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Topic: Elddis Hurricane GTX 1991 Damp....A lot!

Cr41g

13/8/2011 at 2:56pm
Location: Newark Notts
Outfit: Elddis Hurricane GTX 1991

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Hi all,

My wife and I recently purchased the titled caravan, as usual with us a rash decision, we always rush in!! We did look at a few models at various places but settled on this van as being the best condition for what we were paying...

Five short weeks later I noticed a small amount of bubbling in the rear nearside corner below the shelf in the wardrobe, I remembered reading that damp isn't a problem as long as it is tackled quickly, so i started to strip the wall board and found to our dismay that all of the nearside of the van had been boarded over and decorated to match very beautifully, unfortunately this was a cover up job and no underlying problems were tackled.

So far I have removed all fixtures and fittings along the side with the door, cocktail cabinet, overhead lockers etc, all of the timbers on this side are rotted away, I have covered this side with a tarp to start the drying out process but need a little help with removing the front shelf that houses the clock, (small shelf above the front windows covered in fabric) I think it is fixed through the rail on the outside above the front windows, is this correct.

I am a complete newbie to caravanning and have already damaged the ceiling panels while removing the cocktail cabinet, not realizing that caravans are built from the inside out and that it was fixed through the ceiling panel.

I was guided to here via some kind people on the Caravan Talk forum and would like to take some advise from seasoned caravan diyers

Here is a link to some photos of the Van in its current state of repair.

Photos Here

All and any advise is welcomed, I am an ex builder so very happy to get my hands dirty and fairly competent with diy, but I am a total novice with caravans, this is the first one we have owned, isn't she a beaut!! well she will be with a little hard work and help of course!

Post last edited on 13/08/2011 15:09:00

wizard9956

13/8/2011 at 10:17pm
Location: Bristol
Outfit: Lunar Conquest 544 a

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Hi Cr41g , have a look at The Fixed it Club members websites here to see what can be repairs and how http://www.1carpc.co.uk/wcdr/favorites.htm , one thing i would suggest straight away is don't strip out any more fixtures / fittings for now , because the caravan structure gains a lot of strength from them , the more you remove the weaker it will get . I've got lots on at the mo , but will try to post when i get time .
Do keep asking questions i'm sure you'll get help and advice from other members .

atb

Wizard

Cr41g

14/8/2011 at 11:44am
Location: Newark Notts
Outfit: Elddis Hurricane GTX 1991

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Thanks for that Wizard, I have had a good look at the Fixed it Club, its what has given me hope that it is repairable. It looks like the damp is contained to the nearside, I was surprised at how flimsy the side wall has become so I have fixed a temporary brace, its helped a little. I will have to get the shelf off to gain access to where the side rail timber joins the front rail, from looks of things it is attached through the front rail, I am hoping that by only removing the plastic from the rail I will be able to gain access to the screws fixing it. I will let you Know how I get on.

Thank you for responding and for the Fixed it club members, I can't stress enough how encouraging it is to see what people have been able to achieve with there own vans.

wizard9956

14/8/2011 at 3:01pm
Location: Bristol
Outfit: Lunar Conquest 544 a

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Normally the front shelf is screwed in place then the front panel is fitted , so it can be a bit of a pain to remove .

atb

Wizard

john60

18/8/2011 at 4:44pm
Location: WSussex
Outfit: caravan

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Hi, just read you problem with the front clock shelf. I have just finished a major repair of my Elddis vogue and the front shelf was a total rotten mess, I had no trouble getting it down as it was reduced to black dust by the wet. The shelf is constructed of a sandwich of ply and wood battening. I got around this problem by remaking the shelf using the old bits as a pattern. The original shelf is secured by a pocket screw at each end and originally secured by screws from the outside before the outer skin was fixed on. I fixed the new shelf from the inside out to the new cross rail I made and then fixed the top part of the sandwich back on.
The side lockers were a huge pain to get down, they are easy to get the internal screws out til' you get to the forward part and then you come up against two big screws that come down thro' the ceiling. A hack saw blade and swearing got them down in the end.
Good luck with the rebuild, give me a shout if I can be of any more help.
With sympathy - John60

Loo8

19/8/2011 at 11:32pm
Location: None Entered
Outfit: Avondale Corfu

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Hi Wizard

Jumping on the damp bandwagon, like many we got caught buying a second hand avondale is it really as easy as you all say, if not can a repairer be recommended for the glasgow area.

Many thanks

Lorraine

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