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Old 12-04-2017, 12:05 PM   #1
mtlakejim
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Suggestions to improve appeal of 381TH

We recently purchased at High Country 381TH. There are a couple of obvious minor changes that would make substantial improvement in the appearance and sales appeal of the unit:

1. Greater care with the construction of the "generator ready" compartment. Any prospective buyer looking into the generator prepped compartment is going to say "wow if they were this careless where you can see the construction how bad is it where I can't see"! The appearance in this compartment is extremely poor. The metal work is exposed and looks like a total amateur installed it. The foam insulation should be trimmed as the expanding foam is bulging out everywhere and looks very ugly!

2. Expanding foam insulation was also used in other areas of the unit and left untrimmed. It really takes away from the clean lines of the trailer and gives the overall impression that there could be other issues that are not visible. It is EXTREMELY EASY to take a tool and smooth off the foam before it completely dries so it looks tidy. Takes all of two seconds and would go a very long way toward making the coach look better built.

3. It would not make much difference in the construction costs to use a better grade of backsplash in the kitchen area and this one minor change would make a dramatic difference in the appearance of this area.

Granted Keystone is 30K cheaper than the same floor plan from Grand Design but just a couple of very minor changes in trim and care in construction would make your new units look much more comparable in quality to potential new buyers.

On a related note,
I was the person that drew out the original concept for Grand Design on this floor plan. After they built the first units I did everything I could to get them to increase the garage length to at least 10'. They would not do it and when I found that Keystone had built the same floor plan with a garage that was 10' I bought it immediately! The length of the garage is such a big deal that before we found the Montana we were about to buy a conventional 5th wheel....just the 6" extra inches in your unit opens up the garage for several more toys that we simply could not fit in the Grand Design! I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE WORKING ON WAYS TO INCREASE THE LENGTH of the garage!!!!! Even if the height isn't but a few feet there are a lot of toys (think kayaks and canoes for example) that could fit if they had an even LONGER garage. The basement garage concept is great just keep working at it to increase the capacity!! Be smart about it and think about WHAT PEOPLE MIGHT PUT IN THERE! What activities do folks enjoy while they are camping (kayaking is one for sure hint hint). Go measure some of those long but not tall toys and figure out how to make a garage that they will fit in.......
 
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James & Irene Wilson
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2017 Ram 1 ton diesel duallyCrew Cab/Long Bed
2018 Montana High Country 381TH Garage Full of Toys
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Old 12-04-2017, 08:31 PM   #2
dieselguy
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Taken from statements above ""wow if they were this careless where you can see the construction how bad is it where I can't see"! " You nailed it on it's broad flat head. Welcome to the world of RV ownership. You have to remember $500 added to the cost of a unit adds up over years of production runs. That's the way business rolls now days. Lotsa small cars have 4 lug wheels instead of 5 lug (cost savings) Weinie spares instead of regular sized spare tire (cost savings) as a couple of low cost savings examples just off the top of my head that add up over years of production runs.
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Old 12-05-2017, 06:48 AM   #3
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Increased storage capacity equals increased weight
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Old 12-05-2017, 09:14 AM   #4
mtlakejim
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[QUOTE=K0LCB;1081579]Increased storage capacity equals increased weight[/QUO

Well yeah that is sort of obvious but then the difference in weight between a Kayak and a canoe isn't exactly something to write home about. Besides folks with full sized toy hauler garages are putting golf carts and multiple motorcycles in their units.

I am just suggesting that increasing the basement garage LENGTH on the 391TH would appeal to a fairly large segment of the customers looking at it. I didn't mean it would appeal to EVERYONE.
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2018 Montana High Country 381TH Garage Full of Toys
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