The Serenity/Libero have a multi-piece body design. There are multiple seams connecting the sections together. Coach House has a moulded fiberglass body in which there are no seams. The roof, sides, and ends are all moulded in one piece. The only cutouts are for the windows, slide, and roof penetrations which are easily sealed. That is why it looks like a fat turtle shell. I would rather have a life time of no leaks than cosmetics.
Quote: Coach House has a moulded fiberglass body in which there are no seams. The roof, sides, and ends are all moulded in one piece. The only cutouts are for the windows, slide, and roof penetrations which are easily sealed. That is why it looks like a fat turtle shell.
Yeah, but that huge mold that's required and using it to form that one large piece of unbroken fiberglass makes that motorhome cost a bucket of money just for no leaks.
It's a paradox that an auto as inexpensive as a Kia can have a leakproof roof for it's lifetime while it seems to take rocket science and $$$$ to build an RV that does.
pnichols wrote: Yeah, but that huge mold that's required and using it to form that one large piece of unbroken fiberglass makes that motorhome cost a bucket of money just for no leaks.
We owned our first motor home for 24 years. It had a seamless fiberglass body. When we sold the rig, it was still in great shape. Funny thing, that rig cost $13,000 with sales taxes included, brand new in 1983 and we sold it 24 years later for $7,600. We lost $5,400 in 24 years. I can't imagine that story twice in my life. Click Here to see it.
pnichols wrote: Yeah, but that huge mold that's required and using it to form that one large piece of unbroken fiberglass makes that motorhome cost a bucket of money just for no leaks.
It's a paradox that an auto as inexpensive as a Kia can have a leakproof roof for it's lifetime while it seems to take rocket science and $$$$ to build an RV that does.
It's basically a boat hull turned upside down. It is expensive but as Ron says it holds it's value extremely well.
The stunning Class C I mentioned was aKRYSTAL and several mentioned "broken links" and "no inventory" at the time. Thread opened last summer. Anyhow, the link above still works but the index no longer includes RVs. They still have the Bus, which the RV was probably developed, and Van Conversions. I could easily imagine the RV niche, at their price, wasn't sustainable.
God Bless, jd
2003 Jayco Escapade 31A on 2002 Ford E450 V10 4R100
My wife & I searched for several months for our first motorhome. Quality and luxury were big factors with our decision. We began our search by focusing on Class A's & almost bought a Monaco Vesta. We then discovered the Super Class C's. We decided upon the Super C for the greater safety factor with more protection up front. We also like the driver and passenger doors in addition to the coach door. The ability to have unit serviced at most truck repair stops was also a large factor in addition to the better driving and handling characteristics. We found the Super C's to be generally better constructed and more rugged that the typical Class A. The compromise on the Super C is less living space that of the Class A's. We ended up purchasing A Dynamax Dynaquest 300ST which was perfect for us. It is luxurious, very comfortable, built like a tank, looks great, drives very well, is aerodynamic & gets great mileage, has plenty of power, is exceptionally well built and is not affected by high winds or passing semi trucks. Ours is only 31 foot with 2 slides but Dynamax makes larger models with various configurations.
Bulabarry wrote: The compromise on the Super C is less living space that of the Class A's.
I have never really understood this. A super C in a say 37 foot, with a few slides, should have MORE useable space than a class A in the same size due to the over cab. Everything behind the seats could potentially be the same, class c has the cabover as an advantage in my opinion
A lot of Super C's do not have a true cab over area. Our is extended headroom above the drivers/passenger seats. Also when considering length is approx measure bumper to bumper, the hood/engine area takes up some of that length which a Class A does not lose. Still, I like having that big motor and heavy frame ahead of me for a safety factor.
Dynamax also made the Isata which is a luxury Class C (not Super C) rig.
The Dynamax Grandsport shown in the first response is actually more of a Truck Conversion than a Super C as it is built on a Class 8 Freightliner Columbia/Cascadia.
* This post was
edited 08/21/12 09:51pm by the_armadillo *
the_armadillo wrote: Dynamax also made the Isata which is a luxury Class C (not Super C) rig.
When we were in the market for a new motor home in 2006/2007, I fell in love with the Isata, but fortunately discovered the Phoenix Cruiser. We paid $67,000 for our PC-2350 which was around $40,000 less than an Isata of the same floor plan. Over-all quality and finish materials seemed about same. The luxury of the Isata mainly came in the form of Alcoa aluminum wheels, billet front grill and a ducted hood. But the PC excelled in more practical ways like the mascerator pump system for example. Still I'd like those fancy wheels, grill, and ducted hood.
Here is an Isata with fancy wheels, hood and grill.
Here is our Phoenix Cruiser.
* This post was
edited 08/13/12 03:58pm by ron.dittmer *
For an approximate basic apples-to-apples Class C motorhome comparison between an Isata and a similar Phoenix Cruiser without even needing to see either one, or ride in either one, or talk to an owner of either one - check, for example, the specifications of the ~24 foot Isata and the ~24 foot Phoenix Cruiser:
1) Note that the Isata is a widebody Class C motorhome, but the Phoenix Cruiser is not.
2) Note that the Isata is on a 171 inch wheelbase, while the Phoenix Cruiser is on a 158 inch wheelbase. This means the Isata will ride smoother and can carry more weight on a rear carrier (scooter, motorcycle, etc.) without negatively off-loading the front suspension as much ... but the Phoenix Cruiser will turn sharper.
3) Note that the Isata comes stock on a Ford E450, while the Phoenix Cruiser comes stock on a Ford E350. This means the Isata will have better lateral stability, better transmission cooling, longer lasting brakes, improved torque to the rear wheels at all speeds due to a lower rear differential ratio, and a harsher ride over highway cracks .... than will a Phoenix Cruiser.
4) Note that the Isata has smaller fresh water, grey water, and black water tank capacities than those of the Phoenix Cruiser. This means the Isata is less suitable for extended dry camping than is the Phoenix Cruiser.
5) Note that the Isata has a larger propane tank capacity than the Phoenix Cruiser. This means that - from a purely propane viewpoint - the Isata is more suitable for extended dry camping than is the Phoenix Cruiser.
6) Note that the Isata has a greater interior height than that of the Phoenix Cruiser. This means taller folks will be more comfortable walking around in an Isata.
You can tell a lot about the "guts" of a motorhome from studying it's specification sheet. I always look at this first - before looking at anything else. If it's guts don't hack it, "why waste any more time looking at the other aspects of any particular class C?", IMHO. However, I suppose that as a Class C motorhome gets higher and higher in price, more customization is possible beyond generic published specs.
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