thought we had a good buy - Dutchmen Owners
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Dutchmen Owners > Dutchmen Technical | Towing, Maintenance and Repairs > Modifications and Upgrades
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 06-15-2016, 08:46 PM   #1
New Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Small Town Usa
Posts: 8
Nebraska
thought we had a good buy

Not sure if almost a full resto goes in the mod section..... Wife and i bought a 2000 Dutchman Classic 36ft for $4500 thought we were getting a decent deal. Wasnt sure what to all look for when buying it, noticed some water damage and though we could fix it..... Pretty much the whole roof will need peeled off and see whats bad and replace accordingly, then got to looking more inside and pretty much the whole front nose will need work and also back in the rear, we found mold, loose walls etc.
So, that all being said, any members ever tackle something like this? Any advice or direction pointing would be greatly appreciated. My first thought as a first step is to tackle the roof and get it sealed up first. then move down to the walls. It does have a slide and all the frame work around it is soft and moves to.... thanks in advance
__________________

maverick83 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2016, 12:28 AM   #2
Site Team
 
wahoonc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Sprung Leak
Posts: 3,157
North Carolina
It can be done... but do you really want to put that much money and effort into it? I also hope you have a large weather proof area to work in, along with the skill set.

To get to the wall around the slide you will have to pull it completely out. I have rebuilt a variety of RV's over the years, including wood framed, composite wall, Airstreams and Avions. Even had my hands on a steel framed monster from the 1940's.

I would take the time to do a serious full analysis of just what has to be done. You may be ahead of the game to cut your losses and buy something in better shape, or if you really want to spend a large chunk of your time and money on something you can never recoup the cost of... go for it.

I have gotten away from the RV rebuilding and major repair, I have limited time and would rather spend it camping than working on the camper.

Aaron
__________________

__________________
There is madness to my methods
2015 Coleman CM16FBS(traded) 2016 Concord 300DS
2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid following along
wahoonc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2016, 12:50 AM   #3
Site Team
 
wahoonc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Sprung Leak
Posts: 3,157
North Carolina
I can give you a few pointers...

These things are assembled in a factory:
  • Floor goes on the frame first, usually with full vinyl
  • Then wiring and plumbing rough ins
  • Cabinets and most inteior furnishings
  • Walls, sidiing more wiring
  • Roof is about the last thing to go on

It varies a bit from manufacturer to manufacturer. I would watch some youtube videos to get a feel for how things go together. You will have to do some major disassembling to get to some of the stuff that needs repairs. Sometimes you can remove siding and rework things from the outside, but that is the exception. Many of the walls will have wiring running through the studs which makes it that much harder to replace.

Aaron
__________________
There is madness to my methods
2015 Coleman CM16FBS(traded) 2016 Concord 300DS
2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid following along
wahoonc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2016, 01:20 AM   #4
New Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Small Town Usa
Posts: 8
Nebraska
I do have the skill set as iam very hands on with many things. I have seen alot of videos so far some good others not so much!
We thought about cutting our lose and moving on but the wife loves the layout and everything else is in pretty good shape.

Older smaller campers in this area are getting way more then we paid for this one. So I'm hoping with what we do and how much we will be using it. We may at least break even in the long run. If not I can't put a price on the memores I'm gonna make with my boys! So I just have to look at it that way!

But yes I pretty much plan on gutting the interior to make sure I fix all the water damage. I was afraid I'd have to take the slide out as I see that being the most difficult aspect of this project. But as we do this it'll all be updated the way we like so more like home I guess!
maverick83 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2016, 10:39 AM   #5
Site Team
 
wahoonc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Sprung Leak
Posts: 3,157
North Carolina
Sounds like you have thought through the process. Good luck and let us know how it turns out! Sad thing is you almost have to do similar things with a lot of the new ones too.

Aaron
__________________
There is madness to my methods
2015 Coleman CM16FBS(traded) 2016 Concord 300DS
2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid following along
wahoonc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2016, 10:44 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
Thom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Youngstown
Posts: 712
Florida
With that much water damage and mold in the roof and walls, I would say the odds are 100% that under your floor has damage also.
Not impossible to repair since you have the skill sets.
I rebuit a 1966 TT with aluminum sides, pulled all siding to expose all damage and replaced all floor joist and wall studs.
Like others have said, depends on your time and budget.
If you do it, this would be a perfect time to make any mods to the floor plan if you wanted to.
Thom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-20-2016, 03:39 PM   #7
New Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Small Town Usa
Posts: 8
Nebraska
Yes it would be a good time but i doubt much is changed on floor plan, wife loves it, thats why i cant sell it..... But i may make slight changes. Took it out over the weekend to use it and see what else needs some TLC. Most everything worked good actually so thats a plus! i will start the project here in a couple weeks as we will use it on the 4th also! It is a hog of a camper and pulling it with my 1500 silverado was interesting. I did but a weight distribution hitch that also came with a stabilizer bar which iam glad i did! it got a little windy.
maverick83 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2016, 08:56 PM   #8
New Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Small Town Usa
Posts: 8
Nebraska
I have started my project if you want to watch the progress i started a thread for it here http://www.dutchmenowners.org/forums...ject-4636.html
__________________

maverick83 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Dutchmen RV or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT. The time now is 08:48 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2020 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.
×