Fiberglass Repair

[Linn Rudman]

Wondering what happens when a fiberglass camper has been in a wreck with moderate or more damage. When people purchase campers that have been in wrecks & fix them up, how can a new buyer find out if there is further (unknown) damage? It would seem to me that if one was smacked hard from the rear, that cracks would develop throughout the camper. Would there be any way to tell? Thanks...…….

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Linn Rudman

Wondering what happens when a fiberglass camper has been in a wreck with moderate or more damage. When people purchase campers that have been in wrecks & fix them up, how can a new buyer find out if there is further (unknown) damage? It would seem to me that if one was smacked hard from the rear, that cracks would develop throughout the camper. Would there be any way to tell? Thanks...…….

My trailer was hit a couple years ago with another trainer that had steps out. It ripped the fiberglass just behind the passenger side wheel. I took it to a boat repair shop. They did a great job at a very reasonable price.

[FRED SMAILES]

My experience has been that the damage is fairly local to the impact.
There have been several rebuild of wrecks documented here on the forum and I'm sure they will pop in when they see the thread.
Fred

[Dan-NS27]

Originally Posted by Linn Rudman

how can a new buyer find out if there is further (unknown) damage?

Would there be any way to tell? Thanks...…….

One way to tell if there's been damage is to see if there's fiberglass patches where the resin used cured with a different color than the rest around it.

If you're looking at fiberglass, sometimes a bright light behind it will show cracks through a structure. If not repaired, that could show areas where a little extra strength could be used but not the end of the world. I've at least heard of the light method used on old boats, but I think they were not painted (bare glass on both sides).

Fiberglass repairs, when done right can be just as strong as the original structure.