SoCal Tear Drop Owners! Post up!

[coastsider]

How long of a screw did you use to mount the hardware since there isn't much thickness to the walls in the trailer?

I can't remember the exact size, I basically bought a bunch of different sizes and just offered them up against the panel before assembly. At a few cents a piece I just experimented, as they say 'measure twice, cut once'. Important: as with all types of wood like this you must pre drill the screw holes using a bit size slightly smaller than the screw shaft, this will stop any splitting of the panel.


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[Chris Cordes]

Well done! Let us know how it holds up.

I may as well use this thread to ask this because I was up all night being frustrated by it.

Has anyone else had issues with water in the rear hatch? Mine leaked a long time ago and caused some wood rippling. I dont see any water and have checked it during heavy rain but it seems to have come back. I dont think this is from condensation and moisture but it could be. It could also be from the temperature changes arizona sees. But this leads me to the big frustrating question that I havent understood since buying this trailer.

WHY DOES SO-CAL USE WATER BASED SEALANT!? Like seriously... These are offroad grade trailers which clearly are going to get wet and muddy and probably need to cross water at some point. Why not use a marine grade wood boat sealant on the whole thing... Why use water sealant to protect from moisture when... surprise it degrades when it gets wet? Worse, because they used that I now would have to sand down below it to actually recoat with an heavier sealant

 

[coastsider]

Well done! Let us know how it holds up.

I may as well use this thread to ask this because I was up all night being frustrated by it.

Has anyone else had issues with water in the rear hatch?

WHY DOES SO-CAL USE WATER BASED SEALANT!? Like seriously... These are offroad grade trailers which clearly are going to get wet and muddy and probably need to cross water at some point. Why not use a marine grade wood boat sealant on the whole thing... Why use water sealant to protect from moisture when... surprise it degrades when it gets wet? Worse, because they used that I now would have to sand down below it to actually recoat with an heavier sealant

Hey Chris, do you mean the sealant on the woodwork or the sealant along the metal strips where it meets the wood? Any pics would help. I'm thinking of just using marine grade silicone sealant on all joins everywhere on the trailer just to be sure as I live on the coast and get a lot of heavy weather.


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[Yulli]

Well done! Let us know how it holds up.

I may as well use this thread to ask this because I was up all night being frustrated by it.

Has anyone else had issues with water in the rear hatch? Mine leaked a long time ago and caused some wood rippling. I dont see any water and have checked it during heavy rain but it seems to have come back. I dont think this is from condensation and moisture but it could be. It could also be from the temperature changes arizona sees. But this leads me to the big frustrating question that I havent understood since buying this trailer.

WHY DOES SO-CAL USE WATER BASED SEALANT!? Like seriously... These are offroad grade trailers which clearly are going to get wet and muddy and probably need to cross water at some point. Why not use a marine grade wood boat sealant on the whole thing... Why use water sealant to protect from moisture when... surprise it degrades when it gets wet? Worse, because they used that I now would have to sand down below it to actually recoat with an heavier sealant

My trailer is actually being picked up today by SoCal to have a leak and wood damage fixed. The water damage is nothing too major but enough to be an issue. It was still under it's warranty so they're going to fix it.

 

[Yulli]

Chris, do you have a photo of the issue you're having with yours?

 

[coastsider]

Door seals upgrade?

Looking at the existing door seals, maybe going with a fatter/deeper bulb may give a better weather seal. The wonderful McMaster site has a multitude of options. Here's a pic of my seal for comparison. This is where SoCal probably source the seals from originally.

 

[Chris Cordes]

Hey guys I'll go out and get photos tomorrow during cleaning. I got it along the top wood deck in the rear hatch. It also looks like it had some on the door in the past (before i owned her). I think I'm going to put a fresh coat of sealant on everything and a fair amount of silicone on anything in question.

 

[cactusjk]

Great information. Hopefully, these are isolated problems. With all the rains coming to CA I sure don't want leaks, especially with all the wood. Nor do I need another "boat" to maintain... Starting to get nervous again.


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[Chris Cordes]

If it's any comfort, no one would even notice these leaks on another trailer, we're just hypersensitive because it's wood. Mine was also a 2010 so it wasn't built with the new technology in the current trailers. They were still learning some of this stuff.

 

[coastsider]

We had a fairly heavy rain storm here on the coast yesterday, my trailer was bone dry inside and in the kitchen area. I think the drip strips over the doors help a lot. I still also plan to use silicon for extra peace of mind though. My Krawler is a 2014 BTW I don't know the details of any build/construction differences compared to older SoCal models.


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[Chris Cordes]

The older ones didn't have the same seals, stiffeners, latches, or hinges. Basically a bunch of stuff lol. They also found that the 510(which has a flat roof) needed a spacer on the vent in heavy heavy rain to avoid pooling and then dropping in a few drops

 

[Yulli]

I wonder if this is just a common issue on most standard teardrops that are out there.

 

[mvbeggs]

Leaks?

I've tested mine plenty at highway speeds through torrential rain and wind. (rain going sideways, type of torrential rain) Came through unscathed. Anymore, I don't give leaks a second thought.

 

[BlackRubiX]

Finally picked mine up in Phoenix and took it north to Sedona and spent a few nights in Coconino National Forest. It was awesome and my Jeep pulled it like a champ!


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[Keith Starr]

Finally picked mine up in Phoenix and took it north to Sedona and spent a few nights in Coconino National Forest. It was awesome and my Jeep pulled it like a champ!


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Looks fantastic! Congrats!