Monthly Archives: March 2018

Are You New RVers? Gulf Stream Coach Is the Best Place to Start!

Are you new to RVing?  Are you considering your first travel trailer or motor home?

Ameri-Lite 199DD

The Ameri-Lite 199DD – A great choice for new RVers starting a life-long love affair with camping and the great outdoors

Welcome to our world!  RVing is one of the most satisfying and compelling adventures of life, and it’s been our honor to be a part of that adventure with countless thousands of families for over 35 years.  We think we’re a great resource for new RVers, both in terms of the products we offer and the company we’ve built.   This week we’re introducing you to our famous, industry-leading ‘entry-level’ brands:  Ameri-Lite, Conquest Lite, Kingsport Lite, and Innsbruck Lite.

This week:  Why our ‘entry-level’ brands are ideal for many new RVers

New RVers are often ‘testing the water’ with the first travel trailer or motor home they buy.  They’ve heard what it’s like to have an RV from others; they may have memories of camping as youngsters, and they may be curious about the RVs they see on highways, campgrounds, and RV dealerships.  But they want to be careful with their first step.  They don’t want to spend a fortune only to find that RV camping isn’t for them.

Well, at Gulf Stream Coach, we’ve created a whole class of travel trailers designed specifically for that first step, with sizes, prices, and features that won’t overwhelm first-timers.  That means that new RVers can enjoy the excitement, relaxation, and adventure of RVing without breaking the bank!

Here are the Gulf Stream Coach brand names you need to know

Look for our Ameri-Lite, Conquest Lite, Kingsport Lite, and Innsbruck Lite lines, and you’ll find trailers that are ideal for 2 to 4 people, (and can accommodate as many as 8).  All can be towed easily by most mid- to-full size family cars, mini vans, trucks, and SUVs.  All include everything you need for campsite comfort, and offer a handy list of options that can add a surprising level of luxury.

The Ameri-Lite 199RK

The Ameri-Lite 199RK shows how we’ve mastered the art and science of building small, full-featured high-value travel trailers

 

Our entry-level ‘Lite’ brands are truly light, with base weights between 2900 lbs. and 5900 lbs.   That low weight saves wear and tear on your tow vehicle, and minimizes fuel costs.  Widths range from 7 to 8 feet, to make maneuvering easy.  Slide-outs and bunks are available, and all feature accommodations for cooking, sleeping, and relaxing.  All have a gas furnace, plenty of windows, hot & cold running water, full dry baths, and a surprising amount of storage space for clothes, gear, food, and other ‘necessities.’

New RVers benefit from our 35 years of experience

We’ve been building the Ameri-Lite brand for a generation now, and it reflects the refinements in materials and advancements in technology we’ve made over the years.  And while it may not be the “cheapest” travel trailer on the market, we think you will find that it offers the perfect balance of quality, value, and innovation for a family of new RVers.

In an Ameri-Lite Travel Trailer (or sister brands Conquest Lite, Kingsport Lite and Innsbruck Lite), you’ll escape the everyday routine.  The car, SUV, van, or truck you drive to work every day will become the ‘booster rocket’ that lets you explore the great outdoors, experience breathtaking sights, find peaceful refuges, and strengthen bonds among family and friends.

We learned a generation ago that all RV shoppers, including new RVers, are looking for quality, value, and innovation.  That’s just what we offer – and we’re so passionate about quality, value, and innovation that it became our company motto:

“Gulf Stream Coach:  Quality, Value, and Innovation.”

 

PDI at Gulf Stream Coach

Your New Gulf Stream – Before You See It, Gulf Stream Coach PDI Sees It

PDI means “Pre-Delivery Inspection”

You’re excited about checking out your new Gulf Stream Coach travel trailer or motor home as soon as you find it at your local RV dealership.  Before you sign the final papers and head off with your new treasure, you want to open all the doors, look in all the cabinets, turn on all the lights, and try all the appliances!  You’re not just excited – you’re smart, because RVs include a lot of systems, features, equipment, and furnishings.  You’re doing a “pre-delivery inspection,” or what the industry calls “PDI.”

Yours is not the first pre-delivery-inspection for your new Gulf Stream, though.  In fact your new Gulf Stream travel trailer or motor home went through a thorough PDI before it ever left our facility.

All systems are part of the Gulf Stream Coach PDI process

Gulf Stream Coach PDI brings an independent set of eyes to the inspection process

At Gulf Stream Coach, PDI is a separate and unique step conducted after all of the inspections and quality-control processes used in manufacturing.  As a separate department, PDI brings a fresh set of eyes, independence, and objectivity to the inspection.  The PDI team uses a comprehensive checklist that covers every aspect of a Gulf Stream Coach product, from all the things you see to all the systems that work behind the scenes.  They’re looking at things you might never think to check.

Furnace?  Check!  Air Conditioning?  Check!  Water Pressure?  Check!  Slide-Outs?  Check!  Fit and Finish?  Check!  It’s a long list, and it’s in the hands of a talented and detail-oriented crew that, in a very real sense, is working for you.  And if they find something that needs adjustment, it’s done by highly skilled technicians right on the spot.

Our PDI Department does what other manufacturers don’t

While assembly lines at other RV manufacturers may have quality checklists, Gulf Stream Coach has taken the extra step of creating a entirely independent department to conduct a thorough pre-delivery inspection.  Our PDI department is our way of giving you the highest quality product we can.  And it’s another thing to keep in mind when you’re choosing your new travel trailer or motor home.

 

‘The Vintage Cruisers’ on Facebook – The Place for Vintage Cruiser Owners and Fans

 Featured Image:  Scott M’s Vintage Cruiser campsite; just one stop on 26,000 miles of adventure.

Vintage Cruiser Owners and Fans are on Facebook

If you’ve seen the Vintage Cruisers on the road, in a campground, or at a recent RV Show, it just may have been love at first sight.  No travel trailer in recent years has captured anything close to the excitement and devotion of this compact, ultra-lightweight gem from Gulf Stream Coach.

With its fun-loving vibe of the 1950’s and state-of-the-art features of the 21st Century, the Vintage Cruiser simply makes camping FUN!  Its smaller size, light weight, and lower overall profile make it easy to tow and maneuver with virtually any mid-size car, light truck, or SUV.

While small on the outside, the Vintage Cruiser is amazingly BIG on the inside, with 83″ ceilings, large beds, spacious dinettes, full-feature kitchens, and full, dry baths.  Get the specifications, pictures, videos, and features of the Vintage Cruiser here.

Vintage Cruiser travel trailers – And their owners – are traveling and camping in beautiful, exciting, peaceful, unforgettable places across the United States and Canada.   And, Vintage Cruiser owners are posting stunning pictures on “The Vintage Cruisers” page on Facebook.

See what The Vintage Cruisers LOVE about the Vintage Cruiser lifestyle

As seen on ‘The Vintage Cruiser’ Facebook page: Vintage Cruiser “Woodie” interior with personal touches added by Sharon T.

Gorgeous outdoor settings, captivating locations, and beautiful campsites are just half the story, though.  The Vintage Cruisers on Facebook will take you inside their units, to show the amazing  decor Gulf Stream Coach has created.  They’re also eager to show you how they’ve enhanced their units with accessories and upgrades that add touches of color, style, and personality.

if you’re curious about the lifestyle of Vintage Cruiser owners, you owe it to yourself to check out ‘The Vintage Cruisers’ on Facebook.  If you join the group (it’s free, of course), you’ll meet hundreds of Vintage Cruiser owners, and see how they are re-discovering the sheer fun of camping.

Who knows – You may even discover that a Gulf Stream Coach Vintage Cruiser is the perfect choice for you.

Get our Conquest Shoppers Guide and Checklist BEFORE you go Motor Home Shopping!

Shopping for a new Motor Home?  It’s a great time to buy, while the Winter/Spring RV Shows are in full swing.  We’re also providing a great tool to take with you when you start shopping.  It’s our Conquest Class C Shoppers Guide and Checklist, and you can download a printable copy right here.

We put 35 years of experience and owners’ input into this list

The Shoppers Guide and Checklist gives you a handy list of the top 30 features we’ve included in every new Conquest Class C Motor Home.  The list of 30 is the result of 35 years of experience building and selling motor homes to people like you.  That’s 35 years of new ideas, technology, and real-world testing.

Conquest Class C Shoppers Guide and Checklist

Conquest Class C Shoppers Guide and Checklist

The Shoppers Guide also lists the things RV’ers like YOU have asked for most often.  It’s like a greatest-hits list of the construction, technology, features, and luxuries that actual Gulf Stream Coach owners have told us are most important.  And here’s the best part:  ALL of them are INCLUDED in every Conquest Class C we sell!  You get them all, with no add-ons or extra-cost options.

When you go shopping for your new Class C, our Shoppers Guide and Checklist will help you compare alternatives.  Take it with you when you visit your local RV dealer, go exploring at an RV show, or spend time shopping online.  We think you’ll see how many advantages you get with the Conquest Class C, and we think you’ll agree that no other motor home in its class comes close.

You stacked the deck in our favor

Did we ‘stack the deck’ in our favor?  Not really – We’ve just spent 35 years listening to people like you, so we could give you exactly what you want and need.  With that kind of input, we come out on top – And so do you!

Gulf Stream Coach bath ceiling

A Gulf Stream Coach Bath – Looking Up!

Here’s a picture recently taken in the bath of one of our new Cabin Cruiser travel trailers (the Model 25BHS which you can find here).  There’s a lot to see when you look up in one of our baths, so here’s a little tour of that small but critically important space!

Ventilation is Essential!

You’ll see a Power Vent Fan in the picture.  Ventilating the space is essential to reduce moisture and … um… odors.  There’s a world of fresh air just outside the bath, and our power vent fan is key to the “out with the bad air, in with the good air” process.

You can also see a round vent in the ceiling.  That’s an air conditioning vent that pumps cool air directly into the bath.  We install a vent in the bath whenever possible, using the ‘attic space’ in the ceiling for an H-shaped system of foil-backed, insulated ductwork.  The foil and insulation help keep the chilled air as cool as possible as it travels from the roof-mounted air conditioner to the vent in the bath.  (Heat ducts, by the way, generally follow a similar path under the floor.)

Let There Be Light

The ceiling light is an LED lighting fixtures.  We use LED lights wherever possible because they save weight, run cool, last indefinitely, and use far less power than old style incandescent bulbs.  Though you can’t see it, there’s a handy light switch for this fixture mounted on the bath wall just inside the door.

There’s another source of light in the shower, too – it’s a dome-shaped skylight.  Besides flooding the space with up-and-at-’em morning light, that skylight provides just a little bit more head- and elbow-room in the shower.

This bath – and many of our others – includes a one-piece molded surround that includes handy spaces for soap, shampoo, and other necessities.  The surround also helps separate the wet environment of the shower from the rest of the space, like your tiled bath at home.

But Wait!  There’s More!

Cabin Cruiser 25BHS bath

Bath in the new Cabin Cruiser 25BHS

Of course we install a foot-flush toilet, a washstand, with hot and cold running water, counter space with GFI-protected outlets, a mirrored Medicine Cabinet, and, wherever possible, storage space or shelves for towels and other things in our bath.  It probably goes without saying, but just to be complete – This is a DRY bath.  Unlike other builders, Gulf Stream Coach doesn’t mount the toilet in the shower – That’s a trick that doesn’t make much sense to us.

Well, that ends this quick tour of a Gulf Stream Coach bath.  We hope you’ll think of the features we put into our baths, next time you’re shopping for a new travel trailer or motor home.  And remember – Start by looking up!

 

Love to get the latest news? Follow ‘gulfstreamcoach’ on Instagram!

A recent Instagram post on ‘gulfstreamcoach’ showed the Flooring Department using a hoist to flip a travel trailer chassis to install the polypropylene underlayment.

If you’re the type of RV’er who wants to know what’s going in in the Gulf Stream Coach world, you can see the latest and greatest news by following us on Instagram!  Just search and follow ‘gulfstreamcoach’ on the Instagram app.  You’ll get a look behind the scenes, and a glimpse ahead of the curve!

On our Instagram feed you’ll see new products, features, and options, before they show up at your Gulf Stream Coach Dealer.  You’ll see what it takes to produce our photo galleries, videos, and brochures.  You’ll go with us to RV Shows across the country, and you’ll get a look inside the Gulf Stream Coach production facilities.

The great thing about Instagram is that It’s easy, it’s interesting, and it’s free – AND, when you follow us (gulfstreamcoach), you’ll be a Gulf Stream Coach insider.

Conquest Class C Model 6220 Picture Window

Conquest Class C: Huge Picture Windows for Gorgeous Views

Conquest Class C Model 6220 picture window

Huge picture windows are a key feature of Conquest Class C Motor Homes

Take a look at these images, from the recent photo shoot of our newest Conquest Class C, the Model 6220 (See the entire 18-image gallery here).  The Dinette wall includes one of our huge picture windows. it grabs and frames a stunning view of the outside world. And, after all, aren’t those incredible views one one the key reasons we go camping?

But how is it possible that the Gulf Stream Conquest C consistently gives you larger windows and better views than competing Class C’s? The secret is the way we build our Conquest Class laminated walls, using technology, materials, processes, and equipment that we pioneered and perfected in our own facilities.

We build all our own walls in our own shop

That’s right – we don’t buy our laminated walls from outside suppliers, like many manufacturers do.  We create them entirely in-house, on our own equipment, using our own engineering, methods, and technicians.  We know exactly what is in every square foot of the walls we use, and we take responsibility for the work we do.

At the heart of our laminated walls is a skeleton frame of square-tube aluminum, cut, formed, and welded in our own metal shop.  That aluminum frame is strong, resilient, and light.  Filling the spaces in the skeleton are panels of rigid polystyrene insulation.  The polystyrene is a ‘closed-cell’ foam that won’t absorb water.  Once glued in position, it provides insulation for temperature variances and sound.

We make a sandwich!

The insulated skeleton is the middle of a sandwich of layers, that includes internal vinyl-clad paneling, Azdel synthetic substrate, metal and wood backers and stiffeners, and high-gloss fiberglass.  Extra aluminum structure and other backers frame our huge picture windows and other openings.

We bind the layers together – ‘laminate them’ – with sophisticated adhesives, pressure, and carefully controlled temperatures in a vacuum chamber, creating an amazingly stiff, light, and durable wall.

The bottom line:  We build our walls with the structural integrity needed to allow us to include those huge picture windows.  The strength is designed right in.  Enjoy the view!