Is This What They Call 'Delamination'?

[DallasSteve]

[Downwindtracke1]

Polyester resin has low adhesion to wet wood. On our smooth sided trailer the sides are hardboard protected by polyester resin. The fiberglass is there to give strength to the resin coating.

This works fine if you can keep the wood dry. But as you know " All Trailers Leak."

To fix delamination , look up West System Epoxy, to reseal use a polyurethane sealant like Profelex

[jolvi]

When we had 5th wheel I noticed back wall seemed somewhat bubbled from new found out that back and front walls are only edge glued as they need to flex, but that is a bit much.

[CavemanCharlie]

DallasSteve wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:

enblethen wrote:
...
Would I buy this rig, No!

Agree completely! Too bad, that's the first Outback I've seen anywhere with something like this happening. Outbacks have traditionally been very good campers.

I'm in the market for a used trailer and that's why I saw this rig. I think there's a price for every trailer. I would buy it at the right price as my first trailer to get started, but it would have to be a very low price. It's a 2012 if I remember correctly. At $10,000 - no thanks. At $1,000 - sure. Now we're just haggling over price.

Agreed. I would buy it for the right price. But, it would have to be cheap. I may even use it camping that way a few times while I thought about a way to fix it.

[Walaby]

That looks so bad it looks like a fabric cover over the front.

Mike

[wnjj]

enblethen wrote:
wnjj:
How was this repaired as a neighbor has similar issue on a Komfort?

I’ll have to ask her as they had a shop do it a couple years ago I think the front was completely taken apart and rebuilt with new materials.

[enblethen]

wnjj:
How was this repaired as a neighbor has similar issue on a Komfort?

[wnjj]

DutchmenSport wrote:

enblethen wrote:
...
Would I buy this rig, No!

Agree completely! Too bad, that's the first Outback I've seen anywhere with something like this happening. Outbacks have traditionally been very good campers.

My sister’s Outback looked similar but mostly at the top half. They had it repaired.

[DallasSteve]

DutchmenSport wrote:

enblethen wrote:
...
Would I buy this rig, No!

Agree completely! Too bad, that's the first Outback I've seen anywhere with something like this happening. Outbacks have traditionally been very good campers.

I'm in the market for a used trailer and that's why I saw this rig. I think there's a price for every trailer. I would buy it at the right price as my first trailer to get started, but it would have to be a very low price. It's a 2012 if I remember correctly. At $10,000 - no thanks. At $1,000 - sure. Now we're just haggling over price.

[6_2Superduty]

A keystone outback was in the campground last weekend that looked just like that one. I bought a used bullet constructed the same way that had a clearance light leaking. The inside panel was damaged but the outside looked like new. If I remember correctly the outside panel is o ly fastened in the corners.

[DutchmenSport]

enblethen wrote:
...
Would I buy this rig, No!

Agree completely! Too bad, that's the first Outback I've seen anywhere with something like this happening. Outbacks have traditionally been very good campers.

[enblethen]

The fiberglass nose has come loose from the framing. Delamination is normally on the side walls where they are compressed into a sandwich.
The noses are normally just sheets of fiberglass wrapped around wood framework.
Would I buy this rig, No!

[Bobbo]

fitznj wrote:
I've had one "smooth-sided" TT and 3 aluminum sided TTs, The "smooth-sided" did look pretty and had some delamination issues within 3 years. The other 3 have had no exterior issues and if cleaned/maintained will look like new for many years - but they do look old-fashioned.

Old-fashioned!?!?

Mine looks RETRO!

[theoldwizard1]

WNYBob wrote:
I believe the industry has done us wrong, by offering this type of construction as a viable siding on a camper. Building a siding of a skin coat of "fiberglass" over thin sheet of plywood is not acceptable!

Well, the industry certainly could have done better !

Assuming the manufacturer is using a good quality skin and a good quality adhesive, I believe this type of construction is "acceptable" if there are no leaks ! Fiberglass skin on an aluminum tube and rigid foam frame is probably better but that type of construction costs more and does not work well for "rounded" applications.

Delamination on flat vertical surfaces usually looks like a bulge and will flex when you press on it.

There are better methods of construction, but they cost more ! Look at the boating industry. They have had issues with some coring materials, but if the core stays dry, everything works well. (Foam is not a panacea, especially in an area that is not self draining.)

[Ralph_Cramden]

That front cap is not the same construction as the sidewall on that model/year Keystone and the method is used by many manufacturers other than Keystone. Its a piece of filon glued to what is more or less cardboard. Those type of caps ripple like that mostly because of heat from the sun and humidity trapped in the air space behind them. Plenty of used rigs with that type of front on dealers lots will have the same waves, some worse than others.