On my Minnie Winnie 22M, the rear Queen bed's baseboard started to easily deflect. Upon closer examination, it appears that an insufficient amount of glue was used to form the composite panel. As you can see in this photo, a ¾" gap could easily be seen with finger pressure. A brand-new panel from Winnebago would cost $850 with tax & shipping, and would have a minimum six week delivery, so I decided to repair the panel using Fiberglass.
I measured to the easiest point of deflection, which is marked with an "X". This is located at 9&13/16" inboard from the hinge edge.
After fully masking-off the surface, I drilled 1¾" holes in three locations as seen in the picture.
You will need 14 ounces of polyester resin & its activator, two mixing cups, fifteen 3"x6" patches of fiberglass cloth, scissors, an organic respirator, butyl rubber gloves, and a mixing stick. The consumable materials cost about $40 and weigh about ¾ of a pound.
I used two clamps to attach a perfectly straight 2"x4" to the edge of the bed board, to make it true, and two additional clamps to consolidate the outer panels with the interior wood webbing. I then mixed 70 drops of activator with seven ounces of polyester resin and poured equal amounts down into the three holes in the orientation show. At this point, I did not add any Fiberglass.
After 30 minutes of gel time, I rotated the panel, and put it into a more flat orientation.
I stuffed five strips of 3"x6" fiberglass cloth into each of the three holes. I pushed the glass cloth downward toward the interior stiffeners. I then added a second mixture of 70 drops of activator & seven ounces of polyester resin, and poured that equally amongst the three holes.
After allowing the panel to cure for 20 hours, I removed the clamps and the blue masking tape. I used a flat blade chisel to remove any trace fiberglass residue from the panel surface, and then reinstalled the panel.
Good as new, and the 22 pound panel gained less than one additional pound.
Thanks, Eagle5
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