Hi folks,

We are doing a lot of research trying to figure out which fifth wheel would be best.
We want a fiberglass roof so we are looking at the New Horizons , Elite Suites, Excel... and any others that have a fiberglass roof.  I saw the Entegra has there website up but it doesn't look like their roofs are fiberglass.

We would like to know what people thiink is best to have full body paint or just a white fifth wheel?  Does one hold up longer than the other?  What are the pros and cons or both?

Also we are going to be doing a whole lot of boondocking and living in it full time so when staying in National Parks, State Parks, Corp of Engineer property or other places what would the maximum ideal fifth wheel be.
New Horizons are the exact length they say so a 35 foot is a 35 foot where as
some of the other manufacturers 34 foot is really a 36.
So what do you use if the campground says the maximum is 34 feet?This sounds confusing???

We would sure appreciate ya'lls help.
We are in the process of selling all our stuff, fixing up the house in hopes to sell it in the spring and go one the road.  Can't wait so if you know someone who wants to buy a house in Dixie please have them knock on our door:)

Thanks for your help, I love this forum!
Dixie

My personal preference is for the full body paint.

The last RV we had the fiberglass finish and the one we have now is painted. To me the painted one is much easier to take care of. I just wash it with car wash soap, and it looks great. Our fiberglass RV started looking very dull after awhile and needed a lot of elbow grease to get it to shine again.


As for size, we've been in National Parks, State Parks and COE Parks with everything from our first 17' travel trailer to our present 40' MH. The larger RV you have the the more limited you are in sites, but the trade-off is the decreased living space.

Like everything else with RVing, there are trade-offs and you have to decide what is important to you. Also, keep in mind that the lengths of sites listed in CG Directories are usually an "average" size. That being said, we have stayed in parks with our 40' MH where the length of the site was listed as low as 26'.

Jim

Thanks Jim & Linda

Now I am even more confused about the average size reference you made.
So I guess you can't tell what the maximum size is in the directories?  Do you just have to call.  I guess there are more 35 foot sites than 40's?

Dixie

The point is, CG size info printed in CG guides, particuarly for the bigger boys, is almost completely worthless. I roll a 45 footer with tow and often I have to stop in a Walmart type lot (even many of these are big rig unfriendly) or a wide side street, unhook and then scope out the local CGs for ones that will really work. I can park my monster on a dime, but the stories a CG owner will tell you are amazing - and they already have your "non refundable" deposit.

The bigger the boy the more you'll need to call the CG and ask the specific questions that are a concern to you. H&L hosted at Arches NP CG - which certainly does not print they can handle a big rig - but H&L will assure you that (because they were the hosts) that even a 45 footer can fit in 1 or 2 spaces there under their supervision. SO, you gotta call. Ask about trees (height can be a big issue), curbing, radius, when was the last time a size xx was in there and how long did it took them to park it, and so on... Don't just ask if they are big rig friendly - that's not enough or reliable enough. I also use Google Earth to zoom in on a CG and see for myself (if it is a high resolution image area). Also www.rvparkreviews.com is a possible source of real RV owner info relating to size - the reviews you'll have to apply a grain of salt.

As far as paint? If you boondock or like to get in and around tight places, full paint is going to scratch and be very expensive to fix. Whereas, fiberglass will only need simple rebuffing that anyone can do and you are as good as new. Also, if you have a 12-13 foot tall rig, small town main street can/will be a nightmare as the trees are seldom pruned on the right side of the road and full paint will take a beating. Full paint sure looks nice but it is subject to expensive scratch damage that you can not repair at home, unlike fiberglass which is easy to repair the finish. Yes, fiberglass will not shine like full paint, but.... what is important to you? You'll also pay a fantastic premium for full paint over fiberglass finish.


-- Edited by RVDude at 14:52, 2008-10-20

Just wondering, why the requirement of a fiberglass roof? The roof on our 06 Cameo is one piece TPO vinyl and is guaranteed for I think 10 or 12 years. I haven't read of any long term problems with this type roof on any of the forums I follow.

On the full paint vs fiberglass, my only comment would be that the full paint, aside from looking different, is about $5K additional cost and will absorb heat in the summer, making it more difficult to keep the rig cool. Our coach is fiberglass and we haven't done anything except wash it every few months. It was waxed once about a year ago and still looks like new after almost 3 years. I would suggest that the quality of the fiberglass varies by manufacturer.

Good luck,
Fred

I agree with Fred regarding the fiberglass roof. I just read a post on another forum where an rv'er was asking how to go about repairing his cracked fberglass roof. Our 5th wheel has the EDPM rubber roof membrane and sits outside 24 X7 in Southern California sun 4 miles from the ocean. It is 14 years old and just recently I had to do some minor repairs to fix a couple of leaks (no roof tears just loose trim pieces). As for the painted vs white siding, For cost reasons I would go with smooth white or off white. But I would not want any type of vinyl graphics. The vinyl goes bad and begins to curl and peel, gets real ugly looking. Maybe painted on graphics would be ok. It seems 35 feet is a good average size RV to fit most state & federal campgrounds. If you look at the campground descriptions majority indicate a maximum of 35 ft. I've been in parks with 35 ft maximum length restrictions and the campground host rv is a 40 footer or 37 footer so the size limit is probably more a reflection of the roads inside the campground and what size vehicle can negotiate them easily and safely. Some of the turns can be very tight. Also slideouts can be a problem. One site we stayed at was narrow and in order to use the slideouts I had to move over towards a tree. This meant the awning could only be deployed about a quarter of the way out. It meant no shade in the afternoon. It worked out OK for the week we were there. In my experience, most new (20 years or newer) campgrounds (especially privately owned) accomodate big rigs without much concern other than the occaisional tight turn.

I have an Elite with a fiberglas roof. Some think the fiberglas roof is the way to go, I don't. Things to consider..... If it has a seam in the roof (like mine) it may be prone to opening up with trailer flexing. I have been told ones without a seam do not have this problem. My paint extends to the fiberglas roof. When getting cracks repaired you will have to repaint the affected area...a step not required with just white unpainted fiberglas. Painted graphics do however appear to weather better than vinyl. I believe most rubber roof products carry a significant warranty (up to 10 years) Not sure about other manufactures but DRV only covered my fiberglas for 1 yr.

We have a fiberglass roof on ours and I'm happy with it. We just stayed in daughters driveway and there were tree branches that would have torn a vinyl or rubber roof and they just slid across ours. We did have a problem with the center seam but factory fixed it. We have about half of rig painted and it looks great but don't scratch the paint. The graphics are painted on and it looks great with the window silks.
Bob

-- Edited by travelinbob at 06:27, 2008-10-21

Dixie, Options like instant hot water, front porch stairs, entertainment systems, or even dishwasher can be added by the factory, if ordering new or dealer if the rv is already on the lot. The sky's the limit as long as you don't violate weight capacity. We made several visits to the factory where our 5th wheel was built to have service done and items added.... it was impressive to see just how much custom work the factory would do. Of course it all came with a price tag. We had a lot of creature comfort items (sink hot water tap) added along with some custom cabinets for inside storage in some of the vacant areas including storage in the steps leading up to the bedroom.

We have full body paint (Sikkens paint) on our 2009 Mobile Suites and very few graphics. As for the fiberglass roofs in the past there has been some problems with seam leaks. I do think Drv has corrected that problem on the Elite Suites and Mobile Suites. I think for reparing small problems the rubber roofs are much simpler to repair. As stated the upkeep on the full body paint is much easier that the fiberglass and want dull out as fast due to the Sun rays. But again its a choice and a choice is something you have to live with. GBY...

I certainly would not use a fiberglass roof as a selection criteria. Both have pros/cons. I have had both, currently have fiberglass. I prefer the vinyl since it is far easier to repair, although the fiberglass is "perhaps" less prone to tree damage. Hard to say, since I tend to stay out of trees. I would take either one, and would not pay any attention to that in my selection criteria. I have "full body" paint on my rig. Only part is color - the striping - but the entire rig is clearcoated. It is REALLY easy to keep clean. Far easier than plain fiberglass. It may be that damage is harder to repair but to me the benefits outweigh the minor disadvantages. When considering buying an RV I believe that you have to consider how you use it the most. But based on how the RV is used. For example, I would not eliminate an RV based on the fact that a center island makes use with the slides in inconvenient, since FAR MORE use occurs in situations with the slides out. I can overcome the few times tha I might like to use the rig with slides in. It is easy to pop a lide a few feet - even in a rest area. Is it ideal? No. But think about your TYPICAL use - not the "few times" use. That is my opinion anyway, after 9 years on the road......