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Old 09-26-2013, 06:26 PM   #1
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fiberglass floor?

What trailers have gel coated or true fiberglass floors not just resin plywood ?

Lil snoozy is all fiberglass Is the egg full fiberglass floor also

Scamp is plywood floor with resin or paint ? not sure can someone tell me the different ones that have full fiberglass floors .Im trying to narrow my search If money was no object I like the Escape 5er but need a truck and lots of $ so 16-17ft , queen bed ,place to eat watch tv or read so here are the ones I've considered .

Parkliner ? Scamp? Casita? Burro ? Escape? egg?

Ive owned fiberglass boats that had wood floors lots of problems I want this to be my first and last trailer so which one ?? Jim
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Old 09-26-2013, 06:34 PM   #2
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Jim, my 1988 16' Scamp has a wood floor. There is NO problem with it, but I also maintain my trailer. When it comes to an all molded towable, it's all about maintenance IMHO rather than a particular type of build, when it comes to floors or rivets, etc.

However, I'm sure someone has that answer for you!
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Old 09-26-2013, 06:48 PM   #3
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wood floors

The problem here in florida is the 6 months of continuous humidity and rain think of monsoon weather . they will rot any wood products taking care is really not the issue . I really was sold on the 19 scamp at first but then I see its wood floor ? Please educate me i'm new to this . If I lived up north I would own the 19 scamp or escape 5er . Jim
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Old 09-26-2013, 07:22 PM   #4
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Well I have had a bunch of these trailers both with Fiberglass and Wooden bottoms.
I think there may be advantages to each.

The thought of exposed wood seems an obvious issue at first but I never had any issue with a trailer with wood floors.
Scamp sprays the fiberglass epoxy resin on the plywood that is the floor so while it you see the wood you might not realize they take precautions to safeguard it from the elements.

The fiberglassed floor is somewhat stealthy in that it can and will hold water and you may not realize it at first?
I have had 2 different Trilliums with enclosed fiberglass belly and fiberglass floor in the camper too that both had water in between the glass eating the wood for a while. It was so bad that I drilled weep holes in the low corners and just let the water drain for a long while.

I sort of think I would prefer to know if water is in there and not find out down the road.

What Donna refers to as maintenance is arguably easier to diagnose and enact on a wood floor than a fiberglass one but that is the question,isn't it?

I tend to agree with her(in general!) that it is a maintenance issue.

Ed
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Old 09-26-2013, 07:37 PM   #5
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Last I read Oliver and snooz have the composite no wood floor in a new trailer. Don't know about all the used ones out there. Are you looking new or used? Someone mentioned scamps exposed floor can air out and dry, thought that was a good point. I thought I read a factory tour report that they saw scamp wood flooring soaking in a tub of resin
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Old 09-26-2013, 08:08 PM   #6
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ParkLiner is marine plywood coated with spar (marine) varnish.
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Old 09-26-2013, 08:34 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jennykatz View Post
The problem here in florida is the 6 months of continuous humidity and rain think of monsoon weather . they will rot any wood products taking care is really not the issue .
Well Jim, both myself and Donna live on the very wet coast - me more so as I am further north - so I know all about monsoon weather LOL about 9 months of the year of rain if we are lucky enough to have a dry summer

I also have a 21 year old scamp and the floor is just fine. Not a water mark on it. Even the underside is like new even though it has spent more time traveling on wet highways than dry ones. The most common problems seen on Scamps floors have been created from plumbing leaks on the inside that have been ignored. More often than not in the area of the freshwater tank.

So in the case of Scamps its not the wet weather or humidity that will rot the floor but the lack of care & maintenance. .
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Old 09-27-2013, 01:18 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian M. in NY View Post
ParkLiner is marine plywood coated with spar (marine) varnish.
And the floor can be removed without disasembling the trailer lol...so if in 20 years of poorly taking care of your trailer and you need to replace the floor it wouldnt be an agonizing job.
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Old 09-27-2013, 01:58 AM   #9
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And, having taken the rotted floor in a 40-year-old fiberglassed, bathtub bottom trailer, the bathtub part is as good at keeping water in as it is out. Our Surfside trailer's floor likely had problems because it had many places where it had been damaged and badly repaired and had holes drilled through the shell that were badly sealed. Water leaked in, then was prevented from running out by the bathtub bottom, so the old plywood just sat in water and rotted.

Meanwhile, our Scamp developed a leak last year in the fill line for our fresh water tank that allowed the top half of our water supply to slosh out while our trailer was being towed. It just ran out around the edges.

I am not convinced I did the right thing when I kept the bathtub bottom when we installed a new floor. Time will tell.
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Old 09-27-2013, 07:19 AM   #10
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I can't say that there have been an inordinate number of posts concerning floor damage in your area. For the most part, floor damage starts out as a leak at a hatch or a window that hasn't had it's routine maintenance work done.

As mentioned, there are a lot of FGRV's down your way and floor damage doesn't seem to be an issue.

My 40 y.o. Hunter still has it's original plywood floor intact.



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Old 09-27-2013, 07:32 AM   #11
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I was going to say that Trilliiums have a fibreglass floor, but there is still a layer of plywood. Between the fibreglass floor, inside the trailer, and the fibreglass bottom. It seems rare, but the plywood has been knowen to rot. Replacing it is very difficult, because it is sandwitched between two layers of fibreglass. If I needed to replace it, I think I would cut the bottom off the trailer, then glass it back on.
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Old 09-29-2013, 07:56 AM   #12
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fiberglass floor

Thanks for all the reply's So Scamp,Casita ,Parkliner all have a plywood floor (marine ply) So Lil snoozy has the composite floor Does the egg or any other fiberglass campers have a full fiberglass composite floor ? I'm familiar with plywood encased floors in boats . If not sealed properly or if holes were not sealed you could and will have problems down the road .
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Old 09-29-2013, 08:29 AM   #13
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I think there are other makes on the used market. But I don't know if you are looking new or used.
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Old 09-29-2013, 08:58 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by jennykatz View Post
Thanks for all the reply's So Scamp,Casita ,Parkliner all have a plywood floor (marine ply) So Lil snoozy has the composite floor Does the egg or any other fiberglass campers have a full fiberglass composite floor ? I'm familiar with plywood encased floors in boats . If not sealed properly or if holes were not sealed you could and will have problems down the road .
I think you need to reread the comments maybe?

Casita has Fiberglass,Scamp is plywood soaked with fiberglass resin,etc.

The Trills have a sandwich of glass,wood,glass as do a few others.
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Old 09-29-2013, 09:35 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jennykatz View Post
Thanks for all the reply's So Scamp,Casita ,Parkliner all have a plywood floor (marine ply) So Lil snoozy has the composite floor Does the egg or any other fiberglass campers have a full fiberglass composite floor ? I'm familiar with plywood encased floors in boats . If not sealed properly or if holes were not sealed you could and will have problems down the road .
Casita has a molded bottom. Scamp has resined oriented strand board (OS.
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Old 09-29-2013, 10:16 AM   #16
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casita

So Casita has the gel coated or fiberglass composite floor ? I like the casita but limited headroom and a/c on roof .Research is the fun part this will be a good winter research project . hopefully We can get to see a few more trailers and make up our minds by spring time to get out of florida next summer . Jim
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Old 09-29-2013, 10:24 AM   #17
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Casita has a full fiberglass tubbed bottom with the floor inside. Scamp is resin coated and exposed at the bottom. I haven't read about any brand of trailer, except brand new builds, that there hasn't been someone that needed to replace a floor. Some builds are just easier than others.
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Old 09-29-2013, 11:22 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by jennykatz View Post
So Casita has the gel coated or fiberglass composite floor ? I like the casita but limited headroom and a/c on roof .Research is the fun part this will be a good winter research project . hopefully We can get to see a few more trailers and make up our minds by spring time to get out of florida next summer . Jim
The 16' Casita has low headroom but the 17' has over 6'

The differences can be subtle but there are even differences in the same line.

Also Floyd is correct, the Scamp uses OSB and not plywood as the floor.

Not really sure if that is a plus or not but I bet it is just cheaper to make?
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Old 09-29-2013, 11:35 AM   #19
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You are really going to limit your choices in FGRV's with this floor issue. If it's that important to you, so be it, but in 1000's of posts over the years it is a non-starter on lists of real issues.



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Old 10-30-2013, 09:23 AM   #20
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Yes, casita is wood subfloor. Photos of it are in the acrhive.

There is now a third company, Nest, if you are talking a new purchase with a non wood composite subfloor.
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