GreatWater damage on 1992 LD should we buy it? April 06, 2014, 10:53:59 pm Yahoo Message Number: 145657Quote Quote Great post John. I agree with you. You and I are similar. I too have a wood working shop and some old tools. Also Inca tools. I did wooden boats for a while but now its old trucks. However, I am sure you will agree that restoring a water damaged Lazy Daze is something that most people should not attempt. Unless they are very motivated and posses the skills and tools, they could be ultimately doomed to failure. JMHOTom, 2000 TK, Whidbey Island, WA. Weather: crap There has been a lot of speculation and opinions on this subject. As the owner of the unit involved, I can fill you all in with details as they are known after a day of working on my Lazy Daze.First, I'd like to say that Janie and her husband really knew what they were doing. They took there time and went through the unit in a way that I should have done a year ago when I bought the motorhome. They are very nice folks and did a thorough job with their inspection.The main concern is a soft spot they found at the bottom and to the left of the entry door. It's something I should have caught last year when I bought the unit. However, it probably would not have changed my mind about buying this particular Lazy Daze TK. It was just what I was looking for. I'm an amateur boat builder and restorer. My wife and I just finished restoring a Herreshoff H-28. It's a 28', 1952 cruising sailboat. We had to gut the interior and had to deal with much rot in places that were not given the proper ventilation. On a boat, one always expects theinterior will get wet, so you make sure there is ventilation so drying will take place.I spent most of the afternoon tearing out the offending material in my Lazy Daze. There is a strip of 1x3 plywood that is used between the door jamb and the bulkhead behind the passenger seat. That strip is approximately 3' long running vertically along the door jamb and is flush to the bulkhead. About 2 feet up from the floor there is rot at the edge against the door of this strip of plywood. It starts small and by the time it gets to the floor it's about 2/3's across the strip. It took some digging, but I've got all the rot out. Fortunately, the rot did not go all the way to the bulkhead. Next, I'm going to take out the ply that has not rotted. That will be a bit more difficult, but to do the job right I'll need to get the entire frame piece out and replace it. I've got some marine grade ply (1088 BS for those of you who know about such things), some teak and some white oak to make a new piece. When that is done, I'll let it sit a few days. During that time I'll make sure I have hot air blowing on everything to make sure every thing is dry. Once I get everything out I'll decide which type of wood I'll use. (It'll probably be the ply.)On the outside, on the piece that covers the corner (not sure what you would call it) there is an obvious spot where the caulking has dried and cracked. It's, right where the rotting started. I'll dig out the old caulking, clean everything up and recaulk. Hopefully, that will take care of the leak. Before I close everything up, I'll give it a good hosing to see if the leak is fixed.As far as this 1992 unit being worthless or not, in its present condition it's not worth what I thought, however, being a Lazy Daze, it's far from being worthless. My wife and I just spent 6 weeks in Louisiana and New Mexico. The unit performed flawlessly and deserves a little more care and a little more maintenance. It was just what I was looking for and worth every penny I paid for it.I like old things and I like working on old things. Come to think of it, I am on old thing. I've got a restored 1952 wooden sailboat, I've got a woodshop that's filled with old woodworking machines that I've restored -- the "youngest" being my restored 1959 Oliver band saw. If everyone walked away from classic 70's, 80's, and 90's Lazy Daze motorhomes because of some water damage, there would be quite a few less units around.Hope that all helps with some of the speculation.Later,Johnhttp://www.lazydazeowners.com/ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2014.0.4355 / Virus Database: 3722/7309 - Release Date: 04/06/14
Re: GreatWater damage on 1992 LD should we buy it? Reply #1 – April 06, 2014, 11:08:20 pm Yahoo Message Number: 145658Agreed Tom,Whidbey Island eh! Ever talk old trucks, rv's, or wooden boats with George Buehler?John
Re: GreatWater damage on 1992 LD should we buy it? Reply #2 – April 07, 2014, 01:02:01 pm Yahoo Message Number: 145669We bought a 1985 22" a few years ago. We knew it had leaks but thought the rebuild wouldn't be too bad (lol). Well, it was and still is a on going project. If you have the skills, tools and the TIME, it can be done. A lot of folks on the site have actual experience in doing this kind of work, so the light will shine a little brighter! Keep your eyes wide open, your hand on your wallet and you can get it done?.Good Luck,Alan Pollack (co owner of the Morro Bay White Elephant LD)