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Old 04-06-2013, 01:42 AM   #1
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Dutchmen Kodiak 221RBSL Leaks

Hi everyone, I am the owner of a 2013 Kodiak 221 RBSL.
bought it in Levis, Quebec in late September, 2013.

We were getting ready in October 2013 for our trip to Florida from the Canadian Maritimes and found after a heavy rain that both sides of the "Bear Cave" Storage were leaking. After calling the dealer we agreed to have it fixed in Florida which we did at Dusty's Camping World in Bartow.

Now today after the heavy rain we just had here in south Florida we found the Skylight leaking and water soaked the carpet. Again I have an appointment with Dusty's this coming Wednesday to reseal this Skylight.

My question is how many of the Kodiak owners out there have experienced these leaks. I am not one to complain but two major leaks in a brand new trailer within six months of minimal usage is a bit much in my humble opinion.
Just wondering if others have experienced these leaks.
Thanks to anyone willing to share any experiences of this nature on this or similar Kodiaks......Ernie
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Old 04-06-2013, 07:02 PM   #2
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We have a 2012 Kodiak 263RLSL that had leaks in the Bear Cave. Turned out after resealing and adjusting the door, the problem was the downspouts from the guttering were directly aimed at the Bear Cave and leaking into the opening. Simply re-aiming the downspouts allowed water to flow and drip away from the Bear Cave onto the ground. Our other leak was the shower stall which I also fixed myself. My experience so far is there is always something to fix, adjust, replace, etc. TT's are subject to a lot of stress when traveling and I think it is just the nature of the beast. Really pays to be handy and do most of it yourself if possible.
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Old 04-06-2013, 08:23 PM   #3
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I had the same problem with my Komfort downspout dripping onto the lock of the storage compartment.
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Old 04-06-2013, 08:23 PM   #4
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Very true, on our new one there were some minor problems just from the nature of things and factory installed errors. The RV forums on the net sure provide owners a great resource for troubleshooting and getting help.
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Old 04-10-2013, 02:53 PM   #5
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Me too

Quote:
Originally Posted by canucktravellers View Post
My question is how many of the Kodiak owners out there have experienced these leaks. I am not one to complain but two major leaks in a brand new trailer within six months of minimal usage is a bit much in my humble opinion. Just wondering if others have experienced these leaks. Thanks to anyone willing to share any experiences of this nature on this or similar Kodiaks......Ernie

Ernie,
We bought our 221RBSL about the same time as you. We took it home, winterized it and covered it. Our first big trip (6,000+ miles) will be this summer. I'll certainly keep you advised as to our experiences and will continue to follow yours with interest.
Bob
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Old 04-10-2013, 03:16 PM   #6
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We purchased our Kodiak 263RLS last June and went off on a six week trip to the Oregon coast right away. Needless to say we saw some rain. The only leaks we experienced was at a joint in the gutter above the awning. Fixed myself. Hope yours gets resolved. We are off to NC this summer, so we shall see if year two is as lucky. Bob
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Old 06-04-2013, 05:49 PM   #7
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We have a Kodiak 241RBSL that we bought in December and took delivery of in April. Memorial Day weekend was the first time we experienced significant rain with the slideout extended. In the morning I found a rug near the slide was soaking wet. I felt around the seal and only felt water right at the bottom of the wall.

We dropped it off at the dealer on the way home and just picked it up yesterday. The service manager told us they found gaps in the sealant along the top and side of the slideout. They fixed it for free but told me that Dutchmen refused to reimburse them because they don't cover caulking and sealant - apparently even when they don't apply it right in the first place.

So I suggest, when you get a new trailer, check the seams before you take delivery and get any gaps fixed before you drive off the lot.
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Old 06-05-2013, 01:00 PM   #8
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I think 'BigBoyjack B' hit the nail on the head when he said that you need to be handy if you own a trailer of any kind. My Infinity 3640RL is my third trailer and each of them have presented a number of maintenance challenges - most of which could be traced back to shoddy workmanship at the factory. I suppose most of the problems would have qualified for warranty repair, but I have generally found it easier to fix myself than to take the trailer back to the dealer for handling. The other thing is that every time you take the time to fix a problem yourself, you learn something and become more capable of dealing with future issues.
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Old 06-05-2013, 09:38 PM   #9
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We have a Kodiak 30ft..we took it to Savannah and the shower had a leak.that was fixed by he dealership.while there the weather was cold..however, the furnace never came on..As of this week, its been in repair 3 times and weve had a callout 2xs. We just purchased it in March. As of today..we now have a new furnace wiring, new battery with wiring, and a new jack.. Think anything else can happen?
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Old 06-07-2013, 09:16 PM   #10
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We have a brand new 2013 241RBSL.. first time up on the roof made me want to seal it immediately, ordered a gallon of 'Rubber Roof" and re-did all the seams. We didn't see a leak inside yet but no doubt it was going to if not corrected. These campers today are built specifically 'not to last '. The rubber roof on our unit is an insult to anyone with intelligence.. one sheet of the fiberglass used on the sides would make an outstanding, long lasting roof. I don't enjoy complaining so will stop here, but after owning older hi quality motor homes and trailers it is plain to see that these are disposable campers. Looks good at the park tho.
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Old 08-10-2013, 01:24 AM   #11
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Hi everyone, just a follow-up on our leak in the Living Room/Kitchen or middle area of our 2013 Kodiak 221RBSL. We took it to Dusty's RV in Bartow, Florida. They found that the middle Skylight was cracked. Apparently happened at the factory where the installer tourqued down the screws too much thus cracking the unit at several places. Dusty's did a temporary fix as we were heading home to Canada in a few days and they had to order a new Skylight. We told them to skip the ordering that we would get it done back in Canada.

Got back here and the local dealer worked with the dealer in Levi Quebec to install the new Skylight. The dealer in Quebec was really good-no complaints, paid all the bills and Dusty's in Florida was excellent as this was our second leak...first was no caulking around both "Bear Cave" doors which Dusty's also had to fix.
When I picked up the unit at Dusty's the rep said "look over there....another unit same as yours with the exact same Skylight cracked."
I had to look really close to see the cracks in ours, they were spreading out from each screw under the caulking.....very hard to see but looking closely you could see them. I took pictures as this was necessary for the Warranty.

We like this trailer but Dutchmen really need a much better quality control system. However after this being our third RV (A 37 foot Glendale Titanium Fiver and a 22 foot Cruiser Funfinder) I can honestly say that applies to all the units we have had.

Thought you people might benefit from our experience with this.
......Ernie
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Old 10-01-2013, 04:10 AM   #12
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Hi Ernie,
Well, we're back home after 10.5K miles this summer (on the TV, estimate 9K+ on the new Kodiak). A few minor issues, the kind you just fix yourself, but overall very happy with the unit. As far as leaks go (and that's what this thread is about), we had a couple: First, and most worrisome, was a wet spot that kept appearing on the carpet of the slide-out under the aft side of the table and where the slide carpet overlaps the stationary carpet strip. It was definitely not a rain leak and we noticed that occasionally (maybe once an hour), the water pump would cycle without any faucet being turned on. The other was a small slideout and skylight drip that we only got once while driving across PA in a torrential rain. On our way back to TN, we stopped at the dealer where we purchased it (Holman Motors, Batavia, OH) to get it checked out. They went out of their way to get us fixed up and back on the road. The skylight wasn't cracked, but they did find a little place where the sealant had pulled loose, so the resealed both skylights just to be sure. They also checked and treated the slide seals. The wet carpet turned out to be caused by a leak on the backside (inside) of the city water hookup. They fixed that too. Life is good.
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Old 01-23-2014, 08:52 PM   #13
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We have had a small leak after a torrential rain from the the side of the kitchen slide. It turned out that the rubber seal around the slide had gotten caught in the slide when it was last retracted and was not covering the gap. All it took was to pull the seal out and the problem was fixed.
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Old 01-13-2020, 01:33 AM   #14
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Ain’t that the truth. That’s all I seem to do is fix things in my rv. No happy with it. More work than fun.
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Old 01-13-2020, 04:14 PM   #15
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We have had our Kodiak 243BHSL for over 2 years now.
2 leaks:
1. at the front end of slide we get some water driving in rain.
I know.............dont drive in the rain
2. Bedroom Vent. When they caulk around anything on the roof a valley is created between the vent and the caulk. This is fine when the caulk is new. After 2 years it starts to dry out and crack. When it rains now the water sits in the valley and seeps slowly in past the vent. Not a big problem and was easily fixed. I can imagine if it was like that in storage over the winter. Could have been a BIG problem.


Good Luck
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