I have recently purchased a '77 27" Barth. I am gutting it and am going to try to restore it as well as I can to it's original beauty. I have run across more water damage than I realized was there.I have repair some obvious leaks at the roof exhaust vent and the plumbing vents. There is a non skid coating (what is left of it)up there and the roof looks like it is in good shape. My question is: does this roof need to be sealed? I would rather not seal it if it doesn't need it.Any comments?

Hi Vogy...when I did my roof (1973 19 footer) I wire brushed all rivets and seams back to bare aluminum then applied a sealer just to the bare parts. I masked the seams to give a better look. All leaks were sealed. However, I found that most leaks were around the windows, windshield and other "through hulls" (vents etc) Also, the panel covering the step up to the front seat platform leaked badly. The front wheels kick up a lot of water into the back of that panel.
Good Luck!

I'm new to the Barth world and just purchased a 1979 Barth that was custom built to be used as a mobile classroom - therefore no traditional furniture, appliances, etc. I'm going to convert it into an ice cream truck for car shows, fairs, corporate events, etc.

Now the question - the roof is all aluminum with tape over the rivets/seams. The tape is worthless at this point.

Do I retape or use one of the RV roof sealing processes I've read about?

Jenny, I do not have an answer for you but my Barth also has tape on the roof and it is worthless, I think I will coat the whole roof after a good clean off, just because it will be bright white and that helps make it cooler inside. The A/C will not have to work so hard.

quote:

use one of the RV roof sealing processes

Just clean and use new sealer. There are few good one discussed on this and other RV sites.

It's Vogy back again. I was up on the roof ( good name for a song)again last night sealing some more likely leaks. I'm using gutter caulk, it does a nice clean job. I noticed some of the rivets are pop rivets with the hole in the middle. I dabbed a little caulk on them to see if this will help. We have rain coming tomorrow and I'll let you know what happens.

FYI
Everyone might laugh at this but I just tried Flex Seal
(not on the Barth) to do a temporary patch on the side of a dormer while waiting for the contractor. I'm amazed how tough that stuff is. Comes in black grey and white. I used the spray. Sprayed a test piece and tried to make it fail. Wasn't easy!
I'm definitely going to keep a can in the Barth...

Any caulk or sealer used on a coach exterior should be formulated for that use. And while the seams on Barths are generally tight, the heating and cooling will open small gaps into which water can intrude. The entire roof should be coated.

Hey SHTYM

I have been using white Flex Seal for roof repairs on my Barth, seems to work well. They say it last 20 years, if it does 1 year, I will be happy, there is an asphalt coating on my roof and tons of aluminum tape and it has all aged poorly, so I hope the Flex seal will come off because it is on top of this stuff.