Would camping near salt water for a few days be detriminal to my rig ? Want to stay a few nights near the beach. Does anyone use any kind of a undercoating ? Would 3-5 days camping at a time be enough time for rust to set in ? Any thoughts on this matter ? Thnks, wolfie
We exclusively camp along the ocean, haven taken our TT for seven days at a time, a few times a year, over the past three years.
While my frame has had some rust, I wouldn't say it is any more than if I camped elsewhere.
I can say that when we were looking for our new home, located about 5 miles from the ocean, all of the houses that have steel porch railings have rust including ours and all of the RV's I see in storage around here have rust from the misty salt air. We store our trailer inland.
Would rinsing down the PUP after use help? It wouldn't hurt and as far as undercoting any exposed steel, that couldn't hurt either as long as you are carefull not to get undercoting overspray on any of the lift cables/mechanism and DO NOT undercote any exposed flooring or under the bunks. This wood is designed to be left un-treated so it doesn't retain moisture.
"Nobody knows how we got to the top of the hill, but since we're on our way down, we might as well enjoy the ride". ("The Secret Of Life", James Taylor).
I know in Corpus Christi, TX the car washes have water and soap wash the underside. When I went in the RV, I took it to a truck stop and had it cleaned. My dad always insisted on stopping at a car wash to clean the underside of the car anytime he went to Padre Island.
Just FYI, my PUP has factory-applied undercoating to all wood and metal surfaces underneath. The OSB wood flooring has a thick, black "paint" everywhere on the underside. The bunk-ends are indeed unfinished.
Myself, The Boss, and two wanna-be Bosses
2006 Jayco 1007 Yum...nature is tasty.
Just a few days at the beach, I don't think there will be a problem. I would be just as concerned with rust over several years though.
I'm pretty familiar with the Coleman trailers, and I see you have a 2007 Bayside. I recall at least 1 new 2005 Coleman that had so little paint on the frame, that it was sprayed with 3 cans of Rustoleum before the customer picked it up. I'd invest the time and money if I was concerned about the lack of frame rustproofing from the factory. Don't be concerned about the bunk-ends as they are made up of wood, aluminum and galvanized or painted braces and hardware.
I live within walking distance of the Pacific Ocean and normally store my PopUp outdoors. Fresh water is your friend. Just rinse everything down, including underneath the trailer and all steel parts as soon as you get back home, and you will be fine.
You do not want to undercoat your PopUp. The undercoating will trap moisture and cause far more problems than rust.
More than rust damage due to salt, I would be concerned with sand. When it gets windy, fine particulate sand gets EVERYWHERE. Every hinge, sliding surface, roller, tent flap, cabinet corner, drawer corner, electrical plug, may get some sand inside. Just be ready when you return home with your other beach camping friend, the vacuum cleaner.
They had car washes back in the day (surfside TX) that require you to drive froward and back to get the underneath, sides and top rinsed. Loads of fun cuz the kids need a good fresh water rinse also!
I've camped with a PUP at the beach, Long Key STate Park in the Keys, for years and never had a corrosion problem, even though my trailer was on 10-15 feet from the ocean. Now, when one of my previous 5'ers got caught in a huge snow storm when it was being delivered from the factory, I ran into lots of corrosion problems with it. The salt on the roads stripped the paint off of the lower front of the trailer, and it kept corroding despite repeated paintings.
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