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Old 08-11-2016, 01:02 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by klthomascpa View Post
Just purchased a BF 25R21RB. Inside is perfect. Exterior is somewhat of a mess. Half of the graphics have been removed and the other half are in bad shape so I am removing them. Gelcoat is mostly Ok but there is some ghosting where the decals were.

So starting with a blank canvas, I am looking for opinions on new graphics. When I'm done I am planning to do the zep finish.

I know keeping it original is preferred but I hate swooshes. I would like to keep it very simple (even retro) with some stripes but am open to ideas. I would even consider painting it or at least the bottom portion.

I am currently thinking of just getting maybe two rolls of vinyl striping in two colors. Maybe a 2" stripe and a 1" stripe and just wrap the trailer right above the belly band. Any thoughts on design or colors would be appreciated!

Thank you for the info!
I too am interested in refinishing my 25rq with Zep.

Have a couple of questions for you (and others) if I may:

1) will the Zep help to cover up the ghosting of the decals? If not, do you know a way to minimize or remove the ghosting all together?

2) do you know whether applying Zep will yellow the finish with age and sun?

Please keep us informed as to your success!
Thank you.
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Old 08-11-2016, 01:30 PM   #22
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Name: Ken
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I have read that it makes the ghosting less apparent. But I will let you know. I hope to do it in a week or so. I have some pretty serious ghosting and I will report the results back.
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Old 08-14-2016, 11:32 AM   #23
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Name: jack
Trailer: Bigfoot
Arizona
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I prefer the clean look for the most part. My 2014 Bigfoot 17.5 was festooned with seven running Bigfoot logos, five Bigfoot names in several sizes, and enough swoopy curves to make a large fiver proud. I removed all swoops and the rest except for the name and logo on the tire cover. On the window gravel guard in front I removed the largest of the name and logo graphics and had an image installed, actually an image of the Veil Nebula from the Hubble Space Telescope. It's very pretty in the rear view driving down the road.

I'm with Donna: make it your own.
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Old 08-14-2016, 12:10 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by klthomascpa View Post
I have read that it makes the ghosting less apparent. But I will let you know. I hope to do it in a week or so. I have some pretty serious ghosting and I will report the results back.
Zip will not hide ghosting.

Your best best is to try and polish out the ghosting using a specifically designed to remove the oxidizing caused by the sun due to lack of a protective wax on the trailer, it will also remove some of the discolouration on the trailer. The newer the trailer i.e. less than 15 years of age the more successful you will be at bringing the trailer back to its original shine.

If you go that route as many have then you may as well just use a good wax every year on your trailer once you have it all nicely polished up and shiny again.
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Old 08-14-2016, 08:27 PM   #25
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To make ghosting less apparent using the 3M system is the sanding step generally helpful or is compounding itself enough?
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Old 08-14-2016, 09:24 PM   #26
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Originally Posted by klthomascpa View Post
To make ghosting less apparent using the 3M system is the sanding step generally helpful or is compounding itself enough?
It all depends on how bad it is.

It is always best to try using the less aggressive compound you can to do the job. The more aggressive the compound and if you sand the more gelcoat you risk removing. And the gelcoat is not all that thick.
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Old 08-15-2016, 05:27 AM   #27
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Very interesting discussion! We have the same issue with our Silver Cloud. The stickers are faded or missing and the rock guard is worn through. We so love this new-to-us camper (We fit our son, his wife, and their 2 kids in it Friday night! What a change from the Uhaul!), that I hate that she looks like a sad, old dowager in campgrounds.
This weekend we are not taking her anywhere, so on tap is scrubbing the exterior and trying to shine her up a bit. Kevin does not yet want to put on Zep. What recommendations might you give?

CindyL
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Old 08-15-2016, 06:03 AM   #28
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To remove ghost decals on the glass fiber, here is the simplest method, a member advised me to use.
I found the same procedure on the following website, "Cruisers Forum"
I made a capture of the info:
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Old 08-15-2016, 06:55 PM   #29
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Name: Ken
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I appreciate all of the great advice. And Tidewater, I really like the white trailer with limited graphics. The pic on the gravel guard is awesome!
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Old 08-19-2016, 11:33 PM   #30
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In a former life I did color and graphics for a major powersports manufacture.

I loath the last 20 years or so of RV graphics, the swoops, waves
Then at least in the case of our big foot are applied with medium quality vinyl that doesn't even match when it comes to seams.

So, heres the rub
If you change the style too much you run into the old more simple single or double stripe design, that lasted for something like 40 years of RV.

Your best bet.
Start hitting up the interwebs and start building a collection of graphic treatments you like, there's a lot of web based sources you can use to hold this information places pinterest and tumblr and flickr

Dont limit yourself to just RV's look at boats, look at advertising, look at city buses (don't laugh some of them have decent graphic stripes, it's just the colors suck) Also fire apparatus often have cool graphic shapes that are more traditional then the swoopy curvy stuff, without look too retro.

The big thing(you will see what I did there in just a second)
Is that you are trying to break up the massive amount of space the side of the camper is, so stuff that runs horizontal often looks better then graphics that are more vertical, graphics heavy in the center make the overall mass of the camper look smaller.

After a little bit you will start to see what you like. then that needs to be translated into 3D.
Printing out a photo of your camper and using tracing paper and colored markers is a quick way to see what a color and pattern will look like.

Keep in mind that the sides of a bigfoot are not as straight as you might think and that longer runs of straight graphics get hare to look good the longer they are.

There are thousands of color available in pre-colored vinyl
Just make sure you get some that is rated for long outdoor UV exposure.
Like at least 5 if not 10 year stuff.
I like 3M Scotchcal brand products, but they are expensive.

Another option is a wrap, you can even have them wrapped in a solid color, including white and colored metallics.

For me personally, I like the running bigfoot graphic, but he needs a little tune up and a little modernization. and I don't mind the 2000 vintage sunset over waves our camper has. It also needs a tune up, the design is very much stuck in the 80s and 90s. But that stretched clotted blood red and rose silver swoosh not so much.

I really dig the totally functional look of all white rigs, especially when trimmed out with black, tinted windows and dark anodized aluminum trim

I tend to like more classic graphics solid straight stripes and metallic neutral silvers, whites or maybe some retro colors like you would see on stock pick-up from the 1950-1970's
I will most likely use some Scotchlite, (like Scotchcal it's made by 3M but it's reflective) to do something kind of fun.

Good luck and take some photos when you finish it, I'd love to see what you ended up with.
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Old 08-28-2016, 05:34 PM   #31
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Trailer: Bigfoot
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I bought a 2008 25B21RB 30th Anniversary Edition that has the gold paint around the bottom and about as many swishy decals as could be fit on the trailer! The previous owner only used the trailer for 13 days, but he parked it out in the Colorado sun so the gelcoat was a bit chalky and many of the decals had cracked. Vinyl decals are crap! On the other hand, the painted bottom still looked like new. I guess that's why high end motorhomes have painted rather than vinyl graphics. I laboriously removed many of the old decals, which left some ghosting and machine compounded the whole trailer with 3M Imperial; then waxed with 3M paste wax. The ghosting still showed up clearly in the right light and some of the brown color from the old decals bled through to the gelcoat. So this morning I tried to bleach it out with muriatic acid which didn't work. Then I wet sanded the gelcoat with first 1,000 grit and then 2,000 grit wet/dry paper; then polished again; then waxed and it looks perfect. I know several folks who have had the cursed vinyl decals removed and painted on in Mexico border towns for a fairly reasonable price if you want a first class job. My experience was that the decals that were not too faded came off a lot easier than the cracked and faded ones, so I'd recommend removing them before they start to deteriorate.
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Old 08-28-2016, 07:35 PM   #32
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I realize you have more space to deal with but it doesn't take much to change it up.
These graphics have been on the trailer since 2004, have been across Canada and up and down the west coast several times, still look great.
Most sign shops can print about anything on vinyl 5 or so feet wide by as long as you want.
Fred
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Old 09-02-2016, 02:33 PM   #33
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Name: Tom
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FRED SMAILES View Post
I realize you have more space to deal with but it doesn't take much to change it up.
These graphics have been on the trailer since 2004, have been across Canada and up and down the west coast several times, still look great.
Most sign shops can print about anything on vinyl 5 or so feet wide by as long as you want.
Fred
Looking good! will be checking out my local sign shop after I get my 5th wheel trailer all polished up- looking at keeping it simple with some "camper stripes" at the belt line. Would be cool if I could get the Bigfoot logo cut out of the solid color stripe, kinda like stock for '88, but in a more modern (read, not brown or tan) color.
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