Rubber Roof Of Jayco vs Fiberglass Of Forest River

[rhart]

I've got my target MH purchase down to 2012 to 2014 27-28' class C Greyhawk or Forester. One has rubber and other has FG. The Forester rep while telling me the Jayco MH is a good product but said FG roofing is the way to go. He said the rubber roof has to be "coated" with something every 6 months?? I went so far as to call a large RV repair shop that does warranty work for both manuf. They have replaced numerous FG roofs and they replace them with rubber! I think Jayco builds quality MHs and doubt they would put rubber roofs on them if they were bad.

What to do??

I'm sure this subject has been flogged before but I couldn't find the link. I would like some input from you long-timers.
Thank you
Rick

[obedb]

I think that I would prefer the fiberglass roof. We owned a travel trailer with a rubber coated roof for just one year between motorhomes so I don't have much experience there. The used Phaeton we bought last May has a a one piece aluminum roof. That seems the most durable to me, but perhaps they are a thing of the past. There will probably be commentary shortly.

[kaypsmith]

I currently have aluminum also, but that is the way a bus is built, and I love it, but probably not available on regular motorhome. I have owned two motorhomes with rubber roof's, and there is upkeep to them, but the recoat every six months is a stretch. It will last a lot longer as any kind will if cleaned regularly. It will need resealing eventually.

I prefer fiberglass myself, but proper cleaning and regular visual inspections are necessary with them also.

Just my opinions, there will be many.

Kay

[rhart]

Thanks Kay. May I ask what the upkeep is for rubber? I'm assuming fiberglass needs us to crawl around on the roof looking for cracks. Which of course can cause cracks or is it real sturdy up there?

[jleamont]

rhart,

Our last coach had rubber, when I bought it the original roof was on it and it was dried out and cracked, so I had the dealer replace it. The dealer told me every six months climb up and inspect all of the lap sealant around the roof vents, antenna's etc. If you see cracks, remove it carefully with a putty knife and replace the lap sealant. There is a bunch of videos on YouTube that shows how to do it. While it was a pain and involved a little labor I didn’t mind so much.

The original roof was 9 years old when it failed, it looked like no one had ever took care of it, by that I mean keeping it clean, and once/twice a year spraying the rubber roof conditioner on it to keep the rubber soft.

We have a fiberglass roof now, I would have preferred aluminum, I still have to do the inspections, now I use the rubber roof tape in lieu of the lap sealant and I still have to wax the roof, from what I can see the maintenance on fiberglass is easier and cheaper but the initial expense is more. One thing I noticed the fiberglass roof is quieter in the rain, much less interior noise.

Personally I would not do anything less than fiberglass if I had to do it again.

One thing to caution, what is on top of the slides?? I have seen some new Jayco products with raw luan wood under the topper with a painted product on it, which looked like to me a huge miss by an engineer.

When I asked the dealer their response was "well it has a slide topper no water will get up there, what else do you need"? Anyone who has ever camped in the rain will tell you water will find it's way under the slide topper and on top of the slide.

Some have the rubber membrane and some have an aluminum or Stainless steel caps, try to save yourself headaches down the road, see if they can be aluminum or stainless steel capped with a topper above it.

[desertdeals69]

My Dicor rubber roof was 23 years old before I replaced it. It still did not leak, I replaced it because I had the coach painted. It was a relatively easy job, took me about a day and a half.

[kaypsmith]

Both my coaches that had rubber roof's had 3/4 plywood under the rubber, the first had one thickness, and the last double making it a very heavy coach. I think that the fiberglass will have one layer, this should strengthen for walking purposes.

Joe has pretty much covered the maintenance portion for both.

Kay

[rhart]

Interesting (read disturbing) info about the top of the slide. Quite surprising.

[tireman9]

Interesting (read disturbing) info about the top of the slide. Quite surprising.

Agree its disturbing but not surprising. Just another example of an RV company saving a few bucks up front which will cost the owner hundreds and maybe thousands a few years down the road.

This will be something I look for on the new MH we are picking up Monday.

[rhart]

Yes Tireman. I think we have decided on the Forester 3011. I can't wait to peek at the top of the slider. I'm probably going to have to figure out what material to roof the slider with. As an experienced RVer can you suggest something?

[tbutler]

We have had a fiberglass roof on both coaches we have owned. There are several factors that I haven't seen mentioned. A white fiberglass roof is comfortable to walk on in full sun in the summer. I doubt that is true of a rubber roof. That should make a vehicle with a fiberglass roof much easier to keep cool in the summer.

I have not had a single crack in either of our roofs. As with any roof, the holes for the vents, air conditioners, TV accessories, etc. will require constant attention. Keeping the caulk fresh on a fiberglass roof is easy. Old caulk can be cleared away with a putty knife and cleans up nicely. A good self leveling caulk will seal things nicely and lasts for many years.

While construction of a roof varies considerably from one manufacturer to another, our roof is very firm and walks comfortably without breaking or cracking. I wash ours with clear water using either a wash brush or when washing is restricted, a bucket and sponge does a nice job though it does take longer. Streaking on the sides of the coach are the result of dirt on the roof. If it is kept clean there is little or no streaking.

[jleamont]

Tom, good points mentioned above. I have washed our several times and I just had it waxed for the first time to protect the fiberglass from UV. I just have to remember to walk carefully now as it may have become slippery with the wax.

[mjs14]

It's not what the MH roof is made of it's what seals it, by getting rid if the lap sealant, self leveling caulking and replacing with a 4" fiber backed seam tape that accepts a coating, you will never have to inspect your roof seams again.