Gel coat protection - Fiberglass RV
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Old 02-29-2008, 10:46 PM   #1
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I searched this site and web for ways to protect front of the trailer gel coat from flying rock or gravel and found just few themes regarding this topic.

1. Large mud flaps, heavy rubber http://www.mudflaps.com/ (Costco) or brush like http://www.towtector.com/ mounted on tow vehicle.

2. 3M clear film or http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Scotchgard-PPF/Home/ or http://www.clear-guard.com/semi_page.asp applied directly to gel coat.

3. Linoleum attached with Velcro.

4. Fabric or vinyl bras attached with Velcro.

5. Airstream is using stainless steel panels swinging on hinges for cleaning.



Hard gel coat on the fiberglass trailers is likely more prone to chips form road debris than laminated fiberglass or thin aluminum skin. I will be using Costco's $179 mud flaps but I am certain this will not be enough. On new and expensive trailer the first chip will be frustrating until diminishing annoyance with more chips. Then there is going to be time for frustrating and expensive repair of the pitted gel coat. If you have experience in protecting your eggshell from road gravel please share.

Thank you,

George.

If missed in my search this topic please help me find it.
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Old 02-29-2008, 11:44 PM   #2
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Last summer I bought these.
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Old 03-01-2008, 12:08 AM   #3
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On the Casita club a couple of years ago there was a thread where a fellow showed what he had done to the front lower half and under side of his egg. He was planning a trip to Alaska and was worried about the gravel roads doing significant damage to his new egg.

He had painted on something that looked like undercoating a couple of layers thick. Wasn't pretty, but didn't look awful either. You might be able to find it in a search there.

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Old 03-01-2008, 12:43 AM   #4
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Excellent topic George, as that was something I was thinking about today>

My choice may be:

1) custom lined material fastened with removable 3m velcro, coupled with our 'grass skirt' bar that is right below the truck bumper.
2) rubber skirt, but I was told they can actually drag up gravel when the road dips or travelling gravel roads, thus contributing to gel coat damage. The flaps that Byron referred to are available in Canada, but with a $95 shipping fee, thus about $315.
3) 3M type clear film. I stopped by a auto detail shop today and am awaiting the price
4) spray on protection like Dave referred to. The body shop quoted me about $300 and it is available in colours.

My preference will probably not be the sprayed product, as it is permanent and may detract from the appearance of the trailer.

For information, Bigfoot tapes this clear plastic film the front end - photo attached as how trailer arrived from bigfoot

Great timely topic George and looking for suggestions.

Thanks, Rick
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Old 03-01-2008, 07:43 AM   #5
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My solution http://www.boatersworld.com/product/376800546msk.htm
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Old 03-01-2008, 11:40 AM   #6
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The flaps that Byron referred to are available in Canada, but with a $95 shipping fee, thus about $315.
I bought Roack Tamers in Costco for $179, no shipping cost. Perhaps Costco Canada has them as well.
George.
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Old 03-01-2008, 12:51 PM   #7
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I didn't use any protection on my trip through BC, YT, NWT and AK. Got a number of gravel chips, but nothing my frugal self would have spent money to prevent.
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Old 03-01-2008, 01:27 PM   #8
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I didn't use any protection on my trip through BC, YT, NWT and AK. Got a number of gravel chips, but nothing my frugal self would have spent money to prevent.
I am almost with you Pete but not yet. Spending big money on the new trailer makes me hypersensitive regarding the new state of the trailer. A few years from now my penny-wise nature will likely takeover.



I researched clear film protection. VentureShield is considered to be a better film then 3M. This site has it for $9.99/ linear foot (8 mil thick, 24” wide) which would be about $100 for material; http://www.stickercity.com/store/home.php?cat=2228 VentureShield has also 15 mil thick film which could be an overkill for this application.

Installation seems simple on horizontal surface, on trailer’s vertical surface installation could be more difficult;
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Old 03-01-2008, 01:36 PM   #9
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I bought Roack Tamers in Costco for $179, no shipping cost. Perhaps Costco Canada has them as well.
George.
+++++++++++

Checked Costco website - US yes, Canada no.

I will see if I have the 1 inch clearance required and perhaps check at a few Costco stores in WA and OR as we are leaving in about 5 weeks. I will probably stop at WestMarine of Boat US for a gelcoat repair kit that Patrick suggested

Thanks
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Old 03-01-2008, 03:00 PM   #10
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I am almost with you Pete but not yet. Spending big money on the new trailer makes me hypersensitive regarding the new state of the trailer. A few years from now my penny-wise nature will likely takeover.
That's another reason I like used stuf; doesn't hurt to see it scratched (costs less to acquire, also).

Remember that the front surface is almost always a compound curve, so putting material on it has challenges.
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Old 03-01-2008, 04:04 PM   #11
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I think a bit differently too. Somehow rock chips are considered ugly, but I've seen plenty of really ugly things done to try to prevent them, from painted or sprayed on rubberized bed liner, to padded vinyl snap-on snap-off bras (ya think the snaps are pretty? let alone the bra?). I suppose in the end, when the trailer is all cleaned and parked at home and all the extra junk is pulled off the front... then ya, it looks good. Going down the road or in a campground Reminds me of slip covers on couches to protect the couch....
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Old 03-01-2008, 04:15 PM   #12
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Last Fall, I applied a product called Liquid Glass to the whole trailer. If one believes the advertizing on the can and from various testimonials, two to three coats in specific areas should provide good stone chip protection. I liked using the Liquid Glass ($19.95 a quart at NAPA stores). It went on easily, didn't have to worry about being out in the direct sunlight, and easy off with a cloth.
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Old 03-08-2008, 08:58 AM   #13
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Last summer I bought these.
>
Like Byron, we purchased a similar product.


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>
It works well, though we still find small gravel on the tongue that we know wasn't there before, yet, we feel that the energy was quite dissapated before getting there.
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Old 03-08-2008, 09:27 AM   #14
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I had the same issues, particularly since I intend to take my Fiber Stream off the beaten path. My initial plan was to use use the Rhino type truck bed liner, but that was very expensive, and I could only get it in black. I finally settled on using a spray-on rocker panel in a can from Canadian Tire. It is/was available in a tan colour, and is paintable. Sincew my Fiber Stream will eventually get a paint job, that seemed the right thing. I've had it on since the summer 2006 and I am very happy with it. You can see the final product here:

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/23798...052473095ESrViU

and here is a close-up:

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/20519...052473095KATPSu

Unfortunately, I did not keep a record of the exact product.

Vic
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Old 03-08-2008, 10:28 AM   #15
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I should have looked a little harder. Here is what I used.

http://shop2.aol.ca/shop/product--catId_10...Id_3733730.html

It is rubberized, paintable, and can be built up in layers.

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Old 03-20-2008, 02:27 PM   #16
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I am trying what I already had with an addition - I have the broom sweep, but also had a large piece of rubber. I used the rubber to fill voids missed by the broom arrangement. Not sure how it will work, but will try this weekend. Photo of the work in progress, with left side completed.
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Old 03-20-2008, 03:59 PM   #17
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Rick,
Your idea of stopping the problem at it's source mirrors my thoughts.
I installed a set of the "Rock Solid" mud flaps. Those used on a small motor home are actually a little long for the width of our Tundra. When installed, the gap in the middle was eliminated. The ground clearance required that about 2" be trimmed off. Actually, that was not quite enough and I cut about another inch off the second set. Even that was not enough, so an additional inch should be trimmed. My initial idea was to allow road contact to grind off the excess but the plastic material is so tough that I guess I'm going to have to get out the tin snips again.
This is actually our second set. I had left the first set too long and the repeated flexing caused them to crack next to the brackets after about 2 years.

To our knowledge, no gravel or rocks have made it past the flaps. There has been an aluminum diamond-plate box (for the generator) in front of the Casita body for 3 years, and there is no sign of any contact by gravel.

Kurt & Ann K.
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Old 03-20-2008, 07:38 PM   #18
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Rick,
Your idea of stopping the problem at it's source mirrors my thoughts.
I installed a set of the "Rock Solid" mud flaps. Those used on a small motor home are actually a little long for the width of our Tundra. When installed, the gap in the middle was eliminated. The ground clearance required that about 2" be trimmed off. Actually, that was not quite enough and I cut about another inch off the second set. Even that was not enough, so an additional inch should be trimmed. My initial idea was to allow road contact to grind off the excess but the plastic material is so tough that I guess I'm going to have to get out the tin snips again.
This is actually our second set. I had left the first set too long and the repeated flexing caused them to crack next to the brackets after about 2 years.

To our knowledge, no gravel or rocks have made it past the flaps. There has been an aluminum diamond-plate box (for the generator) in front of the Casita body for 3 years, and there is no sign of any contact by gravel.

Kurt & Ann K.
Great to hear, we are off tomorrow for 2 days and will have a chance to try out. I will advise on my return

Rick
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Old 03-20-2008, 10:59 PM   #19
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Rick,
Enjoy the Easter week-end!

Kurt & Ann K.
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