pnichols wrote:
Paul,
Would you please elaborate on the construction of the wood walls that you say Winnebago is using in their Class C motorhomes?
Thanks, in advance.
Sure. And here's the big disclaimer that all that follows is IMHO...
Behind the exterior wall is a sheet of luan (wood). If / when water gets behind the exterior wall, the luan absorbs the water. Then the luan separates (AKA delaminates) from the exterior wall. I don't have numerical proof but I would speculate that delam is one of the biggest factors (if not the biggest) that can make your unit lose value the quickest.
Azdel is a composite material used in place of luan. Among other benefits, it doesn't absorb water. It essentially means delam won't happen. Google "RV Azdel walls" for more info & it's other benefits (which include being lighter & having a greater insulation R value than luan).
When we were shopping (1 yr ago), the only class C manufacturers using Azdel were Nexus (kudos to them as they were using it in both the roof & walls) & Forest River (including the Sunseeker, Forester, & Coachmen lines - in the walls only). I don't know if that list is still correct today??? I thought I heard that Winnebago was thinking of using Azdel rather than wood but perhaps only in their Access Premier line??? I would strongly suggest that you get detailed info on what the wall is made of for the particular brand / year you are looking at. A dealer may say that Winnebago uses Azdel but do they use it only in the Access Premier as an example but not the Winnie (or Winnebago but not Itasca).
We ruled out any manufacturer who didn't use Azdel at least in the walls. Basically that left us with Nexus & Forest River. Nexus was more money than we wanted to spend (we are weekend warriors). Forest River / Sunseeker offered what we thought was a good mix of the best construction materials (fiberglass roof & Azdel walls), good quality (much improved versus says 5 yrs ago), standing behind their product (shocked at some of the things I read on the net about them taking a unit several year out of warranty back to Elkhart to, as an example, replace a wall at no charge if there is a problem), & a strong price / value relationship.
Again, just IMHO.
