Newbie questions on Argosy dimensions

[ronstory]

All--

First post, but been lurking for a while.

I've got a 2002 Range Rover as a TV and I figured to limit my size to 22ft or less and a dry weight of 3000 lbs or less. The specs are 6500 GVW and 550 tongue weight so I like some margin.

I've been looking at the weight of Airstreams over the year and had pretty much written of most of the 70's... and then saw Argosy Minuet brochure at 79ArgosyMin20
and notice that the 20 ft and 22ft model's dry weights are 2450 and 2725lbs respectively... before options.

While I love the look of the polished Airstream... paint is just more practical and some of the paint combos look great.

Now my questions...

1. Are there any difference in size the Minuet line vs. the 'standard' Argosy of the same year?
2. Is the only change is the length of the trailer and the height is unaffected?

Thanks,
Ron

[jordandvm]

Ron,
Welcome to the forums! I am not an expert on Argosys, but my understanding is the Minuet is 6" narrower than the standard Argosy. I think the heights are the same in both. The Minuets have aluminum flooring vs wood in standard Argosy.

Hope to see you at one of our NW rallys!

[Argonaut20]

Minuets are narrower by 6 inches. Not all of them have the aluminum floor which may have been limited to the '77 and '78 years. Look under the refrigerator to check for type of floor. They are light. Our Minuet will come in under 3500 pounds ready to roll if we plan well.

[Pfredd]

I have a '78 Minuet 6.7 meter with the aluminum floor.

Just about the only wood in the thing are the counter tops and in the gauchos. All of the cabinetry is made from wood grain vinyl covered aluminum.

I barely notice that I am towing it with my F250...

Dave

[ronstory]

All--

So the 22 and 24ft Minuet models are narrower on than the standard models. I wonder if that is true for 24ft Minuets? I found a bunch of weights at http://www.airforums.com/photos/browseimages.php?c=3178 that show the weigtht for a '77 24ft Argosy is the same as the weight for a 78 24ft Minuet.

Pfredd--

I'm looking for the 22ft Minuet... since it has the Airstream 'coolness' and smaller size. Thanks for explaining the construction of the cabinets... that explains some of the weight savings. Anything you don't like about your 6.7m?

Thanks,
Ron

[Pfredd]

Ron,

I am not wild about the aluminum floor. There is a metal strip, about an inch wide, riveted over each of the joints, so the floor is not smooth. It sags a bit between the joints. It is "bouncy" and is cold during cold weather camping (which I don't do a lot of).

The other problem is lack of storage space. We solved this by removing the inoperable suburban furnace and associated metal ducting. This freed up loads of storage space under the sink and oven. I kept the outside furnace vent piece, which I backed with a piece of black painted aluminum, so there wouldn't be an ugly patch (so on the outside, it still looks like we have a furnace).

For heat, I installed an Olympian Catalytic heater on the side of the oven cabinet (by the door). So far this has worked well.

We tried a low cost prego-like flooring, but the metal floor "sweated" when it was cooler than the trailer air and mildew formed between it and the plastic vapor barrier that the flooring requires. We had to rip it out and replace it with carpet.

What we really like is the openness. Our model has both front and side gauchos. Three full sized side street side windows and the wrap around front windows really go a long way to make the trailer look like it is a lot larger than it really is.

I neglected to mention above that another weight savings in the trailer is that all the side windows are lexan, not glass. The front flat and wrap around windows and the rear window are glass.

Here are some photos. They were taken at last years International, so the windows are covered with reflective foil we bought at Camping World to help keep the heat out....

Dave

[ronstory]

Dave--

I'm surprised that the aluminum floors would sweat that much with the styrofoam insulation, but that is the difference between theory and testing.

I like the look of your trailer and it looks well maintained. Two last questios, about what is the inside width of the minuet at around counter height and also... how high are the side windows off the floor?

I really need to see one of these in person, but haven't seen any for sale in greater Portland, OR area... at least not yet.

Thanks,
Ron

[overlander64]

Greetings Ron!

I have owned my 6.0 Metre Minuet for five years now, and am currently on vacation where it serves as my base for exploration near Glacier National Park.

Something to keep in mind about the empty weights of the Minuets is that the option list was long, and several items were optional that would be expected as standard equipment on the standard coaches. These optional features can quickly add additional weight.

The renovation of my Minuet's interior included Armstrong laminate flooring with their special Quiet Step underlayment. The Quiet Step underlayment has produced a wonderfully level and stable floor that is easy to keep clean and seems to be nearly indestructible. This was my third International Rally with the Minuet, and its floors still look new despite a tremendous amount of traffic and use.

My Argosy literature indicates that the Minuet was 7.0' wide at floor level while the regular Argosy coaches measured 7' 8". My Minuet is barely wider than my '75 Cadillac Eldorado tow vehicle. The 7.3 Metre Minuets carry on the narrower floor of their shorter siblings.

The side windows in my '78 Minuet 6.0 Metre are approximately 39" off of the floor, and the kitchen counter height is approximately 37.5". Something else to keep in mind about these Minuets is that some (if not many) of them were equipped with acrylic side windows to save weight. The width of the Minuet at approximate counter height is slightly less than 3" wider than at floor level.

My research has indicated that most (but not all) 6.0 Metre Minuets had the aluminum composite floor -- while a few (but far from all) 6.7 Metre Minuets had the aluminum composite floor. Every 7.3 Metre Minuet that I have encountered has had the traditional plywood subfloor.

Minuets have become increasingly popular over the past few years. The production seems to have favored the 6.0 Metre with the most and the 7.3 Metre with the least.

Good luck with your investigation! The Minuets are fun coaches to own!

Kevin

[overlander64]

I know that the Cadillac Eldorado wasn't the targeted tow vehicle for Minuets, but it has made an acceptable match for my Minuet. The photos below illustrate the width similarity between the two vehicles. The width of the Minuet is one of the reasons that I like towing the Minuet. These photos were taken yesterday at Mountain Meadow RV Park in Hungry Horse, MT:

[ronstory]

Kevin--

Thanks for all the info and guidance. I've been saving your posts as well... small archive of "Argosyness" that I can quickly refer to in a pinch.

I did an all US craiglist search for "argosy minuet" and got zero hits. That's rare indeed.

I'm also look at some mid 70's airstreams in the $5k range. Looking for fixer-upers in the $2-2.5k range was a bit disappointing. See my other post about "new questions for AS shoppers".

Thanks,
Ron

[Argonaut20]

Looks like we are hanging on to the Minuets for some reason. With the exception of the Caravelles, the AS is a heavier trailer in the 70's, 21' Globetrotter tipping the scales at 3390 dry while the Minuet 6m is about 2450 dry. Then you add the AC, awning, etc. to both. I assume you are looking at 1974 and later for the gray water capability, though the weight of the Globetrotter isn't less for 1973.