Starcraft campers

[Huron Angler]

As some of you know I recently got back from paradise(also known as Northern Michigan) and I saw something that I wanted to share with the Starcraft clan.

On the way back down along the shores of Lake Huron we were playing a little "I spy" with the kids, focused on boats, trucks and campers.

You guys know what I'm talking about I'm sure.

Well I couldn't believe one of the campers we saw. It was a late 70s Starcraft camper/truck about 20' in length.

It had a yellow "swoosh" running down the side and an off-white base color. This thing looked like the camper version of our beloved 16' SS and would be capable of towing it wherever we needed to go

I almost slammed on the brakes to take photos but we had the SS behind us and no good spots to turn around. But Roslynn told me hours earlier that we need to consider buying a camper since my cousins had one at Burt Lake and our tent was awfully hot compared to their setup with AC.

Bottom line...has anyone considered adding to the portfolio of tin with a nice pop-up, tow behind or mini SC RV?

There are tons of them for sale and a little restoration would be fun. I think Nautolex marine vinyl would work well and we know how to fix leaky aluminum rivets and seams too!

I figure if I sell my Explorer and use the mini-RV as a tow vehicle...I would just need a fuel-efficient car for commuting to work and we'd be all set.

Thoughts?

 

[fshngho]

Re: Starcraft campers

Mike, it wasn't untill you guys posted the brochures of Starcrafts that I realized " Hey, thats my 16' 1967 camper!" I still have it, or rather, my daughter does. I gave it to her a few years back. Just like our boats, some wood needs to be replaced but its actually in pretty good shape.

 

[HopeSheFloats]

Re: Starcraft campers

Sounds like it's being delivered right now...lol. They definitely rule over tent camping...makes me think back upon my old slide-in truck camper, many a night spent in it during hunting season, back before I joined the huntin club.

 

[bananaboater]

Re: Starcraft campers

Your proposal seems logical to me. You all like to boat, fish, camp, and travel.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Starcraft campers

Well buddy, I am a super non camper type guy myself. I love to get off the beaten track which means quite simply a tent, and more times than not for me anyway, under the stars. The best!

Now, I will tell you this...

The one who decided to have pity on my pathetic sole and marry me has been saying for years that she really wants a pop up camper. My six year old daughter has even teamed up with her now!

So, I'll give you one guess how this will turn out!

When that day comes it will be a Starcraft.

 

[bananaboater]

Re: Starcraft campers

Here is an idea. I recently saw a news article about a guy that put a boat on top of a car frame and got it licensed for the road, so...

Get an old school bus frame with some life left, get a really big Chieftan and put them together with stainless or aluminum so there is no interaction and off you go. The bus engine will get you there and the IO will take you to the fishing holes. Room for 4 with all amenities. Should be able to get a 55 gallon drum of 3M 5200 to seal it all up.

Can't wait to see it!

Anybody good with Photoshop to mock up a prototype?

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: Starcraft campers

Funny you should mention that. I have been looking on CL and ebay for a Sc camper. I even found a pop-up forum, lol. I think it's a great idea.

 

[barato]

Re: Starcraft campers

i had to laugh....i was passing the van for the "Helping Hands Adult Day Care" when i saw that familiar logo on the side.....apparently membership in this cult can be for life

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Starcraft campers

Total pipe dream right now but.....I've been considering getting a seasonal site at Lake Raystown. The sites are between $1600 and $2200 for the year. Most include a place for you to park your boat/trailer. I got this idea after seeing an ad on CL where a guy was selling a whole package that was sitting on a permanent or seasonal site: camper with deck added and a shed with full-size fridge really reasonably.

Couple observations I've made after looking at campers on CL:

- <$2000 gets you a REALLY nice pop-up
- $4000 can, if your careful, get you a pretty decent bigger camper like 25-28' ish
- Campers that are sitting on permanent/seasonal sites that aren't necessarily road-ready just due to having been stationary for a while end up being WAY cheap even if they are in otherwise excellent condition.

The issue is that I have no real desire to own a camper that I tow around. I don't have a place to keep it, and I'd want to tow the boat as well. Even if I bought a nice bigger one, I'd probably have someone tow it to a site for me and leave it there. The worst part about camping is packing, shlepping, and setting up. A permanent site would largely eliminate this. My wife was strangely not as opposed to this idea as I would have thought. We spend over a grand to go to the beach for a week in the summer and that would mostly pay for the site rent. It's doubtful that this will actually happen at least not for 2011 but we may make an effort to do a lot more camping, especially in the Raystown area, to check things out and see if it's something we'd like to do.

Blasphemous though it may be and as sweet as it would be to have a Starcraft camper, I would definitely not limit myself to that brand when shopping. Even more so than boats, campers really do all appear to be pretty much the same.

 

[barato]

Re: Starcraft campers

and I'd want to tow the boat as well

KNOCK KNOCK

WHO'S THERE?

"OPPORTUNITY"

the opportunity to rationalize the purchase of TWO more Starcrafts, a popup and a cartopper to carry on top of it

 

[CBGale2]

Re: Starcraft campers

A Starcraft camper doesnt have the same unique quality like the boats do. You could take 20 similar campers and take the decals off the side and I bet you'd have a heck of a time naming any brand. Some of the really old trailers are differant, like the Shastas with the wings hanging off the backs of them.

HA, your in Michigan and you can double tow after taking a 10 question test at the SOS office. Just need to get yourself a pickup, a small 5th wheel and hook the boat on the back.

This is our camper we have now. '96 28ft Sandpiper w/bunks.

Come the middle of November Im in the UP in this.

 

[Deadwood]

Re: Starcraft campers

Here ya go HA....offer him $500....looks like it comes with "Superkid" too!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1970...0470808568?pt=RVs_Campers&hash=item43a168cbf8

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Starcraft campers

HA, your in Michigan and you can double tow after taking a 10 question test at the SOS office. Just need to get yourself a pickup, a small 5th wheel and hook the boat on the back.

Yeah we did see a 5th wheel towing a Smokercraft up at Burt Lake...that had us thinking and my cousin wants one(5th wheel and a tin can of his own).

Then we saw a camper truck towing a boat and the Admiral says she likes that setup. Since we don't have much driveway left it's a better option.

I like your hunting camp setup...like a three-bedroom cottage

 

[CBGale2]

Re: Starcraft campers

Here ya go HA....offer him $500....looks like it comes with "Superkid" too!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1970...0470808568?pt=RVs_Campers&hash=item43a168cbf8

Gold shag on the ceiling, thats awsome!

 

[CBGale2]

Re: Starcraft campers

Yeah we did see a 5th wheel towing a Smokercraft up at Burt Lake...that had us thinking and my cousin wants one(5th wheel and a tin can of his own).

Then we saw a camper truck towing a boat and the Admiral says she likes that setup. Since we don't have much driveway left it's a better option.

I like your hunting camp setup...like a three-bedroom cottage

Its going to be our first year hunting in the tent, we had been using my camper, but wasnt enough room for everyone. Its 20x24 so we should have lots of room.