New pop up owner with ceiling/roof issues

Based on the location of the water damage, I'd suspect that the outside corner is leaking and that the sideboard and attached end boards are rotted. Ergo, you've got yourself a dilly of a pickle right there.

I can't find any pics of your camper, so it's pretty tough to provide any suggestions other than to make use of the Search link in the forum menu with the search term "1989 roof rebuild" to find threads that might provide a degree of insight.

You should be able to find a thread where the roof is constructed similarly to yours.

 

If the ceiling/roof is spongy then you got roof rot. Which is a very involved repair/redo job. If it's not spongy then you first need to make sure the leak(s) have been fixed. Re-caulk all seams on the roof. Not much you can do to repair the damage done without a long drawnout roof repair job, just monitor to make sure it doesn't get worse. Some have re-papered the roof to make it a little more presentable. However the internal damage you can't really fix easily.

 

Having done a complete roof rebuild after having to completely gut it right down to the aluminum, I can tell you that you would pretty much have to do the whole roof or none of the roof. Because of the way they are constructed, it makes it pretty much impossible to just cut out one portion and replace it without compromising the whole roof structural integrity, which is something you definitely don't want to do. You need that strength! Cutting out only a portion would only create more problems for you down the road.
My husband also didn't want anything to do with my project, so I decided to tackle it on my own since it simply had to be done. It's something you CAN do, even if you're not too terribly handy, as you say. Just do a lot of research about what you're getting into. Read, read, read, about other roof rebuilds! It's going to take some time and a bit of effort, but it is actually fairly easy to do. I did mine completely by myself, and with the exception of needing an extra pair of hands now and again for things like actually removing the roof so I could work on it, it was a fairly simple and easy one "man" (woman) job.
Just remember that Eternabond(LOVE this stuff!) and Heng's roof coat are your best friends!
I promise you, you really won't regret doing it. It's something that gave me a real sense of pride when I was done. People who saw the finished product couldn't believe what I'd done, and by myself! One of these days, I'm going to have to dig out my pics of that job and post them along with a write up/how to. Good luck and please keep us informed on how you will plan to proceed. If you need any help, just ask!
Cheers!

 

You definitely need to do a write up and post pictures of the rebuild!

 

There is a product named Git Rot which is a 2 part epoxy. It is runny like water and cures slowly to allow it to soak into wood fibers before hardening. It is basically a marine product used on boat transoms and other wooden parts. It can be purchased online or at the parts department at a marina. If you could figure out a way to apply it and keep it from running or dripping onto a counter or bed, it should be able to strengthen the wood enough so that you could get by without reconstructing the whole roof.
The only other option I can think of would be to remove all the ceiling covering, and cover the entire ceiling with a thin layer of luan or paneling using a good grade of wood glue for exterior use or construction adhesive and then recover the entire ceiling with some type of covering like contact, wall paper or ??? All this assumes that the sideboards of the roof are not severely rotted which then would require a total roof rebuild.

 

I highly recommend the construction adhesive over wood glue. You will get better adhesion. That's what I used on my roof and if I remember correctly, it was very light paneling that I just painted, rather than mess around with wall paper or contact paper.

 

Have you fixed the roof yet? Pictures and a more write up would be nice

 

pics please!