Possible Dry Rot Problem

[prowler27]

We discovered a possible major problem with a 2001 Fleetwood Prowler LS 27 ft fifth wheel that we are purchasing. We think the roof leaked at the seam where the rubber roof meets the fiberglass body toward the front. We have soft spots in the wall and ceiling in the bedroom area which is the area that rides over the truck.
1) Would water damage to this area cause a structural problem?
2) Can it be fixed?
3) Has this significantly reduced the value or made the 5th wheel almost unusable?
4) should I be worried about mold?
We took it on two short road trips without problem and are getting ready to take it on a 2 month, 4,000 mile plus road trip... very bummed in Penryn. Any help would be greatly appreciated. :( [/b]

[LindaH]

We discovered a possible major problem with a 2001 Fleetwood Prowler LS 27 ft fifth wheel that we are purchasing. We think the roof leaked at the seam where the rubber roof meets the fiberglass body toward the front. We have soft spots in the wall and ceiling in the bedroom area which is the area that rides over the truck.
1) Would water damage to this area cause a structural problem?
2) Can it be fixed?
3) Has this significantly reduced the value or made the 5th wheel almost unusable?
4) should I be worried about mold?
We took it on two short road trips without problem and are getting ready to take it on a 2 month, 4,000 mile plus road trip... very bummed in Penryn. Any help would be greatly appreciated. :( [/b]
You say you "are purchasing" the fifth wheel, but yet state that you've already taken some road trips in it. It sounds as though the purchase is a done deal, is that correct? If not, don't purchase it. This is an excellent examply of why one should spend the money to have a used RV inspected before purchase...it can save a lot of grief down the road.

Now to answer some of your questions:

1) Would water damage to this area cause a structural problem? It could. A lot would depend on how bad the damage is.

2) Can it be fixed? Most likely, but it will probably mean a lot of work...and possibly a lot of expenses. If the damage is bad enough, you'll probably have to replace wooden framing.

3) Has this significantly reduced the value or made the 5th wheel almost unusable? It most certainly has reduced the value...a moot point if you've already purchased it. Unusable? Well, you've stated that you've already used it without a problem, so for the present, at least, it sounds like it's still useable.

4) should I be worried about mold? Yes, you certainly should be since mold can cause serious health problems. You need to open up the damaged areas and find out exactly how bad the damage is and whether or not there is, in fact, mold and then take steps to correct the problem(s).

[prowler27]

The fifth wheel belonged to my dad. When he passed away it passed to me and my four siblings. The road trips were short trips to the coast with my dad at the beginning of the year and no problems were noticed. We called a bunch of local brokers to see what we could get for it and only one of them was interested enough to take a look. He offered us 5K and my brothers said that we could buy it for that amount if we wanted to. We were planning to do so when we discovered the problem. My borthers all live in other states and I'm afraid they may be skeptical of a newly discovered "problem" that significantly decreases the value. I'm also afraid that one of them may want me to call the broker and tell him that we are ready to sell, but to keep my mouth shut. This I can't do, because I wouldn't feel right about it. Thanks again for your help and I agree we should open it up to see how bad the problem is, but have to get four other people to agree... Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated!

[wingnut60]

I have seen several units that have been opened up to fix water/damage and dry rot--none of them very pretty inside the walls and very expensive to fix. I would expect the repairs to cost more then $2K (wild guess) so you are looking at $7k for the trailer. Is it a good deal at that cost?
Suggest you decline the deal or convince brothers to take less for their share.
Joe

[Fully_Loaded]

Well I will tell you that I had 2 leaks that rotted framing in the slide of mine. I am in the process of putting the slide back together after a gut. I will have about 1K in the repairs doing the work myself and putting slightly better materials in it. If I had it all over to do I would have sold it for what I could get and buy another one. This has been one big PITA. I had to also replace a part of the floor at each end to. Good luck whatever you decide.

[metzgesr3jjl]

Just finished repairs on a 92 Mallard and replaced the entire back of the floor with new braces and put in a new subfloor. Took me a week and used hurricane braces and treated lumber. Then went on the roof and found several problem areas of caulking that was cracked, fixed those and she's good as new. If you have time i would gut that wall but be prepared to replace several feet of bracing beyond what is soft. I recommend getting a product called Moldex (Menards). Also recommend treating the area around the rot with a good wood hardner to solidify the wood you haven't replaced.