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Have a look here http://www.1carpc.co.uk/wcdr/sealants.htm

atb

Wizard

This advice is to hopefully repair the caravan well enough to get you away , and you may need to redo some things to a better quality when you get more time .

Some quick advice , remove both grab handles , replace the wooden blocks that they screw into ( use mastic to help hold new blocks in place , pilot drill the new screw holds to stop the wood splitting when you drill into it ) . Replace handles with a bit of mastic around the handle base and screw .

Use a fan heater to help the battens dry out ( if possible ) do not reboard the inside until the battens are dry and the caravan is water tight .

Proper caravan wall board can be cut with a stanley knife and is 3mm thick .
You should be able to get 3.6mm board ( plywood not hardboard or mdf ) from B and Q ( but it will not have a covering on it ) . 

Lift and clean around the window rubbers outside ( use white spirit then meths to clean ) , apply a bead of sealant under the window rubbers .
Awning rails , clean around the awning rail to body joint ( gap ) , add a bead of sealant to gap ( this is to protect from water ingress over the very short term , and you should maybe consider a awning rail reseal in the future ).

Outside body repair .
I would try this , buy some alloy strip or angle from B and Q , see Here and Here .
Fit some new wooden batten lengths to the front inside ( inside the seating area's both sides ) , cut the alloy to fit along the front body edges outside ( pre-drill some holes into the alloy before fitting ) , now place strip against body and pilot drill on an angle into the batten inside ( check the first few holes to make sure they are coming through into the batten ) ( i would only drill holes in the alloy that allow you to screw from underneath to make it look a tidy job ) .
Notes , press the alloy firmly into place before pilot drilling , add a good bit of mastic when finally fitting . To gain clearance for pilot drilling , wind up the rear caravan legs and extend down the front ones .

Now there are probably better ways to do some of your repairs in the future , but holefully these will be quick to get you away .

Hope these idea's help .

atb

Wizard  

Quote: Originally posted by Tentz on 09/4/2012

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Bit late now but I think I would have waited until there were a few hot summer days to dry it out a bit, filled any gaps in the outside with Sikaflex & got another 3yrs out of it. If you start dismantling an old caravan from the inside you just open cans of worms.

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Quote: Originally posted by wizard9956 on 09/4/2012

This advice is to hopefully repair the caravan well enough to get you away , and you may need to redo some things to a better quality when you get more time .

---

Some quick advice , remove both grab handles , replace the wooden blocks that they screw into ( use mastic to help hold new blocks in place , pilot drill the new screw holds to stop the wood splitting when you drill into it ) . Replace handles with a bit of mastic around the handle base and screw .

Use a fan heater to help the battens dry out ( if possible ) do not reboard the inside until the battens are dry and the caravan is water tight .

---

Quote: Proper caravan wall board can be cut with a stanley knife and is 3mm thick .You should be able to get 3.6mm board ( plywood not hardboard or mdf ) from B and Q ( but it will not have a covering on it ) .

Quote: Lift and clean around the window rubbers outside ( use white spirit then meths to clean ) , apply a bead of sealant under the window rubbers.

---

Quote: Awning rails , clean around the awning rail to body joint ( gap ) , add a bead of sealant to gap ( this is to protect from water ingress over the very short term , and you should maybe consider a awning rail reseal in the future ).

---

Quote:

Outside body repair .I would try this , buy some alloy strip or angle from B and Q , see Here and Here .

---

Fit some new wooden batten lengths to the front inside ( inside the seating area's both sides ) , cut the alloy to fit along the front body edges outside ( pre-drill some holes into the alloy before fitting ) , now place strip against body and pilot drill on an angle into the batten inside ( check the first few holes to make sure they are coming through into the batten ) ( i would only drill holes in the alloy that allow you to screw from underneath to make it look a tidy job ) .
Notes , press the alloy firmly into place before pilot drilling , add a good bit of mastic when finally fitting . To gain clearance for pilot drilling , wind up the rear caravan legs and extend down the front ones .

---

Quote:

Now there are probably better ways to do some of your repairs in the future , but holefully these will be quick to get you away .

---

Hope these idea's help .

atb

Wizard  

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Quote: Lift and clean around the window rubbers outside ( use white spirit then meths to clean ) , apply a bead of sealant under the window rubbers .

will normal silicone sealant do 
I wouldn't recommend using normal silicone sealant for sealing anywhere on the outside of the caravan . http://www.1carpc.co.uk/wcdr/sealants.htm 

does it need to be marine plywood, or just ordinary ply? either will do

Also, is there anything I should/could be brushing on to either side of the new ply, to give it some added protection? If it's been repaired well you shouldn't need anything , and if water does happen to enter the caravan i'd rather know about it , than have it trapped , where it can do lots of unseen damage ( rotting ) . 

Do I not need to re-seat the window rubbers on non setting bedding mastic that comes on a roll? You don't have to seal the windows this way ( the choice is yours ) , you can use tube mastic ( sealant ) .
You would need to remove and clean the rubbers ( but it can be a long job ) , my idea was to get you by for now .
Note there are sealants that cure and some that don't fully cure ( non setting ) .
If your only doing a temporary repair ( around the window rubbers ) you should use non setting tube mastic ( non setting mastic can be a little messy to use ) .
The staples go through the window rubber channel and not through the white cover strip .

When you mention awning rail to body joint/gap, do you mean where the awning rail meets / fits on to the outer skin of the caravan both on the roof and the side outer wall of the caravan? Yes .
There are awning rails going along both sides of the caravan , that you can seal ( a proper reseal of the awning rails would require removing them , but this can be a lengthy job .

However, this to me is the very last job of the current damp issue, as it makes sense . Yep your quite right , But i would try to ensure that this repair is completed before going away .

atb

Wizard