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NEWS
Insurer backs fibreglass construction
If you want cheaper insurance, buy a fibreglass caravanWant an insurance discount? Talk to your caravan manufacturer.
Australia’s largest caravan insurer, Suncorp, has just clarified the conditions under which owners of all-fibreglass clad caravans can get a discount on their premiums – but the manufacturer of your caravan has to be pro-active.
Following discussions with Jayco and an analysis of their owners’ claim history, CIL is now offering an automatic 10 per cent cut on their annual premiums for fibreglass clad models.
This includes the new Jayco Adventurer off-road models, which have aluminium checker plate fitted over the lower portion of their sandwich panel walls, but excludes Jayco’s aluminium-clad Starcraft models.
All motorhomes and other RVs are at this staged also excluded from the discount.
However, if you own a non-Jayco fibreglass-clad van, they won’t necessarily take your word for it before applying the discount.
Rather, they will need to be assured in writing by its manufacturer that it meets their guidelines. These are:
• It must be of full fibreglass construction – this means all four side panels and the roof must be complete fibreglass material
• However, the discount can also be applied to an off-road model with checker plate on the lower portion of the caravan’s body.
Fibreglass stacks up
This ruling is sure to rile owners of the many caravans that employ either ribbed or smooth aluminium as an outer-cladding, whether as part of a full thickness sandwich panel or as an outer cladding over a timber or aluminium wall-frame.
Ribbed profile aluminium took over from bondwood as the preferred outer cladding for Australian caravans from the mid 1980s, but more recently smooth aluminium used widely in the building industry has found its way onto caravans because it has given manufacturers the ability to offer customers a wide range of two-pack outer colours.
Avan has been trumpeting the advantages of aluminium over fibreglass outer cladding at recent major caravan shows, but its focus has been on appearance, claiming that aluminium is more likely than fibreglass to discolour over time, enhancing resale values.
Countering this, Melbourne-based CL Composites, which supplies many Australian caravan manufacturers with full thickness 29mm fibreglass sandwich panels, say that fibreglass withstands hail and stone strike better and, if damaged can easily be repaired locally using proven boat repair gelcoat technology.
It’s believed this ability to carry out relatively economical localised repairs has been an influencing factory in Suncorp’s decision, based on claims experience.
Major caravan manufacturers currently using CL Composite panel walls include Zone RV, Aus RV and Winnebago in Queensland and Roadstar, Crusader, Trakmaster, and Centaur (Karakampa) in Melbourne.
The clarification of the discount by CIL, which is part of the giant Queensland-based Suncorp insurance conglomerate, is likely to benefit tens of thousands of Australian caravanners.
CIL claims to cover more than 30 per cent of all insured Australian caravans and camper trailers, representing as many as 130,000 customers. Although only a percentage of these will be owners of new-technology all-fibreglass vans, the move is likely to influence caravan purchasing habits.
If you own an all-fibreglass clad caravan and would like to take advantage of the 10 per cent CIL premium discount, you need to contact your caravan’s manufacturer and asked them to make their case for inclusion to cilsales@cilinsurance.com.au
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Written byMichael Browning
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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