Any chance GD templates are not all the same? Did you measure before hand? Latchit locks work great and fit great on mine.
I can't speak for anyone's experience but my own; however, other than some unknown (to me) and I'm sure normal margin of error, I would expect the cutouts to be pretty consistent. I've seen RVs made in Elkhart, albeit not GD, and they use a LOT of templates because it provides good consistency. When I measured my door cutout it was exactly the size RV lock wanted. I do think mine MAY have been clocked just a couple of degrees off plumb and that could have contributed to the gap. RV Locks doesn't mention a spec for this angle; they assume the cutout is plumb with the door edge.
The original grand design latch/lock fit perfectly. Its design was such that the outer and inner housing were the same approximate shape as the cutout and overlapped the cutout by more than 1/2" all around. It was not sensitive to small deviations from "perfect" as the RVLock design apparently was -- at least in my case.
I agree, the Latchit locks are amazing. In fact, that's what I decided to buy after I returned the RVLocks. The Latchit locks fit perfectly -- no stickers, caulking or other spacers required to fill fit related voids. There were no voids! If you happen to have a less than perfectly shaped or located cutout, the Latchit locks should still fit. From what I saw, I would expect they would be able to adequately cover modest size/shape abnormalities on the order of 1/4", maybe even as much as 1/2". Beware, I did not actually measure this. My assessment is only based on my RVLock experiences with my cutout and pictures of the Latchit installation showing the size of their housing flange. As always, your mileage may vary. Still, I'm confident folks will find the fit very robust.
As for the need for caulking to keep out rain (vs gasket someone mentioned earlier), we've had a lot of rain and wind this winter. Since installing the Latchit locks, I've had the locks in and out several times over the winter to work on the window mechanism. I had not yet caulked the lock as I was expecting the need for disassembly. After multiple heavy winter rain storms, the lock and door were bone dry inside without the caulk. These locks have nice beefy seals, all metal housings. I don't know if I'll caulk them when I'm done with the window or not. Sure looks nice and clean without it.
I don't want to come down too hard on the RVLocks. I think it's unfortunate they chose a housing shape that just BARELY covers a standard door cutout. Just poor design IMO. If they do fit your rig, then you can pick either one and be happy. The RVLock components seems just as solid as the Latchit components. I can't speak to durability for either as I've only had the Latchit locks for a few months.
v/r,
-Larry
