Gel Coat Option

[bosan]

We are almost ready to order a 3075 RL (our first Montana) and would appreciate input to help us decide if the gel coat option in actually worth the added expense and weight. Our dealer sait it would add 700 pounds. What do you all think?? TIA

Bob

[Cat320]

Welcome to the forum.

The dealer has given you some incorrect information...the gel coat weighs 200 lbs. Montana corrected an earlier brochure where it said it weighed 600. We got it...looks great, will hold up longer, easier to clean, increases resale value...did I say looks great.

[BirdingRVer]

We got our 3075RL with the gel coat option and as Bert said it looks great. Our Montana is too new to know how it will hold up over time.

There are 4 other Montanas at our storage lot and you can tell at one glance which ones have the gel coat.

[JH Sechelt]

Gel Coat, I wouldn't buy another RV without it.... IMO...

J&D

[campbud]

We purchased ours with the gel-coat. The only thing I dont like is that the storage doors are not gel-coat. I found this odd b/c on other rvs there storage doors are gel-coat.

[pud2]

lAST RV DID NOT HAVE GEL COAT AND THIS ONE DOES. wILL NOT ORDER ANOTHER WITHOUT IT.

[richfaa]

Your dealer is way behind on his knowledge of the Montana. The high Gloss Gel coat adds another 200lbs or so depending on the model of your unit. This is from the folks who should know..Keystone. It is a nice option and it looks pretty If we bought one off the lot and it had the high GLoss we would have got it for the right price. We ordered ,we did not spend the $ for the High Gloss. If it fits into your budget get it. After 9 months our gel coat looks like new. We probably will not get The High Gloss gel coat if we purchased another camper...Pretty is not high on our list of things we got to have or spend $ on.. Find 2 campers close by each other one with, one without..take a look and make your decision.

[bsmeaton]

This is our first Monty with Hi-Gloss and it sure looks nice. After seeing a few with it in the storage lot, it became a must have for us.

Campbud is correct, the cargo doors are not hi-gloss. However, the Big Sky uses the same doors and according to the Keystone Rep, will be available through parts once the Big Sky gets rolling in full production. We are trying to pursue doors through a Nappannee distributor, but are not having much luck.

[DHenry]

When I ordered my Montana I did not get the gel coat because of the weight and the opinions of some of the others at that time. I wish I had gotten it and will never purchase another without it.

[dsprik]

Our non-gelcoat still looks great - mfr date 7/20/2006. Been FT ever since. To this date it is still bright and sparkly. However, almost all that have had there Montana for 2 yrs or more, now say they would not buy w/o gel coat. Must be a reason for this?

[Tom Gina 06]

Our last SOB (some other brand) did not have gel coat. Our Monty has it and I will not get one without it again. Gina could care less but since I am the one taking care of the maintainence I find it keeps cleaner looking longer. For me I get a little more free time even though it is 12 foot longer than the SOB we had before.

[Wrenchtraveller]

Gel coat units look a bit more upscale. I don't have it, wish I did.

[sreigle]

Technically, the gel coat weighs more than 200 pounds. However, it only weighs 200 pounds more than the siding you would have if you do not get the gel coat.

We had the gelcoat on our 2003 Montana and got it again on this 2007 and would not be without it. For one, resale value. When we traded the 2003 for the 2007 the owner of the dealership commented how great it looked, how shiny it still was after four years. It had only been waxed once, by the way, and that was two years before trading it.

Another reason is how much easier it is to clean. Our 2001 Montana had the filon siding as did our 1999 Jayco Eagle. The gelcoat is much easier to clean, especially black marks. After a day on the road with light rain I can wipe it down with damp rags. This is handy in parks that do not allow washing the rig.

The other reason to get the gelcoat, in my opinion, is that it looks terrific.

All the above are just my opinion. There is nothing wrong with the filon siding. Each will have to decide this issue for themselves.

[richfaa]

To clarify our previus post concerning why we did not get the High Gloss gel coat on out 3400. At the time we ordered we were unaware that it only was 200lbs difference..we thought it was, as Keystone advertised 600lbs difference. The CC of the 06 3400 is not all that great and we did not wnat to push the envelope...The 200lbs is not a concern...but the deed was done.

[dsprik]

I hestitated on the cost. The weight was not really established at the time, as everyone here was trying to run that figure down at the time, but I believe the extra cost was approx $1,600 and I could not figure out any return on my money for that expediture.