jazzie Report post Posted September 30, 2015 I have a 2000 v Roadtrek and all over the fiberglass the gel coat is peeling off. All the metal parts of the van are fine. Has any other owners had this problem? I would like to know what caused this, and what a solution might be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capndave32043 Report post Posted October 1, 2015 Hello Jazzie, I have never heard of Gel coat peeling, Did you mean clearcoat?.. If indeed you meant gel coat could you describe the condition a little better. Get coat has a chemical bond and cannot really separate from the fiberglass. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desertdeals69 Report post Posted October 1, 2015 Gelcoat is sprayed into the mold first and then the laminating resins and glass fiber. The gelcoat can separate from the lamination. The gelcoat can be reapplied with a high level of expertise. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted October 6, 2015 If it is the gelcoat pulling away from the wood behind it, very common. Usually caused by water or moisture finding its way behind the gelcoat. Or in our case with our old coach the fiberglass was so pourous it leached its way through the skin, broke down the glue and started to bulge the outer wall. It happed in winter with snow pressed up against the right side wall. Lessons learned, always keep bare gelcoat (none painted) waxed with a gelcoat wax/sealer and be sure to check all caulk joints around windows. We have a local RV dealer with a very large body shop that told me that it happens more often with RV's that do not have full paint, the paint acts as a sealer and blocks the water intrusion. Suprisingly they also told me that it happens more often with TT's due to a thinner cheaper gelcoat, I never realized there was a difference. I had to have the entire right side wall skin removed, reglued and reinstalled. 31' Class C $6500.00 for the job. I have heard of gelcoat peeling where the surface drys out from lack of maintenance and flakes off. I would imagine it could also happen from a manufacturing process failure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jazzie Report post Posted October 8, 2015 Thanks all for the information. Where the color is gone it is a gray color and looks fairly rough. It seems to start with a big bubble, then it splits and the gray color is behind it. I don't know if it is the clear coat or the get coat. I always thought that the color was the get coat. I have always waxed the van twice a year with the right wax. I can understand that some areas might have needed to be sealed and these parts I can understand that moisture get in and caused the finish to split. If it is the clear coat what can they do? If it is the gel coat can it be taken off and just painted? Any suggestions will be much appreciated. Thanks for all your help Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted October 8, 2015 An RV body shop/dealer should be able to correct your concern. I have heard of gel coat being repaired, usually after it has to be painted (hard to match the pigment) from what I have seen they do a nice job of matching the natural gel coat color that was blended when it was built. From the work I have seen the only way you can tell it was touched is the shine on the new area vs the old. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
