Category Archives: News

Shopping for a new Gulf Stream Coach Motor Home

You Bought a New RV – Congratulations! . . . (Now what?)

Are you the proud new owner of a Gulf Stream Coach travel trailer or motor home? THANKS for your business! We know there are many alternatives when you go shopping for an RV, and we’re gratified that you chose one of ours.

Putting a new RV on the road is a big step, full of details, expectations, and challenges. In fact, whether you’re on a months-long trek or just enjoying quick weekend trips, you’re learning a whole new way of living.

Enjoy the adventure!

Even if you have experience using travel trailers, or owning a motor home, your new rig has things to discover and learn. Like any new adventure, it’s wise to be prepared for the unexpected. It also helps to get advice from people with more experience than you. Fortunately, in today’s Internet-driven world, help is just a few searches and clicks away.

Like ALL online information, you’ll want to sort through the sources, and find the ones that you trust. They’re out there, to be sure! In fact, you can become an armchair ‘expert’ in a matter of a few well-spent hours online. Looking for a starting point? Pop the popcorn, grab a cool drink, and click here.

First, best source of help? Your dealer!

Don’t get stuck on YouTube, though. In fact, there’s actually a better place to START! It’s the Gulf Stream Coach dealership where you purchased your new RV. That dealer has a strong interest in maintaining a long, beneficial relationship with you. Your dealer can answer MANY of those “how do we ….” questions. Not only that, the dealer has the accessories, parts, and tech experts you need to do what you want to do!

The Gulf Stream Coach Website is a good resource too. Here are a few highlights:

  • Not close to home? You can use our Dealer Locator to find any Gulf Stream Coach dealer in the U.S. and Canada!
  • Need a copy of your Owner’s Manual? Click here to get one from the Owner Resources area on our Website. You’ll contact info for suppliers on the same page too, along with instructions and manuals for many RV components and appliances.
  • Have a question or issue that your dealer can’t solve? Here’s a link to our Customer Service team.
  • Have great pictures of your travels and camping experiences? We’d love to see them – Upload them here.

Share your new RV experience with us!

Finally, we’d love to know what you think of your new Gulf Stream Coach product. You can start by taking our super-quick 2-question survey right here.

THANKS again for choosing Gulf Stream Coach!

Picture of GSX G26 Toy Hauler

GSX – A Toy Box for Grownups

Play hard and come home dirty!

If you have a motorcycles, off-road bikes, snowmobiles, ATVs, mountain bikes, or go-carts, you NEED our GSX Toy Hauler. It combines a big garage with comfortable living spaces in a trailer that takes you and your wheeled toys into the great outdoors. When you want to leave the daily grind and paved roads behind, you NEED our GSX!

Our GSX Toy Hauler has a dual purpose: It transports and shelters your toys while it transports and shelters you. That means your treasured four-wheeler stays safe and secure in the GSX garage, while you and your companions enjoy all the comforts of home. Your toys get a rugged, 3000-lb. capacity rear ramp door. You get a full kitchen, bath with toilet and shower, comfy sleeping arrangements, and plenty of entertainment options. The toys get floor-mounted tie-downs in all the right places, you get an awning right outside your door.

GSX is the Toy Hauler for the 99%!

You’ve seen plenty of toy haulers already, of course. And you’ve probably seen the super-lux, super-expensive 40+ footers that probably never get their ‘feet’ wet or their ‘clothes’ dirty. Don’t worry! The GSX isn’t that kind of toy hauler – It’s the Toy Hauler for the rest of us! It’s meant for people who spend more on their off-road toys than their toy hauler. It’s the toy hauler for people like you who want to play hard and come home dirty!

Three great sizes – Take your pick

The GSX comes in three great floor plans and lengths: The 24 ft. G17; the 29 ft. G26, and the 33 ft. G28. Accommodations, features, and prices vary from model to model, of course, so you can find the GSX that best fits your budget and other requirements. Want to learn more? Great – Just visit this link for all the details.

5255 with full-body paint graphics

BT Cruiser Makes “Getting There” as Much Fun as “Being There!”

The iconic Gulf Stream Coach BT Cruiser built its fame by doing two things better than any other motor home on the road. It provides a luxury-suite living experience wherever you park it; AND it makes the driving experience truly enjoyable, whether you’re on city streets, country lanes, or cross-country highways.

Ford chassis rule!

The BT Cruiser is designed to be a driving machine, taking advantage of the powerful, reliable, efficient Ford E350 and E450 chassis. The Ford E-series chassis has logged far more RV miles than any other, and the latest edition is hands-down, the best version ever offered.

Our “Cradle of Strength” – more stable, safer, exclusive

Our BT Cruiser does things with the Ford E-series chassis that no one else does. It starts, literally, at the bottom, with our exclusive “Cradle of Strength” chassis reinforcements. We add steel stringers and braces to create box-style trusses that are stronger and more rigid than ordinary triangle frames. We use steel where nothing else can do the job, adding stability and safety to every mile you drive.

RVers love our lower profile!

The BT Cruiser also uses a significantly lower exterior profile than typical Class C’s. The benefits? Better fuel economy, lower travel costs, better aerodynamics, and surer handling in windy conditions. The lower stance also makes getting in and out of the BT Cruiser easier and safer. And, veteran RVers who are tired of clipping overhead branches on narrow tree-lined streets really appreciate the low overall height.

Go anywhere, see everything!

Overall dimensions of the BT Cruiser make it far easier to maneuver, park, back up and turn than traditional Class C and Class A motor homes. (The included back-up camera and monitor are a big help too.) Owners simply love the higher level of freedom and lower level of stress that comes with ‘BT Cruising.’ When driving a motor home is this easy and stress-free, you can take it virtually anywhere. Drive, park, and enjoy the high school soccer game, family reunion, flea market, race track, outlet mall. . . You name it, you’ll enjoy the trip and the destination more when you’re in a BT Cruiser.

Solid Step - Advanced Entry System for Gulf Stream Coach travel trailers

The Best Step You Can Take!

How many times do you go in and out of your travel trailer when you’re camping? How many times when you’re stocking food, supplies, clothes and other gear? If you’re like most campers, you climb in and out more times than you’d care to count. That’s why you will love ‘the best step you can take.’

It’s our new Solid Step, available on a growing number of Gulf Stream Coach travel trailers. Unlike old-fashioned steps, Solid Step puts two feet firmly on the ground, and holds tightly to the floor in your doorway. You get a rock-solid, stable, and safe footing for all those trips in and out.

The Solid Step is hinged so you can easily swing it up and latch it securely inside when it’s not in use. You can adjust the length of each leg independently too, so you can have a firm footing no matter where you set up camp. And here’s a bonus: Since the Solid Step stores inside your trailer, instead of collecting road dirt and grime, it stays clean and dry while you’re traveling.

The all-steel and aluminum construction of the Solid Step make it durable and long-lasting. Non-skid strips make the steps safer, even in a camping environment. Add it all up, and it’s another great reason to choose a Gulf Stream Coach travel trailer. Or put another way: It’s the best step you can take!

Rich and Sherry V

Camping: It’s the Friends You Meet…

It’s more than travel trailers – it’s friendships!

Travel trailer camping gives you a chance to obsess about gear, features, floor plans, tow vehicles – and more… But one of the real joys of camping is much more rewarding. It’s the chance you have to meet new people and make new friends along the way.

Maybe it’s not surprising that friendship is a big part of camping. After all, when you’re camping you leave behind so many barriers that stand between you and others. Instead, the camping world is one of shared experiences and common interests. Camping lets you share the beauty of our world, the extremes of nature, and a back-to-basics lifestyle with the campers you meet.

Sharing simple pleasures

Whether you get together at sundown in the glow of a campfire, or around a borrowed jigsaw puzzle on a rainy day, camping gives you a way to share simple pleasures with others.

Need help backing into your site? Someone you’ve never met before WILL be there to help. Want to know the best bait for your son’s first time fishing? Expert opinions abound.

And the FOOD! Simple meals become feasts, and everything tastes better when it’s shared with others. Burn a hot dog? No problem! Your new ‘best friend’ LIKES them that way. Wish you had a charcoal grill? Look – Two campsites away there’s charcoal glowing, room on the grill, and a new friend.

It’s no wonder you can’t wait to hitch up and go camping!

For these and countless other reasons, it’s no wonder you can’t wait to leave the real world behind, hitch up your trailer, and escape – to the REAL world. We’ll see you out there!

(THANKS for the friendly hello from Rich & Sherry V., Vintage Cruiser owners and members of “The Vintage Cruisers” on Facebook – Check it out!

Conventional or Laminated Construction

Conventional or Laminated Construction: Which Travel Trailer Is Right for You?

When you start shopping for a travel trailer, you’ll learn that there are two basic types of construction to consider. Each has advantages, and each has a history of satisfying countless trailer campers over many years. That said, what are the key differences and advantages? And as someone looking for a travel trailer, which is the right choice for you?

The basic differences

Conventional construction (here are some examples) is the tried-and-true industry standard since the first mass-produced travel trailers. It uses construction features adapted from residential construction. Walls have upright wood studs 13″ to 16″ on center. Floors have wooden joists, and ceilings have wooden rafters. Aluminum siding covers exterior walls and wall insulation is familiar spun fiberglass. Inside walls are rigid panels covered with vinyl. Instead of shingles, a seamless synthetic membrane covers the roof, and an electroplated steel frame replaces a traditional foundation.

Laminated construction (here are examples) builds a skeleton of welded square-tube aluminum instead of wood studs. Instead of spun fiberglass, closed-cell rigid foam insulation fills the frame, and exterior walls are sheets of fiberglass. Laminated construction uses robotically applied glues to join all the layers of the wall. A vacuum chamber then bonds the layers together into a single solid panel.

Conventional construction has the key advantages of being less expensive, simpler, and easier to repair.

The big advantages of laminated construction are its light weight, stiffness, and easy cleanup.

Keep exploring – You’ll be an expert soon

Of course, there are variations on the basics described above, and much more to the story of both methods. You can find diagrams and explanations of our construction right here on the Gulf Stream Web Site. Here’s a good starting point for more information.

Online e-brochure for the BT Cruiser

Newest E-Brochures Updated, Uploaded

If you want the latest Gulf Stream Coach floor plans, specifications, features, and photos, take a moment to download the newest e-brochures from the Gulf Stream Web site. The new brochures are color PDF’s, which look great on screen, download quickly, and print well on your desktop printer.

Headed to an RV show or dealer? Be prepared!

Choosing a new travel trailer or motor home means assembling a lot of information and making a lot of choices. That makes it smart to check out our e-brochures before you head to the next RV show or visit your local RV dealer.

All the info you need in one handy place

Our e-brochures have an easy-to-read table that includes the latest dimension data – Length, width, weight, tank sizes, and more. They also show current floor plans side-by-side, so you can compare living spaces and sleeping arrangements.

Key too is the latest list of standard features, packages and options. That’s your guide to getting exactly what you want in your new RV. We highlight construction features and materials in our brochures, too. That helps you understand all the unique steps we take to make our RV’s more reliable, durable, and safer.

Finally, e-brochures provide a great showcase for pictures of our RV interiors. Brochure pictures let you study our RV’s, so you can decide how you’ll make use of the spaces and features.

Do your homework before you go!

Of course nothing can replace the fun and functionality of exploring new travel trailers and motor homes in person. (Use this link to find dealers near you.) Whether you visit an RV show or a dealer near you, you’ll have an experience that no brochure can provide. But don’t head out of the house without doing a little homework – Take a look at our online e-brochures.

Our e-brochures are easy to find

You’ll find a link to our e-brochures at the top of every Brand page. Just click the “Get A Brochure” button near the top of the page. Once you’ve chosen a model on the site, the e-brochure is also posted under the “Features” tab. Finally, all e-brochures are on our “Download Center” page under the Company Info and News tab in our Main Menu.

Take a 360 Tour

Take 360Tours of Your Next Gulf Stream Coach RV

Step inside and take a look!

You’ll find more than sixty “360Tours” of travel trailers and motor homes on the Gulf Stream Coach Web site. These interactive videos let you to step inside an RV and explore the space by ‘walking’ through each area. You can turn around to see the view, even step into bedrooms, baths, and bunk rooms.

No crowds, no sales pitch

The 360Tours let you move at your own pace, so you can explore the features and spaces that are most important to you. You can retrace your steps, show off features to others, and get a sense of how each RV will fit your family. And unlike your last outing to an RV Show, you won’t have to avoid crowds of people to get a good look.

Lots of 360Tours – And more on the way

You will find a tab to our 360Tours when you look at specific floor plans throughout our Web site. All of the Tours (and other video resources) are also listed on this page. We’re adding new Tours all the time, so it pays to check back often to see the latest. You can request a new Tour too – Just email us a note!


Every Gulf Stream Coach Facility Wins a Quality Circle Award

The Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA) recognized the benefits of four years of ‘Continuous Process Improvement’ programs at Gulf Stream Coach, rewarding the people at the company with three Quality Circle Awards at the recent RVX Convention in Salt Lake City.

The Quality Circle Award is the industry’s highest honor

The Quality Circle Award is the industry’s most prestigious recognition for RV manufacturers, and is based on confidential surveys of RVDA Dealer/Members. The surveys measure manufacturers in four key areas: Product Quality, Customer Service, Parts, and Sales Expertise.

Award honors three Gulf Stream plants and eight brands

Quality Circle Award winners are the highest-rated manufacturers in the RV industry. That makes the Gulf Stream feat of three wins in the current year even more impressive. The triple-crown win included the BT Cruiser and Conquest Class C from the Gulf Stream Motor Home plant. RVDA also honored the Vintage Cruiser and Vista Cruiser, built by the Lightweight Division. Finally, the Ameri-Lite, Conquest, Innsbruck, and Kingsport brands assembled at the huge main line plant also won an award.

Gulf Stream Coach people make the difference

Company President Phil Sarvari made it clear that the success of Gulf Stream Coach can be traced directly to the the people who work there. “We are gratified by the success of the quality programs and process controls in place at Gulf Stream Coach. That said, award winning RV’s aren’t built by programs; they are built by people – People who take pride in their work and are committed to quality.”

Yes, you can talk to the experts at Gulf Stream Coach!

If you are shopping for a new travel trailer or motor home, you probably have questions. One way to get answers is to contact one of the factory experts right here at Gulf Stream Coach. You’ll find buttons throughout our Web site that connect you to a representative who can answer your questions.

Click the button, submit your question and a phone number. One of our experts will respond as soon as possible, typically that very day. Prefer an email answer? Just provide your email address with your question instead.

But wait… WHO is answering your question?

Your question is received by one of the Gulf Stream Coach sales representatives responsible for the brand or type of RV you have inquired about. Our sales representatives are among the most experienced, knowledgeable, helpful, and respected people in the RV industry, some with decades of experience in the profession. In case you’re wondering, our sales team can’t sell YOU anything – They handle sales to dealers, not retail customers.

And… WHAT kind of question can you ask?

And… WHAT kind of question can you ask? Almost any question related to selecting a travel trailer or motor home is welcome. General info about travel trailer types? Sure, ask! Specifics about construction, floor plans, features? Go ahead, ask! Have a stumper? Try us! We’ve been building award-winning RVs for over 36 years, and it’s quite likely someone at Gulf Stream Coach has the answer.

What about repairs, parts, service, and warranty questions?

There’s a whole staff of Customer Service experts on hand for those questions – Just click here for a direct connection to Customer Service by phone or email.

And what about prices?

We DON’T set retail prices, so we can’t provide price information – All of that is done by our dealers – And they’re happy to answer your price questions, provide quotes, talk about trades, financing, options, and more, all with absolutely no obligation or cost! Just click our “How Much Is It” link.