In mid-September I am heading to the Hershey PA RV show, supposed to be the biggest in the US. I'll finalize my list for what I want and start shopping for quotes. Below are layouts for 3 Newmar Bay Star RVs. The 34xx models are 35' long, the 3226 is 33'. I'm really leaning towards the 3401, simply because it has a window in the bathroom. LOL I was wondering which of these you all liked, and why.

3226


3401


3408

We have a fifth wheel, but of the three plans I would go with the 3226 for a couple of reasons.

I have found that I prefer the buffet table set up over the dinette as the buffet easier to get in and out of. We currently have the dinette seating and our next one will have the buffet table.

Also keep in mind that a lot of the National Parks and others have size limits, 30' in a lot of them so the shorter you are the more options you will have.

Remember at some point in time, if not already thought of, you will be adding either a small car or trailer to the rear making your foot print even bigger. I went with a 5th wheel as I'm set up in camp/grounds but still can leave and go places with the pull truck. I'm 38' plus truck. Chris

Redefines "mobile home".

3401.

You'll still be able to easily access the kitchen/bathroom with the slide-outs in.

Consider buying a used diesel pusher. The depreciation and build problems with new motor homes is well ducumented. Buy a used, well sorted coach and you will bypass poor build quality that most new Motorhomes have.

A diesel will last longer, pull a car better and will yield better MPH. Front engine gas engine run hotter and are loud compared to a pusher.

We have a restored 1993 Foretravel U300 pusher and zero regrets.

I discovered car rentals are cheaper and a hell of a lot easier than towing around a vehicle. Most places will deliver a car right to your camp site and pick it up when you’re done. Newmar is pretty top shelf but inspect throughly for quality materials and fit and finish. Camping and rv’ing has made a roaring comeback in the last 5 years. Manufacturers are having a hard time keeping up to demand and are punching these things out as fast as possible so quality and workmanship are becoming secondary to production.

There are a few custom factory direct places out there that will make whatever you want right down to where you want electrical outlets and USB ports located often for the same price you will buy from a dealer. You just have to wait 6 months to a year to get your rig but it will be precisely what you want no compromise.

Also be prepared to make any camping reservations almost a year in advance.

3401

Shortest distance to sink and fridge from outside. Large wardrobe. Best angle and short distance from TV to sofa. The biggest negative is the shower, although it might not be that bad with a curved, sliding door. We had one like it with the corner cut off being just a regular shower door. Open the door and water dripped on the floor. Also, it was tight, but workable for me. My wife, on the other hand, had difficulty shaving her legs. Or current shower is the rectangular type with a seat tbat makes it easier for her.

3408 would be my next choice. Really large wardrobe. Good shower. Bigger, but more complicated TV.

Buying a couple of years old, used is highly recommended. All the new RV problems should be taken care of and the first couple years depreciation are brutal.

There are private campgrounds near many National Parks that will accommodate large RVs. With a motor home that size, you will want a car to get around in. One, breaking camp is a chore. Two, many places, like beach towns, are not RV friendly. These are the conclusions we came to after renting a Class C and why we now have a 5th wheel.

 
We've owned two travel trailers, a fifth wheel, and now a Class C motorhome. The first two afford you the ability to disconnect and use your tow vehicle for local travel. A motorhome typically has a "toad" behind (a towed vehicle). The only issue there is picking a toad that can be flat towed. Some are not suitable because you cannot completely disconnect the drive train and make it just a rolling toad. You can actually use one that is otherwise unsuitable by disconnecting a driveshaft, but that becomes a pain. Take a look around the show and see what suits you. The fifth wheel requires a decent truck to pull (usually a diesel 3/4 or 1 ton). The TT can be towed behind even a Suburban, with the proper hitch setup. The fifth wheel, properly set up, is easier on the highway than a TT, as its hitch is further forward, making it more maneuverable in turns.
 

If you will be doing a lot of travelling and longer stays at a campground, I like the 3408 (with the washer/dryer option). Saves you time to when doing small laundry loads. You can wash clothes and still stay inside the RV.

If you are new to RVing, read around for all available options. Have you looked at the "Super C"? If you are set on this particular brand and model, buy the one that the wife approves of . Makes driving long distance a lot easier. LOL'

The reason why I mentioned Super C, I have read in the RV forum that the rear engine of this type of RV can sometimes be difficult to work on (for simple do it your self fixes). The Super Cs have a normal front hood accessible engine compartment. Plus, it gives you extra front end protection in the event of a front collision.

We have a Class C right now. We started with a travel trailer. I have been thinking about the Super C (which is like what we have but on steroids).

Someone also mentioned about flat towed vehicle. That is a must for RVing so you can go around when you get to the CG. Unless you plan on just chilling at the CG or renting a car. Another option when pulling a vehicle is by using a Tow Dolly. The towed vehicle must be a front wheel drive since you will be placing the front end on top of the dolly. This is our current set up. However, I do not recommend this as you have to go underneath the car to secure the safety chains, etc. I recommend "Flat Towing". Initial set-up will cost more than a tow dolly. But much easier to connect and disconnect the towed vehicle. The only drawback to this set-up is that the Tow Bar and other parts being used for the Flat Towing "might be" vehicle specific.

Also, is being a brand new unit is not a must, look around for a slightly used unit, with low miles. The price will be much lower than a brand new unit. Some people buy new, used it for few thousand miles, then sell it, for different reasons. Before you purchase (Brand New or Used), MAKE SURE you inspect the ceilings and walls for ANY SIGN of water damage. Some units (even brand new) may have leaking roofs. WATER is the number one enemy of any motorhome or travel trailer.

RVing is a lot of fun. Whatever you decide on, I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Personally, I would strike the 3408 from consideration, due to the queen bed vs. the king bed in the other models.

The 3401, while having the bathroom window (which is nice), also, does not have any plumbing that moves with a slide out. To me, that would be important in a future maintenance perspective. The 3401 has two slides (although one is very large) as opposed to three, and has a very open floor plan. This model also has the fridge and kitchen close to the cab, because, you know while driving at some point, you will need a drink or a sammich .

I suppose I would lean towards the 3401 model for those reasons, and the bathroom window .

Good luck in which ever model you choose.

This is a very good point bigpond. I didn't even think about that. As I mentioned, WATER leak/damage is the biggest enemy of any motorhome.

quote:

Originally posted by bigpond73:
The 3401, while having the bathroom window (which is nice), also, does not have any plumbing that moves with a slide out. To me, that would be important in a future maintenance perspective.

I grew up RVing and Mrs. BB61 and I are on our third RV. What type of RVing are you planning on? If you are looking at National Parks, National Forests and state parks, there are typically length restrictions. If you are simply going to be staying at KOA or higher end parks, then size usually isn’t an issue.

Next, what are your plans once you get to your destination? A 5th wheel tows well but you loose a lot of storage even with an 8’ bed. I’d consider what I do and where I’d put it in conjunction with the type of trailer I buy.

Are you stuck on Newmar? If not, I’d do some research in your price range and look around and make my decision based on quality, price and features and not just the brand.

Next, and this ties into the first point, holding tank and water tank sizes are important if you are camping in National Parks, National Forests, etc. If you think you will be doing a lot camping where there are no hookups, I would get as big of tanks as I can find. However, this increases you weight and impacts your towing.

Which leads to my next question, what is your tow vehicle? That will really govern what you should buy. Make sure you understand what it can really tow before you buy. I have a Nissan Armada that will tow our trailer on the interetate and through most canyons. But, once you get to steep hills like pulling out of Ashton, Idaho towards West Yellowstone it really struggles. It would be unfortunnate to buy a new trailer and then have to buy a new tow vehicle.

With all that in mind, allthough they don’t have glideouts, I realy like AirStream trailers. A classic high-end trailer that pulls nice, has excellent features and maintains its value.

With the three you listed, I liked the second one best. For many of the same reasons already mentioned.

To answer a few questions....

Just me, no wife to keep happy. LOL

I have considered all manner of RVs. LOL I think the Class A makes the most sense for me. And Newmar has an excellent reputation. Both in the product itself and in customer support should things go wrong.

No toad, at least right now.

No lengthy campground stays, at least as I hope. 10-14 days boondocking/dry camping, followed by a few days restocking the pantry, etc. All of the above models have a 75/60/40 gal fresh/gray/black tanks.

These are front-engined gas RVs, on the Ford F-53 chassis. Diesels in my price and size range are still a bit above what I'm thinking to pay.

Allen, no need to worry about towing a car behind that RV. I have seen that model pulling vehicles when we travel. The only thing is that it may limit the kind of vehicle you can tow, based on the weight you can safely pull (should you decide to pull a vehicle someday).

It's cool that you can go to that RV show. I haven't been to one. I heard that RV shows that big is the best place to shop around since they have tons of makes and models.

Whatever you decide on, enjoy the RV life.

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Yarchin:
Consider buying a used diesel pusher. The depreciation and build problems with new motor homes is well ducumented. Buy a used, well sorted coach and you will bypass poor build quality that most new Motorhomes have.

A diesel will last longer, pull a car better and will yield better MPH. Front engine gas engine run hotter and are loud compared to a pusher.

We have a restored 1993 Foretravel U300 pusher and zero regrets.

I'm with Jeff on this.I have a1995 Foretravel U320,Built like a rock!
Beware of slide outs,If you stop at a roadside park or a Walmart you may not be able to extend them, in that case can you function inside the RV with the slides in? They are also sometimes problematic and you won't be able to move or start your RV if one is not all the way in.

Don't get pinned into your bathroom toilet area, some RV layouts have you pinned into a corner when your on the toilet.

HOLDING TANK SIZE, get the largest holding tanks you can!

Check the weight you can load, MANY class A RV's are at or over MAX weight BEFORE you even climb in, especially gas engine RV's.

BUY USED!!!!!!!!!!

3408

3408, we had looked at it to buy this Spring.
Double opposing slides open the coach up so much more than any thing else.

Ours currently has a Queen size bed so this model not having a King is no big deal to us but it's a deal breaker for some.

Really prefer a solid rear wall. Rear windows are for egress and don't open so to me they're just a point for radiant heat to make its way into the coach.

We really like the idea of a traditional dining table as the chairs offer much more in the way of options for guests seating . Though the floor plan you've posted has a dinette the one we walked thru had the optional dining table & chairs.


In the end we decided to keep ours after returning from a week in North Carolina where it met all our needs .
But we never turn down a chance to walk Thru the new units on the lot and got to all the RV shows during winter.

quote:

Originally posted by armored:

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Yarchin:
Consider buying a used diesel pusher. The depreciation and build problems with new motor homes is well ducumented. Buy a used, well sorted coach and you will bypass poor build quality that most new Motorhomes have.

A diesel will last longer, pull a car better and will yield better MPH. Front engine gas engine run hotter and are loud compared to a pusher.

We have a restored 1993 Foretravel U300 pusher and zero regrets.

I'm with Jeff on this.I have a1995 Foretravel U320,Built like a rock!
Beware of slide outs,If you stop at a roadside park or a Walmart you may not be able to extend them, in that case can you function inside the RV with the slides in? They are also sometimes problematic and you won't be able to move or start your RV if one is not all the way in.

Don't get pinned into your bathroom toilet area, some RV layouts have you pinned into a corner when your on the toilet.

HOLDING TANK SIZE, get the largest holding tanks you can!

Check the weight you can load, MANY class A RV's are at or over MAX weight BEFORE you even climb in, especially gas engine RV's.

BUY USED!!!!!!!!!!

I followed your advice and bought my Foretravel.

I can't help you with which floor plan to pick as it comes down to what your needs are. I will say that Newmar has a very good reputation for customer service. My parents had a Mountain Aire 5th wheel that they were able to change the floor plan to their liking. They changed the kitchen island layout and the bathroom layout. Newmar had their draftsman draw up plans that needed to be approved by my parents be fore the coach was built. They had that unit for 16 years until they traded for a used diesel pusher. There was nothing wrong with the coach when they got rid of it. Newmar makes a quality unit and when you go to the show in Hershey, the dealer is from New York that they went to.