My campertrailer's got holes!!
Submitted: Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 08:41
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Patrol22
Erected the camper yesterday to give it an airing after being packed away for the winter and discovered that a small area of the canvas has 4 or 5 small hole (largest one is about the diameter of a 3 inch nail). Also found a single hole in the PVC floor. Holes are clean - no mildew on the canvas anywhere. Also no metal bits that could have worn through. Found a weird looking bug though - dead now but was thinking that it might have tried to chew its way out to freedom when inadvertently packed up in the tent (about 30 mm long with a rather pointy mouth under the head section). The canvas and floor bits with the holes were packed adjacent so I'm guessing that they were caused by the same thing.
Before I start doing the circuit of the sailmakers does anyone know if canvas repairs can be done in situ or does the tent have to be removed from the trailer - big job this for my kanga :-(
Also wondering if there are glue type repair kits available for the heavy duty vinyl flooring. Whatever the case I guess I'm up for a few bucks to fix this problem.
Cheers
Pete
Reply By: Member - Mark G (NSW) - Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 08:46
Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 08:46
PATROL
22
for the pvc floor you could try a repair kit for blow up air beds,this would be the cheapest.
as for the holes in the canvas, you could try getting a peice of scrap canvas & glueing it with some kwik grip.
hope this helps,cheers.
AnswerID:
327465
Reply By: Member - Footloose - Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 10:52
Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 10:52
Had a rat eat my tent (not all of it) once. Had to toss it. But haven't heard of your bug before...pity you didn't post a picture. Good luck with the fix, I'm sure it will be successful.
AnswerID:
327474
Follow Up By: Hairy (NT) - Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 11:50
Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 11:50
Gday Footy,
One of my mates was a prospector and used to live out toward Hatches
Creek in an old army tent.
He come into town one day for supplies and we got him on a week long bender.
When he returned his
camp was gone...termite nest stove and all!
The cattle ate his house!!!!!
What they didnt eat was trampled into the ground and destroyed.
Poor bugger...but it was bloody hilarious.
Cheers
FollowupID:
594727
Follow Up By: Member - Footloose - Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 11:57
Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 11:57
Hairy, never heard of cattle doing that, although I imagine that in that country it isn't impossible...especially when the feeds scarce.
Yes I thought it was funny...poor buggar.
Great story, thanks Hairy.
I was camped near
Tamworth years ago, and had one of your dust storms. Found the tent and it's contents against a wire fence about a Km away, soggy red muddy stuff all over everything. Yours was probably much worse, but that one was bad enough for me.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Patrol22 - Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 12:26
Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 12:26
I've got the bug in a jar and was thinking about taking it into the CSIRO entimology dept for ID. Will take a pic and try and put it up here.....if'n I can figure out how to :-)
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Hairy (NT) - Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 12:33
Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 12:33
He reckons from what he coulds see (from what was left) they started off eating the guy ropes, they were made of hemp.
They were probably stoned after that and got the munchies and kept going.
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594738
Reply By: The Rambler( W.A.) - Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 11:48
Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 11:48
As Mark G said, sticking a bit of canvas with Kwik grip works very
well.Ipatched a small tear in the canvas on my camper using Kwik grip contact glue and it looks like its there for good.
AnswerID:
327481
Reply By: Shaker - Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 12:02
Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 12:02
Go to a sailmaker & ask him for some "stickyback", it is available in a range of colours & sticks like the proverbial to a blanket.
It will be a lot less messy than using Kwik Grip.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Patrol22 - Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 12:22
Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 12:22
Thanks everyone I particularly like the 'stickyback' idea. Will check locally for it during the week.
AnswerID:
327489
Follow Up By: Shaker - Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 14:08
Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 14:08
Make the patches round, or with rounded corners, it is also good if you can stick one one both sides.
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Follow Up By: Patrol22 - Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 14:30
Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 14:30
Thanks Shaker I will keep that in mind.
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Patrol22 - Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 14:24
Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 14:24
OK ....you should be able to see some pics
here ....hopefully!
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Peter 2 - Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 18:08
Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 18:08
A quick and easy solution is a blob of silicone in a colour to match the canvas, never leaks or comes off, BTDT
AnswerID:
327533
Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 18:09
Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 18:09
Pete,
For holes as small as you describe, what you need is a tube of Stormsure.
I used it some years ago on a couple of holes that "appeared" in the tent, resulting from embers blown from a campfire and can definitely recommend it
Stormsure will not disguise, or hide the holes per se', but it will seal them, eliminating leaks and stop the holes from becoming bigger.
The product sets to a solid transparent coloured "plastic" that will give a permanent fix.
If your local
camping store hasn't got any, you can order it from Discount
Camping in SA.
Stormsure
Bill.
AnswerID:
327534
Follow Up By: Member - graeme W (WA) - Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 21:06
Sunday, Sep 28, 2008 at 21:06
You can also buy a product for fixing wet suits called aquaseal and ive used it to fix canvas and hornes waders.If the holes not big just put a bit around or use another small bit of canvas.You wil never get it off again.
Cheers Graeme.
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594847