Oh, oh...delamination?

[Flapper]

Dropped the fifth off at the dealer for storage, and along with the list of other usual maintenance items, I asked him to look at the outside left wall. I had noticed what looked like the outline of the vertical framing bumping out from the fiberglass skin. Runs from the bottom of the side, all the way to the roof. Did not appear to be a bubble, and was not any softer than other areas. On closer look, we noted that the shorter vertical frame members from the top of the slide opening to the roof were also visible. His quick guess was "delamination due to water". Oh my....
They're going over it to first determine if/how water may have gotten in, and what may be going on. Mind, I depend on them to do roof inspections, and it has never had an issue, and the last inspection was just before our last trip a little over a month ago.
If it is delamination, I'm afraid it may mean taking the whole side off the fifth for the repair. Ouch!
Anyone have tales to tell about something similar, and cost? Trying to steel myself for the worst case! If it is bad, while I really trust my dealer, does Jayco directly do these kind of repairs? While it would be a multi day trip, and maybe even a return trip, it might be worth it to have it factory done, if it would save $$.
And yes, we are a couple of years out of warranty......

[Cosmik Debris]

The walls have some framework vacuum sealed inside of them. It may be that you can make out the locations when looking at it just right. I had some delam on my back wall and it was a fist sized bubble that was slightly spongy and grew and shrunk with heat and cooling.

[DocBrown]

I noticed on both my old trailer and current one that at certain angles of light you can see some of the "ribs" in the walls. I also noticed that it's more noticeable as it gets older. It's not delamination. Delamination is a complete separation of the fiberglass from the "sandwich" of the wall. So long as it doesn't flex when pressed on I'm not sure I'd worry about it.

[bankr63]

If you suspect a leak, I would get it pressure leak tested (look up SealTech). It is a much more reliable way of locating small leaks than visual inspection. If your dealer doesn't do it, the manufacturer has a locator on their site. My local shop charges $8 per linear foot of trailer for testing, and I can rest easy knowing that the shell is watertight.


If the shell is tight, then it is probably just "shadows". If it is water caused delamination, at least you will know where it was coming in and exactly where to focus a repair on. The site of the leak can often be several feet away from where the damage first appears, so it is good to know.