My Safari is leaking

[bronte]

My 11-2 was delivered today, the auction description said there was damp where a window had been left open but on inspection it looks worse than that.
I peeled off the wallpaper in the bathroom (this photo) and the kitchen and there is black slime on the wood underneath.
I don't have a clue where to start trying to replace the rotten bits or how to find the leaks so it's going to be a steep learning curve.

My father in law has restored a few horse carriages and has always had caravans so he may be able to help. My other hope is a young lad in the village, he is a hairdresser but my friend told me that he has restored 17 vintage caravans and resold them to pay for his house deposit. I will go and see him on Monday and ask him to look at my Safari and give me an estimate.

I paid £510 at auction and have no delivery costs so I'm still happy with my purchase. I don't have to do everything in one go and can decorate and make soft furnishings myself.

I haven't had time to look round the caravan but I'm not sure if it should have stabilisers/feet at each corner, I'm not sure what to look for. It doesn't have a jockey wheel, I need some gas mantles for it and I will need to get a locksmith friend to look at replacing the lock for me so that I can secure it.

Are there places to take caravans for a service to get it checked over to make sure it's roadworthy?

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[bronte]

This is the damp (actually wet not damp) and black slime on the kitchen section

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[henry]

I think you got a good deal and 99% of caravans over 10 years old are leaking its not a big deal and can be fixed
You have a 40+ year old caravan that probably hasn't been resealed since it left the factory the sealant is supposed to be like wet putty it will be now rock hard and brown
To stop it leaking you will need to remove all the aluminium trims clean off the old sealant repair the rotten timber and reseal using non drying bedding sealant

Your safari should have stabilizers at each corner look for a a white piece of steel 7 inch long with a nut head on it

The biggest things with roadworthy are are your tyres cracked? do your brakes work ? do your lights work ? the suspension may be worn

Your local caravan shop will check these for you or you can check them yourself if your confident

[bronte]

Thank you Henry, I will have a look for the stabilisers. The caravan towed fine to get it here, tyres can be replaced and the vendor soldered the wiring and fixed all of the lights for me.

We have a coach builders in the village, a friend who converts camper vans and another friend with a car body shop. Time to call in some favours I think. I can't wait to get started on the girly stuff inside!

[Brian M]

Jane
Sounds as if you have a bit more work to do than you hoped, but as "Henry" says it is all fixable.

I have sent you a personal message regarding the possibility of me coming over to look at your Safari for you.

[bronte]

I've replied, thank you both very much for your advice, it's much appreciated

[bronte]

I had a visit from a young lad down in the village to look at my caravan, his cousin owns the coachworks and has just resprayed a Safari all white. He said that he bought another old caravan to keep as a little summer house in his garden. It was leaking and he just cleaned it up and taped metal repair tape over all of the seams and painted over it. It's very Billy Bodge-it but I could manage to do that no problem at all.
Has anyone else tried that method? I know the tape is very strong because I have used it in artwork before and it's extremely adhesive. The paint on mine has brush marks all over it so it's going to need a rub down before I paint it.

[henry]

Even if the tape stops water I really dont think it will
The fact is the damage is done the wood that holds the seals on is rotten it also holds the van together

[Brian M]

Henry
I went down to see Jane's Safari last week and it is very much as she has described it.
We sorted out her stabilisers although one will eventually need a new bolt head and all need a good grease up.
The damp is quite severe on the face of the internal hardboard but strangely the frame will seems quite solid. You know how you can bend the wall next to the door if the frame has gone - well on this one the frame is rock solid.
I advised Jane on resealing the roof seams before she starts to replace the internal boards.
I looked at the lock but forgot to talk to Jane about it. It is still the original with the chrome and white bakelite handles and needs to stay. If she dismantles it it should be possible to get the key barrel out and take this to an "old fashioned" lock smith (not a heel bar key cutter) and he may be able to provide a key to fit. If you cant find one let me know and I'll see if I have any keys of the right type.

[bronte]

I will strip off the internal hardboard first then see how everything is before I decide what to do. I'm not using the caravan for touring, just towing it 10 miles to the beach in nice weather and home again. I'm not going to sell it, we have some of our children fighting over who gets it next so I don't need to restore it to original. I just want it dry and pretty. If the tape doesn't work then it's only time and £20 wasted but if it does it will save a lot more.

We have a master locksmith friend, he thinks he can cut me a key so he's going to come and look at it for me.