1997 Beaver Patriot 37’ Roof

[Giovanni Bosch]

I have my rig being checked out at a local RV shop in Houston. The gentleman just called and informed me that the roof is needing replaced. I don’t think it’s as bad as he makes it out to be but, he did state that those coaches come with a completely fiberglass roof. He then stated somebody covered my roof with something else. Is he correct should it have a fiberglass roof?

If I stand on the ladder I can almost wiggle the roof coveringwith my hand. He mentioned that the covering they put over the fiberglass are away at the fiberglass.

Doesn’t seem to be legit. There are no signs of water intrusion inside the coach.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Giovanni,
Beavers have a molded fiberglass roof. I would certainly get a lot more info about the roof condition and what is was "covered" with and why.  I'd also get a 2nd opinion.
Steve

[Giovanni Bosch]

Thanks, I will get a second opinion and more information.

[Carl Boger]

Giovanni,

I have no way of knowing what may have been put on your fiberglass roof, but it it is lifting I am sure it can be scraped off and/or sanded down.  The only places the fiberglass roofs usually develop leaks is at the front and back cap seams, or any of the penetrations through the roof like AC units, skylights, refrigerator covers, antennas, or plumbing vents.

If the old coating needs to be removed a new coating of your choice can be applied over it.  You might want to go see what the repair person is talking about for yourself, or get another opinion.

If it is not leaking and has no signs of leaks I would not be overly worried.

[Eric Maclean]

Giovanni
The roofs on the beaver products where made of a 1/4 to 5/16 inch thick floating roof panel made of fiberglass and gel coat and are fairly robust unlike Winnebago and some others which used a very thin fiberglass produce called filon which can rip and tear.

There have been cases where the roof fiberglass developers star marks and pin holes or even clacking of the gel coat in these cases the owners have sometimes coated the roof with either a fresh coat of paint or some other sealant to keep water out of the exposed fiberglass sub straight.
It sounds to me like your roof was coated with a rubberized coating and that due to poor installation procedure or lack of surface prep is starting to detach from the fiberglass roof.
It's hard to know what material they used to coat the roof with and there are several to choose from anything from rubberized roof coatings to truck box liner material.

If the membrane hasn't ripped or toren compromising the seal  you should be ok
Depending on the sealant material it may be possible to just cut and scrape the lose section out sand the exposed fiberglass to get good adhesion and reapply some new sealant.

Ask your service tech if he's  aware that it is fiberglass gel coat roof and what he thinks has be used to seal the roof and how he'd fix the problem

Hope this helps
Eric

[Giovanni Bosch]

I went and looked at the roof this AM and he was making it out to be a huge issue but it was nothing more than the fiberglass roof needing a cleaning and some spots of exposed fiberglass. I will be getting it re sealed as soon as i can get it back.