Tom N wrote:
ccxnola wrote:
Tom,
I agree that is what we have been told by the RV makers, but...is it because it is easier and cheaper to do it that way?? I know there are many very good fiberglass boat hulls that take a beating in the ocean - and they are one-piece hulls, not a bunch of panels stuck together. Is there an engineer among us for some enlightenment??
The difference between a fiberglass boat and an RV is that the fiberglass on an RV is mounted to a steel or aluminum frame. The steel frame and the fiberglass panels have to work together. Lock the fiberglass in one piece and something has to give. It isn't going to be the frame.
-Tom
Fiberglass boats have wood stringers, and sometimes a wood core. My coach has a fiberglass front cap and rear cap, riveted to aluminum frame and to aluminum side panels. Everything is sealed and solid. The riveted seams between the fiberglass and the aluminum do not give. I have yet to hear of a Revcon that has ever had a leaking seam.
I would suggest that fiberglass is plenty flexible to absorb movement from going down the road. If it was a hard 90 degree bend, then there would be a stress point, but the corners on most coaches have a radius, which dissipates the stress over a larger area.
