New Sightseer 35J this weekend

Y-Guy · 12-13-2006, 09:20 PM

Well we pulled the trigger, trading in our truck and trailer in favor of a new Sightseer 35J. Dealer put together a good deal for us and since this is my 3rd purchase from them we have a good relationship/friendship so on we go. I had pretty much made my mind up on a Damon Daybreak until we walked through the Winnie on Saturday, didn't take long for us to be able to see the differences, and in our minds the extra expense is well worth it. I really figured it would be beyond our budget, but dealers can do good things at the end of the year and when they have a big dealer to dealer competition going on.

About the only things I am considering adding right now is wiring for a brake controller, I've always used a Prodigy in the past so I'll pick one of those up for the rig. Not a great place to mount it from my look today, but I am sure I'll find some place. I figure if the dealer gets the wiring done I can make the connections later. Also want to add a LP connection for my outside gas grill, and perhaps one of the big mud flap things to keep our future Toad and our ATVs from getting a mud bath. We're not huge TV watchers so really don't see the need for a satellite. Any other items that I should really be considering?

Thanks for the place to read and post. I appreciated the responses when I've been shopping.

Y-Guy · 12-13-2006, 09:20 PM

Well we pulled the trigger, trading in our truck and trailer in favor of a new Sightseer 35J. Dealer put together a good deal for us and since this is my 3rd purchase from them we have a good relationship/friendship so on we go. I had pretty much made my mind up on a Damon Daybreak until we walked through the Winnie on Saturday, didn't take long for us to be able to see the differences, and in our minds the extra expense is well worth it. I really figured it would be beyond our budget, but dealers can do good things at the end of the year and when they have a big dealer to dealer competition going on.

About the only things I am considering adding right now is wiring for a brake controller, I've always used a Prodigy in the past so I'll pick one of those up for the rig. Not a great place to mount it from my look today, but I am sure I'll find some place. I figure if the dealer gets the wiring done I can make the connections later. Also want to add a LP connection for my outside gas grill, and perhaps one of the big mud flap things to keep our future Toad and our ATVs from getting a mud bath. We're not huge TV watchers so really don't see the need for a satellite. Any other items that I should really be considering?

Thanks for the place to read and post. I appreciated the responses when I've been shopping.

tomsm · 12-14-2006, 04:30 AM

Y-Guy - Congratulations! Hope you have many happy years in your new unit! One of the first things you should add is an electrical surge guard. Even without satellite, there's lot of sensitive electronics in your unit and exposure to under/over voltage or surges will set them up to fail as soon as the warranties expire.

Be sure to get one that protects against under voltage since that's the problem we see most in campgrounds. Mine has cut power to my rig twice, both undervoltages, once in state park and once in a commercial campground.

I see from the specs on your rig that it's a 30amp setup, but if you think you might trade up anytime soon, consider buying a 50A surge guard. It'll work fine on a 30A rig and you can carry it on to your next one.

Again, congratulations and do spend a little more to protect your investment.

Here's a good place to start shopping.

tderonne · 12-14-2006, 04:44 AM

Kick A%*!!

I followed your search for a motorhome over the last few weeks (months?). Interesting you landed on the Winnie. Speaks well for the brand and model.

Sounds like you have a good dealer. What chassis does it have? (If it's a Ford the brake controller is darn near plug and play, I'm sure you're dealer will know that.)

One of the first projects I'd do if I bought a 35J would be to add a "lid" to the water tank area under the bed, looking down into the sewer bay every time I lifted the bed would bug me. I know the hole isn't there for any reason, it's not a hole when the bed is closed. But I'm sure there's other projects that'll take precedence.

And don't knock a satellite dish too quickly. If you already have satellite at home, it's a great way to have the same TV channels your used to. It's especially nice while driving. Wife and family are stuck there with nothing to do a lot of the time when we drive, passing the time watching TV is a nice option to have.

SargeW · 12-14-2006, 05:48 AM

One of the mods I did that I am greatful for every time I drive is the side view cams. They make changing lanes in traffic a whole lot less stressful, and a whole lot safer.

Sarge

Captain Bud · 12-14-2006, 06:06 AM

Great choice for a MH. TDRONNE mentioned a hole under the bed, some of these "holes" are used for the transfer of warm air into plumbing compartments, check it out B4 you plug anything. Why are you putting in a brake controller???

Y-Guy · 12-14-2006, 06:24 AM

Tom - thanks I was looking at one of those at online last night wondering if I should drop the $. Its odd in a way, the 35J comes with the Onan 5500 which is a 50amp generator but the shore power is only 30amp. That should be fine since most of our camping is still dry camping, just odd. I'm guessing that Winnie has really good power management. We have had the 50amp & 5500 on our Raptor, but really can't say I've ever needed it. I'll be thankful for the easier to manage 30amp power cord again.

Tim - I think we have a great dealer, this is the third rig I have purchased from them, always had good service and they know I price shop things to death. I went with the Ford, partially it is what they had and partially that I really didn't see paying the extra $ at this time. Good to hear the install is easy, they were checking with service since the sales guy figured all that needed to be done was run the wires. But from your comments I am wondering if the wires are already in place? I saw the comment about the opening under the bed and looked at that yesterday, I'll have to look into that more. I'm not knocking the satellite, we may got with one but for now I'm still not sure. We're getting ready to switch back to one at home since I don't get the NFL network and the local guys want to force me to upgrade to get it - bah humbug.

Sarge - I agree, this unit comes with them installed and that was a really nice option. After towing my 39' 5er I am looking forward to something a bit shorter, but the rear view and side view cams are going to be really nice to have.

Captain - Good point about the hole I'll check into things before I act, need to get a 1st trip in and see I guess. As for the brake controller, need it for our ATV trailer. Since I know nothing about Toads I guessed I would need it for that too... maybe not?

rvcarpenter · 12-14-2006, 06:47 AM

Another lucky guy get's a 35J , I'm really starting to get envious......

Congrats on your new rig, Enjoy!!!

Y-Guy · 12-14-2006, 10:25 AM

I have a question about the house batteries, hoping for some advice. The new rig comes with two group 24 12v batteries. On every camper I have owned previously I have installed two 6v batteries. My option is to leave it and see how things go or swap them out, at cost. I do wish they had been at least a Group 27, but oh well. My other choice is to pull my dual 6v batteries, put them in one of the storage areas and wire them inline with the others. However this goes against what I know about batteries are best of the same age and size. Any thoughts?

FamilyBus · 12-14-2006, 11:03 AM

Congrats Y-Guy I just picked up my Sunova 35J - Cant wait for Spring !!!!

Y-Guy · 12-14-2006, 12:11 PM

Why wait? Our plan is to head out Dec 26th for 5 days on the Oregon Coast. Figured we can get a good break in run with it and trouble shoot any issues before the serious camping season starts!

Our test drive is today, and of course its pouring rain here (rarity on this side of the State) so I guess we'll have a good chance to see how it does in the rain.

tomsm · 12-14-2006, 01:16 PM

I'm no battery expert, but your 2nd option goes against what I've been told. Maybe try stock first and if that doesn't do it for you, add 2 more group 24 12v in the storage compartment. The electrical system would be fine with option 2, it's the charging system that might give you problems. The 12v and 6v batteries have different charging profiles. Using a 2nd bank of 12v batteries should work OK as long as you don't wait too long cause, as you mentioned, age is a factor too.

While in your unit in the rain, be sure to extend the slides and check for leaks. Winnie tests them in a rain booth, but only with the slides in.

Where are you going on the coast? We spent about 6 weeks on the Oregon coast this fall and had a ball! We were at Seaside, Lincoln City, and Newport. Intended to work our way on down the coast, but it was getting too close to winter for us so we headed for home.

tomsm · 12-14-2006, 01:22 PM

On 2nd thought - extra batteries in a storage compartment is not a good idea unless you're willing to cut a lot of ventilation holes in the compartment walls/floor. Don't want to create an explosive situation!

Y-Guy · 12-14-2006, 01:36 PM

Thanks Tom your thoughts confirm mine too, I'll stick with the current ones and upgrade later. If do add them to the storage area I would look at an enclosed vented box for safety reasons.

As for the coast, we are going to Beverly Beach. We were there a couple years ago with out Outback and had a blast. Since they have cable hooks ups we can still watch Football if the weather is bad. We've camped alot on the Oregon Coast from Fort Lewis, Beverly Beach, Sand Lake, Honeyman (fav) and Winchester Bay. I used to run teen trips and my fav was from Florence south, hope to take that trip with our kids this summer.

Captain Bud · 12-16-2006, 05:50 AM

I recently replaced my house batteries, I purchased 2 Sears Die Hard deep cycle 24s. My previous Interstates worked flawlessly and I never saw the need to make any mods to the sysytem. Remember on these units is to KIS.
Keep It Simple

FamilyBus · 12-17-2006, 08:06 AM

Hope the test run went well -
our first trip will be Disney ( FL ) in April
maybe a weekend in march if we get an early spring- it's already in teens here at night and I'm winterized for the season.

RoadRohrers · 06-12-2007, 04:30 PM

So....... Let's hear it. How do you like the 35J floorplan after using for a while. I have looked and looked at it. I wish it were on the FRED chassis, but oh well.

Our reason for being so drawn to the floor plan has to do with our weird arrangement of man/woman/two cats who can't seem to sleep alone. The bunk space, especially the lower, make a perfect place to put the litter box (mattress removed, of course) and close the curtain. A window for ventilation and family is happy. I guess I don't need the DVD option for the blankity cats.

I know I should just get rid of the cats, but they are family and our responsibility.

Would like to hear how well this floorplan works as well as the overall quality of the Sightseer/Sunova product line for people.
Thanks

Richard 34A · 06-12-2007, 07:57 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by RoadRohrers:
So....... Let's hear it. How do you like the 35J floorplan after using for a while. I have looked and looked at it. I wish it were on the FRED chassis, but oh well.

Our reason for being so drawn to the floor plan has to do with our weird arrangement of man/woman/two cats who can't seem to sleep alone. The bunk space, especially the lower, make a perfect place to put the litter box (mattress removed, of course) and close the curtain. A window for ventilation and family is happy. I guess I don't need the DVD option for the blankity cats.

I know I should just get rid of the cats, but they are family and our responsibility.

Would like to hear how well this floorplan works as well as the overall quality of the Sightseer/Sunova product line for people.
Thanks </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The bunkhouse floorplan must be a good idea; Fleetwood just introduced the same idea in the Terra series. I saw it on a 2008 Terra LX 34N. The floorplan is so new that the 2008 model website doesn't even show a bunkhouse...

Y-Guy · 06-12-2007, 08:15 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Would like to hear how well this floorplan works as well as the overall quality of the Sightseer/Sunova product line for people.
Thanks </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
So far we love our 35J we've put a lot of camping nights in so far, around 30 nights and all has been well. Big trip coming up for us, 2 weeks in Utah so we'll see it does hauling to a bunch of different campgrounds and putting on some serious miles too.

Curt L · 06-13-2007, 03:49 AM

Y-Guy, we are heading to Utah also. Leaving July 4th. We are planning on renting ATV's in Moab. Are you taking your own machines? We can't wait.

Curt