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testwest · 06-05-2016, 12:04 PM

My 2014 Premier 26 RBPR has cracked fender skirts. They cracked almost immediately after purchase in November 2014 and we had them warranty-replaced at Camping World in Burlington in spring of 2015.

The replaced skirts are cracking again (spring 2016), this time more severely than even the OEM set! The problem appears to be a design flaw/poor choice of materials - all related to a finished product that can't take its air-loads when under-tow. Normal driving speed air loads excite the middle drop-down piece of the tandem fender skirt to flex. The inside brace/stiffener eventually breaks where it attaches to the pop-out frame. The ABS fender skirt then starts cracking at the screw holes - and now those cracks have propagated in all directions to the point that the skirt is only firmly attached at the front and rear tips.

I'm familiar with ABS, and find its extensive use (at the thickness used for these fender skirts) as non-load-bearing trim pieces INSIDE aircraft.

I've written to Keystone's Customer Relations to see what they can do. My request was for properly designed parts that I could self-install - I hold better tolerances than the dealerships.

Absent free parts of better design from Keystone, I will build replacement fender skirts and braces in my home-shop. My husband and I both build aircraft and their subsystems as a hobby.

06-05-2016, 12:04 PM	#1
testwest Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Lake Stevens, WA Posts: 2	Cracked Fender Skirt on 26 RBPR My 2014 Premier 26 RBPR has cracked fender skirts. They cracked almost immediately after purchase in November 2014 and we had them warranty-replaced at Camping World in Burlington in spring of 2015. The replaced skirts are cracking again (spring 2016), this time more severely than even the OEM set! The problem appears to be a design flaw/poor choice of materials - all related to a finished product that can't take its air-loads when under-tow. Normal driving speed air loads excite the middle drop-down piece of the tandem fender skirt to flex. The inside brace/stiffener eventually breaks where it attaches to the pop-out frame. The ABS fender skirt then starts cracking at the screw holes - and now those cracks have propagated in all directions to the point that the skirt is only firmly attached at the front and rear tips. I'm familiar with ABS, and find its extensive use (at the thickness used for these fender skirts) as non-load-bearing trim pieces INSIDE aircraft. I've written to Keystone's Customer Relations to see what they can do. My request was for properly designed parts that I could self-install - I hold better tolerances than the dealerships. Absent free parts of better design from Keystone, I will build replacement fender skirts and braces in my home-shop. My husband and I both build aircraft and their subsystems as a hobby.