Community Forums

Animalangel · 12-31-2019, 07:52 AM

Hi folks... Happy New Year to all!

I'm am shopping for a used RV (can't afford new) with an $80,000 budget. This limits me to RV's in the 2005-2007 range. I'm ok with that. The thing is I'm trying to find RV's that ONLY have fiberglass roofs because I've been killing myself trying to keep the rubber roof on my trailer from coming down (damage from previous owner that claimed to have kept it garaged.. long story) and I don't want to play that game anymore.

I found a 2006 Beaver Monterey 40 Laguna IV for sale for $83,400 (negotiable it says) and it looks pretty damned good but the roof has me wondering.....

I'm told this is a fiberglass roof but it doesn't appear to go all the way end to end of the vehicle. It looks like it's an "inset" of some sort and I've never seen a roof on top of a Class A so I need to know a couple things....

1) is this the typical "fiberglass roof" on ALL Class A Vehicles? The way it doesn't go all the way end to end? Seems to me where it ends and meets with whatever the heck the front and rear "panels" are just makes more room for invisible leaks to happen....

2) Is this a typical roof discoloration for an older vehicle with that "fiberglass roof"? I told the salesman that what I'm looking at in the picture (attached) can't possibly be fiberglass because fiberglass doesn't discolor like that AND it's an awfully darned straight edge between the white and the gray part....

Input? Opinions? Should I just run and not look back?

The photo attached is at the front of the vehicle under the air horns. When I first looked at it, it was a weird optical illusion thing and it took me a minute to orient it. I haven't seen a picture of the back part (yet?). Not sure if I should bother.

I have not seen the vehicle in person but it's about a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive in one direction and I don't want to waste my time, the gas or the wear and tear on my new car for something that isn't going to be worth it.

Please advise.

BonS · 12-31-2019, 08:24 AM

It looks to me that the entire roof is fiberglass but only the front cap area was painted a dark color. The clear coat over the dark paint has failed and the color faded. The rest of the roof is likely just bare gel coated fiberglass. Dark colors on the roof take it on the chin and often fail in this manner. It's really just a cosmetic issue that is no unusual for an '03 that's been in the sun.

Animalangel · 12-31-2019, 08:30 AM

Thank you, BonS. Now my question is "why would somebody paint the roof"?

FormerBoater · 12-31-2019, 09:18 AM

The fiberglass roof is attached to 2 end caps (front and rear) on all the Class A's I have seen. The bond is strong and there should be no leaks from this area either fore or aft.

As for painting the roof, it may or may not have been painted many older DP's had white roofs from the factory.

If it had a dark roof, a previous owner may have painted it white to keep the coach cooler during the summer months. There are several marine paints (AWLGRIP etc.) that will nicely cover fiberglass .

So yes the roof looks normal.

I would take the trip if the coach meets your requirements.

BonS · 12-31-2019, 09:20 AM

Well, the front body paint has to stop somewhere. Mine stops at about 2 feet onto the roof. Yours looks to be more like 4 feet. It's the OEM that decided where to draw that straight paint line.

Animalangel · 12-31-2019, 09:26 AM

Ok, whew! All good input. Thank you folks! I'll go take a look as soon as they open after New Years!

WHILE I'M THERE.... there's another vehicle of interest. This other RV has a NEW Lifetime FlexArmor roof sealing (Jan 2019). Originally this vehicle came with a solid fiberglass roof. Can somebody explain to me why someone might make this change? I thought a solid fiberglass roof was pretty bulletproof (compared to rubber) unless there was major damage or something so... why?

Ljwt330 · 12-31-2019, 09:37 AM

I'm going to add somethings that may or may not be relevant.

First, the distance the black extends from the front of the cap seems much greater than the typical width of a front cap. Every front (and rear) cap seam that I have seen on a class A has a molding strip covering the joint. I don't see that in the picture where the black joins the white, but perhaps it is "hidden" under the black paint. There does seem to be a straight line where the cap meets the roof, running across the roof approximately in line with the end of the horns. All in all, it just doesn't look right to me.

Further, and a bit unrelated, the left air horn is clearly off its front bracket. Something happened up there, IMO, and has been repaired.

Others, please chime in as I have no direct experience with Beaver coaches.

96 Wideglide · 12-31-2019, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ljwt330

Others, please chime in as I have no direct experience with Beaver coaches.

Ok, that's exactly the way mine looks, other than the peeling clearcoat. They don't have a raised strip covering the roof/ cap, joint

!

Animalangel · 12-31-2019, 09:49 AM

Ok... so the lack of a sealant or molding strip across where the two colors meet was my concern as well.

Then again, 96 Wideglide says his looks like that too so then I guess that should be ok. Not sure. I suppose I can ask if they'll let me look at it when I'm there. I've heard from one dealership they have folks look up there (from a ladder, don't allow them to walk on the roofs without money down) and even get under the rigs to do a visual. I guess it won't hurt to ask.

Didn't notice the air horn issue. Thanks for pointing that out. Will address that too when I see it.

96 Wideglide · 12-31-2019, 09:58 AM

The joint is fiber glassed, and I've read of very few issues with it.

Animalangel · 12-31-2019, 10:03 AM

Oh! Thank you 96 Wideglide! Good to know!

Isaac-1 · 12-31-2019, 12:53 PM

You ask why someone would change out a fiberglass roof, the common answers come down to extensive roof damage of some type (think scraping a limb down the length of the coach). The other one that I feel is far more common than it should be is replacement roof salesmen taking advantage of people that don't know better and selling them one of these miracle roof systems, that are primarily marketed as replacements for aged rubber roofs.

The simple fact is that the vast majority of RV's have membrane roofs, and if you go to an RV maintenance person, even a so called RV roof expert, many of them have no knowledge about maintaining any other type or roof, leaving owners of fiberglass and aluminum roofs pretty much on their own to research proper care and upkeep.

Animalangel · 12-31-2019, 01:42 PM

Isaac-1 Looks like you were pretty on the mark as per the folks who did the repair as noted below.

My thought was that this particular coach is in immaculate, amazing condition from everything I can tell so far and even comes with a cover for when it's not in use (it covers the entire 40ft long vehicle)!

My guess is that there was either damage to the roof via a tree branch OR it was simply a preventative measure due to the age of the original roof just like you would have a new roof put on your house as a preventative measure, just like buying new tires before they go completely bald, etc.. The RV I'm interested in is a 2006.

I contacted the company that repaired the roof to find out why customers request their work and to what extent they do the replacement/repair. (see below)

Pending an appraisal for dickering purposes and then finding a Class 2 inspector to check it out just to be on the safe side, I may just have to go to the bank!

This is their response:

Quote:

Thank you for your question.

Actually, we get quite a few people in larger Class As get a roof done as a preventive nature. And some are done due to leaks. And some are done due to a collision or tree damage to the roof. There are many reasons to get a new roof on an RV of any class and any roof type. Most roofs have a lifespan and if someone owns an RV for over 10 years, it isn't uncommon for the owner to get a replacement.

If the roof was put on because of a leak, we repair any damage and then apply the roof. In most cases, the only damage is the layer of plywood just under the membrane. Unless you see signs of newer roof panels or walls, if there was a leak in the unit you are looking at, the damage would have been minimal and limited to the immediate wood on the roof. Most units, especially Class As, have aluminum supports so the only thing that can rot is the wood substrate laid down for the roof.

Many owners feel the transferable no leak warranty is a good selling point, RV roofs are notorious for issues.

Jennifer Adair
RVRoof.com, Inc.
3236 Highway 17
Green Cove Springs, FL 32043
RVRoof.com
sales@rvroof.com

Isaac-1 · 12-31-2019, 03:35 PM

Sounds exactly like someone who typically deals with rubber membrane roofs which do tend to last about 10 years if not carefully maintained. The simple truth is if reasonably maintained a fiberglass roof should be good for well over 10 years, and with proper maintenance should be good for well over 25 years, and anyone trying to sell new roofs based on a 10 year age is just trying to rip people off. A fiberglass roof should only require basic cleaning every 2-3 years, and repainting after 10 years, as well as having roof penetrations resealed about every 5-6 years, depending on the climate.