BeerBrewer wrote:
I'm not really concerned with wood and/or plywood being used in Travel Trailer construction. I know plywood is routinely used in walls, floors and roofs and I'm okay with it, as long as I know it a head of time. I don't like it when RV manufactures have lauan or other "rottable" wood materials laminated into the their fiberglass sidewalls and they then give it glitzy names like "TuffShell" or "Vacuum Laminated Roof and Walls". This is nothing more than marketing hype that unfortunately gives the impression that their walls would never rot or delaminate, when we all know that isn't true. A side from the boarder line misleading advertising, my main issue is that if the lauan or wood that is laminated inside my TT walls gets wet due a leak and starts to delaminate there is nothing that I can do to fix it. On the other hand if a traditional aluminum sided TV gets wet and starts to rot, I know that I can fix it. Odds are it wouldn't be easy, but I know that I have the carpentry skills to repair it. I can't say the same for fiberglass/Lauan laminated sidewall, this sounds like an expensive job for a pro RV Tech, if it can be repaired at all. From what I've read a lot of RV owners don't know that they have a leak until after they notice the delamination occurring, which is often too late.
I was interested in TTs that use the Azdel material because it is very light, supposedly is not pron to delamination (at least that is what I've read) and it resists mold and mildew.
I honestly don't know what type of TT we'll end up with but I can honestly say that we'll likely shy away from TT's that have wood materials laminated into the sidewalls.
Perhaps you should consider a sticks and bricks cabin or stick and tin trailer then because the vast majority of laminated wall RV's are going to have Luan plywood in the construction. I've owned 3, all with luan in the sandwich including laminated floors, and have not had an issue with any of them.
The RV Industry is rife with marketing BS in brochures and on websites. Azdel, Amish Craftsmanship, etc. Terms like "no short cuts are taken" and "glued and screwed wood cabinetry" where the wood is only the doors or drawer fronts, the cabinets panels and stiles/rails themselves are fiberboard wrapped in contact paper.
The best is on the back of Forest River Brochures......
That would lead one to believe all units go through this place by how its conveniently worded. That could not be further from the truth. That facility may see 1 out of every 200 units produced.......maybe.
They tout 8 million sq ft of manufacturing space and devote 20000 sq ft to "quality assurance". What is that as a percentage? 0.25% LOL
