Joe417 wrote:
I've been interested in both the NL 10-2 and BF 10.4, so are you saying that the structure of the fiberglass does not support itself? It requires being bonded to the polystyrene and interior paneling to support the structure of the camper?
I understand how strong stress skin panels are. I've worked on a few. I had a Palomino 8801 that was made that way. Very strong, but the glass was only 1/16" thick and it had an aluminum frame around the edge of each panel.
I thought that both BF and NL were made like a boat, which has a few frames and the transom glassed into the hull but most of the strength in the thickness of the molded fiberglass which is a factor of only fiberglass lamination.
Long post.... sorry
Before you discount either brand there are a few things to consider. First I have a NL and I love it, I looked at buying a BF when I was in the market and would have but found the fit and finish inside of the used BF units that I looked at horrible compared to NL (this was a number of years ago). Both shell builds were similar in overall structure, they may have changed more recently, but the idea is strong and so is the product from years ago till today. I have also sold, or helped people buy, over a dozen NL's over the years telling people what to look for, what to stay away from and so on. Of all those people I have not heard back from one with problems, not saying that problems do not happen, but so far fortunately no one that I helped has had an issue. Likewise I know of many people with BF's that have units and love them with no issues.
So why the issues that we hear about? Well I am sure that both NL and BF would love it if all units were 100% and never had an issue but I think it is a simple fact that people are building the units and sometimes things such as glue, temperature or pressure varies and can cause an issue down the line. I also think at times that we, as the end users, really push these units and that is when they show problems. Not that we should not push them but imagine what would happen to trailers or Class A,B & C's if they were taken in even a few of the easier places that we take our campers. My NL for instance has a number of battle scars from trees, rocks, a cargo trailer and pot holes that would probably destroy other RV's. Doing this will surely show any weaknesses and possibly also create weaknesses over time. Again it should not be an escape to play down a failure, but both of these situations (manufacture and use) can come in to play.
I hope that both manufacturers continue to work on improving their products, as they should if they expect to stay in business, but even with the products being produced today I feel that both NL and BF's are superior to many of the other TCers that are on the market and I would not hesitate to buy either one, new or used, and be happy with it. If you are buying a used unit do all you can to check it out for any structural issues (in addition to the regular Rv issues that you should check), load it on a truck - take it off the jacks and check for any issues. If you are buying new make sure that the warranty is activated so you are protected.
