Fiberglass Class Cs?

[Bster13]

My research has been almost exclusively about fiberglass (egg) travel trailers. I'm adamant with my SO that we purchased a fiberglass RV of some sort due to long term longevity of them vs. stick built RVs (Living Stingy: The RV Industry's Dirty Litle Secret: Quality).

But... we've never RVed before and we're not quite sure what we will prefer while fulltiming (truck and trailer vs. class C most likely), and to be honest, the interior space of a class C and price point is appealing.

So since I haven't come across much info on it yet, I'll ask...are there modern, fiberglass class Cs out there? Are they fiberglass all the way through (wood bad! )? Or are they just a fiberglass cap on the entire roof (that could be decent) or partial fiberglass on the overhanging cab (not as enthused)? Seems like if you prevent water intruding from the top, you ~may~ just be fine with the walls being stick built?

[David B.]

Hi Bryce. I don't know of any MODERN all molded fiberglass class C's out there, but that is not my focus. If you think of any type of camping unit as a bubble, and as it travels down the road it undulates under all the external stressors. Since the bubble has no seams (usually the only seam such as in a belly band is glassed together) there isn't any leaks. Now think of a bubble made up of many steam such as in a partially molded fiberglass or full sticky, and as they undulate down the road the glues, screws, sealants start letting lose and water will find those areas and the damage starts. It has been experienced here by others, when you are not sure which way to go (type of camping unit), just purchase a very good used all molded fiberglass trailer so if you find that it is not a good fit, you can always sell it for what you have invested, but it will not work out for you that way if you start with a sticky and change your mind, as you rarely get your money back. Best of luck with your decision.
Dave & Paula

[Donna D.]

Prior to the bankruptcy, Bigfoot made the Born Free class C (all molded). Still some out there on the used market. Don't know if Bigfoot will ever start up production again of this RV.

[Jack L]

Bigfoot made some pretty nice motor homes but stopped when the new owners took over. They were NOT molded 2 piece units like the trailers, campers and 5th wheels. They were made from panels over a framework (aluminum ??) and quality was considered better than average. Bigfoot also made a few trailers using the same construction of panels over a framework. They were called Columbia River models. A few years ago I saw a Craigslist ad for a Bigfoot trailer at a very low price. It was a "Columbia River" unit and the ad said "water damage repaired " , of course molded units could leak to, but it was listed on Craigslist for months before being sold.

I would like a molded fiberglass motor home too but that may never happen. I would consider a Bigfoot even though it is not molded and I've also researched Born Free, which are fiberglass and have a very good reputation, but not exactly molded construction. The motor home I find most appealing is a Lazy Daze and it's not even fiberglass. I do not want slide out's. Most likely if I do go the motor home route it will be the Lazy Daze.

Born Free is probably the closest to a molded 2 piece FGRV, but not exactly. Good luck in your search.

[Donna D.]

I better go get Roger, he owns a Born Free....

[Bster13]

yes, slide outs are "out." Didn't even think I had to mention that, haha.

I'll research Born Free and Lazy Daze and try to find out what makes them less prone to leak vs. others. Thanks!

[Roger H]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I better go get Roger, he owns a Born Free....

Hi Donna! Thanks for inviting me to this thread. I'm actually on my second Born Free moho now. The only full-molded fiberglass moho I'm aware of are the Chinook B+ coaches. All the rest that use fiberglass have seamed panels.

Having had Airstreams for twenty years, and then a dozen various molded fiberglass trailers (including two Bigfoot trailers, a 17' and a 25') for a dozen years, and now motorhomes, I can tell you that the leak issue is over-stressed for seamed fiberglass units, and under-stressed for fiberglass trailers. Modern sealants (and seams) are not what we saw in the '70s and '80s. There are '70s Born Free units still coming onto the market today and other than the groovy orange, green and yellow shag carpet interiors, they're as sound as they were when they left the factory. I recently saw a classified ad for a '76 Born Free and it looked pretty amazing.

Lazy Daze is Born Free's chief competitor in class C coaches. Their quality is comparable. I like Born Free's styling much better, honestly, and Born Free's engineering has progressed by leaps and bounds since I bought my first '01 coach in '07. I now have an '06 32' rear queen model on the Chevy Kodiak chassis.

This Born Free will likely be the last RV I buy. While it's not perfect (I've never found the 'perfect' trailer/moho) it's close enough that after nearly 35 years, I don't have a need to look for anything else. The quality, fit, and finish of Born Free coaches are on-par with Class A mohos in the $750k to $1mil range. What has really sold me on them, though is the factory. They're a low-production number family-owned and operated (until this past year) business. You can call the factory and talk to the service manager Kim Olson who has, at his fingertips photos and the entire line sheet on your coach. Kim knows his Born Free customers by name. I've called him from Denver, CO while I was on the road with a service question, and he called back within 10 minutes with answers. Just try to get that kind of service from any other manufacturer!

A coach is a collection of after-market parts built on a chassis supplied by an auto/truck manufacturer. The only thing that the coach manufacturer can call their own is the box and the way the box is assembled. Born Free has never had a fatality in one of their coaches. Each coach has three roll bars built into the box, and all of the cabinetry is real wood and is built from scratch in their own cabinet shop. Everything else is sourced from top-quality suppliers, but are readily available after-market as well.

I'm well satisfied with my Born Free, and I don't know too many Born Free owners who aren't satisfied with theirs.

So, there you go!

Roger

[Donna D.]

Learn something new every day. So... the Born Free image below is not all molded, sure looks like it.

[Beeser]

Coach House motorhomes are molded fiberglass. They even take it a few steps further with one piece inner and outer shells. There is no belly band. The quality is exceptional and so is the price. Most are fully painted on the outside and the finish is very attractive. If I buy another RV this is what I'll most likely get.

[Bster13]

And to contradict, this post states Born Free ~are~ fully molded (but the post is from 1998).

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rec....g/nDGmnQXxYlUJ

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Learn something new every day. So... the Born Free image below is not all molded, sure looks like it.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Bster13

And to contradict, this post states Born Free ~are~ fully molded (but the post is from 1998).

I don't see that... " One is that the Born Free is an all fiberglass outside "

which is different than all-molded.

[Bster13]

Ah, thank you for the clarification.

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I don't see that... " One is that the Born Free is an all fiberglass outside "

which is different than all-molded.

[Jack L]

Was there ever any relationship between Bigfoot and Born Free ?? I thought they were competitors ? Born Free in Iowa and Bigfoot in BC.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Jack L

Was there ever any relationship between Bigfoot and Born Free ?? I thought they were competitors ? Born Free in Iowa and Bigfoot in BC.

Oh man see why I should never get involve in motorhome discussions. Let's talk all-molded-towables

[Roger H]

Born Free mohos are not, and never have been fully molded fiberglass. They do, however use molded front and rear caps, and all of the side panels are fiberglass over a wood frame with insulation. I was leery of the framing initially, until I found out that the reason they continue to use framing is because it's readily repairable from accident damage, and the coach can be reconstructed as-new. The roof is a single piece of molded fiberglass with about a 2" overlap on the sides. The only roof seams are at the fiberglass nose and rear caps. In the old days of 'stickies' the roof was seamed on the sides as well, and that's where most leaks occurred.

Born Free is on their third exterior design since the 1990s. There was a new sleeker exterior introduced in 2008 (the one posted here) and another yet newer design introduced with the current models in 2014, but they're all still recognizable as Born Free.

Born Free and Bigfoot are, were in fact, competitors before Bigfoot closed in 2008. They have no business relationship at all. Born Free is located in Humboldt, IA. Chinook went out of business and has re-opened in Las Vegas building Class B-vans on the Sprinter chassis.

Coach House in FL, AFAIK only build the smaller B-van and B+ motorhomes rather than true class C coaches. While Born Free does compete in the B+ market with the 20-22' Built for Two (now called the Jewell) most of their models don't overlap the Coach House offerings.

I could be wrong, but I don't believe that there is anyone still building a fully molded-fiberglass motorhome any longer.

[Roger H]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Oh man see why I should never get involve in motorhome discussions. Let's talk all-molded-towables

Born Free did make one or two prototype 21' travel trailers based on the 26' rear side bed motorhome layout...

[Cathy P.]

The Coach House shell is about the best design I have seen:

Luxury Motorhomes - Fuel Efficient Downsized Class C (Class B-Plus) RVs - One-Piece Shell

Any unit not maintained properly will leak where ever their is an opening, vents, rivets, windows, etc. Also, toilets, water heaters and sink can cause water damage inside when they fail.

[Roger H]

Originally Posted by Cathy P.

The Coach House shell is about the best design I have seen:

Luxury Motorhomes - Fuel Efficient Downsized Class C (Class B-Plus) RVs - One-Piece Shell

Any unit not maintained properly will leak where ever their is an opening, vents, rivets, windows, etc. Also, toilets, water heaters and sink can cause water damage inside when they fail.

From the Coach House writeup:

Most RV bodies consist of many pieces joined together, and where they are joined represents a potential for failure. Our one-piece shell is stronger, more durable, quieter and safer than multi-piece designs, and its aerodynamic shape improves fuel efficiency.

And of course, this is the issue that surfaces over and over. As you said, the fact is that all RVs have through-hulls in the roof for tank and appliance venting as well as the A/C unit, and other vents, and that without proper maintenance those are the primary failure points; typically not the seams of the roofing or side body materials. But it's a great sales point that folks gobble up... The first Born Free I had did in fact have a roof leak... it was where the aftermarket solar panel wiring was led through the roof. None of the factory through-hulls ever leaked. The Super C Born Free I have now had a roof leak when I bought it; I suspect that it was from a fastener along the trim that they put over the roof-to-nose-cap joint. Some surface cleaning and self-leveling sealant took care of it nicely.

Leaks of the type I've had, I've also had in molded fiberglass trailers. I woke up to a steady cascade of water falling on me in bed in one of my Scamp trailers one night. I isolated the leak to something going on with the escape hatch/vent and put a plastic grocery bag over the flange which stopped 99% of the leak for the rest of the night. The next day, I was able to look on the roof, and nearly all of the silicone sealant the factory had used over the mounting screws on the vent was loose and/or missing. So I cleaned them all off and re-sealed them... good as new.

My point is that my experience kind of dispels that "one piece molded fiberglass no-leak" mantra that we hear so often.

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by Beeser

Coach House motorhomes are molded fiberglass. They even take it a few steps further with one piece inner and outer shells. There is no belly band.

Sounds tricky - physically putting a one-piece inner shell inside a one-piece outer shell. Kind of like putting a ship inside a bottle, but they assemble the ship one stick at a time. So I wonder how Coach House does it with whole pieces (no seams)....

[Cathy P.]

I always encourage shoppers to try to see something used to see how a unit holds up. It is fairly easy to tell the difference between stuff that is due to poor materials/workmanship versus abuse.

We have had enough rvs now that I can do a walk-around and show someone the areas that will leak. The newer lower end ones are just

Bornfree has an excellent reputation as does Lazy Daze.

If something like a molded fiberglass truck camper would work, Bigfoot makes some nice ones: Truck Campers - Bigfoot RV - Truck Campers & Travel Trailers - Recreational Vehicle Manufacturer as does Northern Light: Camper Construction | Fiberglas Clam Shell Design and Innovation I saw a Northern Light from the outside in a campground and was very impressed!