New Escape video - "How It's Made"

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

............. Though I would recommend listening with the sound low .

Ah, come on, Jim. They did slip some 2/7 chords in there with the 1, 4, 5's.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by dfandrews

Ah, come on, Jim. They did slip some 2/7 chords in there with the 1, 4, 5's.[emoji23]

I don't mind the music, the sound quality was a bit lacking.

Still, a great video.

[padlin]

It looks like the plywood floor is stuck directly to the bottom fiberglass. I thought there was spacing underneath for water leaks and such, looks like it just around the perimeter.

[h2owmn]

Just wow. Amazing to be able to provide so much happiness.

[parfsten]

Oh my.... thanks for posting this! I am so impressed with my little Escape... and now I can appreciate even more the quality that went into producing her. What a company!

[steve dunham]

I saw what I expected to see and the video confirmed some of my assumptions. A very informative movie.
My only question " What Music " ?

[Donna D.]

I wasn't surprised ETI uses a chopper gun. Is anyone? The cost to hand layup would be cost prohibitive for buyers. Do any of the manufacturers not use a chopper gun? Shoot we're seeing plenty of chopped 40-50 year old all-molded towables on the road and if they're not, it's not because the fiberglass melted and fell apart. Yeah, chopped strand can be inconsistent. I see 1/4" to the thickness of three sheets of paper in my Scamp, but at 30 years of age it's holding together just fine.

[rubicon327]

Fun to watch. This video shows the attention to detail and quality put into Escape trailers. I hope many of the employees have trailers themselves or can use one.

[thoer]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I wasn't surprised ETI uses a chopper gun. Is anyone? The cost to hand layup would be cost prohibitive for buyers. Do any of the manufacturers not use a chopper gun?

I was also thinking exactly this Donna.

[T&J]

Great video. It's a good reminder of all the hard work, care, and pride that Escape puts into building trailers that provide their owners with such happiness.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I wasn't surprised ETI uses a chopper gun. Is anyone? .

Not in the least because I already knew they did. Not just because of seeing their glass shop, but something I just assumed. I am surprised anyone thought different, but there have been a few misleading ideas floating around, a couple of them the fault of Escape posting inaccurate info.

Trust me, I know for a fact they are tough shells. I have backed into the loft of my trailer twice now, one just a bump, but the other with a big shove from my cargo trailer, the latter moving the chocked trailer a fair bit and creating a bit of gelcoat damage, which reminds me I need to do a bit of repair.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I wasn't surprised ETI uses a chopper gun. Is anyone? The cost to hand layup would be cost prohibitive for buyers. Do any of the manufacturers not use a chopper gun? Shoot we're seeing plenty of chopped 40-50 year old all-molded towables on the road and if they're not, it's not because the fiberglass melted and fell apart. Yeah, chopped strand can be inconsistent. I see 1/4" to the thickness of three sheets of paper in my Scamp, but at 30 years of age it's holding together just fine.

Hi: Donna D... I wasn't either, now that Reace has a proper glass shop. What I'm able to see in this vid is the "Evolution of a revolution" in fiberglass trailer manufacturing!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[steve dunham]

I did work in several factories that made consummer fiberglass products. One build shower / tub enclosure , one built outdoor lawn & garden items and one built upper end speed boats and sail boats.
Several of the manufacturers used the spray method and the other used a combination of hand layed fiberglass cloth with a small amount of chopped material .
I am not an expert on FG but the boats appeared to be built to a higher standard then the shower stalls .

[thoer]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I am not an expert on FG but the boats appeared to be built to a higher standard then the shower stalls .

And probably just slightly more expensive.

[Micheal K]

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: Donna D... I wasn't either, now that Reace has a proper glass shop. What I'm able to see in this vid is the "Evolution of a revolution" in fiberglass trailer manufacturing!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

I find this a bit ironic since a couple of your comments in the http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f1...ng-9135-2.html thread contributed to me asking the question in the first place. In that 2016 thread you said:

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: Jim Bennett... I once asked Reace if he would use a chop gun to speed up Mfg of trailers. He said NO!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

and

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: thoer... I think Rease's reason was "Air quality" and his employees were his concern. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

To everyone else, I apologize for asking about this - it wasn't my intention to derail the thread onto this topic.

- Mike

[NW Cat Owner]

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

That explains a lot and to what We have found . Pat

Yeah, Dirk pointed that out to me while we were watching the video. Such as why there could be/are problems of thinness in some areas. And areas where things could go wrong. Plus a few comments about the frame.

But overall, it was nice to see how everything was put together as I'd kind of wondered about that. And it was fun to see the different custom choices as I've not followed the "It's Friday" thread in a very long time.

[escape artist]

Hi: Micheal K... I expected this derailment!!! It's easy to comment cause we don't have to do the actual work. With a proper shop comes proper air handling equipment and breathing apparatus for the workers. A major investment in hi tech!!!
ETI has not rested on their laurels nor escaped the fact that efficiencies of production were necessary. I'd certainly buy another 5.0TA and might very well do so soon!!!
Your "Irony" is appreciated. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Jim Bennett]

I have cut out 3 large chunks of the shell, and drilled a few large holes. I inspected the glass thickness of each and they were all extremely consistent at just over 1/8" to 3/16" at the widest. Maybe they have gotten more proficient at spraying on the glass than they were in the past.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

That explains a lot and to what We have found . Pat

In case anyone wants to see what fiberglass mat or cloth looks like , I dug mine out . We used to make treasure chest aquariums imbedding the mat in resin inside the wooden box before we poured color . Pat

[rbryan4]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with using a chopper vs mat. It's a quality trailer. Having said that, I would like to see the shell a bit thicker. Of course, there are tradeoffs in terms of cost and weight.