new canvas

[scgentleman]

I have a 79 Starcraft, that I need to replace the canvas on. I was just wondering if anyone here can explain how to do this? Is it worth my time to do it. I know that a new canvas will cost me $800.00. This is the only thing wrong with this camper as far as I can tell. I don't think that anyone around here does this kind of repair. A new one would be great but why spend 3-5 thousand for a new camper when this one would do just fine after it's repaired. Thanks for any advice or ideas.

[austinado16]

Hey, welcome to a fellow Starcraft owner!

Replacing the canvas is easy and there are a couple of companies that make replacements specific to your model.   You'll find them online and also talked about here.

The canvas is held to the inside of the roof by some metal trim.  Remove the screws, and with the roof not fully up, you'll be able to unhook the top bead of the canvas from that trim.  The bottom bead may just slide into a channel.  You'll understand once you take a look at how yours is put together.  

Might take you 30min to take the old canvas down and maybe 45min-1hr to put the new back up.  But like you say, there's some big money to be saved, especially if the camper is otherwise really nice.

[scgentleman]

Thanks, I kind of thought that it was easy, but since I have never done this I thought I better ask around first. I may replace the roof panels also. They look like they have seen better days. I would like to make this camper as nice as possible for as little as possibe. My family and I are going to Disney this summer. We have the option of using my In-laws pop up, but I would prefer to use my own if I can get it presentable first. lol.

[Gracy]

We had a 79 Bethany that we did the replacement canvas on a few years ago... it was about $800 also.  I have to say that it was pretty easy to install and better canvas then our 04 Coleman!  That was the one thing I hated about selling that PUT is we wouldn't have that great heavy canvas.

I'd say if you really like this PUT and it works for you then you should do the replacement.  Good luck!

[scgentleman]

After talking with the wife tonight, she's totally against me trying to fix such an old PU. Well it looks like I'm going to have to do this on my own.  haha. I will be working on it over the weekends and I'll report back on the progress. I Think that replacing the canvas and working on the roof are the only things that needs to be done right away, but a new paint job is on the list too. That reminds me, all the silicone or whatever it is on the roof. Can I just cut that off and put fresh beads on or what is the best way to go about this?

[austinado16]

Gotta love wifes.

I had to rebuild some of the roof on my '87 too.  You can read my threads and see some pictures by using the search forum feature here in the Mr. Fixit area.

I redid the ceiling and replaced the wood inside the front face of the roof and about 18" down the front sides.  Then recaulked using the tan silicone caulk, as well as the tan self leveling RV roof caulk, depending on what I was sealing.  Finally, I cleaned, primed and repainted just the top, face and rear of the roof using a roller and a quart of primer, and oil based paint from Sherwin Williams.  I just used rubbing compound, polish, and then wax on the sides (by hand). All the work didn't cost much, but did take some time.  But I only paid $250 for the camper, so it worked out great and we have fun with it.  Here's how it looks now.

[scgentleman]

It looks great to me. I'm excited about fixing it up. Golf season is here so I'm going to have to have major willpower to finish. I will be checking the forums a lot, because like I said I have never tried anything like this before. Please be patient with me for all the questions that I know I'll be asking.

[Hargus]

I'll make a suggestion regarding replacing the canvas. When I was in the same situation I only replaced the panels and bunkends I needed not the whole camper. Canvas Replacements (canvasreplacemnets.com) helped me a lot. When I had a problem with what I thought was a measurement problem they took the time to help me. Not replacing all the panels saved me some $$.