65callie
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Post by 65callie on Feb 8, 2017 10:10:57 GMT -8
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mrmarty51
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Post by mrmarty51 on Feb 8, 2017 10:36:41 GMT -8
WOW and yeah. I hope that they do get it sold and not let it go under.
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nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Post by nccamper on Feb 8, 2017 11:18:33 GMT -8
I hope they sell and move the business to NC. Their price for siding was very, very good but shipping was twice as high as Hemet.
It says $1 million in campers sold. That's only 100 campers over the years. Not as many as I expected.
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sheilam
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Post by sheilam on Feb 8, 2017 20:20:57 GMT -8
I have a CH camper and I love it!
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Post by vikx on Feb 8, 2017 22:29:17 GMT -8
There ya go NC... I'd be willing to invest.
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Feb 9, 2017 6:07:11 GMT -8
There ya go NC... I'd be willing to invest. Too much like a J.O.B. I retired young for a reason.
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Post by vintagebruce on Feb 9, 2017 9:38:43 GMT -8
I was doing some searches for companies that are producing "vintage"-look/clone/retro campers and basically, except CH Campers, I struck out. It appears to me that perhaps there just isn't enough money in a small operation creating custom vintage style campers. Everybody knows how many hours go into a rebuild. Assume even more for scratch building. CH may have been in business as long as it is/was because they had to increase the amount of parts/msterisls way beyond what it took to manufacture as many rders as they garnered, in order to get unit costs down even fairly close to the major contemporary camper manufacturers, thus their parts/siding sales. I fear their business blueprint is such that the "mom and pop" small builders (wetzleldorf for example) will succumb to the same fate thet mom and pop businesses do when a Wal-Mart opens in the region of their customer base. I too hope they find a buyer, but I will not be holding my breath that if they do, the new owner will fare as well as they hope. These thoughts make me sad.
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mrmarty51
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Post by mrmarty51 on Feb 9, 2017 10:58:07 GMT -8
After watching mobiltecs video of siding and roofing being made, just the equipment for that task would be worth a LOT of money. I feel that it would be a worthy investment if a person had the funds and wanted to switch careers. I believe that building a camper from the trailer up would be a LOT faster and simpler than trying to tear down and recreate. Building off of templates a couple of times would be a learning curve but after that, a whole lot simpler.
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Post by danrhodes on Feb 9, 2017 11:08:43 GMT -8
I was doing some searches for companies that are producing "vintage"-look/clone/retro campers and basically, except CH Campers, I struck out. It appears to me that perhaps there just isn't enough money in a small operation creating custom vintage style campers. Everybody knows how many hours go into a rebuild. Assume even more for scratch building. CH may have been in business as long as it is/was because they had to increase the amount of parts/msterisls way beyond what it took to manufacture as many rders as they garnered, in order to get unit costs down even fairly close to the major contemporary camper manufacturers, thus their parts/siding sales. I fear their business blueprint is such that the "mom and pop" small builders (wetzleldorf for example) will succumb to the same fate thet mom and pop businesses do when a Wal-Mart opens in the region of their customer base. I too hope they find a buyer, but I will not be holding my breath that if they do, the new owner will fare as well as they hope. These thoughts make me sad. Not stick and tin, but I've seen this guy at a few rallys. www.relictrailers.com/#welcome
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Post by vintagebruce on Feb 11, 2017 8:33:36 GMT -8
I can't claim I was at Woodstock, unlike the 8,000,000 or so people my age that do... But I do believe I did see that CL ad, and wished I was organized with enough business sense to be able to invest in the package being offered. If I remember correctly, although the asking price was in the thousands, it would have cost under $10K to purchase everything and as this person did, have it all professionally shipped to my property in southern Mississippi. I am pleased the buyer has successfully gone into production and wish their family success. They are very cool little campers...possibly the coolest little fiberglass egg design currently on the market. Thanks for posting the thread Dan. As you say, not stick and tin, but I mourn the loss of one builder that was making two models of vintage era-like campers, one kind of looked like a Palace travel trailer and the other, if I remember correctly had more of an Airfloat look. Seems like the name was Houlmann or Hoffmann campers, but I might be wrong. Anyhoot, they have disappeared, with no old references surviving.
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65callie
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Post by 65callie on Mar 24, 2017 19:05:39 GMT -8
Not fake news. I talked to someone at a recent vintage trailer gathering, who knows the owner, and he is definitely wanting to sell, but not desperate. Hope someone buys it and keeps the business going! atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/bfs/6007764078.html
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Poquito
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Post by Poquito on Apr 17, 2018 11:14:54 GMT -8
I bought my window frames from him. He cut me a discount a couple of times, and I went to his shop to pick up my second set of windows from him to save shipping. He seemed very nice and had a trailer sitting in his shop ready to sell. Don't know if it's still there or not. The only issue I had was the windows didn't come with screens and since I dropped them off at my builder's I didn't see that there was no channel to put the screens into so I have been scratching my head, running to Ace hardware, spending money and time trying to get these beautiful screens I made to sit inside the frame without flopping all over the place. Because I have a shake down trip planned this friday, I am resorting to (heaven forgive me) duck tape. I think he could of offered a solution, he must of done something for the campers he was building...or they don't come with screens. Poquito
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datac
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Post by datac on Apr 17, 2018 15:09:08 GMT -8
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Poquito
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Post by Poquito on Apr 18, 2018 3:28:44 GMT -8
Yes Datac, I agree. Except I bought CH Camper's jalousie windows. I couldn't find enough early Hehr windows to compliment what I already had so went with all new so they would match. I do like the new Super Solar screen, I noticed a difference in temperature right away as soon as I put them in. I think it will help slow down the fading of the interior as well. I just re-screened my screen door as well. If that screen material could be used with the older windows, I think that would be real nice. Poquito
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datac
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Post by datac on Apr 18, 2018 5:37:43 GMT -8
My suspicion was that CH Camper's windows might have a simple crimp-on screen flange like the early Hehrs, rather than a full channel.
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