RV News & Notes: September 2006

2007 Monaco Dynasty Features Full-Wall Slide

Monaco Coach Corporation has introduced the newly designed 2007 Monaco Dynasty. One of the most striking additions to the 2007 Dynasty line is the availability of the PanaSuite full-wall slideout in the 43-foot Palace III floor plan. This floor plan offers a single 28-foot-long slideout on the driver’s side, eliminating the divider walls and bulkheads of a conventional two-slideout design, along with a pair of slides on the passenger side for maximum living space.

The Dynasty is built on a custom Roadmaster chassis and is powered by a Cummins ISL 400-horsepower engine. The semi-monocoque chassis places eight air bags outboard (and two inboard) to create a wider, more stable platform for the coach. The active suspension automatically adjusts the pressure of the air bags as the coach is driven, eliminating side-to-side sway.

The 2007 Dynasty boasts many new options, including a central vacuum system, an exterior 32-inch LCD TV, and a ceiling fan in the bedroom. Also available as an option is the Standard Run Saving Package, which includes a 3M mask; a complete pass-through storage bay slide-out tray; a 32-inch LCD TV in the living room overhead area and a 20-inch LCD TV in the bedroom; a power cord reel; a power water hose reel; an Aqua-Hot heating system; and a Girard automatic patio awning.

The Dynasty is available in seven other floor plans ranging from 38 to 43 feet, with triple and quad slideouts. Six décor packages are offered in an array of fabric colors, including two Ralph Lauren options. New-style cabinet doors come in seven different wood choices, including oak, cherry, and maple. The Dynasty has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price starting at $344,370.

For more information about the 2007 Monaco Dynasty line, visit www.monaco-online.com or call (800) 634-0855.

Henderson’s Line-Up, Brake & RV, C5009, founded by Floyd Henderson in 1961 in Grants Pass, Oregon, is celebrating its 45th year in business in 2006. The locally owned family business specializes in steering, suspension, brakes, and alignment for motorhomes, trucks, SUVs, and automobiles.

Henderson’s Line-Up, Brake & RV, which is now operated by Floyd’s son, Robert, is a national distributor for such well-known products as Koni, Bilstein, Roadmaster, Safe-T-Plus, Banks, Blue Ox, and Pacbrake. The company is also a national representative for Hunter Engineering Company’s line of alignment and repair shop equipment. Because of its national marketing efforts and participation at more than 20 RV shows and rallies across the United States each year, including the presentation of seminars related to steering and handling, Henderson’s Line-Up, Brake & RV benefits from a large customer base from all parts of the country.

After seeing the need for higher quality and more effective and reliable parts for the RV industry in the mid-1980s, Henderson’s Line-Up, Brake & RV began offering its own steering and suspension enhancement products through its SuperSteer division in 1990. SuperSteer introduced and now markets SuperSteer bell cranks, rear trac bars, coil springs, and idler arm support assemblies. It also markets motion control units and tow brake products.

By fulfilling a need in the RV aftermarket industry, SuperSteer’s network of U.S. dealers has now grown to more than 500 companies representing their products in alignment, brake, suspension, and heavy-duty truck shops.

Penny J. Milks has been named president, CEO, and director of Fan-Tastic Vent Corporation, C3077, assuming the positions held by her husband, Stephen A. Milks, who passed away March 9, 2006.

In addition, Lorin A. Milks was appointed vice president of the company, taking the place of cofounder David Struck, who retired on June 1, 2006. Mr. Milks has filled many roles on the engineering side of the company, working closely with his brother, Stephen.

Mr. Struck, who helped form the company in 1984 with Stephen Milks, passed away on June 16, 2006, at the age of 69.

Prior to cofounding Fan-Tastic Vent, Mr. Struck was employed by Champion Home Builders for 24 years, ending his career there as vice president of sales and marketing. He was a 45-year veteran of the RV industry, serving as a board member of both the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association and the Michigan Association of Recreation Vehicles and Campgrounds.

Mr. Struck is survived by his wife, Judith; three children; his mother; a sister; and six grandchildren. Memorial donations can be made to the Gloria Dei Building Fund, 5005 McCandlish Road, Grand Blanc, MI, 48439.

The 54th annual California RV Show, produced by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, will be held October 12 through 22, 2006, at Fairplex in Pomona, California. More than 1,800 recreation vehicles will be showcased at the event, with factory and California dealer representatives on hand to answer questions and explain many of the new features available in today’s RVs.

The show also will include a 40,000-square-foot tent filled with RV products and accessories and a full program of daily seminars presented by some of the United States’ top RV experts. They will include Dick Reed of the RV Driving School, C6198, to help attendees hone their driving skills, and Joe and Vicki Kieva, F164860, who will present “Tips for Choosing an RV.”

Show hours are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. Ticket prices are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, and free for children under age 12. Parking at Fairplex is $8 for cars and $10 for RVs. For directions, nearby campgrounds, and other information, call (951) 274-9215 (24-hour recorded show information) or visit www.carvshow.com. Discount admission coupons are available at the show’s Web site.

Organizers of National Public Lands Day are looking for more people who want to help organize cleanups, fix- ups, and recreational events on Saturday, September 30, 2006, with the goal of mobilizing 100,000 volunteers to make a major difference at 1,000 sites nationwide.

National Public Lands Day is an annual program of the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation. Last year 80,000 people turned out at 800 locations. The annual fix-up day has become the largest volunteer hands-on event of its kind in the United States. Volunteers may help build a footbridge on a scenic trail, plant seeds of native grasses, test water quality, or clean up a lake’s shoreline. A special push is under way to find urban parks and playgrounds that need help, as the program expands further at the local and state level.

“It’s one of the most inspiring ways to get back to the land “” and a third of America’s land belongs to all of us,” said Robb Hampton, director of National Public Lands Day. “By getting their hands dirty on this one day, families can have fun together while relearning how important the natural world is to all of us. Now we just need more people willing to organize projects.”

Those interested in organizing a project or volunteering for National Public Lands Day can call (800) VOL-TEER (800-865-8337), or visit www.publiclandsday.org, which offers tips for site organizers.

Featherlite Inc., the Cresco, Iowa-based parent company of Featherlite Luxury Coaches, C6803, and a leading manufacturer and marketer of specialty aluminum trailers and transporters, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to merge with a subsidiary of Universal Trailer Holdings Corp. of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Under the terms of the agreement, Featherlite will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Universal Trailer, which manufactures a diversified family of trailer brands that include Haulmark, Exiss, Sooner, and Miley. The merger is expected to be completed by October 31, 2006. Universal Trailer expects to retain the Featherlite trailer manufacturing locations and dealer network.

In addition, Featherlite Coaches Inc. “” a newly formed company controlled by Conrad Clement, Featherlite’s chairman, president and CEO; Tracy Clement, Featherlite’s executive vice president; and Bulk Resources Inc. “” has entered into a definitive agreement with Universal Trailer to purchase the assets and assume substantially all of the liabilities of the Featherlite Luxury Coaches division immediately following the closing of the merge

Blue Bird Coachworks, C4, a division of Blue Bird Corporation, announced that it now will offer limited factory-direct distribution of its 450 LXi motor coaches. The decision to add a factory-direct distribution channel is part of the company’s efforts to offer its high-end type A luxury coach at the most competitive price.

The factory-direct distribution program supplements existing 450 LXi coach sales and service currently provided by Blue Bird’s dealer network, which includes Holland Motor Homes, C173, with locations in Michigan and California; Motor Home Specialist, C10000, in Texas; and Parliament Coach Corporation, C5991, in Florida. According to Blue Bird, the 450 LXi will maintain a competitive price structure with Blue Bird’s distributors and the factory-direct sales program.

According to “The American Camper: Profiles and Perspectives,” a research project of the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC), recreation vehicle ownership in the United States has reached record levels, with 8.8 million American adults owning at least one RV.

Although the baby boomer generation is regarded as the leading force behind the upswing in RV ownership, a study by the University of Michigan’s Survey Research Center (commissioned by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association) found that high RV ownership now extends across a 40-year span, from ages 35 to 75. The study revealed that RVs, long popular with retirees, are being bought with increasing frequency by families with young children, with individuals under age 35 posting the largest gains in RV ownership rates during the past four years.

One contributing factor to this spike may be the growth of home schooling. What better classroom for geography, American history, and earth science lessons than in the family RV while touring the United States coast to coast, camping in national parks and commercial facilities in close proximity to historic points of interest.

The “American Camper” project, which is based on a sample of 1,602 active campers and RV owners, also explores the unique lifestyles and leisure travel preferences and intentions of active campers and RV owners. Among other findings in the study:

• 80 percent of RV owners utilized family-oriented RV parks/resorts during the past year.

• 78 percent of RV owners have enjoyed exploring nature while staying in an RV park or resort.     

• 63 percent of RV owners find that being close to nature is extremely important when selecting an RV park or resort.   

• 62 percent of RV owners visited a historic or cultural site. 

• 49 percent of RV owners participated in bird-watching or animal watching while staying in an RV park or resort.     

• 48 percent of RV owners took a trip with extended family, along with the children.

• 22 percent of RV owners stressed the importance of the availability of activities for children and teens at or near the campground, RV park, or resort.

ARVC is the national association that represents more than 3,900 RV parks and campgrounds throughout the United States and Canada.