B vs C---leaks, maintenance, quality

If you want a top quality, virtually leak free Class C, look into a Lazy Daze.
More expensive then a lot of your basic C's. Then again, quality simply costs more.
Check out Born Free as well. Or a high quality B like LTV.


Personal opinion only, but I would avoid any entry level products made by Forest River, or Fleetwood.

Whatever you decide. Have fun.

Think about contacting this gal:

Commenter's post on rv dot net B Forum

Personal opinion as well:

There are some high quality class C makers out there. Lazy Daze is awesome. I read a lot of very happy people with Phoenix Cruisers. Born Free and Coach House are quite leak resistant due to the one piece fiberglass construction.

In general, if one compares the average "B" to a "C", the "B" is far less likely to have water intrusion problems, while a "C" has a good chance of having cabover rot (almost 100% if there is a front facing window.)

Fundamentally, when you buy a "B", you are buying a van with upfits. The walls are up to automotive crash standards, including airbags. The roof is aluminum or steel, and the doors are automotive grade.

When you buy a "C", you are buying a cutaway van with the box added by the RV maker. The standards of car safety it has to adhere to are far lower (which is why in a serious wreck, a "B" will be in one piece, most likely, while a "C" will be in small chunks across the roadway.)

All this aside, what matters is how well you like the rig, both parked/camping and on the road. A "B" is too small for some people and can feel cramped/unpleasant. For others, a "C" can be too big and awkward to park. I'd look at what fits best, then look at respective models.

I'll be travelling mainly by myself, or possibly with a grandchild. A "B" would be just right, and a "C" too big & awkward, unless it's a very small "C".

What are the walls made out of on a "B"?

Walls are generally steel with a few exceptions but older class B's(non Sprinter,non Promaster) all have fiberglass roof that mostly don't leak .

I agree with ed6713 and mlts22 above, we have a Coach House Class C and it's very well made with a one-piece shell, buy used and save yourself some money. Most Class B's are made in Canada and they are all good, we had a Pleasure-Way which we thought was the best, but Liesure Travel and Great West are also fine. Only reason we sold the PW was to get a little more room, had nothing to do with quality or problems. The Class C's seem to run from so-so to really fine products, while the B's all seem to be fine. What I'm saying is that the average run-of-the mill Class B is better built and higher quality than the average Class C.

I assume the roof penetrations on a B can leak just like on a C? Is something like Eternabond tape recommended?

What about quality on the R-Vision Trail-lite series? I see a fair number of them on RV Trader.

Also a LOT of RoadTreks on RV Trader. Any input on their quality?

We have had three Bs and three Cs over a thirty year period of time. IMO, Bs generally are of significantly higher quality overall. In Cs, you really need to look at specific models because the quality range is significantly wider than Bs. That is to say, all Bs are generally well built and Cs can run from being very well built to being a piece of junk. You simply have to do your homework as to quality more when buying a C.

Our last B was a 2007 Roadtrek 210P and it was aircraft quality compared to most Cs. Our present rig, a Phoenix Cruiser, is a high quality C and we are very happy with it in all respects. We just wanted a little more room, a dry bath, larger tanks and to boondock longer and tour less. In other words, we changed units only because how we used the unit changed. Otherwise, no question we would have a B.

Paul

mlts22 pretty much covered the differences.

Leaks occur because materials fail over time mainly where materials join and have to be sealed. In that regard any hole penetration will be the cause of a potential leak. Many of the small Class Cs are made with mostly seamless fiber glass bodies and roofs thus only have the hole penetrations. Some Class Cs and most larger Class Cs are stick built, then covered with materials to waterproof them such as applied membrane roofs. As I said, materials wear out. A moving RV accelerates that wear.

You should seal roof penetration joints with high quality polyurethane or silicone sealants, not acrylics, rubber or hybrids of acrylics and rubbers with polyurethanes or silicones. Going cheap with sealants is inviting failure.

Windows, panels and doors fit better in precisely cut out openings in uni-surfaces of steel and fiber glass rather than in stick built pieces that frame an opening. The quality of the windows and the sealants used also make a difference. That's another difference between most Class B vans, fiber glass bodies vs. stick built.

If you are going to build your own minimal Classl B your concern should not who makes a quality one but what are your choices of vans. The euro vans of Sprinter, Promaster and Transit would probably be the best choices now.

But if you want to know who makes a quality Class B, this day and age most all do. I would put Advanced RV at the top of the list and Winnebago at the bottom if you wanted to rank them. But mostly you pick them for what you like in layout, features, availability and cost.

There are a lot of Roadtreks on RV Trader because there are simply more Roadtreks than other Bs.