Hello to all!
I just bought a nightmare 2000 Jayco Qwest 265B! It all looked great until the next morning after we got her home. The day we bought it was a cold wet miserable day. The camper was located in Vermont. We spent all winter watching campers with bunk houses come and go on Craigs List. So when taxes came in, we were ready to move. We had been watching this one camper for about a month or so and didnt want to let this one slip away. Wish it did!
We did our normal walk through the camper and walk around the exterior. Again, with it pouring out, I didn't spend much time out there but made sure to look for obvious defects. It didnt have a ladder on the rear so there was no quick roof access. Everything from ground level looked real clean in and out. I was ready to hook and go at this point.
Got it home after a hell ride in the mountains with zero visibility at times and parked it in the driveway, said I"ll give it a through inspection in the AM. Morning came and my wife an I went right to work. The floor was a bit worn so we wanted to rip it up and replace it. We got to the rear of the camper where the bathroom and utility closet were. I was pulling the floor in the closet up when my scrapper went through the sub-floor!! The rot in the closet was about 8" in diameter and went right to the insulation. Im not sure it this was due to the flap missing on the shore line power cover missing, but seems like someone would have noticed that before it got this bad. I grabbed a ladder and went to the roof and found a mess! Many failed attempts to seal the roof with every wrong type of caulking. The seam was where the roof meets the rear wall of the camper. My guess is the water followed the back corner down and settled under the closet. Back in the closet, I figured if the water soaked that insulation, the rest of the insulation under the camper is soaked too. It was! I cut open as neat as possible every bay under the camper and pulled out 120 lbs of frozen insulation. The supports under the sub-floor (other tahn near the closet) were not rotted!
I wanted to drive the 5th wheel right back to vermont and back it right through this guys front door! I was a bit pi**ed to say the least. I could never do this to another human nevermind another family!
I have a new roof on its way. All of the seam caps are coming off and will get new butyl tape. I will then replace all of the insulation in the under belly. I will then repair all of the Darco wrap under the camper (special tape made specifically for Darco). And I will get the most out of one of the worst investments I've ever made.
Other than that, this is my second Jayco. My first was my 98 Jayoc Eagle 12 SO. Loved it but weather never cooperated with me. Ive been married for 13 years and have two children, My son is 4 and my daughter is 8 going on 18. I to the camper with my 2012 Dodge Ram quad cab Cummins.
Let the games begin-Jarrod
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