# Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?



## rivver

I have an opportunity to get a gulfstream travel trailer 36FRS Conquest, and I have heard mixed reviews about the company... anyone have anything to say, good or bad about the company , the customer service, the products they produce, and/or anything else?
Thanks
rivver


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## campers4u

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

Well I handle the Stream lite, Emerald bay and the Gulf Breeze in Iowa, havent had any bad issues with the units in the 2 years i have had them.  The only issues i have had are small,,,,dvd players, had one sent in with the wrong color interior, but had the right interior in 4 day shipped in to me.  we catch the issues on the prep. so you dont have to..  The only bad thing i can say is i didnt win the flat screen tv at there dealer show...... 

Galen


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## Grandview Trailer Sa

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

We sell the Conquest.  They are good trailers and Gulf Stream is a good company to deal with.  No, they are not perfect, but you won't find a perfect camper either.  Gulf Stream will back there product better than most.  
I have delt with them for about 6 years now.  I could also get your a Conquet.


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## rjf7g

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

rivver-
I own this very model (2007). I got the front queen IPO the bunks and dinette.  In general, I will say that Gulfstream has a bad reputation on many of the forums and in some ways I would agree and in others I would not.  They use cheap materials (look at the soap dish in the bathroom), miss some things they should catch at the factory (whomever installed the curtain on my sliding glass door should have surely caught the fact that the moulding at the top left of the door wasn't glued/stapled), and do some stupid things design-wise (imagine putting a mattress topper and a comforter on the rear queen bed).  I am 100% sure I would by from my dealer again, but would look over it on his lot a lot better than I did mine last spring.  Gulfstream offers a 12 year roof warranty - you can't beat that, and does use great appliances (except the crappy DVD player).  I have more things on my lists if you're interested.

My wonderful dealer (GTS from this forum) and I caught some stuff in the PDI (he would have caught more, I am sure, but we were working together to get the trailer installed on my site in a tight timeframe), but I would make sure the dealer does the following before I took it off the lot:
-check heat output in front bedroom...my dealer had to install another vent
-install vents with dampers in rear bedroom (assuming the furnace is where mine is - under the wardrobe in the bathroom)...I bought a floor vent with a damper in it at Lowe's and my dealer provided one of the round ones.  I installed both.
-connect to city water and check for leaks at outdoor shower and under kitchen sink at least
-check moulding around sliding glass door
-check the connection of the main wire at the breaker box...I began developing electrical problems and my dealer (came on site on a Saturday) found that this wire was not tight 

We have made some mods to ours and I would be happy to give you more details about this.  This is the best floor plan for what we wanted when we wanted it and I have sent my feedback to Gulfstream via my dealer.  I hope they took some of my feedback into account when they made yours!

I have been able to fix a lot of the "little things" and you can expect to find those on any new camper.  Kenneth has fixed what I couldn't (or shouldn't).  Overall, I am happy but would not buy a Gulfstream or any other camper without conducting a more thorough PDI than I did first time around.


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## rivver

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

Here is my situation. I WANT a Dutchmen 37Q-DSL.  I had purchased a Hornet Hideout (keystone) in late October... I have had nothing but problems-- MAJOR problems, and I am in the process of returning it to the dealer -- I'd hoped to get my money back, but it doesn't seem likely that I will.  So, the dealer wants to give me full value trade on a different camper, and the only one that comes close to the one I'd like to have is the gulfstream.  So, now, What I really want is the Dutchmen, and I am hoping that I can get full trade in value on it toward the purchase of it through a different dealer-- however-- I"m not sure I can do that either.  I have found myself in a terrible situation, having spent $23000 on a piece of crap and no where to turn to make it better.  I don't want to find myself in another camper that was poorly manufactured out of cheap materials.  
Arrgh.  :angry:  :angry:  :angry:


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## Grandview Trailer Sa

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

If you want the better trailer, stick with Gulf Stream.  Yes, Becky had some issues with hers but again Gulf Stream backed us up on repairs.  

In Gulf Streams defense, they had just redesigned the bathroom from one side of the trailer to the other.  Sounds simple, but it but a LOT involved.


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## rivver

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

Do you mean Gulf stream over Dutchmen?


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## rivver

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

Oh, what about Jayco over Gulf Stream?


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## rjf7g

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

Kenneth is right, Gulfstream supported him supporting me all along.  I have no complaints about the after purchase service and support I have received from Gulfstream.  I looked at comparable Dutchmen and Hornet models and took them off of my list for the problems I found on the lot with multiple units.  I removed the Wilderness and Cherokee floorplans once I saw them with my own eyes.  I have owned a Jayco before and didn't even look at them this go around.  I camp with a family that started the season last year with a brand new Jayco and they had problems comparable to mine, but their dealer wouldn't come onsite to repair them!

I consider myself lucky given the low level and low quantity of issues I have had and the wonderful after sales support I have received.  I have been frustrated because darn near everything could have been prevented with a few simple measures.  I have read posts where folks have found major leaks in brand new ceilings, rotten out floors, etc.  Not me with my Gulfstream!


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## DL Rupper

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

Personally I think I would choose Gulfstream over Dutchmen or Jayco.  I have been  fulltiming for 13 years and tracking RV Manufactures the best I can for about 15 years.  I haven't heard much good news on the Jayco's or Dutchmen.  The construction seems fairly cheap and flimsy.  Years ago I put the Gulfstream in the same category; however, I do believe they have made some good strides towards building a better product in recent years.  Kenneth is a good dealer and gives good advice, so I would pay attention to what he has to say about Gulfstream.


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## deniloo

RE: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

I also own a Gulfstream (RK Innsbruck). We haven't had any problems with it in the 2 years we have owned it. Only time it was in was for a recall. Friends bought a FR at the same time and have had many problems including slide not working, leaks in roof, water tank not filling etc. Another couple bought Dutchman TT and same things especially the slide not working. You are right the soap dish is very cheap. But I can deal with a cheap soap dish as long as my heat, slide, water ect all work great! I only wish Ken's dealership was closer to us!


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## rjf7g

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

Kenneth is a great dealer and the more time I spend on forums, the more I am becoming a fan of Gulfstream.  Any issues with the systems (other than a few minor water leaks) were taken care of on my site by Kenneth under warranty.  The rest of the stuff that I have issues with are picky cosmetic things or simple design things.  In terms of the design, I wanted two queen bedrooms and I checked out a dozen floor plans and the 36FRS with front queen was the best for us.  I will have more flexibility in floor plan next go around, but I will start my search by looking at whatever Kenneth sells at the time.


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## rjf7g

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

Oh yeah, Gulfstream has a 2 year warranty...most others only offer a 1 year warranty.  Also, according to a Fleetwood dealer, permanently installing a PARK TRAILER voids the warranty.  This is not the case with Gulfstream.  And, don't forget the 12 year warranty on the roof...


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## Grandview Trailer Sa

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

Gulf Stream warranty is bumper to bumper for one year.  Second year is major components and structural.  Also all major component manufactures such as AC, Refer, Furnace, Water Heater, Awning, Range, Microwave, etc. are covered under their 2 year warranty.

The last year I dealt with Keystone, customer had an AC's capacitor go out at 13 months.  Keystone would not touch it saying "out of warranty".  I had to go direct to Coleman (who has a 2 year warranty) to get the 11.00 part to fix it.  Coleman sent it to me for free and paid me to install.


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## Guest

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

now that's service  :approve:  :approve:  :approve:  :approve:  :approve:


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## CandV

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

Reply to rjf7g,
We also own a Gulfstream, and we love it (only one summer with it so far though) Its funny that you mention the soap dish because that was one of the first things I noticed when we looked at it. The bathrrom vanity mirror is also sooooo cheap. We are looking at replacing things like this, and all of the light fixtures and once you start adding these costs in it gets pretty expensive. One would think that they would spend a bit more time and care into the finishing of the camper. One thing that worries me is, if they cut corners on quality finishing products like the light fixtures and soap dish, whats behind the walls?


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## Grandview Trailer Sa

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

You have to realize that everything in the RV industry is price related.  Gulf Stream knows who the competition is for Conquest/Innsbruck, and they know how they are built.  Gulf Stream builds Conquest/Innsbruck to compete.  Everyone else in the same price bracket uses the same light fixtures, soap dishes, etc.  

With that said, in this price bracket, Conquest/Innsbruck is one of the best made.  NO ONE else puts in the "belt" around the frame.  Gulf Stream wraps each end of the wall studs with a metal strap.  They sit the wall on top of the floor and carriage bolt it down through frame gussets.  Lots of makers sit the wall on the side of the frame because it is faster to assemble.  We have water heater by-passes, some do not.  I could go on and on....  

Can you can get a better built trailer?  Of course, but it will cost you much more money.  Gulf Stream makes better trailers also.  I went to an RV show last weekend and I did not see anything I liked better than my Gulf Stream Sedona until I got into prices that were $20-30,000 more.  Everything I saw in the Sedona price range, I could tear apart.


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## DL Rupper

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

Well heck you got a soap dish.  I had to install a Wal-Mart stick on soap dish in my shower in my HitchHiker. :laugh:  Cheap it is, but boy does it work good. :approve:


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## H2H1

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

that right DL who care what it looks like as long as it works. bty who else is going to be taking a bath that's going to complain? And they do, tell them to go to public shower and do a comparison. That should take care of the complaint.


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## LEN

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

A lot of the fixtures in the a good MH, TT, 5er, are like in stick built, the more $$$ the better and more fixtures. Even on stick build homes  (and these have been middle to upper end) I have replaced the lights and the plumbing fixtures and the door handles on purchase. On customs I have purchased my own fixtures and had the contractor install. So why would a RV builder be any different, other than unless you are into a very high $$$$$$$$$ RV where you might be able to pick fixtures. Weight is an other consideration. What I consider Real plumbing is very weighty and could cause damage and need reinforcement on installation and the price point of the unit would go up therefore not being competitive with other brands. Back to the original post, just being at the RV show, I liked what I saw in the Gulf Steam.

LEN


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## rjf7g

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

I took the great warranty and world class customer service over the cheap fixtures and would do that again.  I wish Gulfstream just didn't include the cheap fixtures at all!  The appliances (except DVD player) and light fixtures are top notch.  We have been happy with our Gulfstream and our Gulfstream dealer and are planning on keeping it for years to come.


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## Grandview Trailer Sa

Re: Gulf Stream Travel Trailers-- are they any good?

Thanks Becky!


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## Outdoorsman

rivver;n7508 said:
			
		

> I have an opportunity to get a gulfstream travel trailer 36FRS Conquest, and I have heard mixed reviews about the company... anyone have anything to say, good or bad about the company , the customer service, the products they produce, and/or anything else?
> Thanks
> rivver



I bought a Gulfstream Innsbruck within the last year.We love the trailer and the layout but I have to say that I cannot recommend this company. lots of shortcuts and tons of quality control issues. Reaching a body at Gulfstream can be discouraging. If you need cosmetic parts, its next to impossible to order parts. Without going into rambling detail, I would have bought a nice used rv over this new one. Customer service after the sale is not a priority with Gulfstream. I regret my purchase and there's nothing I can can do about except live with it. Hopefully the bugs will be worked out one day. Also beware of the tires that come on them. If you decide on a Gulfstream, insist on a name brand tire. Thanks.


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