Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-01-2017, 03:27 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
RooToo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 22
Roo 233S bunk end weather seals

Hello all,
I am a new owner of a 2017 Roo 233S. Recently after a rain shower I found that water had gotten by the front bunk upper weather door seal when the bunk was shut. So I'm not very happy with the design of the bunk seal. I found the the upper weather seal was not installed correctly and allowed water to pool and get by the seal. There was a little water damage to the wood works and mattress. Luckily the camper is under warranty. Why didn't Rockwood design a gutter above the bunk doors to control water runoff. I plan to complete what Rockwood should have done and fabricate gutters myself.
And I have a question, are the bunk tents sealed to the bunk doors to prevent water from migrating into to the bunk when it rains. Out areolite Cub tents use to have a skirt around the bunk tents allowing the rain water to shed away. I am wondering if Rockwood cheaped out and just attached the tents to the bunks figuring the my camping wound be in the desert.
Otherwise I like my new 233S, and now more then ever now that I added LED lighting to the pantry, an electrical outlet above the counter and a blue LED step light.
Happy Camping
RooToo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-01-2017, 06:09 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 851
The Palomino version has the gutters. Here is the clone of the 233s called the 213x. My 19x the clone of the 21ss also has the gutters. They look like a 1 1/2-2" wide piece of aluminum 'I' beam.
Hersbird is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-01-2017, 07:54 PM   #3
Junior Member
 
RooToo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 22
Wow, thanks, good idea to use aluminum stock. I was thinking of using black plastic siding trim. Did you paint or did you find black anodized stock? Did your Install with industrial double side tape?
Thanks
RooToo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-01-2017, 08:14 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 203
I think he was saying that the Palomino version came with them installed.
RCCS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-01-2017, 09:47 PM   #5
Junior Member
 
RooToo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 22
I think I should have looked at the Palomino while camper shopping. I noticed the Palomino is equipped with the skirt around the tent too. And I would rather have the bunk latches on the Palomino as well. Don't get me wrong, the Roo is nice, but they had a few misses with the design.
Best Regards
RooToo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-01-2017, 10:50 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 851
Our Rockwood Roo dealer was 250 miles away, and the Palomino dealer 4 miles. I was thinking I wanted a Rockwood but hadn't even looked at them then saw the Palominos on the close lot while checking out Jaycos (I didn't even know there was such a thing). They guy quoted the wrong price on the Palomino ($18,900) and that totally sold us on it compared to everything else. I figured there were no differences (between the Rockwoods) but now have noticed a few, like the entertainment cabinet (I like the open front), the swapped couch and dinette (doesn't matter), and the bathroom shower (the Rockwood looks nicer there for sure). I felt bad trying to stick them to the quoted price as the salesman was going through lung cancer treatments (not a scheme). They did knock another $1000 off the advertised sale price (paid $21,000) and put in an extra battery, still better than the Jayco or any at the other lots we looked at. I would have been just as happy with the Rockwood assuming it was the same price.

PS we have a 2017 Palomino Solaire W190X we bought last spring. We just had the most snow since 1996 here in western Montana and the camper sat outside, uncovered all winter and it looks like no leaks from all the snow and ice. Need to do a better inspection still before the warranty runs out, but so far zero problems.
Hersbird is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2017, 06:25 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: indiana
Posts: 688
Our dealer installed vinyl gutters and downspouts above both bunks on our 23ikss when we bought it. After 3 seasons,no leaks.

In all fairness,many many owners have kept theirs for years without gutters and no leaks.
__________________
Jim and Deb
Many times..asst grandkids
2015 Shamrock 23ikss
2013 Ram 1500
jking46 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2017, 07:25 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,270
Quote:
Originally Posted by jking46 View Post
Our dealer installed vinyl gutters and downspouts above both bunks on our 23ikss when we bought it. After 3 seasons,no leaks.

In all fairness,many many owners have kept theirs for years without gutters and no leaks.
This 2017 23WS Roo is our 3rd hybrid since 2010. I did a ton of research and I can say without a doubt that Palomino hybrids are just as prone to a bunk door leak as the Roo. I have compared one against the other as well as every other brand of hybrid out there over the years. Other than Rockwood /Flagstaff and Palomino, all other hybrids including FR brands Coachmen and Surveyor use Lipperts securelock bunk door assemblies. I hate LCI but those assemblies are a better design at the perimeter seal, but have another issue with the exterior caulk joints at the panel. You may not hear much about Palomino issues because frankly compared to Roo and Shamrock, they do not produce anywhere near as many. I attended rallys with another group, and a member had a Palomino that leaked so bad the doors themselves needed replaced under warranty the first year he had it.

I spent half a day when ours was new with a garden hose trying to make ours leak both open and closed.........no leaks.

I am a firm believer if they leak at the seal it's either an out of adjustment latch, and too much pressure can be just as bad as too little, or a sloppy install of the seals by the factory.

The Palomino seal arrangement is night and day different from the Roo. Even the extrusions for the frames are different.

I made drip moldings for above our doors as insurance but mostly to have somewhere to clamp PUGS to.
Mr Havercamp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2017, 02:12 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
rsdata's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Northern KY
Posts: 5,724
SEARCH forum for ROO rain gutters...
numerous threads about adding rain gutters...

I have a 2014 ( made Sep 2013) Shamrock 183 3 bed model... Shamrock is a sister to the ROO line...

I too was going to make gutters for my tent ends... but kept putting it off. Now after nearly 3 full years of use ( about 8,000 mi and 8 months or so of actually camping and parking in the driveway the rest of the time, I find that a couple of times I have found a couple of cups of water pooled on the bunk end vinyl... rain water has never made it to the beds or the bed slab end. When I open the tent ends, if there is water pooled, it sheds quickly when I put up the shepherd J hook to hold up the tent. At this point I am not worried about finishing those gutters.

I have made a priority to clean the vinyl tents at least once a year, and put preservative 303 UV Protectant on the vinyl tent and the end seals. I so far have been pleased with the performance of the 303.

Hope this helps
__________________
"nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle."
Thomas Jefferson to John Norvell pg. 2, June 11, 1807

2014 Shamrock 183
2014 RAM 1500 Bighorn Crew Cab, HEMI, 3.21 gears, 8 Spd, 4X4 TST TPMS
rsdata is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2017, 02:51 PM   #10
Junior Member
 
RooToo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 22
Thanks for the info radata, I'll take a look. Do you know if the tent material has a sealant applied between the tent and the bunk? You know, all the way around the bunk. I could see this as being an area that would allow water get into the bunk area if it wasn't sealed. I'm in the aviation industry, and we have sealants that would work great. You would never get the tent off the bunk in one piece again, but it would never leak. I'm afraid that water is going to damage my bunks if I can't get this issue under control.
Thanks again
RooToo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2017, 03:18 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Albuquerque
Posts: 1,222
Overlap

My '09 Roo has tent ends that overlap the bunk door when the tent is open. I put a roofing drip edge above the bunk door to push the water out about 2". The gutter that came with mine was about 1/2", and not enough. Also be sure to check the caulking around the bunk door. Mine leaked, and the bunk door is made of sugar and dissolves when wet.
__________________
2009 Roo 21ss + 2007 Superduty 6.0
mnoland30 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2017, 06:02 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
Glindz233s's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: NE Ga
Posts: 107
Sorry to hear your troubles. I have a '15 233s but have have have zero leaks (so far). I'm was convinced a lot of the problems I read about are on older trailers or those that don't make sure the tent canvas is not stuck in between the seal & bunk.

There are lots of advice on the forum. Good luck fixing it.
__________________
Me, Wifey, Thing 1 & 2 plus Gracie the Shitzu rescue
FR Shamrock 233S 2015
2018 Ram 1500 Hemi 5.7 4x4 3.92
Nights Camped: NOT NEARLY ENOUGH!
Glindz233s is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2017, 07:52 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
rsdata's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Northern KY
Posts: 5,724
RooToo

prior to '14 ( maybe '12 and prior) they had bunk ends where the tent ends wrapped around the bunk shell and fastened... then, when folding up the bunk the tent was unfastened from the door and the door was then closed... Leaking seals on these style bunk ends on these older units could be a real problem because water could easily reach the bunk bottom, mattress or lower seam and I have read where many of that era have had to replace a bunk end door at great cost...

HOWEVER, and I am not sure we share the same design,

my bunk end has a 1/4 round edge (not perfectly round but goes smoothly from vertical to horizontal) on the bunk that seals the vinyl to white painted aluminum flashing and this edge either makes a perfect mating seal with the rubber surround or a drip edge if the bunk is down. The junction of the vinyl and the aluminum flashing could be caulked but is not on mine, at least I don't think that it is, but it would be a very small bead of caulk if it was ( too dark now to go look). It appears to be a good tight seal from what I recall. I regularly clean dust/dirt and black mold from the tent surface crevices and drip edge. When closed the vinyl tent makes a natural U shape that appears to catch any leakage of the seal and hold it harmlessly on the vinyl.

The only problem I have is when I am not with my wife, how has the closing ritual down pat, but rather with a friend that does not take care to carefully tuck in the edge and keep it out of the seal area. By adding some of this vinyl material between the seal and the aluminum flashing, then a place can form that will leak. I don't see how this could happen at the top since gravity keeps the vinyl out of the seal area...

You might want to take a wait and see attitude before "fixing" a problem that may not be there!

My 2 cents...
__________________
"nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle."
Thomas Jefferson to John Norvell pg. 2, June 11, 1807

2014 Shamrock 183
2014 RAM 1500 Bighorn Crew Cab, HEMI, 3.21 gears, 8 Spd, 4X4 TST TPMS
rsdata is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2017, 09:20 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 851
Now I see the difference in the attachment at the bottom of the tent ends. Mine are not attached at all, they drape over the ends on the outside and have an inner flap that just velcros down on the inside. I was just watching this video of a Roo and see the tents are attached

I suppose if it were attached it might set up and tear down a few seconds faster. So maybe the Palomino design is more prone to leak hence the gutter over, I don't know.
I also always wondered how people said turn on the exhaust fans and it would suck the tents in. That didn't work on mine but now I see why, there are big airgaps when you pull that velcro and put the flaps inside for folding up, not so on the Roo.
Hersbird is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-03-2017, 07:25 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
Finster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Iowa
Posts: 266
I had the same issue with my 2017 233S as OP last year. It was sloppy installation from the factory. Some of the corners where the seals meet were cut short leaving a gap anywhere from 1/2"-1", allowing water to penetrate in through the corners. Luckily, it was all caught by the canvas and nothing ever made its way in. I contacted Jake Carter in Flagstaff's warranty dept. and explained my issue. He asked for a couple pictures, then he sent me enough new seal to redo the factory's sloppy installation on all 3 bunks. I haven't had issues since.
__________________
021 Ram Rebel 1500
2017 Shamrock 233s
Waterloo, Iowa
Finster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-03-2017, 11:47 AM   #16
Junior Member
 
RooToo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 22
Thanks Finster, I noted the same workmanship with the installation of the seals on my 2017 233S. Defentinly not Amish standards. I've been working with Leaches camper sales in CB, Iowa on getting my warranty items taken care of. So far they have been real helpful. I found some sideing 5/8" J-channel that I think will look and work great as a Rain gutter over.
Thanks
RooToo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2017, 07:59 AM   #17
Senior Member
 
bareftn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: austinburg ohio
Posts: 821
what's a good lube to use on the bunk end seals to keep them from sticking to the camper?
bareftn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2017, 10:31 AM   #18
Site Team
 
bikendan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Goodyear, Arizona
Posts: 33,607
Quote:
Originally Posted by bareftn View Post
what's a good lube to use on the bunk end seals to keep them from sticking to the camper?
Aerospace 303
__________________
Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
bikendan is online now   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
233, 233s, bunk, roo, seal

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 Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:48 AM.