1978 27' Argosy

[Farmers wife]

Hi I am new to the forum and introduced myself in the new members section but thought I would come in here and attempt to post some pictures. I have only owned my Argosy for about two weeks but have managed to "dig" in and get some subfloor removed....I could have used her belly pan as a live well for fishing trips!

[Gearheart]

What's it like at the other end. My 24 is rotting away at the back.

[Farmers wife]

On the surface the back appears to be fine...I removed the flooring to expose the subfloor and didn't see any red flags. I plan to work my way back! The front was soaking wet so I need to do a lot of clean up and waterproofing up their first.
I know there is a huge amount of information on this forum and hopefully can get help along the way. I currently camp in a 1962 14 ft canned ham that I have had to do some work on but she has no bells and whistles so has been pretty straight forward.

[Gearheart]

Do you have the bathroom at the back? The damage, if present, will be under the shower tub and vanity/black tank box.

[Farmers wife]

Yes I have the rear bath. I have poked around under the vanity and didn't see any evidence. Around the wheel wells will have to be replaced.

[paddle whisp]

My Argosy 6.7 Minuet was made in Oct. 1977. I'm not sure if it is a '77 or '78. It doesn't seem to fit any of the '78 info.

So here's my question... does yours have an aluminum sub floor? I purchased mine in May '15, and she came with an Aluminum floor.

[rvb]

Only some models of the Minuet had aluminum floors. All of the larger Argosy trailers have wood floors.

[Farmers wife]

When I pulled up the wooden subfloor I was surprised to find aluminum sheets between the wood and the frame but I am a complete airstream virgin.

[Farmers wife]

I have continued to dismantle my Argosy from the upper cabinets down. I moved her to a more convenient spot out of the grass away from the mosquitos and closer to the tools and hydro!
I will be replacing the entire subfloor without taking the frame off (I have read all through the forums on doing it this way or taking the fram off) which brings me to my question if you had the option of putting in an all aluminium subfloor would you? I know I will have to place some kind of material along the steel frame before I can lay the aluminium, even though the original thin aluminium that sandwiches the insulation between the wooden subfloor and it lays directly on the steel frame. Basically a very good friend has the perfect gauge aluminium in the exact quantity required and is willing to part with it for free! I think it is an awesome idea but I am new to all this...I just think that it would save me from ever having to replace the floor again in my lifetime!

[rvb]

If the aluminum under the plywood floor is in the front of the trailer, it may be the bottom skin at the recess for the spare tire. Airstream's of your vintage have a the spare tire recess in the front. Most, however, do not have the rack to hold the tire, but, that is available from Inland RV and other sources if you want to install one.

As to an aluminum floor, it is my understanding that the Minuet had an aluminum sandwich floor as an attempt to lighten the trailer and that was only used for about 2 years. I have read about and spoken to owners of Minuet's with aluminum floors that are sagging between the supports. You would have to use a fairly heavy weight aluminum to not have a sagging problem and that would probably defeat any weight savings.

The floor in my Argosy is 1/2" plywood. The primary concern with a wood floor is rot developing from any leaks. The usual locations are the perimeter walls, at the front under the window corners, across the rear at the bumper, the bathroom and around the entry door. There are some sheet sub floor materials available now that are bonded with polymers similar to some of the outdoor decking materials and are impervious to rot. If money were no object, that is what I would put in.

If the aluminum is free you will probably still be putting it over a plywood to get up to 1/2" thickness or make it stiff enough not to sag then you could still have a rot problem if water gets under it. If it were heavy enough not to sag, you may have problems screwing the interior to it. Also the only way you could install a floor finish would be to glue it down which makes future remodeling more difficult.

[nrgtrakr]

I'd do an aluminum floor. If the body needs raising add box tubing. Finish floor either the aluminum (probably slippery and cold) or some made made thing thing with minimal off gassing and maximum rot resistance.

[TG Twinkie]

If I were to replace the wooden floor in our Argosy. I would increase the number of crossmembers to eliminate the inherent problem of a wavy floor in minuets.
I would also install an isolation barrier between the aluminum and steel frame using a none conductive material like fiberglass sheeting. Cutting down on the electrolysis issue.
In order to retain the original space between the shell and frame. Usually 5/8" to 3/4". One would have to use a bar stock along with the flooring material. As I don't believe you will find aluminum square tubing with the dimensions required. If weight is a concern, lightening holes could be cut in the bar stock, removing the weight of the bar stock.


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[Argonaut20]

The aluminum sandwich floor used in the Minuets does have a tendency to dip between cross members and a laminate floor or plywood overlay is almost a necessity. Putting in a plywood floor will be cheaper and easier and it will last as long as you have the trailer if you do a good job of sealing up the shell before you reinstall the interior. Seam sealer on all the seams and rivet tails, sealing the outside seams, regasketing the windows and doors, and replacing all the Olympia rivets you find with regular set rivets will minimize the leaks. Use of marine grade plywood is good.

[Farmers wife]

I was thinking I could put down carpet tiles on the aluminium floor and replace them easily as they wore or got stained.

The aluminium is free and is thick enough that I don't think sagging will be an issue..but I am not that far in yet so will see once I have removed the entire subfloor.

[paddle whisp]

My Argosy Minuet has the aluminum subfloor. It is sagging between the floor joist - which are 4' apart. As a home builder, where floor joist are placed every 16", it amazes me that no one has fallen through.
I'm renovation mine now, and plan to put 5/8" plywood down, after I have sealed it with polyurethane and then "float" a flooring material on top of that. This involves rolling out a thin roll of rubber padding and then installing interlocking vinyl planks together. This flooring is relatively new, extremely durable, water resistant and easy to maintain and change out any pieces that get damaged in use.
Good luck in your remodel!
You could use this roll of padding (Home Depot) on the aluminum subfloor to cushion and warm the flooring.

[Gearheart]

My '72 24 footer has two 2X4 floor joists between the steel frame rails making 16" centres for support. They are bolted into the end cross members and look like they have been there since birth. They're on the flat rather than on edge but every little bit of support helps.

[Farmers wife]

Finally had a few days and some nice weather to continue to tackle the interior removal.