Community Forums

Murphy710 · 07-02-2017, 05:46 AM

Hello everyone,

Looking for Pro's and Con's to have either fiberglass sides or vinyl? My first camper had the vinyl house looking siding and had little to no issue at all with it, my current camper is a 2015 Shadow Cruiser bought new and I already have some bubbling or delamination on one side about the size of a baseball. Maybe it's the brand and Shadow Cruiser doesn't make a very good camper but wanted to get people's thoughts about what is better.

Thanks for input

JayNC · 07-03-2017, 06:58 AM

Well...standby from answers from both sides. I don't mind the aluminum fascia....looks classic. The glass sides look very modern and slick.

The only argument I know that sounds 100% are...
1. If your kids manages to put a whole in your camper the aluminum trailers aren't too bad to fix. RVD can literally remove the bad panel and replace. The FULL side of a fiberglass on an RV or TT is a much much more involved repair.
2. If you have a full wrap-around roof, a feature of most fiberglass trailers, you have a much less chance for leaks. You still have maintenance but less openings/pieces is just less places to need more than an inspection....But the cost differences are usually what every body looks at.
I suggest you find a FLOORPLAN you like THEN find the body that is the closest in the flavor you want...

Yillbs · 07-04-2017, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayNC

Well...standby from answers from both sides. I don't mind the aluminum fascia....looks classic. The glass sides look very modern and slick.

The only argument I know that sounds 100% are...
1. If your kids manages to put a whole in your camper the aluminum trailers aren't too bad to fix. RVD can literally remove the bad panel and replace. The FULL side of a fiberglass on an RV or TT is a much much more involved repair.
2. If you have a full wrap-around roof, a feature of most fiberglass trailers, you have a much less chance for leaks. You still have maintenance but less openings/pieces is just less places to need more than an inspection....But the cost differences are usually what every body looks at.
I suggest you find a FLOORPLAN you like THEN find the body that is the closest in the flavor you want...

Going to have to disagree with you here. I had two small holes ( golfball size ) in my fiberglass slides, with gel coating. The dealer was able to repair them and I couldn't even find the spot they fixed, took them a day, and they only fixed the holes, they did not have to replace the entire wall, it wasn't involved at all. In fact, any decent fiberglass guy can do it in a few hours. IF you get a decent repair facility, i'd dare say it's even LESS work than with aluminium.

09 harley · 07-05-2017, 12:56 AM

Aluminum siding is old school. It is not fancy like the new smooth glass or composite. It doesn't have the prestige of the new technology.
These are the reasons I like it. Easier to repair. Less expansion and contraction so your decals will normally last longer. Paint will also last longer. Compare fiberglass cars to steel or aluminum and you will always find the metal bodies to hold up better. Compare an older trailer with a newer one and you will more often see decal issues and paint issues. Ever wonder why the lifetime roofs are made from aluminum or steel that are painted with paint capable of a 25-40 year life span? Easy answer, glass will fail earlier and delamination is almost a given. Any porous material is prone to water intrusion. Aluminum is not porous but it can be susuptible to corrosion. Need to make sure paint is maintained.
Give me the tried and true and keep the new materials in the test phase until they are proven.
Just my opinion based are years of experience with Corvettes and fiberglass boats.

Yillbs · 07-05-2017, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 09 harley

Aluminum siding is old school. It is not fancy like the new smooth glass or composite. It doesn't have the prestige of the new technology.
These are the reasons I like it. Easier to repair. Less expansion and contraction so your decals will normally last longer. Paint will also last longer. Compare fiberglass cars to steel or aluminum and you will always find the metal bodies to hold up better. Compare an older trailer with a newer one and you will more often see decal issues and paint issues. Ever wonder why the lifetime roofs are made from aluminum or steel that are painted with paint capable of a 25-40 year life span? Easy answer, glass will fail earlier and delamination is almost a given. Any porous material is prone to water intrusion. Aluminum is not porous but it can be susuptible to corrosion. Need to make sure paint is maintained.
Give me the tried and true and keep the new materials in the test phase until they are proven.
Just my opinion based are years of experience with Corvettes and fiberglass boats.

It is tried and true, at least a decade of it. It's not easier to fix / replace / maintain. Moreover, fiberglass is porous, the paint and gel that go over the fiberglass is not. Also, decals are way more prone to peel off on metal bodies, metal bodies transfer heat WAY better than fiberglass with gel ( yes, even the aluminium bodies ), all that heat wears down the decals, causing them to peel up.

**Spdracr39** · 07-06-2017, 05:16 AM

Fiberglass is not as susceptible to hail/impact damage. (not talking about holes just dents) The best choice is probably made based on the area you live in also but I would not pass on a desirable floorplan because of the type of siding.

Cumminsfan · 07-06-2017, 09:46 AM

IMO it boils down to what you want on the inside. You will hit an amenity limit earlier with the old school corrugated aluminum sided TT and 5ers. No MFG offers both types of siding as an option in their better line of RV's.

There is some appeal to going low end aluminum. No delam. Lower initial investment which means a lower depreciation value over time. You'll lose far more in depreciation when spending $50K vs $30K after 5 years.

With that being said, I have a friend that has a Sprindale TT. He says he'll never own another corrugated aluminum sided TT again. They just simply dent to easy.

09 harley · 07-15-2017, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yillbs

It is tried and true, at least a decade of it. It's not easier to fix / replace / maintain. Moreover, fiberglass is porous, the paint and gel that go over the fiberglass is not. Also, decals are way more prone to peel off on metal bodies, metal bodies transfer heat WAY better than fiberglass with gel ( yes, even the aluminium bodies ), all that heat wears down the decals, causing them to peel up.

Are you saying that all the complaints about decals cracking, paint fading, delamination, blistering and structural failures make the newer siding better than the older alternatives?