First Camper 2008 Fun Finder Xtra 19'

[JXII]

Just bought my first camper after tenting for 10 years. Very excited to try it out this upcoming weekend.

Wondering best material to paint/seal roof (has 2 former leaks when the awning attaches).

Also wondering where to get a generator holder attachment for the rear black swing bar?

[profdant139]

Woo hoo! Welcome to the club!

You must live in a warm place, if you want to try it out this weekend. Where are you located?

Before you rush off to try it out, let's talk tow vehicle and your towing setup. What do you have? (Safety first, right?)

You will have so many questions -- ask us old timers. We were all newbies, once upon a time.

Don't worry about the generator just yet -- you may not want to mount it on the back. It's a heavy, expensive, and fragile device.

If the roof has a "former" leak, you may not need to do anything yet -- I assume you got the trailer inspected to determine that there is no structural damage due to the leaks??

Be patient with yourself -- trailering has a steep learning curve. But it is more fun than you would think.

By the way, do you know how to back up a trailer? This is an important skill for a newbie. It is not impossible, but it takes some practice.

[JXII]

Thank u for the kind message!

I own 2 enclosed trailers for many years and formerly a valet so my backing up skills are pretty good.

I resealed the former leak spots yesterday so hoping that buys me some time.

I live in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida so weather is perfect this weekend. I am performing with my band Lights Out Project at Farm To Grass Music Festival this weekend in Port St Lucie so leaving Friday on her maiden voyage.

My vehicle is a 2002 Lincoln Navigator so hoping it is sufficient for towing.

My buddy is lending me a generator for this weekend and I ordered a bunch of the necessities on Amazon that should be here before I leave. I.E. Black/Grey water hoses, power cables, water filter and pressure gauge, etc.

Wish me luck!

[profdant139]

Good luck! It sounds like you are good to go -- you are not really a newbie at all. Safe travels!

Here is one thought that might be useful -- if this trailer is a 2008, do make sure that the tires are not too old -- five years maximum.

Also, if the batteries have not been well maintained, maybe consider replacing them with new deep cycle batteries. I use group 31 batteries from NAPA Auto. With good batteries and careful use of electricity, you may not have to run the generator too much. Those things are noisy, even the very quiet ones.

Trailering and music -- life does not get much better than that.

[JXII]

Tires are 2 weeks old and Deep Cycle battery is new ����

[profdant139]

Well done -- rock on!!

[dustyone]

Welcome to the group. Have a great time. Enjoy your camper. Camping and music, great combination.

[Shelleyb48]

Welcome to the Club.
We've always used Duck Coat and Duck patch from Menards. I had a camper with 8 large leaks and this stuff fixed everything. I recoat the roof with the Duck Coat every two years. It works for all of us at the campground.

[profdant139]

Shelley, which Duck Coat product do you use? I had never heard of that brand, and the website lists several products. Thanks in advance for your advice!!

[Shelleyb48]

[profdant139]

Thanks! Here is a link to the page for that product:

https://duckcoat.com/duck-coat-roof-coating/

[Shelleyb48]

Yep that’s the stuff.

[stevenget@quadro.net]

I wish we used this stuff on our trailer.
Sigh! Just sold trailer to new owner- picking up Friday

I hope they have years of enjoyment with it.

Looking to downsize and something easier to pull
2012 Fun Finder XT 276 Toy hauler

[dustyone]

So how did the weekend go? How did the trailer perform for you?
Dusty

[JXII]

Thank u everyone for all the kindness and advice!

I have camped with the Fun Finder about 5 times now.

My first time i used the awning with heavy wind and loosened the railing that attaches to the top side wall a little. Beginner move. I added extra self-leveling around the roof attachments so far so good. No more using the awning until i properly re-attach the awning rail. Luckily i have a nice canopy tent.

I have researched extensively about painting/sealing the roof. Many people say the roof membrane should never be painted because it needs to flex and should never leak unless punctured (i.e. where screws attach things). Other people say just paint the entire roof with sealant. So i'm up in the air. For now i have been putting self-leveling sealant everywhere i can on the roof that has former sealant.

I am almost done using the Pro Flex RV sealant for the windows and sides. Strangely i must have got a bad tube or something because it came out sticky and chunky and still hasn't completely dried after a month.Have a few new tubes that i'm gonna try out to see the difference.

My front window has former leaks which i scraped and resealed. So far so good. I added a flexible rain gutter above it with plastic rain spouts on each side.

My back ramp leaked a little at the top center during a very heavy storm so i added a flexible rain gutter above it also.

Wound up installing all new bearing, hub, brake assembly on all 4 new tires and a brake controller in my 2002 Navigator. So feel good about that.

Got a new Generax generator and deep cycle battery which work amazing. And also a new side grill which i haven't used yet but hoping to this weekend.

My couch ripped off the wall from the inside on one side. Super rusty old bolts. So my buddy helped me fabricate sheet metal on inside and outside and sandwich the couch back to the wall. It's stronger than ever now.

Did't realize i needed to sanitize the fresh water tank and my gf got a really bad ear infection which she is still dealing with. Hard lesson learned.

Next mission is to replace my black water valve which is leaking. Using a secondary valve now with a hose input which is nice but still want to fix the problem.

Owning an RV has sure turned me into a handy man. I have fixed the water heater, fridge, leaks, bearings, brakes, etc.

Final major mission is to properly secure the awning if possible.

Sorry to be long winded. I'm sure some if not all of you can relate to all these repair missions.

Looking forward to many more camping adventures with the Fun Finder.

I tell my friends when i'm camping:

"If you want to find fun.. you must find the Fun Finder"

[dustyone]

Wow you had a lot of things hit you all at once! Yeah I love my funfinder too I really do I've had mine for 11 years now. Wouldn't trade it for anything.!. The only problem I ever had with mine was the slide on floor running out and I had to replace that wasn't too hard. And I had the water line to the freshwater tank go bad on me I think I hit a rock. I did upgrade mine to two 6 volt golf cart batteries! The best thing I ever did as far as electric wise.!. Keep those new bearings greased every year it's not hard to do. Keep an eye on the water level of your batteries if you have regular flood acid batteries
Dusty