Shadow Cruiser build quality

My take on any 5 year or older RV is that it's all about how well it has been maintained and how it has been stored (covered is much better).

Check and check again for any signs of leaks past or present...
Good luck with it.

I have a 2011 Shadow Cruiser 195WSB, like any "fiberglas" exterior RV, you must look for the dreaded DELAMINATION! If any present run way or reduce the price by at least $3,000!

I was just quoted a price about $3,000 less than I thought because of delamination, now I must keep it 'til the wheels fall off.

Thanks. What does delamination look like? We noticed that the front right (near the front driving light) has a bubble looking texture.

Delam is when the skin pulls away from the substrate which is 99% of the time Luan.

Pretty sure it's a wood framed unit but that isn't good or bad so long as there is no water intrusion.

Outer skins are vacuum bonded to the substrate using glue and delam happens when moisture gets between the outter skin and the substrate and it pulls away causing a bubble or wrinkle in the skin. It's usually indicative of a water intrusion issue and most all older units will have some water damage unless the owner really kept up on seal maintenance and kept the unit sheltered in the off season.

I keep mine (don't have a Shadow Cruiser) inside when I'm not using it, mine lives in one of my barns, under a roof, out of the elements. Only time mine comes out is when I'm going to use it.

If you keep them sheltered and keep up on seal maintenance (which is a twice yearly or more thing), they will last a long long time. If not, a used unit becomes a crapshoot.

I'd be looking hard for water issues around the area where you see the 'bubble'. You need to look at the floor line (where the wall transitions to the floor), inside cabinets in behind the drawers, under the bedding and in any cabinet that attaches to an outer wall, but especially around the 'bubble'.

You can use an IR thermometer to help you out. If there is water issues, there will be mold growing behind the wallboard (don't matter if the frame is wood or aluminum) and the mold creates heat so the IR can detect any heat difference between any wall. What I use and it works well.

Good luck with your quest but I'd be looking hard for hidden damage.

I do better with pictures....here is an example of delamination..
If you see any sign of this I'd stay away...lots of trailers for sale out there..

Thanks. It definitely looks like a bubble over an area of 20x10 inches near the front right driving light, so this appears to be delamination.

On the inside we did not find signs of water damage.

Reason enough not to purchase (as we are looking to buy a unit that will last us without major repairs)?

I don't know enough about delamination to have an opinion, but I have owned two Cruiser trailers -- a used T-139 and then a new X-139 . We loved both of them -- still have the X-139 and use it a LOT.

But Cruiser's build quality is probably no better than the industry average -- some folks have gotten lemons. For what it is worth, if this 2013 has lasted this long without serious problems, it is probably not a lemon.

jornvango wrote:
Thanks. It definitely looks like a bubble over an area of 20x10 inches near the front right driving light, so this appears to be delamination.

On the inside we did not find signs of water damage.

Reason enough not to purchase (as we are looking to buy a unit that will last us without major repairs)?

Unless water intrusion is real bad, you won't 'see' it by looking at the interior walls. It's behind the walls where it's not obvious. Why I explained how to look, because just looking at the interior walls from the interior without doing an in depth look, tells you nothing.

You'll be hard pressed to find an older, used unit with NO water damage today for sale. You have to decide what is an acceptable level of damage that you are comfortable with.
IOW, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. I borrowed that from another poster on here, not mine....