Exterior Cracks in front.

[Jaybird]

My 2012 Jayco Discovery is developing cracks in the front just above boot hinge and starting to run up to the joining strip above, they go down into the rubber where the closed boot lid sits. THe area where the boot lid hinge attaches to is where Jayco put a piece of timber and this rotted out 2 years ago and I replaced it with aluminium flat bar. Has anyone experienced this and how did you fix it. Thanks

 

[Drover]

The external cracks can be neatly fixed with some resin and a bit of sanding while inside I would go for a length of alloy angle glassed onto the body to give it some strength and the hinge I would nut and bolt not rivet into it, should make for a nice strong bond with little movement....... Certainly possible as a DiY if one is handy, proper preperation is the key and allowing time for things to bond and cure....

Have a look at some fibreglass boats or canopies you will see frame work of timber, alloy or poly tube even has been wrapped in glass to make a sturdy shape...

 

[Jaybird]

Thanks Drover, I will most probably go down that track. The flat bar I put in was bolted about every 70ml across the whole length. I have done a lot of work rebuilding fibreglass boats so I should be OK with this. I was interested to see if this was a common problem as I had never heard of it before and how others may have approached it. The timber that was in there from new was unpainted soft timber and looked like it had been a scrap from off the workshop floor and had rotted to the point of falling apart.

 

[Drover]

You will be on the money and know what I mean ............ different materials move at a different rate, I think some of the cracks come about as the holes for the bolts/screws are too firm and fitted to a form or hinge don't allow for expansion/flex of the glass, when I replaced mine on the 14 I had a generous bead of silicon and made the holes in the glass a bit larger, I think I actually used large washers on the inside or could have been some alloy angle of the 25x12mm type, I don't like using rivets in unless its glass on glass panels and then they pull onto a washer....... wanted to glass it but just didn't have room I think was the reason..