RV FEATURE
Composite construction is arguably going to be the future of caravan manufacturing . In fact , fibreglass sandwich panels are expected to become the norm within the next five years . Why ? Well , they ’ re lighter , stronger , provide excellent water resistance and better insulation , to name a few benefits .
The application of fibreglass panels to industry is nothing new . Truck bodies , large motorhomes , trains … they ’ ve all employed such construction in one form or another for many years .
However , it ’ s fair to say that it has taken longer to be adopted by caravan manufacturers . Meranti timber or aluminium clad with ribbed or smooth aluminium is still widely in use , while some manufacturers instead opt for structural composite aluminium panels .
So fibreglass has not exactly ‘ swept ’ the industry . Instead , it has crept in , employed by savvy manufacturers with discerning customers . One such manufacturer is Crusader Caravans . Crusader saw the writing on the wall about five years ago . The Chameleon was its first caravan range to get the allfibreglass treatment , and this continued with the compact CRV range released last year .
Given Crusader ’ s history with fibreglass sandwich panels , we jumped at the offer of an in-depth tour of the factory . We wanted to see exactly how these panels locked together to form a caravan body atop a chassis . Further , we wanted to see how these panels were made – and access was granted .
All required apertures are cut by Creative Composites before delivery to Crusader Caravans .
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