Wood/Luan

[Stuart W]

One of my biggest reasons for choosing Newmar, is unlike most they glue the fiberglass outer skin directly to the aluminum studs, this way in the event of water intrusion into the wall there is no wood to swell and cause delimitation. We have all seen those unsightly bubbles in side walls below windows and roof seam lines. Also the skin being put on after the walls are in place means that they can be repaired the same way. Vacu-bonded walls used on most others consist of a wall that is a one piece structure including the outside fiberglass skin, bonded to Luan, studs, insulation and interior walls. When complete it is then hoisted into place and installed as a complete unit, kind of like a prefab concrete warehouse where the walls are poured offsite then hoisted into place.

[nothermark]

FWIW I looked up ComposiTe. Foam cored fiberglass. Ask the boating industry about that type of construction...also consider how you will do repairs and modifications.

BTW Luan is classed as a hardwood plywood. Most of it is made better and weighs less than the softwood plywood some of the "experts" want to replace it with.

[dp7]

Originally Posted by Marinaboy

I also posted this in Winnebago forum...can anyone tell me (without doubt) if newmar uses any wood or luan in their walls/floors/roof....even when I go on line the answer is not clear......,as a first time buyer the advice in getting is make sure there's no wood in the coach......

Please see the datasheet that I posted in response to your question in the Winnebago forum: http://www.irv2.com/forums/f101/wood...ls-327921.html

You have a valid question about luan construction. I had the same one, & after much research the datasheet provides the only definitive answer I could find.

[Stuart W]

Originally Posted by Marinaboy

I also posted this in Winnebago forum...can anyone tell me (without doubt) if newmar uses any wood or luan in their walls/floors/roof....even when I go on line the answer is not clear......,as a first time buyer the advice in getting is make sure there's no wood in the coach......

Ok looked at your question again : well if we were in court and I was asked does Newmar use any Luan in their walls/ floors/roof? The answer at first glance might me yes. But then we would need to drill down, the answer might be yes because the inside surface of the walls contain Luan, the floors for sure contain Wood. The thing is as I stated before the critical area of the Newmar wall is Luan free, this is the outside skin of the wall as it contacts the aluminum studs. Most other manufactures use a thinner fiberglass outside skin bonded to Luan then bonded to the studs. As stated this perfectly strong unless water gets in and swells the Luan. It can become almost non repairable. So yes there is Luan, put not in critical locations.

[Marinaboy]

my source had an old Winnebago and over time the luan turned to "mush" and delaminated, apparently from water intrusion although he couldn't find a leak

[DWRichard]

Pretty much everybody except Newmar uses luan in their motorhomes for sidewall construction - been doing it for decades.

Ask yourself this: If luan was so bad, wouldn't you be hearing about MH walls "turning to mush" much more often? Wouldn't the industry have changed out to something else by now if luan construction was so horrible?

This is fear-mongering by someone who is obviously biased towards Newmar. They make a great product, but so does Tiffin, and they use luan in theirs. It's HOW you make the motorhome that determines how well it is constructed.

[nothermark]

Originally Posted by Marinaboy

my source had an old Winnebago and over time the luan turned to "mush" and delaminated, apparently from water intrusion although he couldn't find a leak

Every kind of bonded construction can suffer from a bad bond allowing leaks that lead to deterioration. The only thing that changes is the type of "rot" that occurs. The boating industry has been plagued by it since the inception of the materials used. The only thing glass over foam changes is the mechanism at play in delamination. Assuming avoiding wood will solve the problem is an assumption. You know what they say about assumptions.

FWIW In your buddy's case there could be no leaks. There have occasionally been batches of poorly laminated panels manufactured by various companies. If he wintered in a cold climate without a dehumidifier he could pump enough moisture into the walls to rot them out from the inside. Somewhat an extreme case but quite doable. I would be very skeptical of any RV that had been used as winter housing in a cold climate. Done properly they are fine, done carelessly they are a potential disaster. Ditto parking near the ocean for long periods picking up salt laden air.

[supertramp]

Originally Posted by Marinaboy

For those of you who gave me a serious answer......thank you...for those of you who thought this was a joke; even though I don't know much about RV's I can tell you there are coaches that have NO wood....so spare me the sarcasm.....

I can't remember the make but I was asked to tear apart a 33'TT for the owner of a annual RV park so he could convert the frame into a regular trailer to haul trash wood etc, in exchange I could keep anything I wanted such as apliances and any aluminum (the TT had a fire that destroyed the couch and left a lot of smoke and water damage ) When I began working on it the only wood I found was in the cabinetry! It had a fiberglass shell, welded aluminum frame with a white foam between the outer and inner skins ( I don't know what the inner skin was but it didn't burn or melt?) This TT was built to last there was nothing to rot if a leak developed I did find the sales lituture I think I still have it I will post the make if I do find it they are not cheap! !!!! It was a ultra light weighting much less than my 32' Gulfstream but out of my price range, they are out there but you better have deep pockets (I don't think this design is common because of the time and effort to build them (low profit margin) the company may not exist anymore? ) it was a 2009 unit.

Sent from my SM-T530NU using iRV2 - RV Forum mobile app

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by Marinaboy

my source had an old Winnebago and over time the luan turned to "mush" and delaminated, apparently from water intrusion although he couldn't find a leak

First, how old? Also, how was it taken care of? Scheduled inspections of the roof for caulking issues? Windows for caulking issues? Any water marks at the ceiling or windows?

You can find old RVs in excellent condition.

[jojolima]

Evergreen that was mentioned on post filed for bankruptcy last summer. Construction had nothing to do with the financial problems

[Dutchstar08]

I see he has not been able to list a MH that does not use anywood.

[supertramp]

Originally Posted by Dutchstar08

I see he has not been able to list a MH that does not use anywood.

I don't think there's one completely wood free but non in the walls and roof there are. Unless you build it yourself I don't know what the cabinetry would be made from? Sheet metal?, glass?, plastic?, Fiberglass?, It would all need to be custom made maybe marble counter tops but then your adding a lot of weight, my Gulfstream has about 3200lb of cargo capacity I can't use it all without upgrading my tow vehicle to a 1 ton or higher, if I had stone counters I would go all the way and put a brick fireplace in, don't take this the wrong way I'm just trying to make a bad situation fun we are all victims of shoddy RV manufacturering! If you want one that will last and be worry free you will pay a premium only rock stars can afford or build it yourself like the tiny homes you see on TV

[Tony Lee]

Originally Posted by DWRichard

Pretty much everybody except Newmar uses luan in their motorhomes for sidewall construction - been doing it for decades.

Ask yourself this: If luan was so bad, wouldn't you be hearing about MH walls "turning to mush" much more often? Wouldn't the industry have changed out to something else by now if luan construction was so horrible?

This is fear-mongering by someone who is obviously biased towards Newmar. They make a great product, but so does Tiffin, and they use luan in theirs. It's HOW you make the motorhome that determines how well it is constructed.

Next thing someone will be telling us that these motorhomes never leak

They use luan because it is the cheapest material they can get away with. Slightest hint of water and it falls apart and delaminates and I doubt whether they even bother to specify a waterproof glue to make the plywood slightly less susceptible. The OP is right to ask the question but unfortunately if he wants the sort of construction technique he is looking for, he will probably have to go to Europe

[nothermark]

Virtually all plywood is made with waterproof glue. Luan is about half the weight of pine or similar softwood plywood while being as strong. Lately I have been running into some cheap birch that competes with it.