Help with ideas for patching the side of an Alaskan camper

[Desertsailboat]

Hello,

I currently have a 2002 cab over that has been a very extensive project. I purchased the camper a few years ago with known water damage. I have repaired all the water damage and my wife and I have updated the interior of the camper. I am now in the final stages of cleaning and updating the look of the exterior of the camper.

The previous owner's did not care for the camper like one should. The owner I bought the camper from at some point realized there was water damage and put an insane amount of silicone caulking over every spot he thought leaked or could leak. I have spent hours removing the caulking and sealing the corners and windows as it should be done. At this point the exterior of the camper is water tight except for two spots large spots (4"x4") and some smaller pin hole. the larger spots are on the rear of the camper and are very visible. These holes are from water getting on the inside of the camper skin and rusting through the metal. This is my 4th Alaskan and I have never seen this happen.

This brings us to my question. How should I patch/seal the camper. Because these spots are on the side of the camper I want it to look good. I will be putting new skin on the exterior of the camper, but not for a few awhile. I need to save my money for a larger truck, but will skin the camper when finances allow.

So... my current idea is to patch the holes with Eternabond. It looks like a good product for areas you can't see, like a roof. I am a little worried it wont look so great at eye level. Any other ideas or thoughts?

 

[JaSAn]

I have a Grandby that had a number of holes and cuts in the outer skin. In some places I just glued a matching color patch over the hole. In others, I made a patch the same shape as a sticker in a contrasting border color. I used 3M 5200 marine sealant/adhesive. Not noticeable at 10 feet. Has held up for 8 years.

 

[dastrom]

Eternabond would seal those areas and may not look pretty but if you ever want to remove it it's probably worse than silicone!

 

[Desertsailboat]

I wanted to circle back and answer what I started. I ended up going the Eternabond route. I cut the Eternabond for the size of the patch needed. I then went to a local sticker shop and got a small sheet of thick white vinyl sticker material. I cut the sticker material the size of my patch. I think this helped with a cleaner looking finished product.

I also contacted www.customvintagetrailerparts.com and had them make me a vintage correct sticker for my camper. My camper is a 2002 and would have come with the logo with the state of Alaska on it. The stickers came out great and look very high quality.

thanks for the help and ideas.

 

[Cowgirl in MT]

Just for reference I used JB Weld for the small holes in my aluminum skin. You can sand and paint it. It seemed to work great.