Body caulk repair

[scottmahome@]

I have a 1995 Land Yacht. There is a bead of black rubber sealant or caulk that runs between the body and the back lower bumper at the back of the coach just below the trunk door. It is cracked and needs to be replaced. Does anyone know what kind of caulk or sealant they may have used? Has anyone else made this repair? Your help is appreciated.

[lewster]

Don't know what it might be, but I would replace it with SikaFlex-221 polyurethane sealant. It's the ONLY sealant I use on RV's, other than a specialized roofing sealant, and Acryl-R for small seam sealing on Airstreams.

The SikaFlex is super durable, incredibly tenacious, and comes in grey and black, as well as 2 shades of white.

Try it.................you'll LIKE it!!!

[Zeppelinium]

Lew,

A lot of folks like the old Vulkem, now Trempro 635 or 636. These are also polyurethane. Any comments on them? I can only find this stuff at Vintage Trailer Supply, so if Silkaflex is more obtainable, maybe that's the way to go.

Zep

[vswingfield]

Fastenall Stores carry Trempro products, according to Trempro's website.

Vaughan

[Zeppelinium]

Originally Posted by vswingfield

Fastenall Stores carry Trempro products, according to Trempro's website.

Vaughan

Karma to you again, Vaughan, and once again out of order. Thanks.

Zep

[vswingfield]

Thanks again Zep,

The Fastenall site even has a store locator. Turns out, the one in Little Rock is located next to the Port Authority office. I do work for the Port all the time. It’s even closer to my home than work.

Vaughan

[Jim & Susan]

OK, so I gotta ask. WHat port is located in Arkansas?

The fastenal store here does carry some Trempro products, but alas, not the type we need. Vintage Trailer Supply is the place to go. Nice people, great service. I found the Sikaflex at my local RV place and at the Airtream dealership.

Jim

[lewster]

Originally Posted by Zeppelinium

Lew,

A lot of folks like the old Vulkem, now Trempro 635 or 636. These are also polyurethane. Any comments on them? I can only find this stuff at Vintage Trailer Supply, so if Silkaflex is more obtainable, maybe that's the way to go.

Zep

Zep et al,

I find that the Tempro (Vulkem) has a grainy texture that I really don't care for. Also, the SikaFlex seems to have a higher bonding strength. I recently converted a friend of mine who runs a very large seamless gutter operation in FL to SikaFlex. He was using Vulkem.

He said that for what he was doing, bonding end caps and downspouts to the gutters (along with sheet metal screws) that he thought the SikaFlex was the superior product and that he could not believe that he didn't find it sooner.

[Zeppelinium]

Lew, thanks for the reply.

I've heard about the grainy feel, and I do recall there was a particular construction function that called for it. However, it's "optional" and all the stuff I get from Vintage Trailer Supply is smooth. One thing I find you have to plan for when using the Trempro is its long cure time. The humidity around here is typically 10-18%, so I've never had the stuff get tack-free in less than 12 hours (for the fast curing version) and typically it takes 24-30 hours.

I'm going to get some Silkaflex and give it a try.

Zep

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by Jim & Susan

OK, so I gotta ask. WHat port is located in Arkansas?

The fastenal store here does carry some Trempro products, but alas, not the type we need. Vintage Trailer Supply is the place to go. Nice people, great service. I found the Sikaflex at my local RV place and at the Airtream dealership.

Jim

Hi Jim,

I wondered if that would get any comments. Little Rock is located on the Arkansas River, one of the major tributaries of the Mississippi River and the primary component of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS). The MKARNS extends from the Mississippi River extends from the Mississippi River to the head of navigation at Catoosa, Oklahoma (Near Tulsa). It is 445 miles long with 18 locks and dams. The Little Rock Port is a multi modal facility that has its own railroad, Interstate highway access, a duty free zone, and a Slackwater harbor. It is also home to significant manufacturing, including steel fabrication, a recently announced windmill blade plant, and a factory that produces all the Skippy peanut butter for North America.

Very few people, even in Arkansas, are familiar with its scope. A port in the middle of Arkansas somehow just doesn’t sound right.

Vaughan

[lewster]

Originally Posted by Zeppelinium

Lew, thanks for the reply.

I've heard about the grainy feel, and I do recall there was a particular construction function that called for it. However, it's "optional" and all the stuff I get from Vintage Trailer Supply is smooth. One thing I find you have to plan for when using the Trempro is its long cure time. The humidity around here is typically 10-18%, so I've never had the stuff get tack-free in less than 12 hours (for the fast curing version) and typically it takes 24-30 hours.

I'm going to get some Silkaflex and give it a try.

Zep

Hey Zep,

Here's a little trick I use to get the SikaFlex to go off quicker when in low humidity locations.

Apply as normal and finish the job, remove any masking tape if used and clean the area. Then apply a very fine mist of water from a spray bottle. Just enough to wet the surface but not too much that it gets runny.

It should skin over in an hour or so.....................

[scottmahome@]

Thanks to you and everyone that responded to my post. I am going to use the Sikaflex in black.