Window leak / paneling rot

[Royalty]

I have a 2003 24' Keystone Cougar (2nd owner), and I recently discovered that the interior paneling under the front window has rotted. I took the window out, and found that there was insufficient caulk at the top (due to the window awning), which allowed water to leak in. The window fix was easy. I thought the cabinet at the front might be easy to remove in order to replace the entire front interior panel, but even after removing all screws and cutting the sealant around the cabinet the thing is as solid as it was with the screws in it. Does the cabinet come off from the inside?
Thanks
Chuck Royalty

[JRTJH]

Our overhead cabinets are screwed to the ceiling (front and back) as well as on the sides and the rear of the cabinet. You might also find that they are glued in place... If so, good luck <what a mess>

It might be easier to leave the cabinets in place if there's no damage to the wall behind them, just use the factory cut edge of the paneling, place it right up under the cabinet and work down from there...

[Royalty]

Thanks. Unfortunately the paneling isn't cut at the cupboards. It was a single panel that was installed before the cupboards went in. I've removed every visible screw and cut every sealant seam (putty knife can slide in). All I can guess is that there are hidden screws (perhaps in the cupboard floor) or that they were fastened up initially before the outer skin went on.

Either way, I think I'll have to cut the paneling and then put trim around the cuts unless someone knows something I'm missing.
Chuck

[SteveC7010]

If your Cougar was built like most travel trailers and fivers, the cabinets are held in place by long screws that are inserted from the outside through the framing and paneling and then into the cabinetry. It is one of the secrets that make our RV's much sturdier than they might seem to be.

If the paneling is shot, you can remove the cabinets by cutting the screws. Here's how:

First, since the paneling is already rotted, feel free to remove as much of it as possible. Then, using a thin piece of steel strap (or similar... maybe a putty knife), slip it between the paneling and the cabinet and slide it up and down or side to side. When you locate a screw, mark it in someway and move on to the next. (For marking, I like to use a spot of that blue painter's masking tape on the wall or cabinet. It won't mar the finish and pulls up very easily.)

If you have removed some of the paneling, you should be able to determine where the wall studs are. Generally, they'll run in a screw where ever a stud intersects with a cabinet.

Next, using a hacksaw blade, slip the blade in between the paneling and cabinet and cut each screw. You can use your putty knife or similar to protect the cabinet while cutting.

With a little care, you can even do this where the paneling is not damaged using putty knives or similar to protect the surfaces.

[Royalty]

Steve-
Thanks. That's one of the possibilities I'd suspected. The rot doesn't go behind any cabinets, and I've cut the paneling out around them at this point, so I think I'll just cut the new panel to fit the cutout and hide the seam behind trim - pretty much what JRTJH suggested. No sense disturbing the structural integrity of the cabinet installation just to make the panel installation neater.
Chuck

[pedalsteelpicker]

I went through the same thing last year with my old Prowler and SteveC7010 is right about screws installed from the out side.I happened to have a small pnumatic 90 degree grinder with a thin metal cutting wheel that worked.