no idea what actually will have to be done.

This makes me wonder if it will be safe to take this trip with the Eternabond tape patching the rips. I am not concerned with weather because the tape appears to be watertight and wind-resistant, but I am wondering if the softness of the radial may make it easier to incur further damage from rocks or scraping on tree branches while in campgrounds. Obviously, I always try to miss trees, but sometimes it cannot be avoided.

Is damage like this something I can repair myself, having no knowledge or experience in fiberglass repair? Or should I leave it to my coach guy that knows what he's doing? If the latter, do you think it will be safe to take our trip as long as the tape holds?

 

[SpencerPJ]

Yikes, sorry for your mishap. Considering it is an 05, and probably a few other scuffs, I personally would think your Eternabond tape repair would be perfectly acceptable. The repair will probably entail fiberglass work that will be noticeable as well, unless a complete roof paint is done. Depending on how it looks, I think your repair will function and not be an issue whatsoever. You can clean those scuffs up with a rubbing compound and rewax. As far as thin fiberglass, does not take much to keep the elements out, and keeping it lightweight I am sure is an objective. Take a better look and make sure nothing else didn't tweak to cause a leak.

 

[youracman]

Tough call on whether or not to "hit the road" with your temporary repair, John. I probably would, but my judgment has often been questioned..... lol. (I have had some EB tape on my coach for years and have driven in lots of wind, etc ....... but as the EB tape mfr will tell you it has no "structural strength" whatever.)

Just to give you some additional insight as to what the design/construction is like I have attached a cross section pic and a video. BTW- your "coach guy" can buy the foam inserts (that are slotted to fit into flanges in the aluminum structure under the roof curve) from WBGO or through Lichtsen RV; those inserts are obviously toast in the damaged area IMHO. If one were to travel with an EB repair this close to the roof edge, it would be really, really important to verify that the adhesive sealant in the awning rail is in good condition.

I have read where guys have done repairs with fiberglass cloth and resin but it was in an area where the repair would not show. I have also read on various forums that, for a pro fiberglass repair, a boat repair business is the place to go ..... they do this kind of repair every day.

Lots of expertise on this forum, it will be interesting to read what they have to say.

Good luck with the repair and stay safe.

 

[Lou Schneider]

Eternabond should be fine, I had a tree branch jump out and rip a 12" gash along the edge of an EDPM roof 10 years ago. Cleaned it, applied an overlapping layer of Eternabond tape and it's still good.

Fiberglass work isn't hard. I bought a trailer that had been in an accident 20 years ago and patched a couple of punctures in the Filon sidewall myself. There are numerous YouTube videos showing how to repair fiberglass boat hulls, the same principles apply to a fiberglass roof. Basically clean everything off, brush on a layer of epoxy (resin and hardener) and let it fill in the depressions, lay down some fiberglass cloth and brush on more epoxy until the cloth is saturated. Then sand the edges so it blends in. Boat supply places will have all you need, including powdered tint you can add when you mix the resin and hardener if you want to match the color of your roof on the final coat (the epoxy is naturally close to clear).

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I had a 4" thick tree limb plunger right through the roof of one of my metal storage buildings. I put overlapping strips of roof tape over the gaping hole as a temporary repair. That was 14 years ago...

 

[Lou Schneider]

I had a 4" thick tree limb plunger right through the roof of one of my metal storage buildings. I put overlapping strips of roof tape over the gaping hole as a temporary repair. That was 14 years ago...

Wow, Gary ... you procrastinate almost as good as me!

 

[John Stephens]

Thanks to everyone who responded to this issue. It sounds like the general opinion is that I can get by with what I have already done to weatherproof the damage with the EB tape. Ed, I appreciated the video you provided and the cross-section look at the radial. It appears that I missed the foam insulation because the damage is lower than where it resides and is in the void on the side of the radial. I can see the aluminum piece that is just below the foam at the very top of one of the rips, so it appears that I may have gotten lucky with no interior damage. I checked the sealant on the edge below both rips and it appears to be in good condition. It was just replaced this past summer so it is still reasonably fresh.

If a fiberglass repair will not allow a perfect blend without refinishing the entire roof, it seems to me the tape will look no worse. If that is the case, I think I'll just leave it alone and check it a couple of times a year to make sure it is still sealing properly.