Attached you will find photos of repair approved by JC and made by Airstream of Western Pa. Mechanics Alex and Karl have many years experience working on Airstreams and they felt this was a good solution to the problem. I still have the front storage and it is now easier to access via the wider door.
I would also like to highly recommend Airstream of Western Pa.
Very nice. Do you have any idea of this repair can be performed by other dealers? I would like to have this done to my bunkhouse but it's unlikely we'll be able to get near PA this year. Instead, I'd like to have a convenient dealer contact the guys who did your repair and see if they will share the technique.
Very nice. Do you have any idea of this repair can be performed by other dealers? I would like to have this done to my bunkhouse but it's unlikely we'll be able to get near PA this year. Instead, I'd like to have a convenient dealer contact the guys who did your repair and see if they will share the technique.
Second that...Rich... please do share contact info.
Brent
__________________ AZstreamin goin' where the weather suits my clothes....
this repair looks fine but i'd have 2 big concerns before biting...
1. will this solve the problem?
i have a nagging suspicion the skin tearing is related to the design of this model and part of the reason it was discontinued. will ne1 at a/s confirm this? not on a bet...
2. how much is that door gonna leak?
while towing there will be suction pulling the door away from the gaskets while rain water will be forced toward the door.
even on the rear end these doors aren't completely water tight (ask me how i know) and latching mechanism is very very malleable...
also under braking stuff will slide forward against the door...
i understand the reluctance to give up outside access but the full panel replacement, with extra bracing sure looks like a better long term repair.
cheers
2air'
__________________ all of the true things that i am about to tell you are shameless lies. l.b.johnson
we are here on earth to fart around. don't let anybody tell you any different. k.v.
Very nice. Do you have any idea of this repair can be performed by other dealers? I would like to have this done to my bunkhouse but it's unlikely we'll be able to get near PA this year. Instead, I'd like to have a convenient dealer contact the guys who did your repair and see if they will share the technique.
Rich and others who have asked, the door used in my repair is a standard size (49 inches wide ??) trunk door may be correct. I have yet to road test for water leaks or stress but I feel confident with the work that was done.
Airstream Of Western Pa. # 866-925-5928 Manager , Jack.
Rich if you happen to be on I 80 in Pa. be sure and check out Penn wood Airstream Park Limestone,Pa. Exit 64 great park and great people.
My family (dog, two kids, wife and I) are considering a bunkhouse to replace our current 1988 Excella 29'. We like the idea of having a place for the dog and kids to sleep seperate from our living / dining area. Currently, we have to wake them and setup the gaucho before we can sitdown for breakfast.
I like the overall layout but I'm wondering what I give up in exchange for these configuration. Please provide any thoughts.
There are a few things that catch my attention. First, the bunkhouse doesn't have the wrap windows in the front. I like the appearance from the outside as well as the added protection that will prevent minor dings in the aluminium skin. The interior views and opportunities are very evident. Second, I think this package is a standard Safari and not the Special Edition. That means the windows in this unit are not the tradition top hinge windows that are on the other models. They seem to be a bit less interesting, functional, and quality.
Thanks ahead of time for all input. My wife says our current trailer must go before I pickup the bunkhouse. Sometimes letting go is hard...
We have one child, 2 big dogs, and sometimes the cat when we travel. Our first trailer was a 1985 25' Sovereign. We too had to wake our son and fold his bed before breakfast. We bought our bunkhouse last year at this time and love it! I am a big window person and wish we had the full tilt windows and wrap arounds in front. We had both on our previous trailer and I do miss them, however, the floor plan and extra space in our bunkhouse make up for it. The bunkhouse is a wide body, not sure what width your current trailer is, but for us it meant an additional 6 inches. It is amazing how much space 6 inches gives you! We also had the wrap around solar shades on our previous trailer, which we don't have now, but we do have the rock guards on the bottom. I'm pretty sure they never actually made a "Special Edition" bunkhouse, so there aren't any bunkhouses out there with the wrap around front windows or full tilt windows. Except for Rich Luhr's and he had one full tilt window installed after living in his trailer for awhile. For us, the loss of the full tilt windows and wrap arounds was worth it for the family friendly floorplan and extra living space. --Sarah
Sara is correct about the lack of any Special Edition Bunk houses. I tried to custom order one with the top hinged windows and was told no way. I also asked about the 30' bunk in the Special Edition after the 25' Front Bedroom was introduced in the Special Edition and the FACTORY, not any dealer, kept telling me it was coming right up until a few weeks before I found out the entire model had been canceled...still not a "happy camper" about that. Anyway, the awful Hehr windows are the only windows that were ever offered. However, they really aren't that big of a deal unless you boondock a lot and need the ventilation to make up for lack of air conditioning.
We, too, love our 30' Bunk house and, in fact, just returned from a weekend in Chattanooga. Good luck with your search.
__________________
2006 30' Safari - "Changes in Latitudes"
2008 F-250 Lariat Power Stroke Diesel Crew Cab SWB
Family of Disney Fanatics
WBCCI# 4821
We have 4 girls and we camp comfortably with the bunkhouse. We have amazing storage for up to 2 week trips, cook and relax without feeling cramped. The wrap windows are really the only bummer (of course the AS made windows are missed too).
I saw a guy in Dallas installed the wrap protectors on a Safari 25 that only had the single front window. You really could not tell that it did not have windows behind the protectors and they afforded him skin protection.
If you are interested, I believe David Tidmore up at Roger Williams Airstream in Weatherford has a bunkhouse in stock still. I think his is a "LS" model with a lower twin/nightstand arrangement as opposed to the queen lower.
I agree with the above posts. The only thing I'd add is that I think the issue of rock dings above the beltline is a red herring. We've gotten one noticeable ding in that area in 40,000 miles of travel, which I covered with a bullet hole sticker. A full-wrap window protector would cost hundreds of dollars to solve a fairly rare problem.
As you can see, all of us bunkhouse owners really like our trailers. For a family, it's one of the most comfortable rigs Airstream ever made. I'd snag one of the last ones pretty soon, because there aren't many left on dealer lots. Happy travels!
I'm going to go back through this thread because we towed ours up to Chattanooga (a little over 150 miles north of our home in metro-Atlanta) this weekend and it rained part of the way. For the first time I discovered the front storage door had leaked on the curb side. Granted the latch keeper had sprung out and was loose so I bent it back in with my fingers. I wish there was a more permanent solution to this issue...maybe I'll find it when I re-read this thread.
Anyway, we had the most "stuff" with us on this trip than ever before and it was just for a two night stay. We were meeting my brother-in-law and he and his family are between camping rigs so they rented a two bedroom cabin at the KOA we all stayed at. We managed to have a 8X19 patio rug, tool chest, tool kit, cordless drill kit, full sized ax, skedge hammer, four adult camp chairs, two children's camp chairs, door mat, and a couple of other small items in the front storage compartment without creating a bulge in the queen bed. We also had a 10X10 free standing awning, two side tables for the grill, portable gas grill, two zero gravity chairs, a floor fan, cocktail table, two razor scooters, set of the large globe awning lights (10 lights) and our regular "stuff". I am truly amazed how much "stuff" we think we need for camping; I'm also amazed at how much stuff we can store in our Airstream. I have told many a person that we don't ruff-it, we Airstream and we live that creed every time the "Changes in Latitudes" leaves the driveway! In fact, the cable was of such poor quality this weekend that I decided to go ahead and order a satellite dish and tripod for our Memorial Day trip to the beach...just in case there is an afternoon thundershower as often is the case in Florida. After all, this state park doesn't have cable and being on an island I can count the bat wing out for decent reception.
Oh, we did have one sewer hose malfunction. Sunday morning as I was draining the black tank, the connector between two sections of hose came apart an spilled about a gallon of black water on the ground before I could ge the valve closed. How embarrassing. The nice family at the site next to ours was having breakfast on their picnic table and let me tell you, it was a short breakfast! I have since learned on this forum that should keep chlorine powder to spread over the mess if this ever happens again. I wonder if oxi-clean would work. Seems like it would be less caustic and safer.
__________________
2006 30' Safari - "Changes in Latitudes"
2008 F-250 Lariat Power Stroke Diesel Crew Cab SWB
Family of Disney Fanatics
WBCCI# 4821
Something you may want to look at is the inside portion of the latch arm. Just as 2airishuman has pointed out the metal is very malleable, or soft. I found when I had mine after a couple of "bends" it began to relax by itself and not stay tight. I think maybe a new little latch arm would fix the problem if it were made of better metal. All of the storage doors that I have seen that leak (three units including mine) protrude out on the curb side.
Leaking in the area of this door is something you definately want to take care of. The subfloor is not treated, the bed frame is a MDF material that will swell three times its size if it gets and stays wet. Not to mention the odor of "funk".
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We were meeting my brother-in-law and he and his family are between camping rigs so they rented a two bedroom cabin at the KOA we all stayed at. We managed to have a 8X19 patio rug, tool chest, tool kit, cordless drill kit, full sized ax, skedge hammer, four adult camp chairs, two children's camp chairs, door mat, and a couple of other small items in the front storage compartment without creating a bulge in the queen bed.
We also had a 10X10 free standing awning, two side tables for the grill, portable gas grill, two zero gravity chairs, a floor fan, cocktail table, two razor scooters, set of the large globe awning lights (10 lights) and our regular "stuff". I am truly amazed how much "stuff" we think we need for camping; I'm also amazed at how much stuff we can store in our Airstream. I have told many a person that we don't ruff-it, we Airstream and we live that creed every time the "Changes in Latitudes" leaves the driveway!
In fact, the cable was of such poor quality this weekend that I decided to go ahead and order a satellite dish and tripod for our Memorial Day trip to the beach...just in case there is an afternoon thundershower as often is the case in Florida. After all, this state park doesn't have cable and being on an island I can count the bat wing out for decent reception.
How embarrassing. The nice family at the site next to ours was having breakfast on their picnic table and let me tell you, it was a short breakfast!
I have since learned on this forum that should keep chlorine powder to spread over the mess if this ever happens again. I wonder if oxi-clean would work. Seems like it would be less caustic and safer.
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