Here Comes the Ugly Part

It's June 15, 2014, and the weather is in the 80's, perfect for working outside on Lola and pulling some of her exterior skins off.  We worked on the rear and passenger side and found the usual water damage/wood rot at the back corners, along the rear sides and the bottom of the doorway.  This is the order we worked:
1.  Removed all railing from seams and eyebrows/rain caps.
2.  Removed windows in vicinity that we are working.
3.  Marked the back of each piece with a felt pen where it belongs.
4.  Bagged up screws and marked the bag where they belonged.  Though we will buy new stainless screws, we will know what size screw went in those holes.
5.  Used a plastic putty knife to scrape away old butyl putty.
6.  We used a pointed putty knife/scraper and needle nose pliers to remove the old staples.
7.  An electric driver or drill works much faster in removing and replacing old screws and much easier on your wrist.
8.  Take lots of photos, to help you when putting the trailer back together.  We NEVER remove all of the skins at once...it's better to work one section at a time.  And...to make sure it all pulls back together and fits tight at the end, we cut new wood for framing about 1/16" smaller than the original.  It works!  Make sure to wear heavy canvas or leather gloves when pulling out staples and removing skins.  You can get cut easily with the sheets of aluminum.  Always wear safety glasses too.

 How do you tell if wood has dry rot?  Take an awl or a pointed putty knife as shown.  If it's rotten, the point will quickly pierce the wood, as shown here.  It's no good and should be replaced.  It can be the source of the musty odor in your trailer.  Ugh.