Hi Gloss - Montana Owners Club

Montana_3857 · 05-29-2005, 06:13 PM

I cannot find any information as to what the advantages of this "option" is. Is it gel coat with "attitude"? We have been looking at the "Mighty Montana" for two years now and are ready to trade up. Just have not found any info on this option. Please advise.

Bill and Ann · 05-30-2005, 12:09 AM

I imagine if you do a search on hi gloss gel coat you will find this subject has been discussed before. Apart from that, we have the hi gloss gel coat and wouldn't get another rig without it. Although it adds about 600 lbs. to your rig and reduces your carrying capacity by the same amount it sure makes the unit easier to clean. Put a good coat of wax on it and the black streaks wipe off with a cloth. I am sure others will join in but I think you are going to get the same answer. "Gotta have it."

palebluedot · 05-30-2005, 12:19 AM

Advantages: Easier to clean, looks great.
Disadvantages: adds weight, more $$$.
Would I get it on my next unit? Probably.

HamRad · 05-30-2005, 12:51 AM

We have it on our rig and would get it again. So.... ditto pretty much on what has been said by the others.

HamRad

richfaa · 05-30-2005, 02:13 AM

The high gloss gel coat is a nice option...However..I will take the 600Lbs or so of capacity and maybe spend the $ on another more useful to us option. getting kind of "long in the tooth" and since retirement extremely lazy we have been taking the camper over to our local Rv dealer every spring for a great detailing job. It may cost a few bucks but I do not work up a sweat at all//// Besides every time I hear the "W' word or wash, clean, scrub, wax I get this awful headache.

stiles watson · 05-30-2005, 04:16 AM

Got it, Like it, would get it again, but like richfaa's idea on getting others to do any of the work.

BillyRay · 05-30-2005, 04:22 AM

well for the extra money, I guess you could pay somebody to wash it twice a year for a few years and still make out, but we have it on ours and would get it again! our last montana didn't have it and we really missed not having it. most of the time with a good cleaning, you wouldn't notice from a distance if your parked all alone, but we were parked right next to a unit that had it for a whole month ....and boy could you tell the difference!!

Trailer Trash 2 · 05-30-2005, 06:33 AM

I got it and love it.
I figure the time I save when I wash the trailer is money well spent it takes me on the average 5 hours to wash the rig top to bottom including the roof. When I have black streaks they seem to come off much easier than any of my previous RV's, now if I could just figure out how to keep those bugs off the cap, that takes almost as much time to clean as one side of the trailer.

richfaa · 05-30-2005, 07:35 AM

Five hours to wash the rig top to bottom WITH the High Gloss ....OMG...I just got one of those awful headaches. You may talk me into the high gloss finish but I would STILL have someone else do those THINGS to it...Washing a camper is one of the things that I really like to do. It would rank right after slamming my fingers in truck door.

DCP · 05-31-2005, 05:21 AM

Have it, love it! Very easy to clean.

sreigle · 05-31-2005, 06:02 PM

This is our fourth fifthwheel and first with high gloss. We'll never have another without high gloss. I insisted on this option when we ordered the rig. As others said, it cleans up more easily and looks very nice. Is it necessary? No. Would I buy it again? Absolutely. However, if the additional price made the difference between ok to buy and too much, then I'd forego the high gloss. This is absolutely just my opinion. It does add weight but the truck doesn't seem to care so I don't worry about that.

stiles watson · 05-31-2005, 07:07 PM

Just did my rig today. The Gel Coat shed streaks like a bad dream at mornings waking. I kinda wish the roof was Gel Coat. I KNOW it is totally irrational.

rickfox · 06-25-2005, 03:54 PM

If you are considering the 3400RL - don't buy the hi-gloss!!! At 600# extra, it is a killer to the carrying capacity of the unit!!

sreigle · 06-26-2005, 06:06 AM

Stiles, on some of the very high dollar rigs a gelcoat or some other hard surfaced roof is available. I'd love to have that, too, but it might be a bit noisy in the rain and in hail. I remember how noisy the old tin roofs were.

Broome101 · 06-26-2005, 12:27 PM

I love the gel coat high gloss finish on ours. I keeps clean and cleans up great and keeps looking great as well. When your talking about 12k lbs or so towing 600 lbs to me is not that much more capacity to worry about.

sreigle · 06-27-2005, 05:21 AM

Broome, I agree with you wholeheartedly. It looks great, cleans up more easily than did our prior Montana without the high gloss. Our model has almost 4000 lbs carrying capacity so 600 lbs is not a big deal. The truck doesn't even notice it so I don't worry about it. We had ours waxed a couple of weeks ago and it looks good as new. Now if I can just get that poliglow and do the nose so it looks like new, too, I'll be happy.

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