77 Land Yacht front water leaks when driving in the rain

[DWG-77]

Hi there I have a 1977 Land Yacht and have had issues with water getting into the trailer when we drive it in the rain. We don't have any issues with leaking at other times and the leaking is in the front of the trailer which ends up getting our mattress wet which is the problem.

I have looked at all of the panels in the front from the outside and they all look good. That being said there are obvious holes in the front for the wiring and around the door for the battery compartment so it really doesn't look like the trailer was built to be completely water tight.

I am not sure if I should take the approach of trying to make everything absolutely water tight. Taking off the inner skin and sealing every joint, creating some sort of gasket for the battery door etc. It kind of seems to me that it the trailer was designed with the assumption that some water will get through the outer skin this might end up being a losing battle.

The other approach I was thinking about was to seal obvious holes but accept that some water would get into the under belly and make sure there are some holes for drainage. Then work on making sure that the edges of the floor are well sealed and preventing water from wicking up through the inner skin.

I would really appreciate hearing how other people have approached this.

[overlander64]

Greetings DWG-77!

My understanding has always been that the underbelly was never intended to be water tight, rather moisture was to be given an escape path as it was expected that some moisture would find its way into that space from time to time. Anything from the subfloor up should remain dry at all times, so if there is moisture, there is a leak or more than one leak to be chasing.

While my Overlander is significantly older than your 1977 model Airstream, when I did have some water intrusion in the front while towing, it was from failing/failed caulking around the front window as well as a leaking window seal. Once that pair of leak points was addressed that was resolved. Several years later, I experienced water intrusion while towing again only this time it was from failing sealant around the Astrodome in the roof. Rain driven by the force of being towed down the road can find many openings. None of my leak repairs have required removing interior walls. Each has been accomplished with a high quality Urethane Caulk like Vulkem and/or Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure.

Good luck with your investigation!

[DWG-77]

Hi Kevin I really appreciate your response.

When you were having leaking around the front window I am assuming that you saw evidence that there was a leak there before you started working on resealing the window. I am planning on using the jet on the garden hose to see if I can find the leak but so far when we have had leaking during trips we weren't able to see an obvious point of leaking, just areas where the sheets / mattress was wet. I suppose it would be a pretty reasonable starting point to remove the old calking and reseal the window frame even if we can't confirm the leak is coming from there. Also might just bite the bullet and remove the bottom panels of interior skin in the front and reseal any joint I can get at...

One other question. Do you think that putting hitch mount mud flaps on my tow vehicle would make a difference? I am assuming alot of the forced water when driving is coming off of the tow vehicle rear wheels. I am thinking of buying a set of the hitch mount mud flaps which look like they would be pretty easy to put on my tow vehicle when it is raining. I am thinking that this would reduce the forced water on the front of the trailer considerably. It might not solve my problem but I think would help. In particular as we have never had any leaking issues in the rain, just when towing in the rain.

[overlander64]

Originally Posted by DWG-77

Hi Kevin I really appreciate your response.

When you were having leaking around the front window I am assuming that you saw evidence that there was a leak there before you started working on resealing the window. I am planning on using the jet on the garden hose to see if I can find the leak but so far when we have had leaking during trips we weren't able to see an obvious point of leaking, just areas where the sheets / mattress was wet. I suppose it would be a pretty reasonable starting point to remove the old calking and reseal the window frame even if we can't confirm the leak is coming from there. Also might just bite the bullet and remove the bottom panels of interior skin in the front and reseal any joint I can get at...

My leaks showed themselves as small puddles in the window opening as well as streaking along the wall going to the floor. I followed some of the suggestions here on the Forum to use a fine pick similar to a dental pick to pull old, hardened caulk out of joints that I suspected. Then I cleaned the area with a light application of mineral sprits on a clean rag. Started out by applying a fine stream of Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure (allowed that to cure for the time specified on label) -- then put tape on either side of joint and applied a fine bead Vulkem. I followed this procedure around the entire front window. I also added a fine bead of Vulkem around the joint where the window frame and window met (the old plastic window gasket material was fracturing and I didn't want to completely disassemble the window to replace the gasket until later). I also found that the thin seal between the window and its frame (center operable window) needed replacement as it was allowing moisture through when forced by wind or towing. While I was at it, I checked the entire front of the trailer from where the dome met the roof to the banana wrap for loose rivets or suspect joints, and added a little Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure to those rivets and joints (also resealed around running lights).

Originally Posted by DWG-77

One other question. Do you think that putting hitch mount mud flaps on my tow vehicle would make a difference? I am assuming alot of the forced water when driving is coming off of the tow vehicle rear wheels. I am thinking of buying a set of the hitch mount mud flaps which look like they would be pretty easy to put on my tow vehicle when it is raining. I am thinking that this would reduce the forced water on the front of the trailer considerably. It might not solve my problem but I think would help. In particular as we have never had any leaking issues in the rain, just when towing in the rain.

I only towed with a pickup truck for three short years, and that was between 1995 and 1998, and I had very minimal mud flaps on that truck. I know that it kicked up plenty of everything with its All Terrain Tires -- I let myself get talked into a 1995 Chevrolet K1500 Z71 Off Road Package for towing -- worst mistake I ever made on a vehicle. Mud flaps that are at least as wide as the tires certainly couldn't hurt. I know that the hitch mounted mud flaps are quite popular with a number of Airstreamers. I suspect that they may direct more of the rain spray down the sides of rig, but that is purely speculation on my part.

Good luck with identifying and repairing you leak.

Kevin

[Belegedhel]

You are right in saying that they are designed to leak, but I would say that it is still unintentional on the part of Airstream. As mentioned above, if you or someone hasn't replaced all the window seals in the last few years, that is where I would start. Then you can go to seals around literally every other penetration of the shell. Then you can pick all the sealant/schmutz out of every mating aluminum panel and seal with something like Parbond. Then...there are all those rivets...sometimes they leak too.

You might shortcut all of this by doing a "positive pressure" test. This amounts to removing an exterior hatch, patching in a blower that can pump a good amount of air into the trailer, and then hose it down with soapy water and look for bubbles.

I would not start pulling off interior skins. This is a slippery slope that usually ends in complete rebuilds. What you don't know... Besides, the leak could be coming from the TV antenna mount, running down the interior of the inner skins, and just popping out in the path of least resistance.

good luck!

[DWG-77]

Hi Kevin,
I just got my Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure in the mail and am planning on resealing the front window. One question I have is can you use the Captain Tolley's on the underside of the window? It seems like it is extremely fluid. I know that it is supposed to wick up into small gaps but I am imagining that if I try and work it into the bottom of the window it is just going to drip down and not get into the joint. Any suggestions on how to use it on the underside of the window or am I better off not even trying it here?

[G-Ranch]

During the renovation of our 1970 LandYatch including the interior skin removal, the effort to “waterproof” from the inside was futile. The outer skin is riveted to the ribs or bows. Getting a waterproofing material between the ribs and skin cannot be accomplished.
Start by tapping one the rivets from the outside to see if any are loose. The rivets will actually rattle if loose. Simple but not pretty I applied butal tape to loose rivets.
I also replaced “all” the rubber seals around the windows. Pretty sure the new seal material was purchased from Vintage Trailer Supply.
Good luck with this frustrating situation.

[overlander64]

Greetings DWG-77!

Originally Posted by DWG-77

Hi Kevin,
I just got my Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure in the mail and am planning on resealing the front window. One question I have is can you use the Captain Tolley's on the underside of the window? It seems like it is extremely fluid. I know that it is supposed to wick up into small gaps but I am imagining that if I try and work it into the bottom of the window it is just going to drip down and not get into the joint. Any suggestions on how to use it on the underside of the window or am I better off not even trying it here?

I think that we may have been a little over the top when sealing around the front window on the 1964 Overlander as well as the Panoramic Windows on the 1978 Minuet. After carefully cleaning out the old sealant, Captain Tolley's was applied as you would expect along the top and sides. Along the bottom we utilized a small animal feeding syringe to pickup some of the Captain Tolley's and force it into the seam area. To add a little extra insurance, after allowing several days for the Captain Tolley's to cure, we masked on both sides of the seam and applied a small, neat line of Vulkem sealant around the entire perimeter of the windows. I do not know whether the Vulkem step was necessary, but there was evidence that is had been used in the past on both of my trailers.

Good luck with your leak eradication project!

Kevin