I recently moved from the Portland, OR area to the Oregon coast. My place is about a half mile from the ocean. Unfortunately I currently have to store my Barth outside.

So far I've been lucky and the weather has been nice but it's only a matter of time before it will be wet, windy and cold for months on end.

I have a cover for the coach (Classic Accessories Perma Pro) but I'm wondering whether any of you use or know of products which might help stop or at least slow down the effects of near shore weather. Also, would it be better to just leave the cover off?

Any feedback on this would be very welcome. Thanks!

I used a full tarp one winter and had some scuffing on the side paint from the wind, etc. I have used smaller roof tarps since then. (Better yet, run away to Florida!) I was interested in snow protection rather than ocean spray, though.

No I do not have the beach near me. Midway between Chicago and New York is not really a tourist attraction. Although not far from my home is TP tools. TP Tools sells Rustproofing if you want to do it yourself. I have used all the "Rustfre" products. They ship mail order too.

I would be more concerned about the effects of ocean spray/high humidity in the coastal areas, and the effect it has on the undercarriage, exposed rubber, exposed electrical components. 'Old Blue' spent it's early life in Florida,near the coast. The effect it had on the storage compartments was noticeable. I spent $$ for a building that I keep my car/toys in. It's paid for itself many times over.
Jim

Kevin and Jim raised a good point. Even though I do not live near salt water I have underside corrosion due to salt. In my case it is road salt, a sad result of waiting too long to drive south each winter.

I bought my Regal in 2011. Even though it had been stored for 2 years in the Keys, there was minimal corrosion, mostly the headlight wiring. It has corroded more since 2011, than all the years before.

The chassis, storage bins, and lower side frames are all steel and showing corrosion, some needing replacement. So, protection of the underside might be more important than the topsides.

I applied an undercoating to my 1972 Barth. A friend suggested that I use truck bed liner as opposed to a rubberized sealant. I have been super satisfied with the liner. It is expensive though. Something like $100 a gallon. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again and I might even go back and hit a few spots I missed. There is a spray on kind in an aerosol can, but I think the roll-on is the better bang for the buck and it's easier to apply. I did some of the cut in with the spray on, but if I were to do it again, I'd just use rollers and an old brush.

On a different note, there are a number of products that are meant to protect polished aluminum from oxidizing. I don't know if they're much different from clear coat and I haven't tried them.

I hope you'll let us know how it goes!

Thanks for your responses everyone. This place is a rental so I'm stuck with the outside storage for the time being. Long term plan is to buy or build a sticks and bricks somewhere in the area and a shop for the coach is part of that.

All in all the shell on my coach is in excellent shape but I hadn't considered the effect on the undercarriage...I'll see what I can do about that. So did you crawl under there and wire brush off the underside before applying the coating material? Like most of these older motorhomes my basement area does have some corrosion, I've been wanting to do something about that for some time. It's the kind of thing where a "one day" task turns into a season long project.

If you coat anything make sure the rust is neutralized otherwise it will continue to creep under the fresh coating.
The POR15 system is a good way to go but there are many just as good.

"So did you crawl under there and wire brush off the underside before applying the coating material?"

That's exactly what I did. Didn't lift it up or anything. The job really calls for eye protection and some very old clothes. If I were doing it again, I'd use a grinder or something and put a wire wheel on it instead of doing it by hand. One of my bigger concerns was the plywood subfloor. I was fortunate in the way of rust on the chassis, fuel tank, etc.

You mean similar to this?

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Do not short change yourself when preparing the surface. Required safety protection:
1. Tyvek Suit
2. Skull Cap
3. Full Face Respirator
4. Googles, Not just safety glasses
5. Ear Muffs, or Ear plugs.

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The picture was inside a cabinet, but the underside was the same.

Had to do this on all compartments of Old Blue--inside and out. What a pain. A long time ago, I saw a pic of a Barth with the lower compartment doors raised and all of the compartments were almost completely rusted away. It looked really strange.
Jim

There was a thread last year I think where someone completely redid the basement area, removing the bottom plate and basically rebuilding the compartments? Was that you Kevin?

The inside of my basement compartments is covered with some kind of stick-on carpet like a car trunk lining. Any place I've pulled that off it's looked a little like that picture underneath, especially on the floor plates. I know I need to track down and repair a leak in my fresh water tank, a project that's likely to involve replacing the tank itself and some of the plumbing in that vicinity. Also probably should upgrade the hangers for the black and grey tanks.

So it looks like another lengthy project ahead of me - not the first. Hopefully I won't still be out there lying on my back come December!

Conversation from the posting and other links are found within. It was me and than you for the recognition.