Off Topic: 5th Wheel Trailers

[Leo Smith]

I recall several C-Brats recently purchasing 5th wheel trailers for "land cruising". Visiting the Seattle RV Show yesterday, I had a hard time separating the fluff from the substance. Are there RV brands equivalent to C-Dory (solid construction)? Are there RV brands to stay away from? Any thoughts/opinions/experiences are greatly appreciated!

[ghone]

Hi there. We're not rv'rs but several c brats have found Arctic Fox and Hitchhiker brands superior. They may chime in. Look for "adventures with wild blue". Jim and Joan blog with rv's discussed. Best of luck. George

[Wandering Sagebrush]

If you buy used, I am NOT fond of any Fleetwood product.

That said, I've got no experience with a 5ver. We pull a 25' Airstream. The Airstream community is like a huge group of CBrats. Generally, really nice people. We also prefer a travel trailer because we still have use of the entire pickup bed.

[TOGO]

I looked and looked; studied specs, talk to people and then traded my Born Free class c camper for a Arctic Fox 25 ft. not a fifth wheel. Why a Arctic Fox insulation and construction. Definitely not price. Before the Born Free I had a trailer it was cheep and a disaster. Nothing worked and it stated to fall apart after a few months of use. A friend also let price guide him the same problems.
Things to look for how it sits on its frame, water pump noise, cabinets latched and construction, and are there air holes to the out side in places that they should not be. If you are tall note some of the Queen size bed are shorter than the standard.
My sister who RV full time always bought Hitchhiker 5th wheel.
My Borne Free had 100K miles and all you could hear was the dishes banging. Hope the Arctic Fox is as good.
Why did I go to a trailer I Kayak and it works better for carrying the kayaks. When I take the C-Dory overnight I usually sleep in it.

Guy

[potter water]

I agree with the negative comment on the fleetwood brand, having had experience with them.

My preference for a C-dory compatible land camper is a pickup bed camper. We have an Adventurer that has all of the stuff that our prior fifth wheel had.

Now, let me explain. The camper has a nice wet shower with full size toilet seat!! Important to those of us with full size butts. It also has a nice two burner stove, microwave, fridge, heating and AC and a nice queen bed. It has a dinnette that in an nice, but unconventional way rolls into a second bed.

The only thing the fifth wheel had in addition was room to entertain a couple of friends.

The camper allows us to dry land when there is not boating involved. BUT, it also allows us to take the Dory along anywhere we want to go. When not towing the dory, we have a small utility trailer for the the extras that would normally go into the truck bed. Or canoes or cycles or whatever. So the camper route allows us the greatest flexibility of all. '

IF we had the bucks, I'd also have a small fifth wheel. But that would only marginally improve our total travel and boating flexibility.

I also like the camper because it doesn't have 4 extra wheels and bearings to worry about and off road access is possible. Maintenance is simpler than a trailer or fifth.

Our time on land is spent 90% outside of the trailer/fifth/camper and we've found that the extra weight and ungainliness of pull behinds is not worth having extra, unused space.

So, bottom line is that for my wife and I who are almost always on our own in our land and boat travels, The camper is a perfect compromise. We've owned a trailer and fifth, and have settled on the camper.

[Robert H. Wilkinson]

If you have the truck to pull a 5th wheel, they are easier to maneuver into tight camping sites than a ball hitch trailer.

I bought a 28' Grey Wolf new in 2008. The roof is rotted in 1 corner(about a 3' sq. section). The floor was rotted in 1 corner(about a 3' X 7' section). Replaced that last season. The floor of the pop-out is rotted now and will have to replace that next season(about a 2' sq. section). Very disappointing when you buy something new and you expect it will last.

Our neighbor bought a Terry travel trailer the same year as us and he has had the same issues with the floor rotting out. The fibreglass sides of his trailer have also delaminated in several places. They reglued them a few times under warranty but the problems continue and it is out of warranty.

Good luck with your search,

Rob

[JamesTXSD]

I don't have hands-on experience with the Arctic Fox line (check with Pat and Roger), but we have traveled pretty extensively with our HitchHiker. NuWa HitchHikers are the only RVs that use Dow Blue Foam in their insulation - it makes a difference because the blue foam does not absorb moisture. HitchHiker also uses attic construction which helps with condensation. They are designed for extensive and full-time living. Well constructed. You don't void the warranty with a HitchHiker by spending extensive time in it (not the case with most RV manufacturers).

At this time, NuWa no longer does the manufacturing of the HitchHiker products, but has turned that over to Excel (another Kansas manufacturer).

They are ergonomically designed, with liveable floorplans. Factory support continues, even though the NuWa factory doesn't build them anymore. There is an owners forum that reminds me a lot of the C-Brats, providing a great resource for owners.

That said, we recently traded in our HitchHiker (not due to any dissatisfaction with the product) for another motorhome; smaller, with a plan for doing more land traveling and less staying in one place as much. And, not double-towing. That was not a particular issue for us, but it is not allowed in the states along both coasts.

Over the years, we have owned a bunch of RVs, from Class B campervans to diesel pusher motorcoaches. The HitchHiker we owned was built as well or better than any of them, including the high-line coaches.

If anyone is looking for a HitchHiker, I would suggest that you contact Kansas RV Center in Chanute, Kansas (the former factory for NuWa) - they stock the new builds and refurbish and sell used models.

There are RV brands that I don't care for, due to the cost-cutting construction. The biggest RV manufacturer in the US today is Thor, offering a slew of different brands for towable and motorized. I would not buy a Thor product. Fleetwood is out of the towable RV market, offering only motorhomes (Class A and Class C). I was not a fan of their towables, but we owned several Fleetwood motorhomes over the years, and found them to be well built.

Winnebago has gotten back into the towable market, having purchased the former Sunnybrooke line (5th wheels) - these are another well-made product. They do offer some lesser-expensive travel trailers, as well. Our new motorhome is a Winnebago... we have owned 2 previously and were satisfied. I spent most of the last year researching this purchase.

C-Dory is unique in the boating world: sturdy, classic, with loyal boat owners. I have to agree with Steve that the only RV marquis that compares to that is Airstream. We looked at them before buying the HitchHiker 6 years ago. but decided to go the 5th wheel route for more residential type living and more storage.

I am happy to respond to any PMs if I can answer any more about HitchHiker or RVing in general.

Best wishes,
Jim

[thataway]

I have been RVing for over 50 years--and cannot tell you what the best 5th wheel is. I would read on places like RV forum. Take a few evenings in the 5th wheel section.

We see some high end units when we spend the several months in Marathon--Cedar Creek, Hitch Hiker are the top ones there--

Remember that a trailer is a box on wheels. The interior is going to be cloae to the same--same refrig, water heater, water pumps, etc. Much of the furniture is also made by the same folks. Where the difference is, is the construction. Our RV has aluminum, not wood studs. We have a one piece aluminum roof, with rolled over the edges, (all found) and covered by fiberglass caps. There is a high end sealant to adher all of the parts. The insullation is bonded in foam, wih the outer walls, also bonded to underlay and foam.

I would avoid a "rubber roof" Get one pjiece either aluminim or fiberglass. Avoid wood, when possible (cannot in the floors). Find out how thick the insullaton is. Look at older units of that brand--see how they hold up. Look at the roofs, look for side wall delaminaiton. Look for rot in the floors, or wood parts. Look for side wall delamination or bubbles.

I prefer a residential refrigerator. There are a hisory of fires in the Norcold units. We went from a $6,000 Dometic 15 cc foot RV ref to a $1000 22.5 cu foot Samsung, and the Samsung works far better. We have 6 golf carts, 200 watt solar panel, and a high output alternator on the coach engine. But you ca do the same in a 5th wheeler, with charging from the truck, or a honda generator.

You want to decide if you want a generator for air conditioning, or if you will be staying an RV parks with power each night.

Be sure that your truck can handle the load. You may want additional stabliizatin or air bag suspension. You want a transsmission designed for towing, A diesel is a good solution in the long run.

[hardee]

Still farther off topic -- sorry, but I have been looking at RV travel as well -- and found the Trek motor homes have an owners group that i much like the C-Brats too. And, they look to be interesting RV's, in that they are shorter and still roomy.

Wonder if we could get a poll on C-Brats who own RV's and which type : P/U camper, Pull behind trailer, 5th Wheel trailer, pop-up trailer or Motor home; Gas or Diesel

Curious. This group is a pretty savoy and logical bunch and I wonder if there is any consensus as to which RV is the most practical for a C-Dory owner.

Harvey
SleepyC

[JamesTXSD]

Harvey, we had a Leisure Travel Van (similar to the Road Trek) when we ordered our CD-25. According to info from the factory, the 25 was supposed to be within the LTV's towing capacity. Nope. That's why we bought the diesel pickup.

That said, the Class B campervans would be a good matchup for the 22s and smaller. We towed other boats that weighed less than the 25 with our LTV. The Class Bs are great traveling machines... I used to say, "We have all the amenities of our Class A motorhomes - you can just reach them from the driving compartment." It was a very capable RV - the only limitation was storage space (i.e. the wardrobe) for extended traveling. The downside: the couch across the back had to made into the bed each night (made into a king-size bed).

People are often surprised that a nice Class B is quite expensive compared to a bigger Class C; this is because they are made from the inside out, as opposed to setting up walls on a cutaway chassis. Most of the Class Bs we looked at were very well made.

During the time we owned our CD-25, we owned a Class B, a toy hauler travel trailer, and the HitchHiker 5th wheel. I know there are C-Dory owners who consider their boats to be "boaterhomes," but a dedicated RV is a great way to travel, with all the facilities available for your use (water, heat, a/c, electric, and sewer, plus amenities like TVs, satellite receivers, surround sound, inverter, generator, and furniture that is like what you are used to at home (ergonomically comfortable).

When a boating friend of ours asked about our new motorhome, I described it: similar to the size, space, amenities, and comfort of a Ranger 29 or 31... except it doesn't float.

Best wishes,
Jim

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Harvey, the two best ways to lose money are buying boats and RVs. For use with the boat, we have and like a FWC (Four Wheel Camper) Grandby. Fully loaded, it's less than 2000 pounds, and a pop top. You hardly know it's there. No rock and roll like the hard side campers. Minimal windage, so your mileage isn't hugely affected. The pop up community is much like the CBrat crowd. Check this site out...

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/

I'm Wandering Sagebush on WTW, like here on the CBrats.

[thataway]

Harvey,
When you say "Trek" do you mean Road Trek, or the Safari Trek? They are completely different animals. The Road Trek have from 5.2 L to 6.2 L gas engines. These are class B or B+ (Van connversions) Then are mostly on one ton chassis, with single rear wheels. There are also a series of Road Trek made on the Mercedes Sprinter Chassis. These are both the 3/4 tone single rear wheel and 1 ton dual wheels. We towed our first C Dory 22 many times with a 1992 Road Trek with a 5.2 L--we only towed the 25 a few miles, but as Jim noted it was too much of a load.
We have been looking at current Road Treks, as we consider down sizing. I think that even the 22 may be marginal for the Sprinter chassis, with the weight limits, and small diesel engine. \


The Safari Trek Are Class A (large chassis) and were built in both gas and diesel. Size from 24 to 30 feet--some had a pull down bed in the middle. They were built from the mid 1990's to about 2008. Some of these might have the frame, hitch and running gear to tow a boat up to the size of the C Dory 25. We owned a 30 foot gas Class A V10, and with a modified transmossion, frame and hitch it eaasily towed a C Dory 25.

Our current 42 foot Class A, with an 8.3 L Cummins, will easily tow 10,000 lbs, but...the over all length makes it impractical for towing anything but a C Dory 22 (and in some states, that is not possible, because of the length).

We have "made" a profit on a number of boats (and lost some on boats also). Only ioine RV did we sell for more than we paid--that was a 19 foot Road Trek. That is out of over a dozen RV's since 1962....All were motor homes--not trailers.

[hardee]

Oh my, this is getting fun

Great replies. Thanks for all the info.

The Trek was a Safari (2006-7), 28ft Workhorse chassis with an Allison 6spd. Pluses: length, good cabinetry, not flimsy. Appears to be well built, and has a nice floor plan and good basement storage. Minus: Gas engine, access through teh doghouse.

Damon Intruder: 32ft Diesel, Cummins with an Allison 6spd. Pluses: Diesel, Allison. Good storage, big battery bank, easy engine access, rear bed platform. Minus: Length and Diesel fuel.

Also, an AirStream trailer, nice but more trailer than I need and more than I can afford.

A new thought recently is a pickup camper and although I have nev er even been in one, I can see using that and towing the C-Dory.

My how this retirement thing is getting fun.

Harvey
SleepyC

[B~C]

Leo, if your looking for a C-dory like travel trailer, take a look at the Bigfoot and Escape trailers. Like a C-dory, they both use fiberglass construction, have timeless styling and hold their resale value better than most.
We studied on rvs and looked for a 17.5G Bigfoot for a few years and finally found one last month, like a used C-dory, they aren't to easy to find and when found, a person can't hesitate. We now have both land and sea covered.

[jennykatz]

We bought a fiberglass trailer it's a LIL Snoozy .com If you are looking at trailers and want one that holds it's resale go to
(fiberglass RV) site and look at all the full fiberglass trailers they hold their resale like the c-dory .
Our Lil Snoozy is a 18ft Long 8 ft wide fiberglass trailer built like a boat shoe box style .It has a shower ,toilet and twin beds . The Kitchen side has a fridge and hot plate ,Microwave and Hot water .
The Escape's and Big Foot are made in BC. Canada . Casita ,in Texas and Scamp in MN. We will look at a 5th wheel Escape trailer that is 21ft long this Summer.
We still Like our CC-23 but not for sleeping as much as the RV. Jim