Marty,
Just wanted to publicly welcome you to PUT!
To everyone else, Marty is an old friend of mine. It is funny what roads helped us "meet" online again.
Marty and I were both firefighters in Ashland City, TN, for a couple of years together. Life changes for Marty took him to Indiana, and then I got married and moved away from Ashland City.
Well, Marty stumbled across my webpage, and Voila!, here he is!
Marty has a big family, so those of you that sleep several people in a small trailer, I'm sure he will be up for some advice! He and his family are some of the nicest people, but campers tend to be that way!
Once again, Welcome to all our newest members!
Larry
Hi Marty and welcome to PUT. Please tell us about your self. :)
Thanks Larry et al for the warm fire and welcome!!
Like Larry said, I have a goodly size family! :D
DH '65 (Me!)
DW '74 Stephanie
DS's '95 Spencer, '98 Jacob, '01 Ethan
and last but definitely not least DD '04 Abigail
(I finally found out that the 'D' in 'DH' etc stands for 'Dear', and here I was thinking that it meant 'da', as in da husband, da wife, etc!!! :J )
I am a novice/noobie when it comes to camping. We're looking to purchase our first Pop-Up in late winter/early spring next year so I've been doing some research and found PUT and decided to tap the wisdom of those whose footsteps we will be following. Larry has helped me immensely since I've re-established contact with him, and he's pointed out several pitfalls that any newbie should look out for, so I'm already indebted to him beyond my ability to pay back!
As for a little about myself, as Larry said I was a firefighter in Ashland City, TN for about 6 years as a volunteer, during which time I found out that I really liked working as a 911 dispatcher for our county's Emergency Dispatch center, so I've turned it into a career. We moved to Indiana in 2002 and I currently dispatch for a Big Ten Universities' Police Department. The pay isn't anything spectacular, but it pays the bills. Most of the time. LOL.
I met Stephanie and we got married in 1992, we've been best friends and soulmates for over 12 years now, with 4 wonderful kids that are constantly teaching me things ( and here I thought it was supposed to be the other way around!) We just welcomed our newest child home in April. Out of the four, it looks like she will be the only one to get my brown eyes, but we're still not sure as they seem to change color every day.
Well that's the basics, anything else you want to know, just find my site next spring and pull a chair up to the fire and I'll regale you with stories of my early life, but be sure to bring plenty of coffee as it may put you to sleep! :morning:
Marty
Welcome, Marty!
I'm one of those people who sleep several people in a small trailer!! I'm a single mom with 4 kids ~ 3 DDs & 1 DS. We currently camp in a 10' Palomino, but will be in the market for something else next camping season.
My best advice for camping with lots of kids ~ Keep it Simple! At least that's what works for me :D
You'll get lots of good advice here ~ don't be afraid to ask ...
Welcome! It's great to have new people around! You'll find answers to about anything you need here. The folks are terrific!
Quote from: KellyWelcome, Marty!
I'm one of those people who sleep several people in a small trailer!! I'm a single mom with 4 kids ~ 3 DDs & 1 DS. We currently camp in a 10' Palomino, but will be in the market for something else next camping season.
My best advice for camping with lots of kids ~ Keep it Simple! At least that's what works for me :D
You'll get lots of good advice here ~ don't be afraid to ask ...
Yes, Keep It Simple,Stupid has been our motto for a few years now! :D We're looking at several of the state parks and reservoirs near us, and the way we've got it figured, we could probably camp for a couple of years and not stay in the same place twice and all in the central Indiana area.
(I'll be a good PUTer and review the campgrounds :D )
Speaking of new Pop-ups, I'm looking at a 1971 Starcraft 1220 which is on a local dealers lot. I say 'looking at' loosely since so far it is sight unseen. But the price seems right. (I'm expecting it to be a fixer upper, as long as it's structurally sound I can fix/replace everything else.) Does anyone know where I can find info on that year model? I googled and there seems to be no reference to that year pop-up. Also any pitfalls that a buyer should be aware of when buying a used pop-up?
Thanks for the warm welcome!
(if there is a better place to ask those questions, please let me know!)
Marty of the Six Musketeers!
Hey, welcome here too... You are not alone with the family of 6. We have 3 sons and a baby girl. some interest in former line's of work as you may of guessed. :) and I am sure if you are a friend of Larry's you must be a good guy (well, that and the FF background!) Hope I meet up with you someday and take you up on some of those stories!!
Martorious,
I recently got a 1968 Starcraft in resonably good shape and it was the best decision I have made in recent years. Check it out for structural damage and grab it if the price is right. Mine is built like a tank and all the systems seem to be so simple that even I can understand them.
With the help of Lee we put a new roof on it, and I am now confident enough to refinish the lower section at home. For the kind of money I paid for it, it is well worth it to invest more on it and make it a nice camper.
Marty,
Birol was the first one I thought of when you posted about the 71. It was an event bigger than imaginable here at PUT, when Birol bought it.
Anyway, Birol has some good starter advice. It seems that whenever we see an older camper at a cg, it is a Starcraft. It has become a joke with me and Holly. What kind is that older camper over there? Starcraft!!![/b]
If the canvas is in questionable shape, budget $500-800 or so for a new canvas. Having worked at the Saddle Shop, I know you are handy enough to take care of the rest. That is part of the fun anyway: fixing it up the way you want!
Larry
That was our thoughts.
Originally we'd budgeted about 2500-3000 to buy one next february when the tax check comes in, but this way we can get the camper now, and if it needs anything major we can use the money originally budgeted for the pop-up to buy canvas, fabric, fixtures and such. I figure conservatively we could redo the majority of it for less than 2k with us doing the majority of work ourselves.
My only concern is that it shows evidence of a prior roof leak. The dealer stated it was raining the day he took these pictures and it wasn't leaking then, so apparently the leak was fixed, either that or it is a 'severe weather' only leak.
I haven't seen it yet, but the dealer emailed me some pics, I'm going to look at it Friday on my day off. If all works well I will be bringing it home then as well, now to come up with a suitable name for it....
Any way, check out the pics here and let me know if I'm crazy or not!
Marty's Webshots (http://community.webshots.com/album/167973545znFUYX)
your link to the pictures is not working ...
I got the pics to work for me, Mr. B.
Marty, this looks like a decent find, of course depending on the price they are asking. The roof can be fixed also. I think you asked a valid question on the last(?) picture: Wonder what's lurking beneath the carpet?
The canvas looks good, though!
Larry
Quote from: birolyour link to the pictures is not working ...
B~ I can get it to work just fine.
Quote from: birolyour link to the pictures is not working ...
I had some trouble with it at first as well, but webshots says that it takes 30 minutes for some updates to be finalized and I was still moving/editing things so that may have been the cause.
Try again birol, since you have a similar situation with Finally, I was really looking forward to your two cents worth.
edit: Just tried the link in my signature and it is still having problems. But then I refreshed it and it worked fine. B- just keep trying, it'll open up sooner or later.
Ok, Ok, stop hitting me, it now works for me too :) :p
This looks like exactly like my camper !!!! Please buy it if it is in good shape you will love it ! Maybe we can camp together once ! It will be just great !!!!
You got the closet, that is great ! I would keep it, storage in this PU is next to nothing ! Turn it into a storage compartment maybe ?
I was looking at and I got this :
We're sorry!
The Webshots page you have requested has either moved or no longer exists.
Click here to visit the community.webshots.com or wait a few seconds and you will be redirected.
If you are looking for the Webshots Desktop Software, visit the download page.
Quote from: birolOk, Ok, stop hitting me, it now works for me too :) :p
Mr. B, it is STILL working fine for me. :p Look, Mr. B!!!! Someone is wanting YOUR expertise on a popup!!!!
I hear the sarcasm on that Larry :):):) I am so glad that he might buy this one. It seems to be in better shape then mine to be honest. I am going over the pictures one by one carefully .... Unfortunately the ceiling picture is not working right now but I will keep trying.
Quote from: brainpauseMr. B, it is STILL working fine for me. :p
Look, Mr. B!!!! Someone is wanting YOUR expertise on a popup!!!!
Welcome Marty
Quote from: whitestar505Welcome Marty
Thanks, it's good to be here.
birol, I had trouble with that picture too so I re-uploaded it. should work now.
When you see the PU, check the upper inside corners of the roof, there are four wooden blocks on my 68, on which the canvas is screwed on. See if the canvas is badly damaged there, if so, you will need a new canvas very quickly. Mine showed some damage but still held fine when we replaced the inside of the roof.
Do not worry about the velcro not holding the door frame nicely right now, mine did the same, once you realign the canvas (which is a piece of cake) it will hold just fine.
Do the door side have the plastic protectors like the non door side has ? With ours we only haev the canvas and have to zip it up in rainy weather, sucks ...
Does the canvas have the elesticy thingie which will secure it to the thingie magicies on the bottom of the bunkends ? they are pricey ......
Check the inside corner of the canvas which goes over the bunkends carefully, they are most probably torn or about to tear .....Patch them immediately whether they are torn or not, if this is the original canvas (looks like it, mine is, confirmed) it is about to let go.
Do not worry about the water accumulating over the bunk bed, they did not set it up properly, mine did the same, once I set it up properly, water just goes down ....
Your table looks better then mine :) do not let those get wet, I did and mine is a write off now :(
Looks like there were two pipes going to the faucet ? Piece of cake to replace it ....that range looks neat and clean and good ! Much better than mine ....
Woowwork is scuffed, you are right, but it is all panelling stuff. I am going to redo the whole inside when I have money ... Not difficult work at all. I would not let that stop me from buying this unit.
There can not be any damage to the structure of the roof, because there is no strusture to talk of ! Just three panels and styrofoam insulation. Two days work to replace, just wait till I post my pictures hopefully today. Do not elt the roof stop you, but budget around 350 USD for a brand new rood :) with lights and jacks and a fan all :) Ok, maybe 250 usd, I am not so sure .....
If the skin is still attached to the insulation, all you gotta do is glue new panels, 60 bucks or so total, and you can run that ugly electrical cord inside the roof. If the sides of the roof is damaged, not a very big deal to repalce them while it is off, piece of cake I am telling you.
All in all, nothing beats being greeted with a "Hey isn't that a 68 starcraft ? " when you pull into the camping world store and someone with grey hair saying how it was their first camper and if they could peek inside and remember their good old days.
You have porch light I see, probably got a converter too, nice for you :)
Mine was in much worse shape and I paid 435+100 usd for it plus travel expenses etc. Yours is newer nad in better shape, looks like canvas is in good shape, but do not let the pictures mislead you, my canvas looked a lot better on teh pictures too. Count on new canvas pretty soon, you might hold it and it might rip ....
Got any more pictures ? :)
Quote from: birolGot any more pictures ? :)
Not yet, I'm going to see it this friday and give it a good once over. If we buy it, I'll get some more detailed pics up after the weekend.
After hearing from you about the original condition of Finally I don't think I can beat it for the asking price ($195.00).
I can't answer most of your questions yet, but believe me I'm writing down everywhere you say i should look so I can make a checklist of things to check!
Thanks for all the advice, and if you think of anything else before friday be sure to pass it on so I can look at it too.
Also, would you think it out of line for me to ask them to inspect/repackthe wheel bearings before I buy it considering they are basically giving me the popup?
Quote from: MartoriousAlso, would you think it out of line for me to ask them to inspect/repackthe wheel bearings before I buy it considering they are basically giving me the popup?
Never hurts to ask. I'd certainly try! It costs a little over $100. to have it done here ... guess that would make the PU darn near FREE!
Good Luck.
I do not think they would do it for 190 bucks ! but ask anyways :) At this price, get it without questions, unless the plywood under your feet is completely rotted of course !
Kneel under the trailer and check the plywood carefully also when you walk check for soft spots ....
Good luck with it ! You lucky duck :)
Yahoo!
Couldn't wait til Friday as I'd originally planned, so got up early Thursday morning and drove the two hours to the dealer, got there when they opened. The salesman I'd been talking to on the phone wasn't there yet, so I walked down to look at it. Only a couple of things that didn't show in the photos.
1. The rear bunk's canvas was totally ripped out in the lower corners (where it wraps around the bunk corners), the material in that area was very delicate, I ripped it about an extra quarter inch with no effort at all. Will either have to patch the corners or replace the canvas (which I plan to do anyway, at least the tent over the rear bunk as it is in the worst shape) The matress in this end was completely soaked on that edge, the camper was popped up at the dealership and they'd had a major rainstorm move through the day before. But no water/wetness anywhere else in the camper, so I wasn't too worried about the wet mattress.
2. Under the Galley someone had ripped out the lower section of cabinetry and replaced it with plywood with a hole cut in it, presumably to fit a refrigerator/icechest in. Also the galley lifts up (swings up?) into position. The hardware looks like the mechanism for a glider rocker, except it swings up to raise the galley up to a more normal height. I've never seen one like that.
3. The wood sides in the roof are very soft/rotted in a couple of spots. Particularly in the front left corner. Will probably have to replace that when I re-do the roof, but it won't cause that much more work than I would have had to do anyway. Birol your pictures will be a great help when that time comes!
4. The LP tank was disconnected and capped at the dealer (made me initial the paperwork) as the tank was not DOT compliant. I'll be in the market for one soon, How much do DOT compliant 20# tanks cost these days?
A few bonuses that were pleasant surprises:
1. It has an Add-a-Room, or at least I think that's what it is. It connects in a channel above the door, and is a screen room. It's about 8'x9'. Not in bad shape, the no-see-um netting is snagged in a couple of places and is pulling from the seems for about 8 inches at another, and several of the stake-loops are missing, particularly on the front corners, and it has one fairly large (9" x 3") hole that was kind of patched on the roof, but all in all it was in fairly good shape.
2. Also in one of the storage compartments under the dinette seats I found a second screen room, although it is a cheap one. Looks like a 9.99 special from Walmart or somewhere. Cheap blue tarp material, about 15-20 pole sections with no instructions. Me and my two older boys tried to put it up, but with no success. If nothing else it taught me to look for a freestanding screen room that's easy to put up! :D
Birol, you were right when you said it had plastic covers over the window on the galley side although I didn't know what you were talking about at the time! And no, that is the only window with the clear plastic, but with the add-a-room at least we won't have to close the windows on the door side if it rains a little.
I'm going home and pop it up and put on the Add-a-Room this afternoon after work and borrow the sister-in-law's digital camera and should be able to post some new pics tomorrow.
Birol and Lee, hope you guys are up to a thousand and one questions (and anyone else that makes the mistake of professing any knowlege of pop-up renovation! :D )
edit: ps. The final price was $95.00 for the Pop-up. Now before you have a heart attack, I paid more for the paperwork ($100.00)! It worked out like this, they normally charge 100 for a documentation fee, but said they wouldn't charge me for that, but still had to show it on the paperwork, so the cut the price of the Starcraft by the $100.00. Then with $5.70 in tax I got out with a great pop-up for $200.70 and a tank of gas to go get it! I feel like a sneak thief!
I am so glad you grabbed it ! at 195 it is a steal ! The corner canvas dies quickly, mine are triple patched :) make sure you fold it and open it very slowly and carefully. new canvas is in order ! I will take more pictures of mine while camping and post so we can compare.
Congratulations once again !!!
Excellent, and congratulations!
Larry
Congratulations on the new PU. Have fun with fixing it up. :)
Quote from: tlhdocCongratulations on the new PU. Have fun with fixing it up. :)
I have big plans, whether they pan out is another story...
Marty,
what a deal on the trailer, and you sure got one hell of a deal.
We started off camping in a tent, and then borrowed our in-laws 20 year old Jayco popup tent trailer, and we thought we were in heaven compared to sleeping on the ground.
After going on about 5 trips in the borrowed popup, we finally bought one of our own, a new 2001 Coleman Niagara with slide out, hot water, furnace, toilet, shower, pretty much all the bells and whistles.
Like you, we have 4 children, an 11 yo girl, and 3 boys, 8,5 and 3 yo, and we enjoy spending time together at the weekends camping and exploring.
Good luck on the work with the trailer. Hopefully you enjoy working on projects like that, and we are all here to help with your questions.
Get the bearings checked out.
Buy a new 20# propane tank, only about $30 or so, then check the lines for leaks by spraying them with soapy water, and replace any suspect lines.
It's such a pity replacment canvas for older popups is so expensive, I think someone said about $800. but once replaced, it should feel like new.
The inside matresses can easily be replaced, even using air matresses on the bunk ends will suffice.
Congratulations and welcome to PUT
Quote from: 6Quigs... and we thought we were in heaven compared to sleeping on the ground.
Yeah, I know what you mean. I know I'm not that old, but sleeping on the floor or other hard surface means a lot of grimacing and tylenol the next day!
Quote from: 6QuigsIt's such a pity replacment canvas for older popups is so expensive, I think someone said about $800. but once replaced, it should feel like new.
True, but we had originally budgeted 2k-3k for the PU, so I think new canvas is well within the budget! LOL!
Thanks 6Quigs, We're looking forward to many great adventures in the future!
Wow...that sounds like an amazing deal and if you do like renovating things should be a lot of fun fixing and personalizing it!
Hope you and your family enjoy many camping trips off the ground! :>