About to take the plunge... Ultimate Airstream Conversion

[bassgruvn]

Hi all
Long time lurker here on the forums. The DW and I had been looking at trailers and MH's for some time. I really wanted a A/S but we did not feel we could justify the costs of such a nice trailer as we where new to the whole camping thing. (well not totally new, we had a Airstream Westphalia/ James cook for years but it was more of a day use/kid mover.)
So we picked up this crazy Krystal HM30 about 18 months ago, great MH (google it, yes with a K, really over the top,) and we have really used it well having been to Yosemite this year as well as the beach almost every month. The issue is I cant stop looking at Airstreams, they drive by and I point them out, we walk the campground and my wife is says "there's your A/S".
Back a few years ago we almost pulled the trigger on a new Eddie 25 but got cold feet. Fast forward to last week, Bay Area Aistream posted a used Eddie for sale. I was very interested until I started looking over there customer trailers. The wife and I fell in love with the 25FB Gourmet Lounge they had for sale. The custom work is all done my Ultimate Airstreams, very classy operation. Enough of my bad grammar and rambling, my question for the group.... Does anyone have any experience with these conversions ? Positive / Negative?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Link here..
http://ultimateairstream.com/

[wulfraat]

I don't have any experience with Ultimate Airstreams but am a fan of customizing late model airstreams. We've had a bunch of custom work done to our 25' International SS by timeless travel trailers in denver, and they do great work.

The gourmet kitchen trailer you are looking at was featured in this month's airstream life magazine. It looks like Ultimate Airstreams do good work. I like the idea of a large lounge area that seats 6+, that was one of the customizations we've done to make the space more usable on several levels...

[slowmover]

The work looks nice.

The disadvantage to a small trailer is the lack of being able to do "more". Emphasis in one direction where use precludes other attributes. Thus,

I'd carefully compare an original trailer to the conversion as to what is lost. What are the specific tradeoffs?

A 34' can be more readily modified to suit "gourmet cooking" than a 25'.

I'm not advocating one way or another, but am urging investigation of factory AS units to think things through.

My 35' Silver Streak came with an optional washer/dryer. From reports on the efficacy of dishwashers I've considered having one built-in with cabinetry changes. Along with a built-in ice maker. I wouldn't lose much in the way of storage with a sink and countertop change. I'd also like to upgrade the stovetop/oven to a marine unit, and change the hood/microwave to a convection + microwave & hood combination.

Same with adding a reverse-osmosis water maker, and a tankless hot water heater. I already have 95-gls fresh water capacity, and have thought of all of this as being attractive to a future buyer should that eventuality come about, past my own enjoyment.

That said I don't believe re-sale is a highly important factor per my ideas for this trailer, simply desirable. But it would were I in a smaller trailer and customizing it in a particular direction.

This trailer already needs renovation in general (floors, upholstery, window treatment, appliances) and upgrades (second AC unit and 50A service). These take the concept of this trailer out to its conclusion (short of a modern solar electric system) as it is suited for long term-occupancy (size also grants rear bedroom as second living area with TV, etc; and/or smaller bed + office, etc).

Plus, it is important to me that I not be limited by "electric-only" appliances. Others answer this with a large solar electric systems. There are many approaches.

Examples of all these items are found in different threads on this forum. Take your time with them. Currently unformed questions may be answered.

As said, I'm not advocating a different approach for you, but trying to provide context about trade-offs. In my planning, I won't lose any storage, or be burdened by a lower capacity trailer (propane and water; plus reduction of clothing and gear storage), and it's simply due to trailer size. Still sits four or more for dinner and sleeps six.

So, again, if it's comfort you're seeking, please take a look at OEM trailers as well as larger units to put that good looking Mobile Gourmet into perspective.

A simple pair questions would be: given this entertaining capacity, how long will water storage provide service for six? Am I limited to full service campgrounds to fully exploit this?

Take your time. Plenty of depth on this forum. Searches via Google are faster.


1990 35' Silver Streak
2004 555 Cummins

[slowmover]

Forgot to add: what space for frozen? I could remove the washer dryer on mine and easily add a sliding drawer for frozen. Maybe even a wine chiller.

Otherwise, the need for a pickup and associated expensive gear grows.


1990 35' Silver Streak
2004 555 Cummins

[Toasterlife]

Originally Posted by bassgruvn

Hi all
Long time lurker here on the forums. The DW and I had been looking at trailers and MH's for some time. I really wanted a A/S but we did not feel we could justify the costs of such a nice trailer as we where new to the whole camping thing. (well not totally new, we had a Airstream Westphalia/ James cook for years but it was more of a day use/kid mover.)
So we picked up this crazy Krystal HM30 about 18 months ago, great MH (google it, yes with a K, really over the top,) and we have really used it well having been to Yosemite this year as well as the beach almost every month. The issue is I cant stop looking at Airstreams, they drive by and I point them out, we walk the campground and my wife is says "there's your A/S".
Back a few years ago we almost pulled the trigger on a new Eddie 25 but got cold feet. Fast forward to last week, Bay Area Aistream posted a used Eddie for sale. I was very interested until I started looking over there customer trailers. The wife and I fell in love with the 25FB Gourmet Lounge they had for sale. The custom work is all done my Ultimate Airstreams, very classy operation. Enough of my bad grammar and rambling, my question for the group.... Does anyone have any experience with these conversions ? Positive / Negative?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Link here..
http://ultimateairstream.com/

Think about what kind of camping you like best, the bells and whistles sound good but likely all of them take shore power. If that is the kind of camping you enjoy then go for it. If you plan to go to National Parks and the like you will likely not have access to power and will be limited to the water in your tanks. At that point some of the nice to have features like surround sound and microwaves become meaningless. Generators are highly unpopular with your neighbors and if you plan to stay for a few nights you will be need to be very parsimonious
with water and power. There is not better or worse style of camping, you just need to skew to what you enjoy most.

[dkottum]

I think you were on the right track with the Eddie Bauer, which has a very versatile living room. The seating can be easily removed to install whatever modifications you like.

Maybe you'll like it as it is; live with it a couple of years and see what suits you, you'll learn something and have options to do what you want. We spent two years in our Flying Cloud and then put in the interior mod's that matched our travels and lifestyle, based on our own experience. It has worked out really well for extensive travels 6-7 months a year.

[Mach5]

I have looked at the some of these custom trailers in Fairfield. Nice work and all, but if I were going to spend that much $$ for a custom Airstream, I would prefer to have a say in what details receive the custom attention.

Are there that many customers lining up to buy these custom trailers? Some of them have been in their inventory for a while. If I were to consider buying one, I would have to convince myself that I would love the trailer for a long time and be willing to take a hit when I sell it down the road. Maybe you can negotiate and get one at a price you can live with.

Just my 2 cents...

[Caffeinated]

I've walked through the Beaver Nation trailer that Ultimate Airstreams displays on their home page, (or one just like it @ the Portland Airstream Adventures NW store) it's nice for tailgating. Their work appears good and if I hit the lotto I might have my 27ft FC redone, but I agree that I'd want to sit down with them and design what I want, not just some unit they already have. And for that kind of investment I'd want a larger trailer. The 27-28 footers seem a perfect blend of livability and maneuverability.

Oh yeah, this seems like the perfect spot to say, GO BEAVES!

[bassgruvn]

Great feedback, and I thank you all for it.
We are going to head up there in the am and view the Eddie and the Custom 25FB. I will report back first of the week as to what we found.

[Violet2060]

This may be a little late but, to address your question about working with Ultimate Airstream...we had the grand lounge/desk installation done in Portland on our 27FB about 1.5 years ago. They did an incredible job! The quality is on par with or better than Airstream's work. They are also happy to customize the installation, it will just cost extra if you want to make significant changes from their usual layout. For us, the layout of the grand lounge/desk is significantly more functional and a better use of the space than Airstream's default layout with the dinette and couch in the 27FB.

I'd highly recommend reaching out to them and talking with them about what your looking for. Good luck!

[TerryC]

Hi, we have the Ultimate Airstream Gourmet mod in our 25 FB Twin. One thing we notice is the overhead light are behind you when working at the buffet counter at night. I made a light strip out of led lighting on a three inch by thirty six inch strip of plexiglass to shine down on the buffet counter top. It works but I'm looking for something better.
Tell Steward at Ultimate to build in some lighting overhead lighting in the buffet area workspace and it will be perfect.
We leave half of the table for a table and put the other half down for a lounge area to watch TV, very comfortable and the half dinette seats three to eat this way.
One last thing we did was to put the TV on a swivel tv wall mount instead of the fixed mount the trailer came with.
Good luck!!
TerryC

[PKI]

So, we listened to the UA pitch today at the Fairfield customer seminar. We do not have any plans to use UA, but we did find their modifications very interesting.

Some folks have complained about the lack of comfort with the FC23FB dinette. UA has a modification that converts a dinette to an L-shape table and seating for two. They also have a different mod that lowered the dinette seat back to reduce the visual impact and make raising an arm over more comfortable.

Often folks want to improve the quality of appliances. UA installs the classic stove and oven unit. They also did a 23 upgrade with an appliance the customer found. The team was impressed and they say they will use again.

One of their mods is replacing hanging storage with drawers on a 27. We would never do that, but it is an option for folks that travel with tees and shorts. Most add baskets to the space, but real drawers looked like a nice alternative and they do a split configuration.

Some other mods used space that was lost to cushions as storage. Looked like ideas that AS Corp should have added long ago.

The eight sleeper bunk mod is interesting. They can add a bunk with 150# capacity to your coach if you add a kid. The wet gear drying area looked interesting. The under bed configuration to allow boxes to be pulled into the aisle looked innovative. Their recliners looked quite comfortable. The Onan generator and dual 40# aluminum LPG tanks were a stunning solution (mentioned Easy Start to get AC - check warranty as they say their mods are covered.)

Pricing is high. Work quality is reported to be good. Worth a look if only for ideas. They also can get shell units that are reported unavailable as customer direct.

Yes, I know the thread is two years old. My apology if this is a bit of thread hyjack, but it seems reasonably close to the subject intent.

Another way to chase those smiles. Pat

[SimRunner]

Hi Pat, regarding

"Some folks have complained about the lack of comfort with the FC23FB dinette. UA has a modification that converts a dinette to an L-shape table and seating for two. They also have a different mod that lowered the dinette seat back to reduce the visual impact and make raising an arm over more comfortable."

Would you please provide more details?

[OTRA15]

FYI their project page:

http://ultimateairstream.com/projects/

"Ultimate Airstream" mentions here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Ulti...=airforums.com

From another thread -- click on orange arrow in quote to go there:

Originally Posted by datwyver

We gave up trying to make the FB factory dinette and lounge area work and are having Ultimate Airstreams perform their Gourmet Grand Lounge conversion on our new FC27.

Two high-low tables, seating for six and full under seat storage. Also get more galley storage and prep surface instead of the unusable space beside the TV.

FYI

[Acheron2010]

Can we talk? My hesitation over that particular dealership is the final sale/walkthrough. When asked, they say they give a 3 hour briefing and you leave. No overnights on the lot, and if you need something modified, you wait like all the other customers. Did you see the number of sold trailers in their lot? Their service bays?
Finally, compare your out the door price to another dealer. Call Colonial Airstream. Call Windrush in Colorado. Oh, and there is another Airstream dealer in Winters. Worth the drive, or at least an online search. YMMV.
Just my two cents.

[PKI]

Originally Posted by SimRunner

-- snip -- please provide more details?

They remove the door side seating and turn the dinette into a L configuration. If you have interest, a call to them would likely be more helpful than the limited details that I got from the presentation. You might also reference the dinette changes posted in the 23FB thread. Pat

[PKI]

Acheron - it sounds like your experience was not the one you wanted. It was for us. We bought on sale and get good service.

The site is an industrial area warehouse. There are no camping facilities on site. Maybe the business plan will change, but for now think low overhead in a very expensive area.

They did provide a comprehensive walk through. All of our questions were answered. What was missing was my in-depth prep to fully understand system function. However, as new questions poped up with use, they answered phone calls and provided support upon request. With respect to factory errors, those were addressed with a good dealer prep. We had no immediate after purchase issues.

Getting an appointment and leaving the coach with them is of no consequence for us, because we live here. If you do not, there may be better options for you.

Folks have had variable results with this dealership group over time. We do not have any issues that can not be resolved through active vendor management. They are not magic and also not stealers. In the world of AS, they are a good solution for someone who needs dealer services.

There are other dealers. We tried most of them, before purchasing from Bay Area AS Adventures. Pat

[SimRunner]

Thank you, Pat. I have a good picture in my head now for the direction of the L-shape they used. It’s good to know it is feasible. The other alternative that I have been considering for the L-shape would require removing the bench from the bedroom wall. Thanks again!

[SimRunner]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

FYI their project page:

http://ultimateairstream.com/projects/

"Ultimate Airstream" mentions here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Ulti...=airforums.com

From another thread -- click on orange arrow in quote to go there:


FYI

Thank you for the additional information. I found some 23FB specific info on Ultimate Airstreams Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/UltimateAirstreams/

[Luke Grisott]

Ultimate Airstream did a fabulous job on our brand new 2018 25FT FBT International serenity . Professional ,Quality operation . Professional work .
The upholstery was amazing. Now in 2021 Vizsla tested and approved. Looks as beautiful as the day we picked it up. Give Ian a call he can make your airstream dreams come true. If you can dream it they can build it.
Corian in the bathroom, nightstand, dinette, matches the kitchen corian from factory .
Refrigerator covered factory cabinetry. Beautiful
Large vessel sink in bathroom.
Just returned from 5219 mile trip visiting many of our national parks and state parks. Couldn’t be happier with work done by Ultimate Airstream . We Can highly recommend them.
Safe travels everyone. Hope to see you down the road.
# 22624 The Silver Buffalo