FRP Composite panels ( US Source)
- Thread starter sprocket3
- Start date
Victorian
Approved Vendor : Total Composites
The panels advertised in your link are not made for a vehicle moving on a highway at 75 Miles an hour. You need foam with a specific density and sheering strength and a FRP skin with a specific tensile strength and thickness. This is what makes them expensive. There are off course cheaper options out there but I would always be careful. Best example are companies that have been making honeycomb panels pretty successfully for a long time and are now going into the foam core category with no proven track record. I have a big stack of panels like that in my shop from a trail run with such company. The results of our tests are grim.Does anyone know of a US source for the high quality FRP foam composite habitat panels?
Just curious if i can buy the panels and build a basic habitat myself. I'm seeing prices of bare habitats in the $30,000-$45,000 range. Are materials really so high now?
This stuff:
PortaFab | FRP Thermal Wall Panels
Fireglass reinforced panels or FRP panels are ideal for areas with high moisture like restrooms, labs and kitchens.www.portafab.com
Right.. I was just showing that as an example. I'm trying to find a source for the good stuff.
driveby
Active member
I have never purchased any but you are chatting with the expert. Victorian owns Total Composites and based on his posts here he’s always straight and true with his answers. I think you get what you pay for. I‘m sure there are other suppliers but I’d probably go with Total Composites as my starting point.
I'm familiar with total composites. They only sell to builders in the US at this point. Pretty sure an empty box is over $30k.
Victorian
Approved Vendor : Total Composites
Best if you reach out to any of our builders/partners and request a quote. All of our habitats come assembled and with warranty through the builders. You may pay a bit more but at the end you know that is has been assembled correctly and is backed with a warranty. I totally get the attraction to assemble a kit yourself. That's how we started out and we certainly filled a void. But sadly, there have been a couple of examples where end users substituted for different adhesives or simply didn't read/follow our assembly guides. The result: leaking boxes and some not so pretty looking habitats. Just from the liability standpoint we had to move with the dealer model. I strongly believe that you will happier with that in the long run. Cheers
Alloy
Well-known member
Globtrekker is in the USA. I'm not a fan of the aluminum corners. Even with a thermal break there's still heat transfer
Globe Trekker INC, DIY Overland Expedition Solutions | cabover
Overland Expedition DIY Campers, Cabovers, Zero Torsion subframe, storage boxes, doors and windows for off road off grid nature camping enthusiats
www.rvglobetrekker.com
CPT and Boxxed are making panels in Canada. CPT panels are good but I have the same thought as Globtrekker for way they are doing the aluminum corner.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLES - RV COMPOSITE PANELS - CPT Panels
CPT RV composite panels are ideal in the RV industry where lightweight, strong, and durable design is needed. Although more expensive than traditional construction, composite panels are used where traditional building materials are unable to provide the performance required. Typical applications...
www.cptpanels.com
Home - Boxxed Composite Panels
We build sustainable and eco-friendly, high-performance components for mobile structures. We turn recycled materials into thermally efficient products.
boxxedcp.com
Total Composites make a good panel but the presentation doesn't agree with me. Presentations such as offshore to NA panel comparisons that say (at 3:00) "this was built to our specification". If it was TC first go at making panels I'd understand but it's not. TC knows FRP skins / insulation type / foam grooving / glue / plywood / fit up are line items the buyer needs to work out with the panel mfg.
Victorian
Approved Vendor : Total Composites
Globtrekker is in the USA. I'm not a fan of the aluminum corners. Even with a thermal break there's still heat transfer
Globe Trekker INC, DIY Overland Expedition Solutions | cabover
Overland Expedition DIY Campers, Cabovers, Zero Torsion subframe, storage boxes, doors and windows for off road off grid nature camping enthusiats
CPT and Boxxed are making panels in Canada. CPT panels are good but I have the same thought as Globtrekker for way they are doing the aluminum corner.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLES - RV COMPOSITE PANELS - CPT Panels
CPT RV composite panels are ideal in the RV industry where lightweight, strong, and durable design is needed. Although more expensive than traditional construction, composite panels are used where traditional building materials are unable to provide the performance required. Typical applications...www.cptpanels.com
Home - Boxxed Composite Panels
We build sustainable and eco-friendly, high-performance components for mobile structures. We turn recycled materials into thermally efficient products.
Total Composites make a good panel but the presentation doesn't agree with me. Presentations such as offshore to NA panel comparisons that say (at 3:00) "this was built to our specification". If it was TC first go at making panels I'd understand but it's not. TC knows FRP skins / insulation type / foam grooving / glue / plywood / fit up are line items the buyer needs to work out with the panel mfg.
We gave it a fair chance and tried to work with what ...... was able to offer us. I honestly believe they tried their best. The option was Aluminum tubing (a big no no ) or a mixture build up of plywood and thin layers of FRP skin to achieve the same function and structural intergrity as we have been offering with the fiberglass tubes. Sadly, it didn't meet our expectations due massive material thickness issues (huge thickness variations of the foam core that was highly visible on the FRP Skin), massive scratches in pretty much every panel and overall questionable lamination qualities. Hence the video. Trust me, as much as we would love to source panels closer to home, so far I haven't found anything comparable. As much as poeple keep point this out to us, fact is that North America has been surpassed by others when it comes to RV component manufacturing. It's becoming tougher by the day to find anything of great quality in North America for the RV industry. Aside from that, if people are so concerened about our panels made in China, then why is everyone buying/using other daily items made there?
Sadly, I'm just having a problem getting past the pricing of these empty habitats. If you think about it from a consumer value point it's not very attractive. You can get a complete Composite / Aluminum RV for under $30,000. I think the pricing on habitats ($30-$40K) is being pushed up by a supply/demand imbalance in a small market like we've seen in the Sprinter 4x4 market the last 3 years.
I'd be interested in a KIT or a reasonable priced habitat from Total Composites as the product is excellent.
2023 Travel Lite Rove Lite 16RB | Kuhn Truck and RV
CONTACT US TO ORDER YOURS TODAY! 2023 Rove Lite 16RB by Travel Lite RV - WE WILL BEAT OR MATCH ANYONE'S PRICING ON NEW TRAVEL LITE PRODUCTS! - Hydro-Lite Sidewalls (Interior Azdel and Exterior Gelcoat Fiberglass sidewalls) - Honeycomb composite flooring - Aluminum Chassis PICTURES ARE OF ACTUAL...
www.truckandrv.com
driveby
Active member
You are comparing sticks to diamonds. While the overlander custom boxes are indeed a small market, go look at the quality of that $30K trailer and tell me how many washboards, frame twisters and actual bad road use it’ll last for. North American RV quality sucks. Like really really sucks. Go open a cupboard or look at the edges. You’ll see all sorts of bad cuts, unattached wires and general crap construction. Also all those components inside are paper thin metal and junk. Even on higher end RV’s they still use garbage appliances. I agree with your idea of doing it right. DoIng it right also often costs money because of higher quality components, slower assembly times (meaning more work hours per product produced) and yes, a small market. That travel lite is probably produced by the 500-1000 in batch runs.
Maybe, but the original question was for a source for quality panels in the USA. I thought the DIY section might have some ideas.
mog
Kodiak Buckaroo
Some of that is a sign of the times. I have one of the first DIY kits that Total Composite shipped into the country (6+ years ago). It was very reasonably priced when splitting a shipping container with another buyer/builder. BUT since that time, large Chinese tariffs have gone into effect, container shipping has increased exponentially, and as stated above the DIY aspect is not an option for their panels any longer. Prior to obtaining that kit, I was looking into the signboards they use for billboards. Some of those seem to be of a composite construction. However, finding panels with the correct thickness and a company that would sell a small amount to a consumer was a no-go. Perhaps give that a shot, you might have better luck than I did.
Sourcing a la carte panel threads pop up quite often. As far as I know all the options have been stated. No one is manufacturing, stocking and shipping these panels for DIY RV builders because there is no market for it.
There are domestic panel manufacturers but there is nothing off the shelf in large sizes required for habitats. The capabilities are there but it would be a custom order.
Ordering custom is a bit experimental (RnD) because most of the composite manufacturers are not currently making these exact type of RV panels so they don't have a proven system for the foam, skins and adhesive matrix. You would most likely be the one to specify and source foam, skins and adhesive. After receiving panels, you would also have to formulate your own test protocol to see if they meet your requirements.
When you do the math, buying a box doesn't sound so bad.
An alternative is a DIY welded aluminum tube frame with exterior aluminum skins and foam insulation bonded to the inside followed by an interior skin.
There are domestic panel manufacturers but there is nothing off the shelf in large sizes required for habitats. The capabilities are there but it would be a custom order.
Ordering custom is a bit experimental (RnD) because most of the composite manufacturers are not currently making these exact type of RV panels so they don't have a proven system for the foam, skins and adhesive matrix. You would most likely be the one to specify and source foam, skins and adhesive. After receiving panels, you would also have to formulate your own test protocol to see if they meet your requirements.
When you do the math, buying a box doesn't sound so bad.
An alternative is a DIY welded aluminum tube frame with exterior aluminum skins and foam insulation bonded to the inside followed by an interior skin.
Victorian
Approved Vendor : Total Composites
Well said. But there is more to it. Let me explain what we learned over the years.
1. our roots are in the DIY segment: I started our business because I couldn't find panels to build my own camper. I know first hand how frustrating this is!
2. I learned very quickly that you can't just use any type of insulated panel if you want to do it right. Back then I even looked into insulated entry door planks... Considering us investing a good amount of money into this "dream vehicle" project my wife was not willing (understandingly) to put our savings into something that's questionable.
3. To construct a expo truck body you need certain panel properties: For example: the floor needs to be load bearing to support the weight of the interior, sidewalls etc. The floor also needs to have provisions to mount it safely to the vehicle. The sidewalls need provisions if you want to mount awnings etc. Therefore, buying blank foam core panels will not do it.
4. FRP and foam core quality: It's true there are countless options on the market. Most of them are designed for the housing market (shower stalls) etc. There are only a couple of suppliers/manufacturers that offer foam cores and FRP skin with the correct density, tensile strength and UV stability. Finding those without intimate knowledge is next to impossible. These details are even more important when you try to incorporate a cab over bed or any other high stress point.
5. Shipping these huge pieces: In the beginning I thought we should offer our truck campers as a kit, the same as we did with the big boxes. The idea sounded fantastic, till we started calculating the cost for packaging, handling, insurance and freight charges. These numbers turned out to be MUCH higher than doing the assembly in house and selling them as empty shells! At the end this turned out to be the right way. We are now fully in charge of build quality, can offer a better warranty and even offer interior outfitting through our dealers. So basically, even the retail price for an assembled empty shell looks high, it's actually cheaper and less hassle than receiving it in pieces.
In any case, my heart is in the DIY process and I truly admire anyone creating/ building their own dream vehicle! No matter if you purchase from us or others. Go out, follow your dreams and have fun!!!
Cheers