Bunk Ends Leaks - Shamrock 23IKSS

[Tonybrown32]

Hi all,

So I have been searching for a solution to a small bunk end leak issue with my 2015 Shamrock. We bought used last fall, and as we set up this spring to clean it out, noticed a little dampness/water in a few places.

I have 4 leaks inside.. one in each corner at the seam/stitching where the bunk end fabric spans from the inside of the camper to the door platform. At the corners where the bottom edge of the door and the fabric come together, along those stitches, I get some dampness.

I have read countless posts on various forums, almost all simply reference "your camper needs to be seasoned and it will be fine." This camper is 3 years old, and has been in several rains, so it's as seasoned as it will be... and still getting a little bit of water.

It's not horrible, it seems to be mostly wicking in from the stitching, and creating a wet spot an inch or two out from the seams.. and last night after about a 10 hour steady rain, less than a teaspoon of water seeped in from the seam on one corner, and pooled on the fabric strip that spans between the door and camper. Each seem in those corners shows some fairly large holes where the stitching goes through, and I can see plenty of daylight around most of the stitches in those sections.

I've already sealed up with a silicone sealant around the outer edges of the tent ends, where they meet the doors (recommended by an RV dealer near me), and used some Seam Grip seam sealer on the inside stitching where the holes look rather large, but still got some wicking and water inside last night.

My next plan once it dries out, is to use some of the Seam Grip on the stitching on the exterior where the fabric spans from the camper to the bunk end doors, to see if that helps... since I think water may pool a little outside in the folds around that stitching and starts to wick in as water sits on the stitching..

I added a few photos of the interior and exterior stitching I'm talking about, and pointed out where the leaks look to be coming from. It looks wetter than it really is on the inside due to the wet appearance of the seam sealer.

Anyone else had this issue on their Shamrock or similarly constructed Roo? I haven't found any good advice for fixing these areas, unless seam sealer is really my only option on these...

Any suggestions appreciated!

[wharfrat48]

I think I'd be OK with a teaspoon of water seeping in after 10 hours of steady rain. Obviously not ideal, but these are essentially tents - tents leak. I'd be concerned if it were leaking when stored and allowed to sit and cause damage. You could try seem sealer vs silicone, I'd make sure to apply frequently though.

[Tonybrown32]

Originally Posted by wharfrat48

I think I'd be OK with a teaspoon of water seeping in after 10 hours of steady rain. Obviously not ideal, but these are essentially tents - tents leak. I'd be concerned if it were leaking when stored and allowed to sit and cause damage. You could try seem sealer vs silicone, I'd make sure to apply frequently though.

Thanks for that..

Yes they did leak in the same places when stored as well... had a small amount of water in those corners when I unfolded it after a rain... I think I might be able to cure the leaking in storage, by using some silicone between where the top and side weather stripping gaskets come together, as there is a bit of a gap there... and also tightening the locking mechanism to press the door against the camper a little more solidly... currently I hardly have to pull on the latch to get them to open.. I make sure the latches are locked in fear of them just popping open going down the road.

I had put some seam sealer in those seams from the inside, still had a little leaking.. today we dried out so I put some Seam Grip seam sealer on the outside seams/threads as well in those areas, and fingers crossed that takes care of even more or all of it... If it does, i'll just reapply every fall or spring to keep them sealed up.

[pxt]

You need gutters. I had a similar issue.

[QMastaD]

Any solution here? I just found the same thing in my 2014 23IKSS. It is so bad in mine that the bunk end feels like the wood in it is bubbling booth inside and out. I am afraid it is rotten. Has anyone had an issue that bad? Has anyone replaced a bunk end? What does that cost?

Here is a picture of where the water is entering.

[Finster]

Originally Posted by pxt

You need gutters. I had a similar issue.

I agree, you would probably benefit from adding gutters. They should be stock in my opinion. Its usually one of the first things most people with hybrids add. They will divert water running off the roof and down the side of the camper away from the bunks which is where most of the water they see comes from. This should help in both open and closed bunk positions. There are lots of ways to add them. Ive seen them out of pvc, j-channel, etc. I used plain aluminum angle iron. Just be sure to cut them wider than the bunk so they can divert water away on both sides. I noticed an immediate improvement after I installed them with the first rain.

I attached them with Scotch double sided mounting tape. Supposedly will hold 30lbs. The angle weighs considerably less. They've been on for a couple of seasons and are still holding strong.

[cpd1343]

When our camper was new, both bunks leaked thru the stitching. After several rains one stopped and one didn't. I used the SeamGrip and no more leaks.

[Tonybrown32]

Originally Posted by Tonybrown32

Thanks for that..

Yes they did leak in the same places when stored as well... had a small amount of water in those corners when I unfolded it after a rain... I think I might be able to cure the leaking in storage, by using some silicone between where the top and side weather stripping gaskets come together, as there is a bit of a gap there... and also tightening the locking mechanism to press the door against the camper a little more solidly... currently I hardly have to pull on the latch to get them to open.. I make sure the latches are locked in fear of them just popping open going down the road.

I had put some seam sealer in those seams from the inside, still had a little leaking.. today we dried out so I put some Seam Grip seam sealer on the outside seams/threads as well in those areas, and fingers crossed that takes care of even more or all of it... If it does, i'll just reapply every fall or spring to keep them sealed up.

Update.. after putting some seamgrip seam seal on the outside stitching of the material in the areas shown in my photos, we had a few hours of light rain and no more leaks. Seam seal worked much better on the outside of the tent stitching than the inside. Might need to reapply as needed but that's fine if it keeps the tent ends dry.

Also sealed up the bunk door gaskets with silicone where the vertical and horizontal strips meet. Waiting now for a heavier rain to verify all is well.

Not sure if the guttering is needed at this point but will likely add it as well eventually just for good measure.

[jldesign]

how is the leaking now?

[Tonybrown32]

Originally Posted by jldesign

how is the leaking now?

So far so good!

The seam seal on the outside corner stitching took care of most of it from what I can tell. No leaks at all while the bunks are deployed. It took a fair amount of seam grip in the stitching to seal them up, as the stitching is in a bunch of folds, nooks, and crannies... also made it difficult to apply. Once applied, I let it dry a good 24 hours but was still a little tacky, so sprinkled a little baby powder on the tacky seam grip so that when the bunks got folded up, the seam grip wouldnt tack up and stick together, which worked very well!

The silicone sealant around the gaskets of the doors worked great as well.. not a drop inside since, and we've had a few good rains.... well, in full disclosure, the front bunk didn't get closed up right last week (only one side was latched, right, the left side latch was outside the "c" clasp leaving a very big gap between the bunk door and the camper at the top.. ooooops!) and we had a bunch of water accumulate inside, but it stayed contained in the top folded section of the tent, so never intruded into the camper... a bucket full came pouring off the top of the tent though when we erected it from the inside... lol... just glad the tent material contained the water intrusion.. we got lucky.

When the bunks are properly closed, no leaks since...

[jldesign]

good to hear. what seam seal did you use? i have same issues with corners and outer bunk gaskets as well.

[jldesign]

actually have a thread going for my issues - here is the link:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...et-166308.html

[Tonybrown32]

Originally Posted by jldesign

good to hear. what seam seal did you use? i have same issues with corners and outer bunk gaskets as well.

I used Seam Grip on the corner stitching.. both inside and outside, but outside was more effective for sure.

Just used some NovaFlex multipurpose adhesive sealant on the gaskets as thats what a local RV dealer/repair shop suggested.

[Rodski]

100% agree on the gutters. I had the same leaking when the bunkends are closed, where water would pool up in the canvas area. Once I added gutters on both sides of the camper I haven't had one leak. Can't believe the number of posts on leaking bunk ends now-days. Seems like the gutters would be a standard no brainer design decision from the factory on new campers.

[Tonybrown32]

Originally Posted by Rodski

100% agree on the gutters. I had the same leaking when the bunkends are closed, where water would pool up in the canvas area. Once I added gutters on both sides of the camper I haven't had one leak. Can't believe the number of posts on leaking bunk ends now-days. Seems like the gutters would be a standard no brainer design decision from the factory on new campers.

After the last 2 weeks... we've had some significant rains!! Although the seam sealer has held strong in the corner stitching.. finding some water intruding likely from the top bunk seals, even after tightening the latches.

Looks like I will have to install some aluminum window flashing or something along the top to shed water down over the seals.. was hoping to avoid that, but looks like I will need to. Glad water only pools in the tent material, and doesn't intrude into the camper though, or the bunk doors.