2013 23IKSS - Latch issues

[Slussman]

Love my 23IKSS. After a trip last weekend, I notice the rear latches handles had both come unscrewed a little. Having had water damage to other campers in the past, I immediated assumed the worst. I screwed them back in tight ... and it appeared that they were not stripped. I also inspected the front at this point. The handles were fine ... but where the latches were attached to the bed end, it looking as if they had caused the fiberglass to pull away from something. Never noticed at the dealer ... and to be honest ... it's hard to see. It looks like both sides have pulled away in a "square" patern. Not bad ... but doesn't look right. The camper hasn't been used much by the previous owner (2013). It's only 1 year old. We've camped in it twice since our purchase on August 31st. I have a cover that I have over my camper when in storage. I also treat the seals after every trip.

Questions: Why would the screws back out from travel? Do the screws go into wood, or metal framing. Has anyone experience this? Has anyone used bolts instead of scews for the handles? Has anyone experience water getting in behind the latch itself?

Anything else you can mention, related to this, would be very appreciated. Love to camp ... LOVE my camper ... looking to make it last.
THANKS
Slussman

[KMP44]

Welcome to the forum!

We had some issues with the bunk latches on our 2013 IKSS as well. Our dealer sells a lot of Roo's and they said they had not seen this problem beofre. I attached a pic - but I read your post as the part of the latch that is screwed into the wall is backing out. Our back latches did that last year. Took it in and they tightened and re-sealed them. Everything was fine until the end of June, and they both popped loose again. At that point I also noticed one of the front latches was loosening up. They would still tighten, but when they work loose, the sealant pulls apart, so water can get into the screw holes.

Took it back to the dealer. They confirmed the screws do go through the aluminum framing. Since this had already been fixed once, the service guy suggested the same fix I was going to ask them for - to drill through to the inside and install carriage bolts with washers & nuts on the inside and then re-seal around the latches. So that's what they ended up doing. Seems like a permanent fix. I don't have a picture of the inside, but I could get you one if you want.

Funny thing is, the latch bolt on the outside lines up with the bracket that holds the tent cable on the inside - seems like it would have been easy to fabricate those brackets at the factory to accept a through-bolt and make them that way at the factory.

[deartruc]

just bought a 2015 23ikss and still going through it (appears the qc at the factory missed a lot). But, in these forums I've read where the seals leak (at times) when closed. That could be the issue why your seeing the skin delaminate and the skews loosen.

[Slussman]

Using a Trhough boltwil probably be my approach if they continue to back out. Did you need any reinforcement on the inside wall of the camper for the through bolt? Di you use a large washer on the outside?

Also, how does your front laminate look near your latch? is it flat ... or does it apear to be pulled a little?

We love our 23IKSS. How about you? Tons of room for a hybrid!

[deartruc]

Hi KMp44 and Slussman, it appears they changed the latching mechanism for 2015 (kmp44, your pics look identical, minus the pulling out part, to the 2010 StarCraft we traded in for the 23ikss). The new latches don't require a step stool for us vertically challenged people to reach them in order to latch them.

[Slussman]

Deartruc, Can you send a picture? Maybe I'll switch mine out with the 2015 latches if it's not too expensive.

[deartruc]

I took this off of a dealers website (2014). And a pic from mine. The latch acts more like a car door lock. One mod I made right away was to take 1" pipe insulation and cut two inch pieces to go over the striker. When the bunk is down they stick out which I can see my kids foreheads getting scraped and black and blue's on my shoulders in the future if I didn't.

[KMP44]

Originally Posted by Slussman

Using a Trhough boltwil probably be my approach if they continue to back out. Did you need any reinforcement on the inside wall of the camper for the through bolt? Di you use a large washer on the outside?

Also, how does your front laminate look near your latch? is it flat ... or does it apear to be pulled a little?

We love our 23IKSS. How about you? Tons of room for a hybrid!

I'll get a couple pictures tonight - no washers on the outside. On the front, there is one small bubble where it started to de-lamintate. The guy that did the work wasn't in when I picked it up, so I don't know if he did anything for that or not, but after he was done, everything was sealed up and the bubble is barely noticable. I'll keep an eye on it, but I think as long as no water is getting in, it shouldn't get any worse.

Its a pretty simple fix - just have to take your time when drilling through. We had the second year warranty, so I had the dealer do it, but it could be a DIY job.

Just my opinion - but I would stay away from the new latches. They don't look as rugged to me. They are easier to reach, but I'm 6'7" so I can reach the old ones just fine. They also took the outside pass-through door into the kitchen off the 2014's, and changed the graphics for 2014 or 2015, so for once, I like having the older model better.

Other than the latches, which was an easy fix, and the cheap junk tires (also an easy fix - replace 'em on our dime after two warranty band-aids from FR) we have been super happy with this camper. It was exactly what we wanted and we have used it every chance we get. Easy to tow, fits into small sites, all the features of a bigger camper, tons of room, tons of storage, price was right. We really wanted a good sized kitchen, which most hybrids don't have, but the second slideout and the island is a great design. We like the fact that we still get the outdoors "camping feel" we had with the popup, but when this floorplan came out, it was an easy choice to upgrade.

[deartruc]

Never had a latch problem with the 2010 starcraft and the 2015 roo is brand new (haven't even had a maiden voyage yet). But, being 5'8" I had to run around the camper to latch and lock the bunk ends. Not a real biggie, did it for 5 years. Though I would use a step ladder and not the iron step that came with the camper you slid into the frame as you walked around the corners. What's funny about the floor plan is they still list your floor plan when you look at the 2015's (missing access door on the kitchen slide and the stove is reversed)

[deartruc]

also, i don't know how the factory wired your radio but on mine they wired 3 of the four speakers to the right channel and only the outside left speaker to the left channel. I rewired it this weekend so that the 'a' channel was left and right inside, no 'b' channel needed with only 2 speakers inside, and 'c' i left alone. I also found the 'a' channel is dynamic surround with a subwoofer out, so i put an 8" sub in too.

[deartruc]

the other thing that was great about your latches is we would run bungy cords from latch to latch while the bunks were down. This way we had a place to hang wet towels from the pool or beach.

[Slussman]

My speakers are screwy too. The outside ones actually work correctly ... but inside ... channel B is hardly hearable. Channel A only works the first speaker ... while channel B is very quiet ... and channel C is the outside speakers.

[deartruc]

I'll bet if you pull out the stereo you'll see they wired it to one side. Mine is a genesis gt 2.0. When I pulled it out it had the wiring diagrams on the side. And you could see that they wired the internal 2 speakers to the same side. (The radio doesn't have a built in fader, so i think they thought that using balance between outside and inside would make customers happy). I added an attenuator on the 'a' channel also to compensate for the difference in internal and external speakers. Don't let these pics scare you. Pretty straight forward. The cavity below is perfect for an 8" subwoofer. And it sounds just as good outside when watching the game (or the latest chick flick too).

[Slussman]

All,
Thanks for the pics and other comments/suggestions. Appreciate the help!

[urocav2001]

Would lock tite work on these latch screws?


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[Slussman]

Maybe ... but I'm not sure if they screw into metal or wood

[KMP44]

Finally - after some tech issues (pc hard drive died) -back in business. Sorry for the delay, but here are a couple pictures:

Inside: The carriage bolt for the top lined up with the cable bracket on the inside. He drilled through the wall of the trailer and then through the bracket. The bottom bolt just came through the wall. That one just has a nut & washer. He used longer bolts and then cut them off after installing them.

The outside pictures show the head of the carriage bolt. Doesn't look any different than old lag screw.

I also tried to get a close-up of the one front latch that had a soft spot or bubble. The spot is to the right side of the latch. After they fixed the latch and re-sealed it, its just about gone. The bubble wasn't big to begin with, but now is not noticeable unless you really look for it.

We had the dealer do the work since it was covered by warranty, but once you work up the nerve to drill through the wall, its not a complicated fix.

EDIT: I used the term carriage bolt - but I think what he actually ended up using was a flat head machine screw or something similar to match the original head - not a typical hex head carriage bolt.

[urocav2001]

Well it looks functional but I would be mad if this was the only way to fix a new camper, the bolt and washer on the inside of the wall doesn't look all that well :/


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[KMP44]

Originally Posted by urocav2001

Well it looks functional but I would be mad if this was the only way to fix a new camper, the bolt and washer on the inside of the wall doesn't look all that well :/


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Well, I had to pull the curtain back to take the picture. Its not noticeable otherwise, and it seems like a permanent fix. $5 worth of parts and should never have to worry about it again. Don't know why they don't do this at the factory (with a little better cosmetics) but the dealer said they have never seen this before - so maybe it was just a fluke. My main concern was water intrusion, that, and the back latches pulling completely out and the door falling down while driving down the road...

Big picture - its fixed, looks the same on the outside, covered up on the inside, and didn't cost me anything. I'm happy.

[urocav2001]

My latches started to pull away on the side bunk, the dealer tightened them back up and recaulked them, so far they haven't loosened back up. Hopefully they will be good


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