Aluminum skin vs. fiberglass

J-Rooster wrote:
I've seen fiberglass crack in the hot Southwest sun during the summer when left unprotected from the sun!

all those bass boaters that leave their fiberglass boats out in the sun all year in TExas better watch out.
bumpy

I've seen fiberglass crack in the hot Southwest sun during the summer when left unprotected from the sun!

RFCN2 wrote:
I agree with Dave. Depends on how it is done. I have had both. My experience is that heavy fiberglass has far less leak problems. Dave says his has been trouble free, but my aluminum skinned motorhome had lots of leak issues. Frankly I am trying to think of any high end DP from the late 90's other than Bluebird that would have been aluminum skinned. If you are looking at Bluebirds they are wonderful motorhomes. I started out looking at Bluebirds five years ago when I wanted to buy a newer coach. I ended up with a Country Coach because there were a lot more of them on the used market and slides. I saw Bluebirds without slides for sale but few with. I like at least a couple slides, opens up the inside of the coach. I don't like slides on both sides of the front of motorhomes at all, but do like drivers side ones.

Amen brother AMEN!!

For a mid 90's MH I would chose an Aluminum non bonded side wall over a FG bonded side wall due to delamination in the FG side wall. They both could leak but the older FG bonded side walls were prone to delaminations. I would look carefully and coin tap any suspected area before I bought another bonded side wall MH.

Empty Nest, Soon wrote:

wolfe10 wrote:
Safari used heavy-gauge, riveted aluminum sidewalls for many years. . .

Bingo! There are a couple of aluminum-skinned Safaris on our short list.

I looked at a 1992 Barth with aluminum skin a couple of years ago and was very impressed. The only reason we passed on it was that it needed a lot of cleanup/updating inside. The exterior and mechanicals seemed wonderful. It was probably a mistake to let it go to someone else, but I would prefer to avoid a major project at my age.

Wayne

I looked at a Barth in Elkhart years back and it looked great but had one attribute that floored me. the refrigerator was on a cross wall with the door opening forward. just wonder how a panic stop would put everything in it all over your floor unless you cobbled together some mechanical means of keeping it closed.
bumpy

wolfe10 wrote:
Safari used heavy-gauge, riveted aluminum sidewalls for many years. . .

Bingo! There are a couple of aluminum-skinned Safaris on our short list.

I looked at a 1992 Barth with aluminum skin a couple of years ago and was very impressed. The only reason we passed on it was that it needed a lot of cleanup/updating inside. The exterior and mechanicals seemed wonderful. It was probably a mistake to let it go to someone else, but I would prefer to avoid a major project at my age.

Wayne

Safari used heavy-gauge, riveted aluminum sidewalls for many years.

No chance of delamination, as on many fiberglass coaches.

But, if parked near the ocean and/or exposed to lots of road salt, they could corrode. Easy to see as blisters around fastenings. Otherwise very good material.

Not stating that HR or Monaco is bad, but from what I saw in the factory tour, the aluminum on a Revcon is about 2.5 X thicker than what is on an HR. I think Barth was another one that was thicker aluminum. Of course the old Silver Bullet Airstreams were thicker aluminum.

This is my old Newmar Londonaire that I sold to a local fella 12 years ago. He races Porsches and brings this Moho every year for a tune at this Porsche place at the start of every season. I was driving by and saw it at the garage last month and took this pic of it. Still looked pretty darn good. Much better than the pic showes. I think it was a 1984.

My Monaco coach has the same thick aluminum on the sides that is used on the roof. I have never regretted the decision to choose the aluminum sides over the laminated fiberglass coaches.