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I just noticed about three tiny pin holes over one of our King bunks...what have others used to fix such a thing.

Not certain how they got there. We bought this Bayside used.

Thanks in advance,
Neve

I would just put a small amount of Marine Goop over the hole and not worry about it.:)

Thank you!!!!
Does that go on from the outside or the inside?

Quote from: tlhdocI would just put a small amount of Marine Goop over the hole and not worry about it.:)

You can put it on from either side.  Just let it dry good before you pop down.:)

Thank you!!!!

Quote from: BugbeeI just noticed about three tiny pin holes over one of our King bunks...what have others used to fix such a thing.
 
Not certain how they got there. We bought this Bayside used.
 
Thanks in advance,
Neve

That's just an effect of the Sunbrella. Some don't have this but my buddies '96 Sun Valley has these needle holes all over. Besides that, the Sunbrella is cracking on many of the memory folds.
 
I've also seen this on other older Sunbrella covered Colemans/Fleetwoods.
 
While no synthetic canvas is perfect, I'm just very unimpressed with Sunbrella as a whole. It's good as a boat cover but not impressive as a folding camper cover.
 
Good luck and have a good one.

Quote from: Mike UpThat's just an effect of the Sunbrella. Some don't have this but my buddies '96 Sun Valley has these needle holes all over. Besides that, the Sunbrella is cracking on many of the memory folds.
 
I've also seen this on other older Sunbrella covered Colemans/Fleetwoods.
 
While no synthetic canvas is perfect, I'm just very unimpressed with Sunbrella as a whole. It's good as a boat cover but not impressive as a folding camper cover.
 
Since Sunbrella is a none vinyl, synthetic fabric, I would use Seam Grip, seam sealer and repair. In my opinion it's the best seam sealer/synthetic fabric repair out there. I'd call Sunbrella and see if they recommend the use of Seam Grip and if not, what they would recommend.
 
Good luck and have a good one.

I don't own a Colman but I'm pretty sure that the tops of the bunk ends are vinyl not Sumbrella.

Have no way of proving what I'm about to say, it's just some camp talk with other popup owners but I've taken note of it ...

Awhile back we made one of our fall fishing trips to northern Michigan and camped in a litttle remote NFS camp site with some other popup owners. It was a beautiful site, large white and norway pines just towering over us and the wind making the most beautiful sound blowing through those trees. Everyone there covered their bunk ends with those plastic tarps and convinced me to do the same. Not only did the tarps provide a little extra insulation but offered some protection to the top of the bunk ends from the pine needles. They say the pine needle acts much like a parahute in that when they break loose from the tree and fall, it's the jagged end down and the fluffy side up. They calaimed it would lead to pin holes in roof of the bunk ends.  I've not bothered to prove that one way or another, I just simply have covered mine ever since!



Fly

Quote from: Mike UpThat's just an effect of the Sunbrella. Some don't have this but my buddies '96 Sun Valley has these needle holes all over. Besides that, the Sunbrella is cracking on many of the memory folds.
 
I've also seen this on other older Sunbrella covered Colemans/Fleetwoods.
 
While no synthetic canvas is perfect, I'm just very unimpressed with Sunbrella as a whole. It's good as a boat cover but not impressive as a folding camper cover.
 
Since Sunbrella is a none vinyl, synthetic fabric, I would use Seam Grip, seam sealer and repair. In my opinion it's the best seam sealer/synthetic fabric repair out there. I'd call Sunbrella and see if they recommend the use of Seam Grip and if not, what they would recommend.

The holes are in the top of the bunkend and they are not needle holes.  The vinyl tenting on the top of the bunkends do not have any seams in them.  For someone that doesn't have a camper with Sunbrella you certainly have strong options of the material.  I love my Sunbrella tenting.  No condensation, it breaths and allows cooking Oder's to exit the camper.  No signs of cracking or holes in it either.  Sorry your friends have trouble with their tenting.  What part of the tenting is cracking?  I wonder if someone put something on the tenting that isn't supposed to be used on Sunbrella?  I have never seen Sunbrella crack.  It would be like a pair of blue jeans cracking.  I just can't picture it.:)

Quote from: Done WorkingI don't own a Colman but I'm pretty sure that the tops of the bunk ends are vinyl not Sumbrella.

If the area where the pinholes are at, is vinyl, VLP is what I would use. I used it on some vinyl seams and am pretty impressed with it.
 
The VLP is for vinyl seam sealing and repair (the best I've found) and Seam Grip (the best I've found) is for  vinyl and synthetic fabric seam sealing and repair.
 
Have a good one.

Quote from: tlhdocThe holes are in the top of the bunkend and they are not needle holes. The vinyl tenting on the top of the bunkends do not have any seams in them. For someone that doesn't have a camper with Sunbrella you certainly have strong options of the material. I love my Sunbrella tenting. No condensation, it breaths and allows cooking Oder's to exit the camper. No signs of cracking or holes in it either. Sorry your friends have trouble with their tenting. What part of the tenting is cracking? I wonder if someone put something on the tenting that isn't supposed to be used on Sunbrella? I have never seen Sunbrella crack. It would be like a pair of blue jeans cracking. I just can't picture it.:)

Seam grip is a repair, seam sealer which can be used on small holes, just as the small pin holes that were mentioned. If it's a vinyl material, then VLP would be best in my experience although seam grip would also work. I use both.
 
For tenting and PUP camping, I wanted to limit the breathable material. I'll control the ventilation myself, I don't want a tent or a PUP that's fully breathable, venting all my heat (or air conditioning) out of the living area. That's why I bought a tent that has no mesh panels and a full fly opposed to the over vented 'summer' tents and a vinyl canvas PUP. Each to their own but an over venting material is only one of the reasons why I dislike Sunbrella. It's mainly for the reasons stated. I've seen a lot of campers besides my buddies, that have done the same. Perhaps in mild climates the material holds up but here in the midwest and the Chicago area, we get temperature extremes on both sides of the scale and extreme temperature swings within the same day. Our weather truly tests a material's strengths and shows their weeknesses.
 
Have a good one.

Quote from: Mike Upover venting material is only one of the reasons why I dislike Sunbrella. It's mainly for the reasons stated. I've seen a lot of campers besides my buddies, that have done the same. Perhaps in mild climates the material holds up but here in the midwest and the Chicago area, we get temperature extremes on both sides of the scale and extreme temperature swings within the same day. Our weather truly tests a material's strengths and shows their weeknesses.

Here in central PA we get cold and hot humid weather too.  Like I said before I have never heard of or seen Sunbrella crack.  I really don't know how it can crack.  I don't think I have ever seen any fiber fabric crack.  In order to crack I think it would have to be dry and brittle.   I have seen vinyl crack, but not Sunbrella.  I do a lot of camping and tend to look at other trailers and have not seen or heard of this.  I am surprised that I have not heard of this problem here at PUT or at PUX if it is as prevalent as you claim.  Can you take a picture of the cracked Sunbrella and post it here.  I am really curious as to what it looks like.  Also I camp all year long and haven't had your cracking problem.:)

Quote from: Mike UpIf the area where the pinholes are at, is vinyl

It is.  Even my mid 80's Coleman camper had vinyl tenting for the top of the bunkends.:)

I owned a business for many years where we built items out of Sunbrella for sailboats. Mainly, complete cockpit enclosures but many other items as well. Sunbrella does NOT crack. You may be thinking of some other material.

Sunbrella will Sun-rot after a few years of continual exposure to the Sun but there's no way that it will crack from folding (unless it is rotted). However, Sunbrella does chafe fairly easily so maybe what you have seen is where a tree branch (or something else) has chafed through the material in the wind. One must be careful to be sure that nothing is rubbing on your Sunbrella.

Sunbrella will actually retain heat and cold better than glass. Where you get most of your thermal transfer (in a PU) is from openings between the Sunbrella and the bunk slides or the door and the body. Also the Isinglass (the big clear plastic windows) has a higher thermal transfer rate than Sunbrella. The Sunbrella actually has a small amount of insulating qualities. On a cold day, put your hand on the inside of your Isinglass, then put your hand on the inside of your Sunbrella. You will find a big temperature difference because the Sunbrella will retain the heat, The Isinglass will not, the cold passes right through it.

If the Sunbrella is properly water-proofed, you have very little air passing through the material itself.

The sunbrella was stiff and the fabric was cracking/ripping, at the memory folds. I've seen this on a lot of old Colemans selling at the local dealer and my friends.
 
Our weather here is more severe than most, we have a lot of lake induced climate changes. I've seen the weather go from the 30s at night to 70s in the day. I doubt you'll see that much elsewhere.
 
The Sunbrella isn't moist or fabric like, it is hard and coarse where the fabric cracks or rips. It's especially prevailant on corners, as where the bunkend tarps wrap under the bunkends. The pinholes in the sunbrella material most likely is from the same, deteriating condition of the Sunbrella. Many here use their PUPs for late fall/early winter hunting. As I said, the conditions that these campers are exposed to is usually more severe than most areas and does bring out the weaknesses in many materials. It sure the hek brought the weakness in my '05 Rockwood inadequate floor/frame. We had a extreme temp change from 30s in the morning to 70s in the day, and that's when I had cabinetry damage from the floor expanding/contracting. The lack of adequate frame crossmembers to attach the flooring in several locations led to the floor flexing badly. Hence, our weather will put any material to the test and the Rockwood failed.
 
While the Sunbrella did look brittle, dry, and stiff on my friends, it was definitely never left out in the blazing sun unless they were camping or hunting. It was always put down for storage.
 
Now if you never seen that damage, great, I have in several cases. Just enjoy what you have and be happy it wasn't you having this.
 
Have a good one.

Mike Coleman didn't use Sunbrella on their old PUs.  It is a newer material.  As I said earlier on maybe the Sunbrella had a product applied to it that wasn't supposed to and the roof of the bunkends on Coleman/Fleetwood PUs is not Sunbrella.  It is vinyl.  :)
 
PS: We also get lake affect weather changes and temperature changes like you get

Quote from: flyfishermanHave no way of proving what I'm about to say, it's just some camp talk with other popup owners but I've taken note of it ...

Awhile back we made one of our fall fishing trips to northern Michigan and camped in a litttle remote NFS camp site with some other popup owners. It was a beautiful site, large white and norway pines just towering over us and the wind making the most beautiful sound blowing through those trees. Everyone there covered their bunk ends with those plastic tarps and convinced me to do the same. Not only did the tarps provide a little extra insulation but offered some protection to the top of the bunk ends from the pine needles. They say the pine needle acts much like a parahute in that when they break loose from the tree and fall, it's the jagged end down and the fluffy side up. They calaimed it would lead to pin holes in roof of the bunk ends.  I've not bothered to prove that one way or another, I just simply have covered mine ever since!



Fly

I live in Northern Mi, and actually where I'm now sitting, can look out my window and see those white and norway pines. And we camp under them quite a bit, next to trout streams. Me thinks your fellow campers were fibbing. The pine needles will not put holes in your tenting. The tree's sap will present a much more difficult time than the needles, and probably explains the tarps......Shredder

Quote from: Mike UpThe sunbrella was stiff and the fabric was cracking/ripping, at the memory folds. I've seen this on a lot of old Colemans selling at the local dealer and my friends.
 
The Sunbrella isn't moist or fabric like, it is hard and coarse where the fabric cracks or rips. It's especially prevailant on corners, as where the bunkend tarps wrap under the bunkends. ....................................
 
While the Sunbrella did look brittle, dry, and stiff on my friends, it was definitely never left out in the blazing sun unless they were camping or hunting. It was always put down for storage.
 
Now if you never seen that damage, great, I have in several cases. Just enjoy what you have and be happy it wasn't you having this.
 
Have a good one.

Mike,

I'm not trying to argue or belabor the point here but a lot of people read these threads and I think this issue could be helpful to some.

I think that we may have mis-understood what you were referring to as "Cracking". It may well be "Ripping" as you stated in your post.

Any material will "rip" if enough stress is put on it (Mylar and some other high-tech materials would be an exception). Corner ripping is very common on PUs and it is from over-stressing the material by improper set-up. Usually it is from installing the corners on the bunk-platform before lifting the canvas from the inside or some other mechanical problem (like forgetting to install the bunk supports). It's not necessarily a failure of the fabric.

The corners of the bunk-end canvas should be pulled over the corners of the platform after installing the supports and lifting the bunk-end canvas to avoid over-stressing the corners or other areas.

Quote from: waveryMike,
 
I'm not trying to argue or belabor the point here but a lot of people read these threads and I think this issue could be helpful to some.
 
I think that we may have mis-understood what you were referring to as "Cracking". It may well be "Ripping" as you stated in your post.
 
Any material will "rip" if enough stress is put on it (Mylar and some other high-tech materials would be an exception). Corner ripping is very common on PUs and it is from over-stressing the material by improper set-up. Usually it is from installing the corners on the bunk-platform before lifting the canvas from the inside or some other mechanical problem (like forgetting to install the bunk supports). It's not necessarily a failure of the fabric.
 
The corners of the bunk-end canvas should be pulled over the corners of the platform after installing the supports and lifting the bunk-end canvas to avoid over-stressing the corners or other areas.

This is the corner where the tarp on the Coleman was ripped. Since it was so hard and brittle, I called it cracking because a rip starts at an edge where holes were forming on these from the material just cracking from being brittle. In places, a rip did start on an edge but in others, it did not. Here the flaps that fold under and contain the bungy cord had a corner in the material where it folded under the bunkend. At that corner in the material, it was coming apart. There were really no forces pulling on it except the same bungy force that pull on all camper models.
 
Have a good one.
 

Quote from: Mike UpThis is the corner where the tarp on the Coleman was ripped. Since it was so hard and brittle, I called it cracking because a rip starts at an edge where holes were forming on these from the material just cracking from being brittle. In places, a rip did start on an edge but in others, it did not. Here the flaps that fold under and contain the bungy cord had a corner in the material where it folded under the bunkend. At that corner in the material, it was coming apart. There were really no forces pulling on it except the same bungy force that pull on all camper models.
 
Have a good one.
 

That blue material is not Sunbrella. That looks like a plastic or PVC coated nylon or something???? The other (grey) material looks like Sunbrella.

Quote from: waveryThat blue material is not Sunbrella. That looks like a plastic or PVC coated nylon or something???? The other (grey) material looks like Sunbrella.

This is my camper, not a fleetwood or coleman. I only posted my camper as a point of reference, to show the location of the failed Sunbrella along with the descriptive text to further explain.
 
I don't know how your monitor is calibrated but the tarp is blue and white. It's Aqualon, which is Sunbrella's direct competitor in the marine industry also.
 
Have a good one.

Quote from: Mike Up.....There were really no forces pulling on it except the same bungy force that pull on all camper models....

Ahh, bungy force!  That wasn't covered in either Statics, nor Dynamics classes in college! ;)


Hmmmm....How do you show bungy force on a free body diagram?



:D