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Post by Teachndad on Aug 27, 2014 21:13:19 GMT -8
Hi,
I was researching a 1963 Scottsman with the pompadour front. I came across a website that did custom trailer remodeling and modifications. On one of their pages they mention that while the Scottsmans were cute, they were poorly built. Is this just one person's opinion, or is a generally accepted fact? Are they more prone to leaks and structural weaknesses than other vintage trailers?
Like this one.
Thank you.
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John Palmer
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Post by John Palmer on Aug 27, 2014 22:04:43 GMT -8
The 1957 one I bought, and took apart for a full rebuild was a "complete POS". Bad design, bad materials, bad workmanship, only a 2" channel frame, very small and few windows, I could go on.
Mine will be someday rebuilt, with a normal canned ham style wall shape which allows much better storage inside the trailer.
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Post by vikx on Aug 27, 2014 22:06:30 GMT -8
Welcome Rod!
Scotsmans have plywood walls and are a little more annoying to repair than a framed trailer. For one thing, the walls generally can't be "pieced" but must be totally replaced, meaning a frame up. Not the hardest thing to do. I like them.
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SusieQ
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Post by SusieQ on Aug 28, 2014 12:06:22 GMT -8
You gotta' love that shape, I do ! Looks like a cupcake that overflowed !
My son just said it looks like a piece of toast! We are having a good laugh! When you go to a rally, you should park it next to a Shasta 2nd gen Compact that is shaped like a toaster.
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Aug 29, 2014 19:29:36 GMT -8
Plywood walls are not forgiving at all when water leaks in. Once wet, plywood comes apart. Wood wall framing needs to be wet for an extended period of time to rot. Plus you can patch wood wall framing or sister pieces together in weak spots. So it's much easier to work with.
One other point, off subject but worth mentioning, not all wood framed campers are the same. My Shasta has very thin framing and not much of it. My Forester framing is an inch thick. The thicker the framing, the heavier the camper. My Shasta weighs around 1100 pounds and the Forester weights closer to 2500. Scottsman I am sure weights very little. If you are towing with a V6 it matters a lot.
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John Palmer
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Post by John Palmer on Aug 29, 2014 20:28:47 GMT -8
Plywood walls are not forgiving at all when water leaks in. Once wet, plywood comes apart. Wood wall framing needs to be wet for an extended period of time to rot. Plus you can patch wood wall framing or sister pieces together in weak spots. So it's much easier to work with. One other point, off subject but worth mentioning, not all wood framed campers are the same. My Shasta has very thin framing and not much of it. My Forester framing is an inch thick. The thicker the framing, the heavier the camper. My Shasta weighs around 1100 pounds and the Forester weights closer to 2500. Scottsman I am sure weights very little. If you are towing with a V6 it matters a lot. A V6, or V8 "power difference" will not make much difference due to difference in weight. A (V6) Ford F150 Ecoboost powered truck is a stout (and economical) towing rig.
But......extra weight makes a "huge difference" when you try to STOP it going down hill, or on slick pavement. Which as you know, is the reason trailer brakes are so important.
Is your Shasta and Forester comparison example based on same size trailer's, and same equipment? For example, bathroom, shower, holding tanks, ice box vs. refrigerator, air conditioning, etc.? 1400 pounds difference is a lot of extra wood.
Just curious?
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Post by Teachndad on Aug 29, 2014 20:52:28 GMT -8
One other point, off subject but worth mentioning, not all wood framed campers are the same. My Shasta has very thin framing and not much of it. My Forester framing is an inch thick. The thicker the framing, the heavier the camper. My Shasta weighs around 1100 pounds and the Forester weights closer to 2500. Scottsman I am sure weights very little. If you are towing with a V6 it matters a lot. OOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!, Thanks NC Camper,
I have been perplexed by the different weights given the same length trailers since I started looking 4 months ago. The different weights of the trailers were so different. That makes so much sense. Thank you for clarifying. Yes it was worth mentioning. BTW, my TV is a 2000 Toyota minivan with a V6, so this is very relevant to my search. Throw in 5 people inside with gear and the 3,500 towing capacity starts to come close depending on the weight of the trailer. Add the California hills and mountains, and it's important to me.
Everyone's info is so spectacularly valuable.
Thanks!
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Aug 30, 2014 5:51:14 GMT -8
Plywood walls are not forgiving at all when water leaks in. Once wet, plywood comes apart. Wood wall framing needs to be wet for an extended period of time to rot. Plus you can patch wood wall framing or sister pieces together in weak spots. So it's much easier to work with. One other point, off subject but worth mentioning, not all wood framed campers are the same. My Shasta has very thin framing and not much of it. My Forester framing is an inch thick. The thicker the framing, the heavier the camper. My Shasta weighs around 1100 pounds and the Forester weights closer to 2500. Scottsman I am sure weights very little. If you are towing with a V6 it matters a lot. A V6, or V8 "power difference" will not make much difference due to difference in weight. A (V6) Ford F150 Ecoboost powered truck is a stout (and economical) towing rig.
But......extra weight makes a "huge difference" when you try to STOP it going down hill, or on slick pavement. Which as you know, is the reason trailer brakes are so important.
Is your Shasta and Forester comparison example based on same size trailer's, and same equipment? For example, bathroom, shower, holding tanks, ice box vs. refrigerator, air conditioning, etc.? 1400 pounds difference is a lot of extra wood.
Just curious?
I've heard great things about the eco-boost. I had a V-6 which struggled in the mountains which is why I moved up to a V-8. I'm old-school, and I had a little trouble believing that a V-6 with a turbo charger will hold up over time as well as a V-8. In my day "boost" systems equalled short life span. I know, I know, I have to join the 21st century. My Forester (no bathroom) is a little longer than my Shasta. The reason I mention it is because a couple of years back I wouldn't have believed a camper 20% larger could weigh 120% more, but it does. I even put it on scale because I couldn't believe it. One thing I forgot to mention, the frame also adds a lot of weight. Forester overbuilt the frame, in my opinion. teachndad, common sense would dictate that a 12 foot Shasta, 12 foot Deville, 12 foot Forester, etc. all weigh the same. But that isn't the case. And as wiser people on this forum have pointed out, just because your car is rated to tow 3500 pounds doesn't mean it will be a good experience in the mountains. My v6 was rated to tow 3800 pounds but really struggled with even hills when loaded with 500 pounds of gear and a 2400 pound camper. My advice, rent a uhaul trailer for the day that weighs 2500 pounds and tow it around town. It may be an eye opener.
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cowcharge
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Post by cowcharge on Sept 19, 2014 14:10:14 GMT -8
Hell no, Scotsmen aren't poorly built:
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Sept 19, 2014 21:00:19 GMT -8
Foresters were built by boat builders during the off season on the east coast. When I worked on one I told the owner that it looked a lot like something a boat builder would design and then he told me the story. He had researched the company and even got in touch with an old worker from the plant who told him everything.
I've worked on a couple of Scotsmans and the ones I worked on had press board walls not plywood. That stuff melts when it get's wet. Either way the walls are solid and heavy and they fall apart when they get wet. So you can plan on a lot of work. Also you can't run electrical or gas through the walls as they are solid. Big pain. But ya they're cute...
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Sept 21, 2014 15:00:40 GMT -8
Foresters were built by boat builders during the off season on the east coast. When I worked on one I told the owner that it looked a lot like something a boat ... The inside does look like boat, now that you mention it. The cabinets are definitely boatish. I may have just seen a Scottsman under a lean-to in an old campground with ancient seasonal sites that haven't moved in decades. I will try to post a photo tomorrow if I drive by in better light.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Sept 21, 2014 16:01:13 GMT -8
The framing reminded me a lot of boat type carpentry. There's a trailer called the Lakewood and they have boat anchor cut outs in the sliders and magazine racks.
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Post by Teachndad on Sept 24, 2014 21:19:06 GMT -8
NCcamper,
We await your image of the Lean-to'd Scotsman when you get a chance.
cheers
Rod
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Sept 25, 2014 5:27:59 GMT -8
We came across this very old campground Cherokee, NC near the KOA. Campers were buried in buildings (shacks) and I thought this one might be a Scottsman until I got around back to get a clear (sort of clear) photo. I'm not sure what it is. There were some great old campers, most longer than I would consider. Like the bullet shape with two doors, etc. I would have taken more photos but people living there were watching me closely.
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