New member and new 2006 Beaver Monterey Pacifica owner with roof questions

[Andrew Shoen]

Hello and thank you for welcoming me to this group.

I recently purchased a 2006 Beaver Monterey Pacifica from the original owners with 41K miles. Its' very, very clean and other than feeling this steep learning curve, I am loving it. We are going out to the Mendocino coast this weekend.

I found several "spider cracks" in numerous places on the roof and there is a soft spot I am a little concerned about (Longer story about purchase and inspection. Even longer story about the slide topper awning blowing apart and coming off on the freeway when I was coming home).

If this was your coach and you wanted it fixed "the best way possible", I am very curious how/what you would do.

I look forward to many happy years as a Beaver owner, and I have to say with all the bugs I am having to work out (electrical gauges, Magnum charger doesn't turn on and charge but inverter works) I hope I haven't opened some Pandora's Box of  Maintainence with this recent purchase.

Safe travels and adventures everyone.

[William Jordan]

I would and have painted the roof with rustoleum TopCoat fiberglass boat paint.
Not sure on the “soft spot” 

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Andrew,
Welcome to the Forum!
From the picture, the crack(s) look like they originated where they cross. Almost like the result of an impact. In any case, this thread will give you some options as to how to repair. http://beaveramb.org/forum/index.php/topic,9217.msg63055.html#msg63055  Once repaired do search here for "Roof Coating"  and "rustoleum marine deck paint" for options in coating your roof with a good, lasting finish.
Are the cracks deep enough to allow water ingress? if so that may be the cause of your roof soft spot, although most roofs will have areas with some give when you walk on them. Check inside for any evidence of water damage/discoloration.
The canvas material and stitching of the slide toppers will deteriorate and tear. If left unattended, it can totally tear apart due to the wind pressure while driving. I've had to replace 3 of the 4 on my 07 so far and the 4th is getting due. I replaced mine with vinyl units from Tuff Top. https://www.toughtopawnings.com/  It's a fairly easy DIY job but 2 people make it a lot easier and faster.
Steve

[Keith Moffett]

Welcome Andrew
That crack looks serious and I would have it inspected at a good body shop by a good fiberglass guy.  I have used a boat Gel coat repair kit on a damaged roof but it wasnt cracked like that.  Better done right before damage happens.
We just had 'Shade Pro' replace our two Patio Awnings and the work was great.  Better than new it seems.  They will also do your slide toppers.  See them at your first large FMCA rally.

[Keith Moffett]

Forgot the Inverter issue....  If the inverter works but not the charger side is the charger turned off at the remote up in the cabinet?

[Fred Cook]

Welcome Andrew
That crack looks serious and I would have it inspected at a good body shop by a good fiberglass guy.  I have used a boat Gel coat repair kit on a damaged roof but it wasnt cracked like that.  Better done right before damage happens.
We just had 'Shade Pro' replace our two Patio Awnings and the work was great.  Better than new it seems.  They will also do your slide toppers.  See them at your first large FMCA rally.

Agree. Appears something fell on it... a tree maybe?? Bad news does not get better over time. The cracks may continue to spread and it looks like a leak just waiting to happen.  Anyway it won’t hurt to have a professional look at it for advice. Good luck!

[Andrew Shoen]

Thank you all for the input and yes it looks serious enough to want to address it now.

I had a body shop guy tell me he wanted to drill small 1/8 holes at the ends of the cracks to keep them from spreading. He then said fill the holes in and I assume the cracks, but I didn't hear about grinding the cracks to create a "V" and then fill with expandable caulk/dicor/or?

When he said drill, I thought I would check with you all first, but that seems like the correct procedure, before filling, sanding, and then sealing with the Marine deck paint.

Am I missing anything in this process? Some thing I can DIY, but I feel this is better left to someone who has done this more than once.

Any repairs to this coach, no matter what and when, I want work done correctly and I am not sure what "correctly" is sometimes.

Thanks again.

[Fred Brooks]

  Andrew, yes that is the correct procedure especially if you can't get behind the incident. Drill 1/8" hole at the end of each fracture, grind a "V" in the crack and fill with "kitty hair" or pre-cut pieces of fibreglas fabric. If you are not comfortable doing this kind of repair, it is body shop time. Fred

[Carl Boger]

I would drill the holes where the cracks end and then V it out like advised above.  Then I would rough up the whole area surrounding the crack. Clean and prep the area.   I would use chopped mat with the resin in the crack area, and then lay resin soaked fiberglass cloth over the whole area that you just roughed up feathering the edges smooth once the resin has dried.  It probably won't be invisible, but how often are you up there to see it?  Done right it will lay flat and be stronger than new since you will have an extra layer or two of fiberglass. By roughing it up it will make the new fiberglass bond better to the old and will be waterproof.

[Joel Ashley]

Drilling holes at cracks’ distal ends is a common stop-damage method for fiberglass, some plastics, and even glass with the right drillbits and technique.  The hole takes the directional factor away from the crack’s momentum.  (That sounds like a more intelligent explanation than it really is    ).  The “V” groove provides a better purchase for the filler, whatever it may be, and reduces the chances of shrinkage edge separation over time.

Joel

[Andrew Shoen]

Thank you all for helping me understand the best way (and why) to solve this.

I am sure I will be reaching out for more advice on other subjects, as I am starting to think that the Beaver is a high maintainence coach. Haven't even owned it a month and thought we did a solid pre purchase inspection. "Everything works"

[Fred Brooks]

   Andrew, keep in mind your driving your house down the road at an average of 6.0 earthquake interfering with the configuration. It is a well engineered vehicle that will reward you with Great memories if you love on her until she purr's. Fred