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Hi Louise , have a look at caradads website http://www.caravanrepairs.talktalk.net/rebuild.html you'll be able to see from the pictures how to go about joins .
I would buy softwood batten from B and Q , bond it into place using Tigerseal or Sikaflex 512 tube mastic and join to other existing battens using staples , then i would fill the area around the join with Gripfill ( non solvent type ) ( this bonds and sets rock hard ) .

atb

Wizard

Hi Wizard,

Thanks for your reply. What I've found now is that as the rotten bits have dried they are sticking extremely well to the skin, maybe i should have picked them out while damp? How should I get the final bits off, I dont really want to go using metal tools if i don't have to, for fear of denting the outside?

At the moment we're struggling to get the truma heater / water tank out, and that i think is what is stopping us from getting the front board in the caravan out? We've (my dad) has taken off the outside cage of the filter(?) and now there is another one where we've removed 4 screws but there seems to be a hidden one at the top, in the middle that we can't see. Any ideas how we might access that? I've taken the lid off of the truma thing, and exposed a big metal disc with screws and a tube across the top of it, if I dismantle this will I find the elusive screw? 

Caradad's website is great, I'll point my Dad in that direction as well to get some inspiration! I didn't realise how simply caravans were built until I started taking mine to bits, strangely I'm quite enjoying it.

Still have to find out where the water's coming in, the damp tide mark starts about 5 inches above the front lights, so I'm not sure if these could be the problem coupled with the side seam? I've no damp at all in the top, though will have to remove and refit the front windows as there is sign of damp between them on one side. When I removed the screws from the awning rails, I found 3 that were snapped out of about 20, though it still seems to be well glued onto the van. I'm sure that that isnt a good sign.

Thks for your input,

Louise