RV Bunk repair Part 2 ~ DIY

Complete rebuild of the front bunk on my Hybrid toy hauler. It took 4 long days and about $400.00. this video shows the entire process. Thanks for watching. Share this video and be sure to subscribe.

[@robertacosta957]

I like that sign above the door 😉.

[@dianelamendola1813]

thank you for this video! We have a 2009 Kodiak Skamper 185. One end is shot and delaminated the other I can tell it's starting to. Winter project here we come!

[@robertacosta957]

OUTSTANDING WORK NOW TIME FOR A COLD ONE 😉.

[@saraoffringa1545]

I have the same EXACT issue with a used jayco i bought. never thought to check for the water damage on the bed, otherwise i would have passed. I have TRIED to get pricing for a new bed - its amazing how elusive a replacement bed is. SO, i think based on the help of your tutorial will attempt to repair on my own. Just looking for the right time now that its about to be camping season. might be next winter project. Thank you for documenting your process! I like it!

[@irishanniesews]

Excellent video thank you for sharing and for easing my mind that this can be actually be done at home . You are a Rockstar!!!! 😊

[@brianchapin574]

Have nearly same camper but 2007. Very helpful

[@american6870]

Thanks for making this video. I remodeled a 2004 sportsman and need to do the bunk yet. This helps a ton.

[@tschamp2020]

great job. like everyone with a hybrid camper i too have to rebuild the bunks. this helped a bunch. now that you finished this project you can finally power wash the house haha.

[@alisoncrehore8923]

Great video. I'm in the market for a used hybrid and this problem seems to be an issue with the hybrids. Your video is well done and very helpful - now I know I will be in for. My husband is a carpenter so I think we can tackle this no problem.

[@angelvargas4486]

Wow That was awesome 👏🏻

[@jlynngouty]

This was great; I will be tackling mine next month .

[@thisdivinefeminine632]

Thank you so much for this. I’m getting ready to make this same repair so this was very helpful! :)

[@redroofretriever]

Attention to detail as you dismantle it, and reassemble, you'll be happy when you're done. Thanks for watching.

[@jlynngouty]

K Hillard how has your rebuild gone, I have everything cut out to put back together , only problem is the 1 x 6 , not actually being 1 inch. Adding some plywood . Will be using paneling for the inside , Masonite is out of my price range. Good luck !

[@thisdivinefeminine632]

Jessica Smith It went very well! My door wasn’t constructed exactly like this one; it had no center support and as such, I’m not 100% confident that something isn’t missing and my boyfriend has already refused to sleep on that end. Lol! (My door had clearly been rebuilt before...) But it wasn’t a difficult rebuild at all. The hardest part was realigning it onto the bottom of the frame still attached to the camper. We weren’t able to remove it at the time because of stripped bolts, etc.

[@jlynngouty]

K Hillard that’s not good: I had rivets I had my husband drill through, that was the only way I could get it off. I’ve done 95% of the work, he’s not a camper .. lol, doesn’t know what he’s missing . Good luck and if I can I’ll show some pics.

[@oliviahutchinson8355]

Jessica Smith what are you using on the exterior of yours? We are currently redoing ours?

[@juliefox77]

This was super helpful! We have a 13 year old hybrid that is showing delamination on both bunks. After watching you rebuild yours I’m wondering if it’s worth the cost and effort. Or we just suck it up and have delaminated bunk ends. 🤷‍♀️

[@jonathanlanoix8530]

Hey, I'm in the process of redoing my worse off bunk as I write this. I can already tell that its going to be worth the job as it was become unsafe (knee was about to go through). It's a couple of good days work for 2 people. We opted to not use a metal sheet and carefully removed and cleaned the filon outer shell. Long and hard but it'll look a lot better, cheaper and lighter.

[@Bones3162]

I know its been several years since you did this project, can you update us on how this is holding up? I am contemplating doing this repair over the winter for our aging 2001 Thor Cub.

[@redroofretriever]

I sold this a year after the repair, but am very happy with the outcome.

[@robertacosta957]

We just got us a 2000 CUB RV F16 hoping that we don't have this issue cause by the look of it looks like someone kept it in close in a Garage.🤔

[@hacksaw413]

Looking at a used jayco and this is one of the problems. Was curious why you didn't use the context of men on the end boards? Thanks for the video.

[@nobody299ff]

I have been looking for a quality step by step video as to what I was going to get into with repairs on my Rockwood Roo. Why did you decide to replace the skin with diamondplate instead of reusing the fiberglass? Guessing too difficult to scrape material off of it.

[@redroofretriever]

The original skin was saved in Hope's I could reuse it, but it was made up of fiberglass and wood substrates and had stretched where the delay was. Cleaning it was not a problem, but without an autoclave or way to press it back together the bulge would still be visible. The diamond plate is easy to work with, and although it is a bit heavier, it is impenetrable, looks good, and will last forever.

[@CTRadventures]

Hi there! So I came across your video because we are tent campers but are looking at upgrading, we came across a unit of Facebook marketplace place which seemed to be a good deal on a hybrid very similar to your unit. It's a 2012 Dutchman aerolite 165w shuttle series. They say they are at 7500 firm but 4mon ago was at 10.5. I know nothing about campers. They said they replaced the awning and axel. They were honest and said there was some water damage to one of the bunks but was placing a board over it and it works fine. When I asked for pics, I can see the 1/8 ply lifting around the edge of the aluminum frame, which brought me to your video. The rest of the unit looks pristine. Just wondering if I just need to replace the weather stripping around the fold out part and then I can work ok what you did or just have a dealer fix it, or if that is even a good price for the unit. Appreciate your time!!

[@redroofretriever]

Since I cant see the damage, I cant know the extent. I would look very very close to all the structural wood at and around the bunk AND the wall opening. If water intrusion was enough to delam the bunk, a piece of plywood is not a fix. A tap test, knocking on the hard surface with a coin or tool, will reveal delamination. Have it inspected by a repair person or facility or keep looking. ALL Hybrid RVs are prone to this, so be cautious. Thanks for watching.

[@CTRadventures]

@@redroofretriever thanks! Great advice. I thinks e decided that the risk isn't worth the reward for us.

[@markmahler1612]

I'm getting ready to install the aluminum plate. I'm using plain plate not diamond plate. Which adhesive did you use on the plate? Contact cement or 77? Thanks for your help with this project.

[@Gigi3plus1]

I know this has been a while ago but did you have issues getting it to line up when u put it back on? We did ours over the weekend- it looks great but is off by about 1/4 inch.

[@redroofretriever]

No issues, I used spacers to keep the gap the same on sides and original screw holes lined up. Thanks for watching.

[@theschuitemateam-bellabayr6257]

If you're in Michigan, I'll hire you to fix mine!

[@brettlarue8939]

Bought my hybrid that had the repair already done with diamond plate. Obviously the did not watch your vid as its falling apart and leaking. I wil l be redoing it all soon. Thanks for the awesome detailed video! One question when you were putting back on the outer frame (the one that your neighbor showed up after your were done:) you marked both sides when it was 3/4 of the way down, Why?

[@redroofretriever]

I dont recall and watching it I don't see what you are referring to. If you see a time stamp I may be able to define it. Thanks for watching.

[@ronbrouse45]

What gauge of diamond plate did you use? Looks like 1/16. Maybe I missed that in the video

[@Mrbankstx]

Did you find that the foam was not strong enough to hold the weight of people? I’m just wondering if you wish you had used more wood instead of foam.

[@redroofretriever]

No, not at all. Adding wood was not a good option. Foam is adequate.

[@suelynnfrease]

Great video and instruction. We are working on ours now. What type of adhesives did you use? I’m especially interested in what you used with the styrofoam that didn’t “melt” it. Thx!

[@redroofretriever]

I believe it was 3M spray adhesive, a red can if I recall. Thanks for watching.

[@marisagill1187]

Wow!! Did you rebuild in one day?!

[@davidberini6049]

What size cyrofoam did u use and and the board? Is it 1".....i have the forest river shamrock and doing the back bed

[@redroofretriever]

I believe it was 1" foam board. Measure the structure on yours to be sure when you disassemble.

[@jlynngouty]

Did you ever figure out where the leak was? I am down to the frame and will start rebuilding this week. Also do you think paneling will work instead of Masonite ? Sorry to ask so much .

[@redroofretriever]

Panelling will work if its consistent with the thickness of the original material. Strength of panelling may be less than other options due to layers and how its made. Thanks for watching.

[@colbyreid3104]

Did you put a piece of Masonite under the diamond plate also?

[@redroofretriever]

No. The outer skin - diamond plate is bonded directly to the aluminum structure.

[@dennisgilbert6618]

Nice video! What adhesive did you use for the diamond plate to the frame?

[@redroofretriever]

3M spray adhesive from Lowes. Super 77. Thanks for watching.

[@ChiefStones]

Any idea what caised the original water damage? I have the same issue with an 07 rockwood roo that I'm going to repair but what keeps this from happening again in a couple of years?

[@redroofretriever]

My guess is the corners allowed water in. Having a better gutter to divert water away at the top would help avoid this. The core wood is like a wick and will pull moisture in. With no way to evaporate, it's a slow process that breaks down with expansion and contraction warping the outer skin. Thanks for watching.

[@CorbinDallas88]

@@StoneSolidProductions What would you substitute here for marine board? I may be tackling this project pretty soon and am looking at all options. Would you use marine board instead of the foam? Would you layer it diamond plate then the marine and that's it? Also did you end up doing this on your Starcraft? Thanks

[@oliviahutchinson8355]

We are currently redoing ours. What would you recommend for the exterior, other than the diamond plated steel?

[@redroofretriever]

I used diamond plate aluminum, not steel. Steel would be an enormous amount of weight. You can replace original material with aluminum sheet-smooth, or sheet material called philon. Buy it by the foot, on Amazon and other online retailers, Amazon is not always the cheapest. Thanks for watching.

[@jlynngouty]

Why did you use the metal sheet on outside vs the original ?

[@redroofretriever]

2 reasons. 1st - the original covering was a fiberglass laminate that was badly delaminated so I could not reuse it. 2- I wanted it solid and not penetrable for moisture and would not need reworked again, so sheet aluminum was the best option I had. It worked out very well. The diamond plate looks better than smooth sheet, as it would show dings from the road. Thanks for watching.

[@ASchroederFarm]

Do you think a guy could use plastic instead of the diamond plate aluminum and masonite.

[@redroofretriever]

Possibly yes, but my fear would be a rock hit it and crack the skin. Fiberglass will absorb an impact. Metal bounces off, may dent, but dents dont leak. Thanks for watching.

[@Giroux68]

Did you put putty tape or something between the trim and the frame ?

[@redroofretriever]

Yes, at the hinged bottom I did.

[@cappyjpadgett]

I need to replace my bed end doors for the same reason,but this is way beyond my skill lvl

[@redroofretriever]

Thanks for watching.