flood damage, how bad?

[Mr.Stuart]

ok, I need a little guidence on this one, we had that nasty rain that flooded the local rivers and my travel trailer and boat got caught right in the middle of it, I have no idea if it's covered by insurance or not, but where do you start with the cleanup? the travel trailer looks like it got the worst of it, but the boat goot flooded pretty good to, I had the front of the boat tilted pretty far up in the air to keep the rain drained out of it, plus it was covered, and I had the drain plug out of the hull, but the back of the boat and the outboard went under in the flood, if you look at the pictures, it looiks like the water went up to the bottom of the deck, so I'm sure there's plenty of mud under the dect, plus the battires were in the back of the boat, the fuel tank, the electrical junction box, the battery switch, ect.

can I run and flush the engine and hope for the best? and what about getting the mud out from under the deck, is the whole floor going to have to come out? I've got a ton of questions, and no answers, I'm sick just looking at the damage, I've woorked my whole life for that boat and camper, and hate to see them end like this.

it's going to be a few days before I can pull them out of the field, the water in the field is still waist deep getting in there so there's no way to pull them out yet until the water level goes down.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

I think I'm having a bad week and it's only tuesday!

 

[oops!]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

im no expert but that doesnt look too bad.
water level was low enough and the bow was high. looks ok!
i would make sure the impllers clear before you fire it up. prob a lot of mud in there.
but for the rest just jump in with a a garden hose and let fly!

how did the house trailer do? that ones not gonna be so easy.
we got it pretty bad here in bc canada. clean up is still a few days away.

cheers,
oops

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

Sorry to hear about that Mr. Stuart. Hmmmm. You assume that there might be mud under the deck of the boat correct? If there is just a drain through the bilge area coming from under the deck I wouldn't be to concerned about the mud. If you have foam under the floor then it's possible depending on how long the boat was under the water that the foam is saturated. I would wait till you can get the boat out and give it another good look over everything to see what damage might of occurred.

You know this has me thinking of them scopes that some mechanics use to run down in the cylinders or other areas to have a look see to view for cracks and ware on a motor. Doctors use something similar to view the inside of the human body. It's to bad you aint got one of them handy to view in under the deck through the drain hole to see what's going on under there. Some of these guys may of even used them in the past for the reason I'm thinking of.
(To check under the decking for mud, trash, or water logged foam and it could even be used to look for rot in the decking and stringers). It would be a handy thing to have when looking at a new boat also to check out the above mentioned reasons.

My Uncle had a Pop up camper it got ruined when it was sitting at his brother's lot on the lake one time when the lake flooded out the banks and then some. Some other items were lost n the flood also, this was years back.

(OOPS! I believe the water level went down after it caused the damage).

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

you can see the line around the boat where the water was, it got pretty deep, as for the camping trailer, I think it's a gonner, the water went up to about the bottom of the seat cushins so all the lower cabnets are nasty, it got in the heater, the water heater, the bathroom, I had winterized it and had all the drains open, so I'm sure it's in the fresh water tank, the black and gray water tanks. and I had just gotten that thing paid off, when I got it it had been completly restored, it had new everything in it.

the boat and camper are insured, but someone told me they (the insurance company) may not cover flood damage. do you turn them (boat and camper) into the insurance, or just start cleaning?

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

It depends on what type of coverage you have on the insurance. It wouldn't hurt to find out what is and what isn't covered for real. That's what I would do check and see what the insurance would cover first then take it from there.

I'll drop back by the post later going to go for now. Best wishes and of luck in the mean time.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

I'll call the insurance tomorrow and see what they say, I know both are insured, but as stupid as this sounds, I'm not sure what the insurance is or what it covers, I think the boat is your typical boat insurance, but the trailer? I've always been confused on that one, I know it was some special circumstances behind the trailer because they weren’t going to insure it until they took pictures, I took it in about 3 years ago for the pictures

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

If the plug was out, then the muddy water could have washed up under the deck, in through there instead of just running out. Probably not enough to worry about too much in that reguard.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

I was looking at the pictures again, I don't think it's going to be all that bad, maybe some cleanup work, just seeing the stuff all muddy got me a little ...well, shook, I'll get over it, hey, if nothing else, it gives me another project to keep me out of trouble although I'm not looking forward to cleaning that camper

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

Or another project to get you into trouble...

That camper is what I would be worried about. I would definately make an insurance claim on that. When the water hit the wood on the camper, I'll bet it started the rotting process (especially muddy water like that, full of wood eating bacteria and fungi).

 

[Ezrider_92356]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

you could back the boat down the launch a couple of times with the plug out then pull it back out a couple of times to flush the bilge. id say the travel trailer is probably a gonner though

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

you could back the boat down the launch a couple of times with the plug out then pull it back out a couple of times to flush the bilge. id say the travel trailer is probably a gonner though

I keep thinking about all the stuff I have in that camper, DVD player, TV, VCR, power inverters, I think my good fluke digital multi meter is in it to, linens, all the camping stuff like the portable heater, stove, lanterns, canopy, Coleman coffee pot, kids toys and games, a bunch of movies, and I'm sure a whole lot of other stuff I'm not thinking of at the moment, I had some camping stuff in it for tent camping to.

I'm thinking I can take the boat to the car wash and pressure wash it real good, maybe see if there's a way to get under the deck, to get the mud out, if I flush the engine, change out the impeller, maybe drop the lower unit and make sure it's good and clean, I should be ok, drain and clean the fuel tank, and that's if anything even got in it. what else should I be on the lookout for or be doing to it?

did Starcraft put flotation under the decking back in 78? I have no idea if mine has flotation or not.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

did Starcraft put flotation under the decking back in 78? I have no idea if mine has flotation or not.

I'm thinking it might have foam under the deck, I had late 60's early 70's Glastron that had foam/flotation under the deck. I would not take the pressure washer up under the deck to clean at all. Unless you have the deck removed and foam removed (if it has it). Just my 2 cents.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

the bow being up really helped, water did not stay there long, and probably did not do much if any damage. if the water line on the stern of the boat was high water level, you dodge the bullet with the motor. but get it started asap.

just check out the following.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

I talked to the insurance company today, they said I'm covered for flood damage on botht he boat and camper, I told them I wasn't sure if the boat was messed up or not, they said to file a claim on both and they'll have an adjuster come out and take a look, and more then likely, they'll cover to have the boat serviced, and from the phone call, they said that the camper is probably a total loss.

wonder if this means I can go shopping for a new travel trailer? .....with the higher gas prices, and being winter time, I might be able to find a good deal on something nicer then what I got, at least try to find something that don't have mud in it ....that camper was my weekend get away rig, sure going to miss it until I can find something else

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

Hope everything works out for you Mr. Stuart. Glad to hear that the insurance adjuster will be out to see about the damage.

On finding another camper, just watch out for other campers that were involved in the flood as you know some of these people in the same situation may have the bright idea to sell there camper that may also be at a loss newer or not. You could take the old camper and make it into a utility trailer or car Dolly or something useful maybe if the insurance company agrees that it is a loss.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

You could take the old camper and make it into a utility trailer or car Dolly or something useful maybe if the insurance company agrees that it is a loss.

someone sugested that I keep the camper and turn it into a utility trailer or enclosed trailer, if I did that, I'd probably keep it as an enclosed trailer and store the boating stuff in it, life jackets fishing poles, ect.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

someone sugested that I keep the camper and turn it into a utility trailer or enclosed trailer, if I did that, I'd probably keep it as an enclosed trailer and store the boating stuff in it, life jackets fishing poles, ect.

I've done that with several of old campers. But check first what type of frame it has, I've seen a few that use only light steel, more like formed sheetmetal than real structural steel. I have one that I use for storage and flea markets that was abandoned for years with windows missing, I sealed up the windows, tossed the seats and furniture and it makes a good shed and hauler. Be careful about moving walls though, they tend to stiffen the entire structure.
The one I have had been left open for about 5 years, the walls were solid and the roof wasn't too bad. They are heavy compared to a regular enclosed trailer though.

The insurance company will probably put a price on your old one, you should be able to buy it back for a reduced amount. You would have to determine whether or not it's worth that amount what ever it turns out to be. They won't just pay you for it and just abandon it there. Chances are it will end up going to auction someplace.

If you end up looking for a new camper, also keep in mind that other campers in your area may have also seen water damage, even new ones. Make sure what you buy hasn't just been flooded the same way.

I own two older Starcraft boats, one an older Holiday, and the other a '77 Capri. The Holiday has foam strips under the floor and some glued up under the gunwales, it's more like the foam used in those float tubes you get in the toy department, not the blown in or poured type foam. In other words, its not the type of foam that soaks up water or degrades.
My Capri has the same type foam up top, but I haven't ever had the floor up to see underneath. The upper foam is under the gunwales, under both sides of the upper cap at the rear and it appears that they glued it in in layers and cut pieces. It's not the normal poured in yellow foam. It was full of rain water when I got it, I let it sit for a month with the bow up in the air to drain after I gave it a good wash down and flush and it didn't seem to have gained any weight or hold the water. ( I weighed it at the local truck stop and it was within 20 lbs of the advertised weight when new. I've had it for 3 years and it's been fine. I would guess that it's got the same foam down below.
The 1977 Brochure lists it as using all " ...rot and mildew resistant materials". What that means I can't say for sure but I do know that they used a better grade of flotation foam from what I can see.

If it were me, I'd take yours as someone stated above and flush the bilge area as best you can, maybe add some disinfectant or maybe even antifreeze to prevent any mold or rot from forming, and I would try to use a shop vac to evacuate the bilge and under floor area as best you can. A shop vac can pull out a lot of moisture if let run a while. If your floor has an opening to the bilge you may want to cover that area to allow the shop vac to draw air from farther forward to help dry the entire under deck area. I did that with a few boats and was surprised at how well it worked. I used a 6 HP commercial shop vac but I would assume that just about any decent sized machine would work. The larger the vacuum the faster it will work.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

If you end up looking for a new camper, also keep in mind that other campers in your area may have also seen water damage, even new ones. Make sure what you buy hasn't just been flooded the same way.

Didn't I just mention that in an earlier post? , got to love it lol. IMHO doesn't count lol.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: flood damage, how bad?

I have a pretty good sized shop vac, I'm going to bring the boat home just as soon as I can get my car out to it, I'm ready to give up the camper, but not the boat, I don't even want to think about cleaning up the camper, it's ugly, but the boat is another story, and I don't think it's all that bad, when I first saw it, I think I was more shook then anything, and I'm sure seeing the camper had something to do with that, I'm not in panic mode like I was yesterday, I'm still pretty upset over the camper, I have lots of camping memorys with that trailer, but I can always get another one, and start over, there were some things about that camper I never liked anyway. at this point, I feel like it just needs to go away, so I'll probably say goodby to it, and start looking for something else. in the almost 4 years I owned that camper, I probaby did in access of 80 plus camping trips with it, covering at least 5 states, so there's lots of memorys, what can't be replaced is all the pictures in it of our trips and the kids and so on, we decoreted the walls in it of photos of the family on the various trips we took, it was one of those, "see that picture there? remember that day?" I'll be able to save some, but not all.