'76 Sovereign vs. '76 Overlander

[tin can luv]

I received "Ready To Roll - Celebration of the classic american travel trailer" today. There's a picture of a 76 Sovereign in there that is Identical to our OVerlander...what's the difference...just curious.

Ron & TOny

[thenewkid64]

In the 70's the names had to do with the lengths. The Sovereign was a 30/31 foot unit, your Overlander is a 27. The window layout may be the same, but if you look closely you should see that the window in front of the door is larger than on your Overlander.

[tin can luv]

Well I feel stupid. I usually enter the length of the overlander. Who knew..

THanks, I learn so much here.

[smily]

I may be wrong but I dont believe the windows are the same. I have had both units and there are major differences.

Sovereign can be had with rear bed, Overlander-middle twins only

Sovereign will have three to four windows on curbside,
Overlander, two to three

Sovereign, two windows in living room on streetside
Overlander one window in living room on streetside

Sovereign may have wrap around front window
Overlander does not.

Just my .02 cents

Smily

[tin can luv]

Right about the window, but full size bed in mid trailer.

[tin can luv]

can you even tell in this awful picture. pretty isn't it?

[tin can luv]

cabinets opposite bed in mid cabin

[smily]

I had forgotten about gaucho in middle, What I should have said was no rear bed option.

Scuzy me

Smily

[tin can luv]

Goucho. Another work I need to learn.. Intead of couch/bed thing.

I gotta go, this forum makes me late everyday, for everything!

[thenewkid64]

Ken,

What I was describing was assuming that the Soverign picture that made him think it was an Overlander had mid twins. Based on the curbside the windows there ould be 3, spacing would be a bit diffrent and the window in front of the door is 2X the size of the Overlander one.

[smily]

On a Sov. Rear bed, the bathroom window is much smaller also.

Hence, the Sovereign will have big living room window, Galley window, small bathroom window and bedroom window. All on curbside.

Smily

[tin can luv]

It's an overlander

I have a 76 31' Sovereign and I know that I've heard more than once that these were not good years for Airstream. What were some of the deficiencies of these years under Beatrice?

[uwe]

Originally Posted by Craftsman

I have a 76 31' Sovereign and I know that I've heard more than once that these were not good years for Airstream. What were some of the deficiencies of these years under Beatrice?

You know, I own a 63 and a 71, both about the same size, weight and layout.
I have had both trailers pretty much apart, the Tradewind from the rear wheel backwards, and the Overlander, well, ALL apart.
I don't think there is much difference in the 70's model trailers. The frame in my 1971 is beefier than in the 63, and a bit wider also, with the same axles and appliances.
What makes the 70's models less popular were the plastic laminate interiors and the often cumbersome tambour doors.
In the mid 70's, Airstream added grey tanks, which often overstressed the rear frame section and caused seperation between frame and shell, via weakened flooring. Water leaks, unbalanced running gear, and worn axles will eventually make Sovereign buckle, given enoug miles and time. Most of the severe problems that I have followed on this forum, were caused by one of the aforementioned issues. Not by Beatrice.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by Craftsman

I have a 76 31' Sovereign and I know that I've heard more than once that these were not good years for Airstream. What were some of the deficiencies of these years under Beatrice?

Craftsman,
Mine is a 1975 Sovereign, and other than the typical human built goofs and issues I think the quality it fine. The only debateable point IMHO is the location of the holding tanks, given the lever momentum action caused by a full set of tanks at the extreme rear, BTW I will do anything I can to avoid traveling any distance with much of anything in the holding tanks. The dark laminate is a matter of taste. I have seen photos of the rare blond interior from that era and it is defintely different. In the mid 70's the gas crisis hit and people weren't buying as many RV's as they had previously or since which may have led to the "Beatrice Problems". After reading the posts from people spending $40-$80k for a new unit and having the problems they have...I am more than happy with my purchase price as well as the additional outlay of cash and time. Besides, now I know that it is put together properly. And yet another issue is how well the unit has been taken care of by previous owners. From what I gather many people bought their units as they retired, traveled in them for a few or in some cases, many years, then took it home and parked it, many due to poor health or death of a spouse. Many times it was sold to settle an estate, quite often the person that bought it was looking for a cheap unit to take to a seasonal site some where. Then it gets rundown and the leaks become too much for them to handle(after massive applications of silicone ) so it ends up traded in for for a newer unit for very little money and ends up in our hands. Then we have the joy of bringing an abandoned unit back to life to enjoy, besides it is an Airstream not a SOB. Ever looked at the 30+ year old SOB's? I will keep my AS thank you very much.

Aaron