How to prevent delamination

zackyboy3rs wrote:
Don't buy a TT. I am thinking no matter how well one keeps up the TT it is still going to leak & then the "D" word.

Not necessarily...many of the new TT have fiberglass shells on the front now. This is normally the area of the delam. But again, if you keep up with the sealing and don't cause any damage, then there shouldn't be any issue. It's not 100%, but pretty effective.

Don't buy a TT. I am thinking no matter how well one keeps up the TT it is still going to leak & then the "D" word.

Keep inspecting as others mentioned and resealing. Not sure where you are gonna buy your trailer at, but if you buy it from CW, they give you an Elite membership. As part of that membership, you get a free inspection of your unit every year while your an Elite member (3 years). We had them do the free check this spring on our Class C. They located a small hole in the roof and sealed it. Not sure when or how it got there. Was never seen before. But there was no damage from it. They also checked all the other seals and other components. While it's good to keep an eye on it yourself, it doesn't hurt to have another set of eyes or two looking at it as well. I don't think you have as many issues of delam with the newer units as you did with the older ones. But can still happen...

NHIrish wrote:
Water. That's it...just keep the water out.
Keeping water out just isn't as easy as it sounds with all of the flexing and movement of the frame and structure while towing. Takes constant checking.

This is especially true with the hybrids, combine that with the new environmentally friendly caulks & glues means I'm constantly recaulking seams after every trip which becomes a real drag... :(


Mike

Water. That's it...just keep the water out.

Don't assume that the factory self leveling caulking on the roof is done right. Smart money is to Eternabond the seams and joints...or reseal if there is any question. Silicone used on side panels often pulls away from one surface without being noticeable. The factories usually apply a pretty little bead that is really only a surface application and does little to actually seal the joint.
Keeping water out just isn't as easy as it sounds with all of the flexing and movement of the frame and structure while towing. Takes constant checking.

Vacuum infusion is common practice in the boating industry. I've not heard a lot of complaints about delamination, though it does happen, as do voids. There seem to be fewer voids with vacuum bagged hulls and decks though. FWIW, mine was NOT vacuum bagged and I have several voids right under the gelcoat in the cockpit seats that need to be ground out, resin'd and the gelcoat repaired.

The obvious difference I see is in the amount of gelcoat (if you can even call it that) and type of glass fiber that's being used. The gelcoat on our TT is very thin, so thin that I can see that they used sprayed on chopped glass, not woven cloth, to make the panels because the texture shows through. Definitely not the quality of workmanship that was used to build my Catalina Capri 22 sailboat. Of course if the TT was built to the same spec as the boat it wouldn't be an ultra light. I'm also not sure how to deal with hairline cracks in the TT gelcoat because it's going to be extremely hard to match the somewhat translucent shade.

Chris: Our TT sat for 4 years uncovered down here in Albany and doesn't seem to have suffered much beyond some chalking on the roof and lichen all over the A/C cover (but only the A/C cover). Prior owner had 2 or 3 Dri-Z-Air tubs inside and they seemed to help, though I'm not a fan of the open top which is easily spilled (usually when I trip over it). I use a DampRid hanging bag in the boat, which is under a tarp (open at stern) from October through mid-May, and have to change it out once a season. I switched to the same thing in the TT after we bought it in March and it worked fine.

Let me know how it works out if you try a cover on your TT. I'm planning to use mine nearly year-round so putting a cover on/off every time I want to go to Newport for the weekend seems like a pain.

Go Beavs!

Chris

FrankShore wrote:
Respectfully ScotG, I disagree with your assumption that vacuum bonding is the same as pinch rolling in laying up a wall. I didn't bring up pinch rolling. I was just saying that sucking all the air out of a laminated product is a recipe for disaster, in this case, delamination.

Why? By using vacuum on the outside of the wall it is compressed similarly to pinch bonding. Different methods for the same results - a glue laminated one piece assembly. Both leave no voids inside the wall where water could collect. All voids are filled with glue.
Your not thinking there's a vacuum left inside the wall are you?

Bumpyroad wrote:
buy one with Azdel used on the sides.
bumpy

That would be my choice if possible. Unfortunately that leaves very little choice.

Respectfully ScotG, I disagree with your assumption that vacuum bonding is the same as pinch rolling in laying up a wall. I didn't bring up pinch rolling. I was just saying that sucking all the air out of a laminated product is a recipe for disaster, in this case, delamination.

buy one with Azdel used on the sides.
bumpy