Different TT construction

westend wrote:
J Barca,
Good stuff and organized in the writing, as per usual! I agree with every talking point you made. I like theoldwizard1's take on roofing, too. The cost of an inverted boat hull may be a sticking point, I haven't done the math.

FWIW, I have a seamed aluminum roof that was coated along it's life with a fairly durable coating. Don't know what the coating is but I spent many a happy minute removing it along the seams and through holes to install Eternabond tapes. My overall observation about the aluminum roof is that, if the proper sealants would have been installed in 1971, the trailer would have remained intact and no "water infection" would have taken place.

Again, I haven't done the cost analysis of aluminum vs fiberglass vs EPDM but with the rising price of rubber and oil, metal may be the better choice, assuming fiberglass would be the most expensive. I could envision a single sheet aluminum roof with CNC manipulated cutouts, a designed wall flange, and a durable attachment system to excel. The single sheet could be hoisted onto the roof frame and may be less labor than the convention of EPDM over sheet goods.

Also, there may be a time when liquid coatings outperform anything else. I know the folks with the Roof Armor upgrade swear by them and durability seems to be good.

Hi Westend,

Thanks for the good words. Much appreciated. Our 14 year old camper has EPDM and by E bonding all seams and 303 UV protectant, I'm good for several years before a rubber coating is needed. Keeping the UV in check is a bigger part of the roof longevity then I ever thought.

I just helped a neighbor with his year 2000 Coachmen TT. It had an all one piece aluminum roof. The actual aluminum was in perfect shape for a 17 year old camper and I could tell, there was no maintenance done to it. It even had the original year 2000 tires on it... He bought this camper used 3 years ago. The caulking was totally shot. But the roof membrane was outstanding. This is a very good roofing material but it had the same downfall of the EPDM roofs, the joints and caulking. We will be E bonding all joints come spring. For this winter, we peeled up all the old caulk and put new Dicor on. Next spring the E bond will come.

I agree, the aluminum is a good option. Better than the EPDM as it needs work to keep it OK, the aluminum much less.

I think EPDM took over from the all one piece aluminum due to labor cost and maybe some material cost at the time. I could tell this roof was hand done on the edge bends and hole cut outs. Now a days, yes with all this CNC cutting available they can create a one shot deal whole roof.