Thank you. We just did this...your exact steps saved our trailer. We love our Coleman Bayport Popup, but the roof was cracked so badly that we couldn't/didn't want to use it. This worked fabulously, and my hubby and sons are camping in the newly-roofed trailer as we speak! I'm itching to go too. I was skeptical when my hubby told me what he had planned to fix our roof....after calling trailer repair shops and no one could repair it. I watched this RU-vid and, as my hubby is handy, I trusted him to give it a try. I'm very impressed with the results. THANK YOU!
Thank you MRTrexxx213 for a great and accurate you-tube. My brother-in-law and I tackled the repair of a mid-90's Coleman Seapine. The ABS had pretty much de-laminated from the entire top. We used a utility knife to cut the ABS right above the separation seal. It came off easily except for the area around the latch receptacles. Behind each latch there is a 3" X 4" (approx) aluminum plate that has the worlds greatest glue holding the ABS to the plates. If we had it to do over, we might cut out the ABS around the plates and leave the latch receptacles in place. We removed the air conditioner from the top. I would recommend doing this if you have an A/C. You probably also have a sag in the roof where the A/C sits and no matter what kind of sealant you throw at it, it will leak around the A/C in a good rain. So we cut a pressure treated 2 X 6 in the same profile as the factory metal brace that supports the underside of the camper top. We installed the extra brace just aft of the A/C unit. We did have to do a little trimming because we couldn't get the same amount of bow as the metal brace. We used 1/4" bolts to go through the camper top and the 2 X 6. We also made 1/8" thick metal plates to go on top of the roof where the bolts came through. This extra brace got the A/C out of the hole it had sunk into over the years. When it came time to open the box of chemicals the first thing I did was read the instructions and panic stuck because it said, "We will warranty the shelf life for 30 days (from purchase date). If conditions are good (low humidity and heat) we've seen it last as long as 60 days. We suggest using this product within 30 days of the purchase date." Our kit had been ordered in mid-February and it was now the end of June, but the material was just fine. It took the first gallon to cover the camper top with a "thin" coat. The 4" rollers provided began to disintegrate as the material began to set up. Fortunately we had purchased some extra 9" rollers at ACE Hardware. The rollers were designed to use with Rust-Oleum Restore. They weren't cheap but they held up well. The rollers provided in the kit and the Rust-Oleum rollers do not spread the coating very well--they are for texturing. If we had it to do over, we might experiment with some other way to quickly get the material spread out then use the rollers just for texturing--but even with poor spreading qualities, the rollers got the material dispensed and textured. It was hot and humid and in 4 hours we were putting on the second heavier coat. We had about a half-gallon left. The video suggests mixing it a half-gallon at a time--I would agree. The material does a great job of filling and sealing. Just a few more tips. We bought Acetone for cleaning off old adhesive and Xylene for thinning the material and clean-up (however we did not thin our coating). We used masking tape at our transition line and removed it shortly after the second coat was applied. If you wait too long you will probably have to scribe the separation point with a knife to get the tape off.
Thank you so much! We have a 99’ Coleman Santa Fe pop up that is in mint condition other than that roof. It’s totally demolished by the 20+ years of sun. We didn’t want to get rid of it or drop thousands on a new roof. I’m in my 20’s now and want to repair it to use for my future family. I’m very emotionally attached to it as my father always took me camping in it ever since before I learned how to walk. We will be doing this project in March 2024. A month before my birthday so I can take it camping again after many years of it sitting not knowing what to do for it.
great video. i did the exact same thing and mine came out super nice. I wound up using three coats of the Snowflake smooth texture and it looks brand new. Prepration is really the key on doing this and if you take your time and do it right it should be worth while. I had spots on the sides where the ABS was slightly pulled away from the fiberglas and I drilled 1/8" holes and slightly pulled away the ABS while injecting Gorilla Glue and then applied pressure while drying. Worked excellent!!
I did this in May of this year and it worked wonderful. I recommend it. I live in Florida and store my pup outside with no cover. I really think using a tarp started all the cracking to begin with. Just too hot here.
looks great just bought a coleman popup today at a great price. but on the way home 1/4 of roof went air born. my wife said this is like the RV movie. anyways i am going to try your corrective actions 👍
I used Henry 100% Silicone Tropi-Cool White Roof Coating. I got two coats out of a gallon, with an inch or so left in the can, using a semi-rough roller. It's been on for two years and still looks great, which says something being in Tucson! Thinking of another gallon this spring, just to make it thicker and "be sure" she never leaks!
Stopped in for the first time in awhile and would like to thanks the over 150k people that have viewed my repair. I have noticed many more repairs taped for your help using the method I chose and some improvements that have been done in the process. I am humbled that my short tutorial seems to have helped many of you save your campers and will have to make sure I post other projects as I do them. Keep on camping and introducing people to the outdoors and enjoy. Thanks for your nice comments also.
Excellent video, thank you! I’m hoping someone (anyone here 11 years later?) can help answer a couple questions. 1) where the ABS roof was cut off, just on top... how has that held up? 2) if I remove the entire ABS to Grizzly Grip it... will that create any issues when I need to replace the rubber seal? Great video!
nice, mine is no where near that bad but has a crack along the roof about 1/8". I was thinking about going the bed liner route too after I fill in the crack. good job man.
have same issue on 2000 coleman Utah. got to remove entire top,cracks everywhere. looking at pvc vinly to recover. used this on another popup and turned out good. Only 1 problem. the adhesive supplied is latex base.will not hold on fiberglass. looking at Robert's adhesive. Will run test To make sure it will not damage the vinly new roofing. Great job. how much was job$$$
Just sucks the company that made the ABS roofs went under.. it was advertised to have a life time warrenty, to bad they are still not around I went to look at a 98 Fleetwood Westlake same thing on the roof. Now to figure out how to get the sag out if I get this pop up. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for this, you have been very helpful. Next issue for us is to figure out how to stop rain from coming in under the front bed when traveling in bad weather. The lid is slightly warped, so the seal is not strong. Any suggestions? Thanks again for sharing.
I have a Santa Fe pop that is a 1995. Same issue with roof. I am glad to have been able to see your step-by-step method of repair. Gives me some hope. Rest of camper is in great shape. Only difference for me is that cracking went down the sides of roof, too. Did you ever have any issue with the seating gasket for the roof? If so, what did you do about that?
What dod you use for the roof seal after it was done . I have to do the same exact th8ng but the original seal from colman won't work after taking the everything off.
I've been researching a solution for quite some time and this looks very good. Can you tell me how it's held up since you've done it and if there have been any problems at all? Do you store this camper inside or under a tarp when not using it? Thank you in advance for any other information.
We just bought a Coleman pop up 7 weeks ago. The previous owner drilled a hole all the way through the top to mount a big metal rail to mount bike racks too. So, that hole is leaking. The roof also has a bunch of cracks and one of those leaks. I see you have an A/C unit and so do we. How did you remove the top from under the A/C unit? If you didn’t then how did you get that to seal up okay and have you had any leaks with that part of it? Thanks!
Excellent video thanks for posting it. Question? My Coleman roof is delaminating on the sides, Do you see a problem also removing ABS on the sides and applying the Grizzly Grip? I am also planning on replacing the roof seal. Any feedback would be appreciated.
I am wondering what the extra gallon of Dove Gray was used for. How many coats did you apply? I also have a few cracks down the sides of the roof. Should I cut down to remove or try to cover them with the Grizzley Grip?
Did you have to repair any sag or was yours straight? Mine dips where the "support" attaches. The door won't open or close without rubbing on the top seal.
how thick of a barrier is this? Rhino coat has a similar application but guy here wants $950. end results looks great and he's already done a few. This seems much more economical.
Just rebuilt a roof for a SunLite slidein popup. Trying to reconnect the lift system, having trouble with the rear corner connections as they have a gear inside but will not rotate by hand to match the corner connection. Not sure how all that works internally but the amount of torque it puts on the corner is great, afraid it'll rip out if I force it, any suggestions?
Thanks for this video. I'm about to purchase a Coleman with this issue. I have watched the video several times, and I am now confident that I can do this repair. I looked on the Grizzly Grip website. I just want to make sure of something- you used the "fine grit" right? And you said you applied several coats over several days. How many coats total? Thank you again.
Shocked at the number of people who read and follow these posts. happy I could help a few of you. As for the question asked most -what should I do if I just have a crack or two. You can get abs material and melt it and place on the cracks but it is my opinion that they will continue to crack due to the abs mixing issue that coleman had. If your abs is cracking it will continue. If you coated the entire roof with this sealant before it gets worse it may provide a protectant to the abs surface and prolong the major delaminating. I didn't have that choice. Good luck to all. I sold my camper and have a Class A now but last time I saw it the roof looked good.
Thanks for this video, I have been scrambling trying to figure out a way to fix my coleman roof. What size is your coleman? Just wanna make sure that I buy enough product.
Hey. I saw this video for the first a few years back. My pop up camper top is now in worse shape. I was wondering if you could help. The roof of my Coleman Fleetwood Bayport pop up camper has the laminate cracked and breaking away. I will try and attach a picture of it. Most of the pictures that I have seen on the web where people want to remove the ABS plastic, the color of the styrofoam underneath is yellowish, like a cheddar cheese yellow. Mine from being outside and exposed now has a reddish hue to it almost like a brick color. I am wondering: after I peel off the laminate and before apply a new Grizzly Grip top coating, is it wise to power wash the foam or should it be sanded? Or wiped with a solvent? I just want to make sure it sticks. When I rub my fingertips over the exposed area it works loose a lot of that gritty dust.
I know this reply is really late but I see no one has answered. I do not believe power washing or sanding the foam underneath is a very good idea. I’ve seen some videos where some of the foam has came up with the ABS plastic. So I’m assuming the foam under it all is delicate especially assuming it’s old age. I would recommend just brushing any gritty stuff off of it with a broom or duster. Now, I see where you’re coming from when you say you want to make sure the grizzly grip sticks. You could try to sand a small area of the foam with high grit sandpaper and see how it turns out. I could be wrong but I believe the foam under the plastic is already pretty porous. I’m going to be doing this project in March and I have a 99’ Coleman Santa Fe pop up.
1997 Coleman / Fleetwood model Bayport. I’ve removed 90% of my ABS roofing as most was delaminated. Most of the ABS has been removed that goes in under the rubber gasket around the roof. To roll on the Grizzly Grip, what would be the recommendation on the gasket? Remove it for the roll on and put back on after completion or brush/drip Grizzly Grip down into the gasket area? If I remove and attach the gasket again, what glue would be recommended? Thank you. This is an excellent video!
I did not get an answer. I made the decision to remove it in order to get the coverage under the gasket. I've rolled the camper and it looks great. However, I've not put the gasket back on. It does have a metal band on the inside and I believe also the outside that needs to be pressed back together when gluing it back into place. My local camper store said it would be about $600 for a new gasket and installation. 3M 5200 fast cure glue was recommended to me by the camper store. I've not found a tool to squeeze the metal bands/rubber gasket back in place. Just weigh the cost benefit or removal and replacement I guess. Does anyone have a tool recommendation for putting on the squeeze/compression? Thanks
I just found this on a replacement gasket: www.ebay.com/itm/COLEMAN-FLEETWOOD-ABS-ROOF-SEAL-41-039-RUBBER-GASKET-POPUP-TENT-TRAILER-1997-2003-/171418225470
Mr Trexxx, we are about to repair our roof, but when my husband peeled off the abs the sides seemed intact, same as yours. My question is, how long has it been since you rolled on the material, and has there been any further delineation between the sides and the top? We are trying to decide whether to peel off the sides which look completely intact. I thank you in advance for any advice you can provide us.
I made the same repair to our Coleman Utah about two years ago and the grizzly grip is doing outstanding! I left my sides alone as they seemed to be fine. Just make the repair like in the video and you'll be good.
If the sides of the roof are not good enough to save, how would I go about putting the awning rails & awning back on after I apply grizzly grip? There does not seem to be anything solid to drill into.
sorry I can't help with this one. I did not go into the sides and don't want to guess. I would think at worst case you could through bolt and put a plat on the inside that could be painted and or decorated to match inside area to be less noticeable
By your video you sprayed the Grizzly directly on the foam, It did not melt it? I have seen posts that say you have to bondo or prime over the foam first. Also how is this holding up? We just ripped our ABS off our 1998 Coleman today
Debbie Mullin did you ever find a resolve for the foam that was exposed in spots? We pulled our abs and a few spots of fiberglass came up exposing some foam spots. Wanting to make sure we don't melt the foam spots.
Good job, How is this repair holding up? I will be performing the same repair soon. My coleman roof is in much better shape than the one you repaired, just showing cracks. Could this product be applied over the existing PVC roof?
Waterford Location Rick Smith I had the same issue with cracks under the awning bag, and used some West systems Gflex apoxy www.westsystem.com/ss/g-flex-epoxy/ to fill in the gaps with added filler to make the epoxy a thick paste. I used shipping tape to cover over the gaps and make a smooth surface. I peeled off the tape after a 7 hour cure, and it left a beautiful shape. I then after a 36 hour cure, used the grizzly grip Snow white. to coat the sides and top to match. NOTE: the rollers they provide are not the best in the world, and pieces of the roller itself will come off if you use it quite a bit. I would recommend only using the roller for one coat, and throw it away. It came out absolutely beautiful. I have no before pics, but only after pics. HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who has ABS roof cracks/problems
+Johnkaren Bennett I would not recommend painting this material on top of the ABS roofing. Your roof ABS will eventually crack worse and start to lift.
+Johnkaren Bennett We went through an entire season exposed to the elements, and this product is top notch! not even a slight hint of cracks showing through. Still looks brand new
sorry but don't get on here much but I can answer a few of these questions. My sides were fine but you could do the sides if yours needs it just be careful -easier to get runs on sides. I had a niagra biggest they made in 2001. I put on 3 coats plus touch up, stopped when it looked good and yes the fine grit. No issues or melting of the fiberglass underlayment. rhino will work if you like paying 4 times as much. I also chose not to remove my as, just the cover and work as close to it as I could, then put cover back on- looked fine and I caused no newcleaks around my a/c. I think I covered all the questions- good luck and glad it has help some of you.
most have 4 bolts under the inside cover of the unit. Undo the electric first. I cut my abs closely around the air conditioner with the cover off of it. This hid the cut line and I did not disturb my seal.
