Help need to find a replacement for bellyband.

[roy vannoy]

I am in the process of doing a frame off restore on my Fiberglass Sunrader. I have replaced the metal on the frame and wood floor has been replaced. Lower body has been reinstalled, now its time to install the upper body. I am looking for a replacement bellyband. I know where to find metal bellybands but looking for something a little easier to install such as plastic or something easier to bend. I do not want to do away with the band entirely by fiberglassing over the seams. Has anyone use another product other than metal? Thanks in advance.

[Kai in Seattle]

I hear you about wanting a bellyband...but if we had ours to do over again (and one day we might), we'd go ahead and fiberglass the seam entirely inside and out, solid and heavy. We'd likely make sure to include the wood inside to fasten things to, but it'd be sealed from the outside. Never again a leak or a worry about it unless the trailer were in another wreck.

Then, if we felt like it, we could add a decorative stripe or so, or paint the whole belly area a slightly different color...but I think we'd just leave the
metal/plastic/whatever bellyband OFF.



Best with this. My husband, a machinist, said metal really is your best choice in his very humble opinion. IF you must have a band at all.

(A week after a complete redo, he was out recaulking the belly band where it had leaked slightly at one of the screws. So he's a little prejudiced.)


Just my two cents, YMMV, and I do hear you about wanting the band ON.

Photo of the rig before replacing the band. It's not a BAD look...

[roy vannoy]

Kai, thanks for your reply. After reading all the forms about removing the band I think I will do likewise. I was just a little worried about getting the profile right while refiberglassing the two halfs together on the outside.

[Kai in Seattle]

We wish you the best with this;
it's a lot of work no matter how you do it!

(I'm surprised more people haven't replied; there are lots of people here who know lots of things about subjects like this!)

Anyway, happy glassing!

[Borden]

Cut back the fiberglass a little on the outside first then you can keep the profile. gradual slope building up to full thickness, then if still gelcoat; the middle could be colour matched and filled in with gelcoat.

[roy vannoy]

The two RV body half's do not butt up together, they are over layed with a piece of molding that has a lip on the bottom to hide offset. The top half of the body overlays the bottom half of RV and is fiberglassed from the inside as standard.