Timber, Aluminium or Fiberglass.

19bruce54 · Member

Timber, Aluminium or Fiberglass.

rosco532 · Senior Member

Hi,,,Coming from QLD where we can get some pretty wild hail storms....we settled on fiberglass. (insurance companies seem to prefer it up here

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Fibreglass sandwich panel (not just skin) every time.

Cheers,
Peter

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

fibreglass, the only way to go, we have a Future System van, all fibreglass, but that is a not a lot of help to you because they are no longer made.

banjo · Senior Member

Modern technology, modern materials, equals fibre glass sandwich construction.

Why anyone would even consider a timber framed ally clad van here in oz ! slightest of leaks the rot sets in, the fixings(staples) go rusty and fall out ! big repair bills follow.

Fibre glass vans are tougher, more water resistant, better insulation,(warmer/cooler) the list could go on.

The only down side IMO is cheap jack manufacturers using inferior low uv resistant panels that can yellow and degrade over time, but still usually remain strong and waterproof, just look tatty.

Plendo · Guru

Hi Bruce,

I was facing teh same decision, and after extensive research we settled on traditional timber frame with aluminium skin. I know it is the older technology of the three, but our reasons for going this way were:

1. Every caravan repairer in the country knows how to work on these vans, and can get the materials to repair them.

2. EVER fiberglass van I have seen that is five or more years old, looks like an old van. Partly because the plastic panels age and change colour, and partly because they are a very specific style, and as the style changes they look old.

3. Almost a repeat of number one, the panels used on the fibre glass vans have to be sourced from the manufacturer, who may or may not have them in stock, thus any work that is needed may take a long time, and or not be possible.

4. The van style we wanted was not made in fiberglass.

I should stress that these are my perceptions.

Good luck with your decision.

Phillipn · Guru

Hi

We had a Winjana van built it Toowoomba. Winjana vans have a Candian spruce frame, which is light, flexible and strong. The roof is one piece aluminium skin over 3/8" ply. The walls have an aluminium wall skin.

Wooden plains were built with Candian spruce, "The spruce goose"

When we went to the factory to check them out, the owner got on the roof of a new van and was jumping up and down on the roof. He said to try that on other vans and see what happens.

03_troopy · Guru

Phillipn wrote:
Hi
We had a Winjana van built it Toowoomba. Winjana vans have a Candian spruce frame, which is light, flexible and strong. The roof is one piece aluminium skin over 3/8" ply. The walls have an aluminium wall skin.
Wooden plains were built with Candian spruce, "The spruce goose"
When we went to the factory to check them out, the owner got on the roof of a new van and was jumping up and down on the roof. He said to try that on other vans and see what happens.

The spruce goose was a windmill to be jousted. Modern Aeroplanes have an aluminium alloy frame. High tech aeroplanes use grp and carbon fibre technologies.

Vic41 · Guru

In regards to fibreglass yellowing, from what I have read a lot of that is caused by using car polish which is not suitable and has and ingredient (Ammonia?) that causes that.

However if you use a marine grade fibreglass polish this does not happen. Any boat store and some auto stores have it as well, I got some from auto supercheap once.

I used this on my fibreglass (composite) panels and never had a problem with discolouration during the time I had it.

moamajohn · Guru

Bruce ,Go to the show and select 6 or so models that are for consideration and then begin the homework .The big problem with shows is that you tend to get somewhat overwhelmed and then you tend to buy on emotion and not on logic so please take care .

Baz421 · Guru

moamajohn wrote:
Bruce ,Go to the show and select 6 or so models that are for consideration and then begin the homework .The big problem with shows is that you tend to get somewhat overwhelmed and then you tend to buy on emotion and not on logic so please take care .

Good advice Westy.

Take your time, we did and we are glad we did. Old fashioned wood/alloy skin was our choice.

Went to 3 factories to see how they are built (not f/glass sandwich though) you would not believe some "processes".

So Westy's advice is good, plus go with a long term reputable manufacturer.

Remember start with chassis, suspension, brakes and then look at the rest. Most manufacturers can modify inside to suit your preferences these days but inside will not necessarily make a van last longer.

Just my thoughts.

Cheers Baz

Phillipn · Guru

03_troopy wrote:
Phillipn wrote:
Hi
We had a Winjana van built it Toowoomba. Winjana vans have a Candian spruce frame, which is light, flexible and strong. The roof is one piece aluminium skin over 3/8" ply. The walls have an aluminium wall skin.
Wooden plains were built with Candian spruce, "The spruce goose"
When we went to the factory to check them out, the owner got on the roof of a new van and was jumping up and down on the roof. He said to try that on other vans and see what happens.
The spruce goose was a windmill to be jousted. Modern Aeroplanes have an aluminium alloy frame. High tech aeroplanes use grp and carbon fibre technologies.

Spruce will bend and spring back straight. One of the vans he built was hit up the back end by a truck. One small piece of the fame was broken, the rest sprang back sprang back straight. The skin had to be replaced. Try straightening aluminium.

It`s a van, not a windmill.

aussietraveller · Guru

Mine is sandwich fibreglass it is now nine years old and has NOT yellowed still has a good shine, I have seen much newer fibreglass vans yellowed and as previously stated this is caused by Car polish, our van has been through 2 hail storms with no damage and my mate up the road has twice had his aluminium on repaired as a result of same hail storms.

Vic41 · Guru

Speaking of hail storms, a couple of years back we had a horrific hail storm in Perth, the Caravan and Camping show had finished the day before but most of the caravans were waiting to be collected by the dealers/ferried to their premises etc.

The aluminium ones all suffered hail damage while the fibreglass composite ones suffered none. The same thing happened to the vans in the dealers yards around Perth, so for hail damage protection fibreglass is best. Also keeps your vans cooler in summer and warmer in winter...

-- Edited by Vic41 on Monday 14th of April 2014 01:02:21 PM

deverall11 · Guru

Our van is aluminium frame and aluminium skin. Water leaks are NOT an issue as far as wood rot as there is none. frame is strong enough to have a football team standing on the roof. Try doing that with anything else. Horses for courses. All that own a fiberglass construction will tell you theirs is the best. All that own a wooden frame will tell you theirs is the best. it is only natural as it is their pride and joy.
You need to decide which way you want to go. Wood frame means wood rot. To this day, NO van manufacturer test their vans for water leaks prior to sending them out of the factory. Fiberglass construction also means that damaged panels cannot be repaired. the whole side of the van has to be changed. Aluminium panels, only the damaged one are replaced. This means less disturbance to the van. If you live in it, it means the interior does not get disturbed to repair something like hail damage. Hope this makes sense.
Good luck,
Larry