Fiberglass or Aluminum Sided

[ont-tt]

Hi all sorry for the long thread, just curious about the two options, we purchased a '14 Jayflight 28BHBE last fall, yesterday was the inspection, final paperwork, drive away and enjoy moment we had been waiting for, but not the way it worked out, during the inspection we found a couple small dents, and a scratch in the siding and a large divot in the floor under the vinyl, looks like something large was dropped on the floor at the factory, so needless to say we decided not to take possession, being the dealer doesn't have a unit to replace it right now and not sure if they can get one exactly the same, if we have a chance to upgrade to fiberglass is it worth it, we expressed our disappointment and told the dealer we are not paying more now the dollar has gone up, and don't want to pay for an upgrade, it's not our fault they cant deliver what we already paid for, what are the true pros and cons in your opinion, over the long term, I was hoping that we were gonna have this one for quite a while.

[Crabman]

This has been widely discussed in the past. In the end it is a personal choice. Here are two recent threads on the subject

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=16665


http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/sh...luminum+siding

[Jmooney]

My.02

Fiberglass - lite weight
Durable ( from road rocks and hail )
Easy to clean and wax


I had an aluminum TT for 8 years and just went to a new FW - Fiberglass.

[carey965]

if you have the option i would say go with the aluminum, because in the jay flights they dont have the vacuumed bonded fibreglass like the eagles or the higher end ones do,

i say go with the aluminum, you must live in canada if your talking about the exchange rate, where abouts and what dealer did you deal with?

[ont-tt]

Yes Toronto, as for the dealer, I am going to see what they're going to do to fix the situation before I post how pleased or not I am with them, I had purchased a '12 28bhs from them, had some issues with it, and their service dept , but they corrected the issues and for that I chose to trade up with the same people, hopefully between them and Jayco I wont have to fight tooth and nail to get what I want.

Appreciate the replies will do some searching and reading later.

Happy Easter

Pete

[carey965]

well just so you know i work at a toronto area dealer, on the east end so if you have any questions shoot me an pm

[Bobx2]

I prefer the smooth sided look, but I have never based my purchase on that. I've owned two of each. I can say, if you ever have to do any body work, the aluminum sided will be much cheaper to repair. It can be replaced by the piece, much like siding on a house can be. It also will never delaminate, and will not discolor the way fiberglass can. Not sure one is really any better than the other, more just a matter of looks.

[wwsmith111]

Go with the fiberglass. It is much easier to maintain. I will never have another camper with aluminum!!! The aluminum stains with black streaks from the sealants used and it is really hard to get off plus it needs to be done several times a year. They make RV black stain remover but it doesn't work very well. The best thing we found was RV wax but this is a lot of work as well. The aluminum gets dents here and there that can't be removed. Why deal with all the problems with aluminum when none of this is a problem with fiberglass especially if it is gel-coated just like a boat. Gel-coat is the way to go.

[Parcany]

We have had aluminum siding for 5 years. We have seen more fiberglass problems than we have seen black streaks. Taking care of either one has to be done, washing, waxing. I could be wrong on this but I am under the notion that the aluminum siding was lighter that the fiberglass or gelcoat.

[Adk Camper]

Originally Posted by wwsmith111

The aluminum stains with black streaks from the sealants used and it is really hard to get off plus it needs to be done several times a year. The aluminum gets dents here and there that can't be removed.

Ok wwsmith, the fact is whether you have a aluminum or fiberglass sided trailer BOTH get black streaks and both need to be cleaned several times a year if you want a clean trailer.
Yes aluminum can get dents but fiberglass can delaminate and that can't be removed. So with that said it ultimate choice may result in a matter of preference.

[Imnaha.Mansion]

I have heard on some aluminum sided trailers making noise with temperature changes.

[WVDusty]

Originally Posted by Imnaha.Mansion

I have heard on some aluminum sided trailers making noise with temperature changes.

I have also heard this. But aluminum sided trailers is all i have ever had and have never had this happen.

[Daytripper]

Our last one was fiberglass and had many problems, current one is aluminum and no problems

[eldermike]

Owned 2 of each. Fiberglass is much eaiser to wax, it's flat. I have never had a siding problem with a TT in 30 plus years of owning them.

[ont-tt]

I appreciate all the input, as far a weight is concerned, both models are equal in weight as per the factory sticker 9250 lbs gvw so that wont really be the issue, I was told the fiberglass sided one was on an aluminum frame, and the tin one on a steel frame, and that would make up the difference I would imagine, as far as delamination, yes there would have to be a water leak, which could happen in both models, and both would need to be fixed, so leak prevention or preventative maintenance should be the key there, resale supposed to be better in the fiber, but I'm not looking to sell it anytime soon, so not really an issue either, I'm still kinda leaning towards the aluminum, I like the look of the panels having dimension to them, if that makes any sense.

[Daytripper]

Drive around a campground and visually inspect the campers with fiberglass, I'll bet you will see plenty with bubbles/ damage.

[clutch]

We just bought a small trailer for summertime use. To me it is the best of both worlds. Aluminum frame (coach) and aluminum siding. I don't mind waxing the uneven sides.

[wwsmith111]

The black streaks wipe right off the fiberglass but not aluminum. That is the difference. Fiberglass very rarely delaminates wear as aluminum gets plenty of dents and oxidizes badly. Show me a 7 years old aluminum TT vs. a 7 year old fiberglass unit and I'll take the fiberglass most of the time especially if it was gel-coated!

[Jmooney]

Do you live in hail territory?

[ont-tt]

No really alot of hail, cold snowy winters though.

We are going with the Alum sided, made a trip to the dealers for their Spring Open House today, the '14 28bhbe we didnt take possesion oflast week because of some factory damage, will be replaced with a new '15 28bhbe, BOOYA , I'm super impressed both the dealer and Jayco Rep. here for the weekend, stepped up and made things right, everything I had as well as a few extra things, because of the new packages they are using as option packages, we get upgraded faucet, extra vent and skylight, the supension has changed as well for the '15, all all no extra cost to us, because of the damages and inconveinance more or less, hope to have it delivered mid to late May.

Will have to get some pics up as soon as we get it, looking forward to the camping season even more now.