after talking with a dealer we have learned most new manufacturers are switching to a cheaper much less durable construction, not a metal frame but rather a Styrofoam like product, in walls floor AND ROOF! how, and where, can we go to find out what manufacturers are still designing with a metal box frame? we are thinking of traveling extensively for a year, and were told with the new design, there wouldn't be much left to pull home! he did have a 2000 carri-lite with a metal frame, are there others??

Foam coring in boats is almost as old as the Flintstones,never been styrofoam though,it melts in contact with any kind of two part resin.not uncommon of a salesman to get it wrong,he meant (I am guessing now) one of the multitudes of structural foams used in fibreglass 'cored' boats ,very light and very very strong.Not cheap and easy to mess-up (no voids permitted) done right long lasting strong product.Done wrong?google 'de lam ' on any marine forum.

Cedar Creek is one that uses aluminum framing.

Foam panel construction is nothing new and it doesn't replace the frame. The panels are installed on the frame. It does replace the studs. That has been one of the big selling points of the Trailmanor brand.

this was the long time owner, not just a salesman. he had an actual cross section cutout of a display showing this new not just PRODUCT, but rather INTEGRETY of construction. said he was totally disgusted w/ new cheaper models.............and yes it was instead of a metal frame. this product is used as the basis of the frame itself, everything is just glued to it. this guy has been in this business, in same town for like ever, and I would def trust he knows what he is talking about

I have a 35 year old boat ( McKee Craft that is filled with foam as is Boston Whaler and many others I'm sure that is as solid as the day it was made. 17 foot and I run a 140 HP Johnson. Must be pretty strong as it takes fiberglass about 20 years to cure for max strength. JMHO

alum frame vs. styrofoam? | Good Sam Community

hone_eagle
Explorer
May 03, 2014
Foam coring in boats is almost as old as the Flintstones,never been styrofoam though,it melts in contact with any kind of two part resin.
not uncommon of a salesman to get it wrong,he meant (I am guessing now) one of the multitudes of structural foams used in fibreglass 'cored' boats ,very light and very very strong.
Not cheap and easy to mess-up (no voids permitted) done right long lasting strong product.
Done wrong?
google 'de lam ' on any marine forum.
Ramblin_Recks
Explorer
May 03, 2014
Cedar Creek is one that uses aluminum framing.
agesilaus
Explorer III
May 03, 2014
Foam panel construction is nothing new and it doesn't replace the frame. The panels are installed on the frame. It does replace the studs. That has been one of the big selling points of the Trailmanor brand.
coon_creekers
Explorer
May 03, 2014
this was the long time owner, not just a salesman. he had an actual cross section cutout of a display showing this new not just PRODUCT, but rather INTEGRETY of construction. said he was totally disgusted w/ new cheaper models.............and yes it was instead of a metal frame. this product is used as the basis of the frame itself, everything is just glued to it. this guy has been in this business, in same town for like ever, and I would def trust he knows what he is talking about
Turbo_Diesel_Du
Explorer
May 03, 2014
I have a 35 year old boat ( McKee Craft that is filled with foam as is Boston Whaler and many others I'm sure that is as solid as the day it was made. 17 foot and I run a 140 HP Johnson. Must be pretty strong as it takes fiberglass about 20 years to cure for max strength. JMHO
jerem0621
Explorer II
May 03, 2014
I love wood construction in good ole sticks and Tin trailers. Jayco, Puma, Zinger, Artic Fox...etc etc.

However, the foam construction in the trailmanor is anything but cheap.

Thanks,

Jeremiah
BB_TX
Nomad
May 03, 2014
coon creekers wrote:
.........
, and were told with the new design, there wouldn't be much left to pull home! he did have a 2000 carri-lite with a metal frame, are there others??

I don't care how well known he is, that is typical salesman talk. I can just see trailers being towed down the road with no tops on them because they disintegrated and fell off. :Z

Be careful of any bad claims on brands that a salesman does not carry or does not want to sell.
B_O__Plenty
Explorer II
May 03, 2014
I would throw the B.S. flag on this one. Go on the various RV manufacturer websites and see how they're built. Almost every one has a metal or wood framework and rafters...Let me guess..The brand he sells has a framework also.

B.O.
goducks10
Explorer
May 03, 2014
Aren't Big Foot TT's made that way? As long as it's durable I don't care how it's made. IIRC Lance TT's have minimal framing and rely on the wall construction to part of the integrity. Just watch the Lance factory tour vid on YouTube and while you can see some studs in the wall, it looks like the majority of the wall is just block foam. Don't hear of any issues from their walls falling off. Times are a changing and new technologies will be hard for some to accept.
Allworth
Explorer II
May 03, 2014
You can tell when they are lying! Their mouths move.

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