Trying to decide on a FC 23D or a FC 25FB...

[explore more]

I like the white/grey a lot. It's too bad they never made the 25ss in the serenity trim.

The 25ss, (the only model I'm interested in right now) only came in a few trims:

- Safari, all tan wood grain, like today's flying clouds
- ccd with white upper cabinets and black in the bedroom/bath
- ocean breeze


Ocean breeze is my favorite (more for cabinet color than anything). I could live without the cork floors and the curtains. I could go either way on the cushions. In other words, I don't need to replicate the ocean breeze look/feel, I just want a light, inviting interior.


I'll be removing the dinette for a desk, which seems sacrilegious with an ocean breeze... and I'd redo the floor. So while I'd still love an ocean breeze, I'd be ok to make a regular model look more light and inviting inside.

I would be plenty satisfied with a safari le with white/Grey cabinets. I actially love the flyong cloud/safari color scheme in almost every other model, but in the 25ss there's just too much of the same color going on, and the ccds are too dark in the back. I know, 1st world problems...

If there were a quality way to redo/repaint/recover the cabinets, that'll solve my problems.

[NorCal Matt]

If you're willing to spend the money, I wouldn't worry about color too much, especially on cabinets. Any good painter or cabinet refinisher will be able to do a good job repainting them.

I'm excited to see what you guys end up with!

[explore more]

We stepped inside a fairly clean 25ss safari yesterday, and we decided we only want a 2006-2009 international, which is proving tough to find. fingers crossed we find something soon...

[Outdoorpeak]

Originally Posted by explore more

We are curious if anyone has swapped the fridge in a 23d. I think if you pulled out the microwave you could fit a 5 or 6 cf fridge in there...



We are having such a tough time finding a 25ss that we are somewhat considering a 23.

I'm also considering a 25 and a 23. It appears to me that (at least in the new AS lineup) the 25SS is exactly the same floor plan as a 25FC, just with different trim. What is so special about a 25SS that one would consider buying a 23 instead of a 25FC?

[explore more]

They stopped making the 25ss floorplan on 2009. There is no modern version of it.


By 25fc do you mean flying cloud?

The 25ss came in several trims - ccd and safari (safari looks like today's flying cloud).

The 25 flying cloud comes in a front bed, rear bed, queen, or twin layout.

[explore more]

I really want to thank everyone who contributed to this thread. We searched like crazy, nation-wide for a 25ss, but after 2 months we couldn't find any that met our criteria.

So... life must go on, and while we'd love to be in a 25ss, we'll be continuing on with our FC 30 (which is a FANTASTIC trailer). We'll be installing solar this weekend, along with a big battery bank, which means even if we find a 25ss tomorrow, it'll be too late. Maybe we'll switch one day, but for the near future, we're giving up on our search and continuing with our current, wonderful trailer. Thanks again everyone.

[Hittenstiehl]

Good job looking with very thorough research. That 30 has room to grow and spread your stuff.

There's always a reason, it'll be interesting to see how it shows itself.

[LiLNomad]

Fender emailed me and said he prefers the 30!
LilNomad

[explore more]

Fender probably does prefer the 30. We love the 30 too, so it's a win-win.

Originally Posted by Hittenstiehl

There's always a reason, it'll be interesting to see how it shows itself.

Thanks. It's definitely felt that way on this one. I'd been pushing and pushing, searching craigslists nationwide, putting out tons of wanted ads, driving by dealers and putting alerts out. Nothing. I tried by best.

Watch... now that I've decided... a perfect 25ss will pop up tomorrow right after I attach all my solar. I agree though, it feels like I was fighting the cosmos on this one. We'll see what happens and why it played out this way.

[WesChilton]

I'm really glad to hear that you're sticking with Sparky! Its a great trailer and I could see on your faces that you weren't 100% about that 25ss, more like you were trying to convince yourselves it would work... I think you might've regretted it.

Most people buy too small and end up moving up. Not many go the other direction. True you want to be minimalists... but sometimes you really do need space, even if its not for stuff.

Besides, if Fender is happy what else matters really?

[explore more]

We think we could make a 25ss work. It'd really free up our options if we ever wanted a different van for a tow rig (like a sprinter) but there are some great benefits to keeping the 30, like the corner wardrobes, walk-around bed, tons of storage capacity, huge fresh Grey and black tanks, and lots of room for solar. And I can carry more stuff, which means less downsizing.

I still would have loved to have found a 25ss, but it wasn't in the cards.

[Philip Jones]

I think you guys are making the right decision. You have a beautiful trailer and, when watching your videos, it seemed you were too often trying to justify an unnecessary switch. Good luck. Can't wait to see your solar installation videos!

[explore more]

There were some other cool things I forgot about. Sparky has a thermostat that's connected to the heater, heat pump, and ac. I also have nevrlube axles and never adjust brakes. I also have all my stuff already installed - desk, inverter, dexter lift. That saved me at least a month. We areally really happy. We still may get a 25ss one day, but the fc30 is a fantastic trailer.

We just started mounting solar panels tonight. that means you should see the video in 3 weeks or so.

[DPRoberts]

Originally Posted by explore more

We just started mounting solar panels tonight. that means you should see the video in 3 weeks or so.

Unless you fall off the roof...

P.S. Don't fall off the roof!

[ArkFortyCal]

Originally Posted by explore more

I really want to thank everyone who contributed to this thread. We searched like crazy, nation-wide for a 25ss, but after 2 months we couldn't find any that met our criteria.

Oh good, now we don't have to worry about printing the "Save Sparky" t-shirts. [emoji3]

[SCOTTinNJ]

How do you like the lift kit? Any on road handling issues?

[explore more]

Originally Posted by ArkFortyCal

Oh good, now we don't have to worry about printing the "Save Sparky" t-shirts. [emoji3]

Man, that would have been cool to see save sparky shirts. I may need to borrow that idea.

[explore more]

Originally Posted by SCOTTinNJ

How do you like the lift kit? Any on road handling issues?

I'm loving it. It's an essential modification in my mind. I won't have an Airstream without one.

It's hard to pinpoint if it's affected handling. The trailer tows extremely well. So far we have only had a bad towing experience once, and there wwre sonmany factors at play that its tough to know what caused it. But i don't think it was the lift. These were the contributing factors.

1) we were driving in wyoming across 80 with a fairly stiff wind.

2) our adjustable hit hitch was an inch too high, making it nose-high

3) our fresh tank was empty and the waste tanks were 60% full. Fresh tank is located over the axles, waste tanks are behind the axle. That's up to 600 lbs on the back of the trailer. We now know to dump waste tanks before traveling.

4) whenever big semis would pass us, we would get sucked over toward them, then then we would get a little bit of trailer sway. I think the sway was especially caused by the grey and black tanks sloshing back and forth.

As long as we tow with the waste tanks empty, we have never had any problems.

Another huge contributing factor is the fact that our tow rig is a giant block that gets blown by the wind. Even when we aren't towing, we've been sucked over by big semis. The van gets affected by the wind and adding a high top is only going to make that worse. That's a big reason we wanted to consider downsizing to a 25 footer... to have a greater margin of error or a bigger safety net.

Now that we know what we do about our hitch setup and never towing without dumping the waste tanks, we shouldn't have a problem.

Does the lift come in to play? Possibly, but doubtful. We are still lower than most trailers, and the added ground clearance is an absolute must for us.

99% of the time we tow, it tows like a dream. We just had that issue on one day with all those factors adding up to be the perfect storm. And the sway only happened when we were passed by semis. It'd sway about 5 times, then go back to normal. We could feel the liquids sloshing in the grey tanks, pulling it side to side.

Knowing what we know now, and making a few adjustments to keep tongue weight low, we should be good.

Our tow rig's height and the fact that its got a lot of overhang past the rear axle makes it less than ideal for towing. so someone with a low to the ground long bed pickup probably won't even feel that it tows any differently with a lift.

In fact, I think putting heavy solar panels on the top of an Airstream probably affects it more than lifting it 3", and people have zero problems with added solar weight or an extra air conditioner up there.

Great question! You've inspired me to start a thread about Sparky where people can ask sparky related questions .

[NoResults]

I have the lift kit on my 23FB and it works well. My reason for installing it was to be able to park beside my house with a steep driveway without hitting bottom.

Dave

[SCOTTinNJ]

Originally Posted by explore more

In fact, I think putting heavy solar panels on the top of an Airstream probably affects it more than lifting it 3", and people have zero problems with added solar weight or an extra air conditioner up there.

Good point.