Good or bad idea? Fiberglass for under the floor?

[Von Pook]

What does everyone think, would a layer of fiberglass under the floor help or hinder the underside of the floor? Just as a layer of protection to the belly of a tear?

[Von Pook]

would it not be waterproof and tough?

[doug hodder]

It would end up being a fairly expensive way to go in my opinion, Cloth and resin aren't that inexpensive. I think that asphalt emulsion would work fine for you. I had a 49 Kit with a ply floor, had some paint left on it and was still good/solid when I sold it and that buyer hasn't done anything to the floor yet. It was Colorado however and much dryer than your location. I don't do the asphalt, or cloth/resin on my floors. Just a good coat of an oil based primer and paint, but I'm in Ca. If you plan on a lot of gravel roads at speed, something like that might be helpful, but the asphalt might do just as well. Like I say...just my opinion, others may vary. I think I'd save the dough. Doug

[Von Pook]

Thank you for your post, I've been trying to decide if it would be worth it. I just felt the fiberglass would add an armor effect, I do plan to drag her behind a 4X4.

[doug hodder]

Something else to consider...I haven't see anyone do this yet, but a flap on the front of the tear hanging down below, similar to one on the rear of a motor home might help keep rocks from hammering the underside. I'd flap the tow vehicle at any rate. The underneath might not be the real issue, but the front of the tear might. My 49 was just hammered from rocks on it. Looked like a kid took a ball peen hammer to the lower front. I do protect the fronts of my tears with a padded nose bra, and there are still chips etc. on the fenders, and they are "asphalt Queens" I pull with a 4x4 off road Ranger so the wider rubber picks up more items to throw at the tear. Doug

[Von Pook]

LOL, good point, I plan to build a woody and have looked at many ideas towards front end protection. As of yet, I feel you have the easiest and lowest cost look at it. I wonder though how that would affect the look or profile on a woody. This must be brought up with the "better" half, thank you.

[doug hodder]

Check my album...I've got 2 woody trailers in there, like page 8 or so. I put a nose bra on one, sold the other one before I put a bra on it. No matter how you look at it. A woody is going to be a tough maintenance issue on an off road trailer. Just depends on how picky you are on keeping the "look" up. Both of mine are just resin over wood, no cloth, but like I mentioned. I don't do offroad with them. haven't tried the front flap thing...it was just an idea. I have 4" drop axles on mine so they ride closer to the ground. A straight axle might not be so much of a problem with rocks. Just don't know, haven't built one. Doug

[Von Pook]

Thank you again for the info, I'll take a look. I really like the woody appeal and had seen another covered in epoxy and cloth, but was unable to find out if it was worth it.

[Von Pook]

How big are the twins? I really like the finish on those. I do go deep into the woods, only holding 4X4 play time till camp is set up.

[doug hodder]

The first one is a 4x10...The 2nd is a 4'6" x 10'2" If'n it were me...I'd go with the wider one. The profile is from the Trailer for 2 profile. I used marine grade mohagany, 4 mm I think overlain on 1/2" ply with an aniline dye, (colonial red), epoxy to seal it and then shot it with automotive clear. Maple trim on both. It's not an inexpensive way to go on the finish, but I can wash and wax it like a car, and annual maintenance is next to nothing, unlike a varnish. Get a scratch...polish it out and wax it. This technique does require some environmental controls with temp, moisture, etc...Not for everyone. Doug

[Micro469]

I built a woody and all I did was coat the bottom with 4 or five coats of CPES and then painted it with Rustoleum. I checked it yesterday, and still looks good as new. Mind you I've only had it out twice, but it's been three years since I started the build , so the bottom has basically weathered three winters.


By the way, I live in Ontario Canada...we get a lot of snow here....

[Von Pook]

Thank you John, I've been to your area a few times and always enjoy the countryside, your winters can test a driver. I'm thinking of priming it with "kills", a great all around primer, a heavy coat of a low gloss black, then covering in a fiberglass shell. I've played with fiberglass on some cars and canoes, and broke a few and repaired a few.

[brian_bp]

The plywood floor of my Boler (commercially built) trailer is just painted, has probably never been repainted, has no problems... and has been around for almost 30 years. I don't know exactly what its life was like for the quarter-century before we bought it, but I know the previous owner used it on a lot of gravel and muddy roads.

[Elumia]

Seems hardly worth the bother to fiberglass the bottom. I have an old trailer from the 70's in a total rebuild. the floor was rotted at the corners, but it came from leakage from above. The center of the floor was solid, even though the old ashphalt emulsion was mostly worn off. if it had been fiberglass, still would have rotted, probably even faster as the water would have been trapped in from the top.

Mark

[madjack]

Mark, makes a very good point...you NEVER want to build a "water trap" into your trailer...by putting a FG sheet under the floor, you create a space where water can get rapped against the floor and never dry out, leading to premature failure of the floor...I build with a single sheet of ply for the floor and put 3 coats of epoxy on it.......
madjack