Camper roofs

[kerry]

After spending the last few days taking apart and repairing my Northstar TS1000 roof, I have a new attitude towards roofs. My roof was thoroughly dinged in a hailstorm so the insurance company paid out for a replacement. Around $4200 including shipping and installation. While I'm not sure it's worth putting that much money into our 95 camper, I definitely now think that the roof itself is a bad design and will over time follow the same path as my original roof. Does anyone know if there is anyone out there making well designed replacement roofs? By well designed, I mean not on a steady pathway towards rot. There are far too many threads on here about roof rot repair. Hasn't someone come up with an effective strong design which is relatively maintenance free and will live its life impervious to rot? Even simple features like an arch design would be a step up. I'm not the brightest guy on the block but even I know flat roofs are a bad idea.

 

[kerry]

If Northstar built their roofs with something like Coosa board instead of plywood, it would be a huge improvement because they wouldn't rot. Perhaps they would be willing to build a roof for me out of that material.

http://www.spaceagesynthetics.com/default.html

http://coosacomposites.com/

 

[NivekD]

My Sun Lite roof is almost 30 years old and is in perfect condition. No sign of rot or sag at all. I does have an arch to it and water never sits on it. Just snow in the winter that has not harmed it at all. Maybe Sun Lite had the answer all along and other builders try to make it better but missed the boat. Keep it simple.

 

[kerry]

Got any pictures of it? What is it made out of?

Just googled some photos. Aluminum parts looks the same as the Northstar roof.

 

[NivekD]

It is aluminum on top and some kind of paneling on the inside. I did R and R the caulking on it when I bought it, but it didn't really need it. I passed on a lot of other pop ups because of roof problems. Almost gave up until I found this one...:wings:

Hard to see the arch but it's there.

 

[kerry]

That looks identical to a Northstar roof apart from the sun logo cast in to the corner brackets.

 

[kerry]

Heard back from Northstar. They won't build a replacement roof out of a composite like Coosa board instead of plywood.

 

[Tatted]

I have a northstar, I am not impressed with the roof either, hallmark has a fiberglass roof and that is the way to go, but it will not fit a Northstar

 

[kerry]

Even a couple of simple things like weep holes in the bottom channel venting to the outside and fiberglassing the corners to seal them up before installing the aluminum covers would go a very long way in improving the longevity of their roofs.

 

[Regcabguy]

No rot on my 2000 Northstar. Very moderate rainfall in San Diego and next to zilch in the hail dept.
I've crawled and knelt up there dozens of times. No dents,nothing.

 

[kerry]

Not much rain here either. Still rotted.