Motorized fiberglass?

[windgooroo1]

New member here, but not new to fiberglass construction.

First, I'm pleading ignorance of previous threads on this subject, please don't have a collective coronary when I bring the subject up of the possibility of expanding this community to include vintage moulded glass bodied motorhomes in the mix. I know that this probably isn't going to fly with some members, but it likely would with others, so I'm going to give it a try. After all, it is called Fiberglass RV!

Other than that, having been a fiberglass boat builder and in the alternative energy field for many years, I think I might be able to offer assistance to many group members when the need arises.

Matt

[Bob Miller]

The key word woul d have to be "Molded" fiberglass, as almost all the builders that use filon and sheet fiberglass on stick-built units tend to call theirs "Fiberglass" as well. And it could quickly become a slippery slope unless it was suggested to hold content to coach issues and to please exclude mechanical (chassis) issues.
Even though I am well into molded fiberglass, Toyota/Nissan Sunraders, I'm recusing myself on this one

[windgooroo1]

Yes, exactly. Sheet plastics are pretty much like sheet aluminum in my view. The chassis issues are well covered elsewhere, so I agree on leaving that part out. The Hall GTC, even though I'm biased, is a pretty interesting camper because of the insulated double wall construction and high build quality, but also because of the lineage. The guy who came up with them, John Hall, was the stepson of Wally Byram, the founder of Airstream. He ran the production shop there for a long time before founding "Revcon", and then the Hall Coach Company. The website for them is hallgtc.com

[Donna D.]

I only speak for myself, but I'm only interested in 'speaking' about all molded fiberglass towables (travel trailers).

There is a huge amount of orphaned molded travel trailer owners that need a place to feel comfortable and talk about issues related to their type of manufacturing. There's plenty of places on the web to talk about fiberglass boats, molded motorhomes and slab-sided fiberglass trailers. I'd like to think FiberglassRV isn't one of them.

YMMV

[windgooroo1]

Then wouldn't "Fiberglass RV" be better named "Fiberglass Trailers"? The term Recreational Vehicle covers a much broader spectrum than solely a towed, non-motorized camper.

N'est-ce pas?

[Sandflea068]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I only speak for myself, but I'm only interested in 'speaking' about all molded fiberglass towables (travel trailers).

There is a huge amount of orphaned molded travel trailer owners that need a place to feel comfortable and talk about issues related to their type of manufacturing. There's plenty of places on the web to talk about fiberglass boats, molded motorhomes and slab-sided fiberglass trailers. I'd like to think FiberglassRV isn't one of them.

YMMV

I'm with you Donna....

[GingerB]

I'm fairly new to the site so my opinion should carry very little weight but I agree with Donna. There are so many things to know about the care and feeding of fiberglass trailers, I believe adding motorized rv's to the site would be excessive. It would be like adding motorcycles to a bicycle site just because they both have two wheels.

[Donna D.]

Everyone has an opinion and everyone's opinion is important to them. I have to agree with Matt... the newbie, but everyone needs to remember FiberglassRV has been a website forum for nearly ten years. The explosion of the internet happened since that name was chosen. Had the original owner of the site.. Mike Sanders.. had a crystal ball ten years ago, he may have chosen a different name for the forum... but, he didn't and now... it is, what it is. With an excess of 100,000 threads and thousands of molded towable owners... we keep moving ahead and try to provide other forums URLs that are better suited for folks that don't own all molded towables.

That's my 2-1/2 cents.

[rabbit]

Well now, we do sort of incline to less is more here. That's never clearer to me than when I see a Bulgemobile with 3 AC units. There was a fellow peddling a Sunrader a few days back. I guess as long as it's a 2.4 litre Nippon tiny truck and the box on the back looks faintly polymeresque and clamshellish, I can deal with the idea of "motorhome." As for all the gargantuan "RV" [sic] junk rotting away at Deals on Wheels, it's not an embarrassment to me but should be to a lot of folks who drank the big rig Koolaid. I cant figure out whether we're campers first and restorers by necessity or vice versa. A lot of the marques beloved here are gone with the wind. Some of the members also have vintage tugs which indicates that the preoccupation with retro runs pretty deep. Concern with the bottom line may also influence the choices of young parents and retirees with a less than stellar retirement stash. Many of us don't sweat sweat equity llike we'd sweat a missed megabuck payment. So I think I'd rather go on watching everybody's shoestring engineering prowess than have to deal with advertiser-fueled worry about what's in the "must have" box for 2012. So generally +3 what Donna said.

jack

[Frederick L. Simson]

Popeye the Sailor Man once said, "A rose by any other name would still smell as much."

Originally Posted by windgooroo1

Then wouldn't "Fiberglass RV" be better named "Fiberglass Trailers"?

Trailers are not just "Trailers." We are RV's too. But say RV to the average citizen and what do they think of?
Motorhomes, but not trailers.

This thread talks about it.

[Greg H]

That was good Jack.

[Roger C H]

S&S just bought a Rialta which is molded FG I think, they are selling their Casita, and they were good members of FGRV.com as long as I have been on this site

but

I have to agree with Donna. There is so much put out about RV's, 32 footer with umpteen slides, etc. Reading Trailer World and other RV mags, they don't even know, or care, that we exist. This is sort of an exclusive club almost a cult following for trailers. Life is never simple...

but

If there would be 'motorized fiberglass' I think the Rialta would qualify above many others...

Rialta Heaven - Welcome - Rialta Eurovan Camper, VW Rialta Camper, Used Camper Van

[Bruce Thomas]

my van coach is molded...I think they changed the name to transvan after these were made......not sure.
We still kept out uhaul though even though weve been using the MH. It's a bit roomier but not as tall inside

[Ron F]

There aren't/weren't many molded fiberglass motorhomes built. EggCamper has recently started building one, but most of the other manufacturers have gone away. I think it would be interesting to read posts of MOLDED fiberglass MHs. The stick build MHs can find their own forum.

Besides, I read endless posts regarding tow vehicles, which are neither molded nor fiberglass.

I've often looked longingly at the old Toyota based Sunraders.

Just my 2 cents.

[Donna D.]

Ron, they're still building molded fiberglass motorhomes, here's one: Born Free Class C Motorhome if you want to read about them, see this forum: Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club

[Victor Benz]

When I had just joined this site, someone had noted that a molded fiberglass RV was for sale on eBay, and supplied the link. It was one of these Glastron motorhomes.

Glastron Motohomes

I was very interested then, but didn't win thast auction, so I bought a Fiber Stream!

Vic

[DonDeutsch]

I like Moulded anything but my main interests on this site center on parts and how-to repairs. I do look at posting members have sent regarding motorized fiberglass RVs.

[CindyL]

For someone looking for information on their motorhome, I think it best, for their own good, to steer them elsewhere where they would not have to weed through the information. I do take some time occasionally to find links for members with "trailers," but I am not going to sift through this forum hunting for answers that may not be on this forum anyway.

So, my two cents worth.

CindyL

[windgooroo1]

That is what I was driving at with my original post on this (hot button) subject. My Hall was built in '73 - they only made 150 of them - but there were quite a number of other small (by today's standards) "one piece" glass coach motorhomes made between the mid 60's and late 70's that should have a natural appeal to those insterested in similar towables. I'm not a fan of modern the modern motorized mansions at all, and consider them to be just retched excess in every way possible.

Before buying my MH in 2009 I had looked seriously at Casitas, Burros and a number of other trailers, but I just couldn't find one that had all the stuff I wanted after a lifetime of tent camping. Heavy insulation, a convertible dinette, a pretty big bed aft that can be left made up and a bathroom with a stand-up seperate shower are what sold me. That And I had sold my pickup and didn't want to buy another one just for towing. The main thing is that no way would I buy a stick-framed anything other than something permanently fixed to the earth. RV's with composite construction will ALWAYS leak at some point and, since my exposure to fiberglass goes back to the late 40's (my dad had a company called "Glasspar"), it wasn't even a choice!

As it is, I have spent a LOT of time and money getting things back in some semblance of operational order that I (of course) never expected, such as engine, transmission, many mechanical upgrades, woodwork, wheels, tires, water pressure system - on and on. You know how it goes if you own an old vehicle.

Anyhow, that's my situation, and I'm interested to see where this thread goes!

Matt

[melissab]

Maybe a day late but Lil Snoozy has e'thing you just listed and doesnt need a truck for towing. So does Escape and Bigfoot which are built for cold weather camping. Just a thought if you decide the MH cost too much to feed or doesnt work out for one reason or another.