Fiberglass Jayflight Question

[DeeBee]

Can anyone that bought a fiberglass covered Jayflight instead of the aluminum tell me how it's working out for you? Is it worth the extra expense if you like fiberglass for easy cleaning? Appreciate any input.

[Camping Couple]

Ok I hate to say this but, there is a huge thread here about this subject. So, with that being said, I'll give you my opinion.

We have owned 3 Jayco travel trailers since 2007. The first 2 were the fiberglass walls. We did not have any problems with them at all. We just upgraded more often because we always wanted a little more room. With the fiberglass, you have to really pay attention to your roofing and window seals. If water is allowed to penetrate the fiberglass, you will have a delamination problem. This may or may not be covered during your warranty....usually it is. Outside of the warranty period, fixing a delamination problem could become quite expensive. Usually the whole wall has to be replaced. Yes it is easy to clean, less of a worry with small to moderate sized hail, but you have to really keep up on maintenance.

My sister and brother-in-law bought the first Jayco we had and have not done one lick of maintenance on it. Guess what....the front corner side wall is delaminating really bad. They got an estimate for replacing the wall....$2800. The trailer is a 2007.

The most recent Jayco we purchased, we decided to go the aluminum siding route. We are really happy with this TT and it's going to be around for awhile. A little more work to wash and wax, and more to worry about with small to moderate sized hail. The siding is a little less expensive to repair in that case. Just the affected aluminum panels have to be removed.

In my opinion, it's not worth the extra 2k....I think the option on ours was around $1800. There will be other responses and opinions to your question. Ultimately, you have to decide what is important to you.

Good luck!
Mark

[ctbailey]

I went with the fiberglass version of the 32BHDS. So far no problems. My previous camper also had the fiberglass walls - a 2004 by Forest River. That old camper to this day shows no delamination, and it's over 11 years old... and almost zero roof maintenance. I guess its a crap shoot.

[DeeBee]

Truly thanks so much for both of your replies and opinions. I have a 2007 Rockwood with fiberglass sides but I believe that is fiberglass over styrofoam with aluminum studs in the walls. With the Jay Flight, from what I understand, the fiberglass is just put over the wood studs. I was just wondering how the Jay Flights are holding up since they are made differently than what I have now. Love the layouts of the Jay Flights and we are used to fiberglass. I certainly love the cost of the aluminum sided. We are looking for a bigger trailer and it is hard to make a decision! Anybody else want to weigh in???

[fielro]

I have the fiberglass and no problems. BTW, welcome to the forum

[Lessmore]

The way I see it, you should routinely check and recalk your roof on any camper. Out last camper was aluminum and developed a leak on the back wall. It was from a 1/2in crack in the caulking that my husband didn't catch until it was too late. We went with the fiberglass for our new one. I think it looks better and you don't have to worry as much about your decals bubbling up and peeling.

[Husker Red]

For what it's worth, we had a 2007 Jayco hybrid that had delamination on the front tip out bed door and some on the back side. When we bought a new Jay Flight this year we went with the aluminum this time to avoid that potential problem. I do sorta miss the easier cleaning of the fiberglass, plus I think the fiberglass looks better/cleaner. It's a toss up.
The aluminum sides really creak when I'm leveling the trailer too. Not a big deal, just another difference.

[wags999]

I went with an aluminum when we purchased out TT new this spring. Having worked in campgrounds for a number of years, I see many many more issues with the Fiberglas ( not really fiberglass but a FRP fiberglass reinforced plastic) than with the aluminum sided rigs.. It's got to be 30 to 40 % of the FG rigs have some delamination issues.


Going through the plant and watching the panels being laminated, and having owned a cabinet shop where we also laid up panels in the same procedures used as at Jayco it scared the hell out of me. I bet the panels didn't have 50% adhesion to the metal studs.


Also know that different gauge FRP is used on different rigs...basically the more expensive the rig the thicker the FRP.


FRP Panels by Crane Composites link to the FRP panels many mfg use.

[clubhouse]

Simply for the fact Jayco has touted their "Vaccum Bonded" fiberglass sidewall process as superior to other methods, and that same vacuum bonded process isn't used on the JayFlight line would have made me pass since in Jayco's own admission its an inferior process.

Why would I pay a premium for an inferior product/process?

Luckily for us, 18 months ago when shopping for a trailer, we found exactly what we wanted on a local private party used sale. Couldn't pass up the saving over buying new so fiberglass vs aluminum was made for me.

[wags999]

Vacuum bonding is no biggie.. I did vacuum bonding of veneers all the time, because....you can't pinch roll easily a curved product. Vacuum bonding is nothing but placing the item to be bonded in a chamber, typically with a heavy vinyl sheet covering the item...apply the items to be bonded in the "chamber" in a mold of the shape your bonding..apply adhesive, then the part to be bonded and pump all the air out.. creating a vacuum...what applies pressure is the atmosphere...no air inside, air outside...hence bonding pressure.. depending on the type of adhesive time, humidity, temperature can all make a difference. Pinch rolling is just as it sounds, the flat panels are pressed or sometimes sent through a roller, much like a laundry wringer. This is done with veneers, laminate counters (not the counters Jayco uses which is not really laminate ie Formica)...and many other items. Both are good when done in a proper fashion...neither is better than the other...you can get more pressure using a pinch roller or a flat press...but, all ways will produce good results when done properly.

[Jmooney]

Two words: Hail damage

Owned aluminum, went to fiberglass, never goin back

[Chrislorl]

We received the fiberglass upgrade for free since they couldn't give us the model we agreed too. We love it but I will keep an eye open for these issues.

[wags999]

Originally Posted by Jmooney

Two words: Hail damage

Owned aluminum, went to fiberglass, never goin back

Hail damage on aluminum is easily repaired...and not nearly as costly.

Hail damage on fiberglass (FRP actually) is very expensive to repair, many times it will cause your whole unit to be totaled..

Aluminum is mechanically hung onto a wood substrate and wood studs. Fiberglass is glued to substrate and metal studs. Damage an area on fiberglass you most likely will need to replace the whole side / end panel. In Aluminum you can repair/replace individual sheets.

To each their own, both have plus's and minus's..

[Tommyboy57]

Love the fiberglass on my 2011 165. I think they are better insulated by design.
Stays cold inside when its hot out and warm when its cold outside. To me its like a big cooler.