Hi all, Still doing research. My first choice is a Tiffin 35QBA but the asking prices on the used market ... Wow there are some rose colored glasses out there! OTOH my very close second choice (Winnie/Itasca Sunseeker/Sunova 35J) has many more for sale on the marketplace and for more reasonable asking prices. Anyway I had some questions about the 35J which an rv.net and google search hadn't been able to answer... maybe someone can help here:1 - I've read about something called "coach heat" in these units... is this where the engine heat is directed throughout the whole coach and not just from the dash?2 - Any clue what size the fridge is? Some pictures make me think it's 8 cu ft but I can't tell and the brochures don't indicate it. We are used to 8, came from 6 which is way too small for us. I guess if it's 6 we could add another cooler and keep it next to the barrel chair for example3 - No black flush that I can tell. True? 4 - It seems to me that dual pane windows were an option ... any way to tell that they are from online pictures? From the brochures they seem to be part of an option package5 - Are tinted windows standard? Hard to tell from the picsThanks!

Have a 2009 Itasca Sunova 35J Workhorse W22 chassis...1. Coach heat is ducted through two ducts in the back under the bed (facing into hallway) and two ducts under passenger dashboard. Has high and low settings.2. Fridge in my coach is Norcold 811, 8 cu ft.3. True, no black flush.4-5. We have dual pane, tinted windows, which I believe was an option. Not sure how you would tell from pictures if windows were dual pane. Also not sure if tinted windows are standard...We have found the 35J to be a nice, comfortable coach!

We have the 2007 Ford F53, so a few things might be different from MareFlos unit. We picked ours up in late 2006 and have been very happy with it. 1. Coach heat does two things, it heats the hot water heater for you (awesome) and you have fan control for high/low heat inside the coach. One vent is near the door, the other under the fridge. Works very well, in cold weather it really keeps the passengers warm if not to warm. Having hot water upon arrival is great.3. None on our 2007, but it’s pretty easy to add a back flush I did this on my 2007. Once you take off the panel in the wet bay you have access to the side of the blank tank. Not ideal but enough you can flush. 4. From photos would be hard to tell but the sliding panels for the driver/passenger are double thick so they are wider and pretty obvious. I think the vast majority were dual pane and tinted. I’ve seen 10-11 over the years never saw one that wasn’t tinted.

Wow thanks for the replies! I tell you this 35j is looking really good to me. As a diy guy the online support is a real plus.Another question I forgot to ask, would you know the shower dimensions? I am so used to our corner shower now ... I'll need to convince myself that it will be livable :)

We have a 2009 Winnebago Chalet 35JR which is a downgraded Sightseer with most things the same as a Sightseer. Ours uses the Ford chassis.1. It has a coach heat switch on the dash2. It has an 8 cu ft, dual elect/gas Norcold Refrigerator 3. there is no backflush on the black tank4. We do not have dual pane or tinted windows5. I am 6'3" and can take a shower in the RV standing straight up. It is a little narrow, but acceptableSome things to checka. We are 30 amp with only 2 batteries, fine for usb. As a gas motorhome, max towing capacity is 5000lbs, fine for us since we tow a CRV.c. Some of the electronics (tv, backup camera, etc) are older and may be hard to fix if there is a problem.d. Check the awning and slide out covers. Ours needed replacing.e. Check the dates on your tires. Our tread was great but we had a blowout because the tires were to old.

dalerussel wrote:We have a 2009 Winnebago Chalet 35JR which is a downgraded Sightseer with most things the same as a Sightseer. Ours uses the Ford chassis....5. I am 6'3" and can take a shower in the RV standing straight up. It is a little narrow, but acceptableSome things to check...Thank you Dale - I'm 6'3" also and I was concerned about this one. I'm not a "wide" guy but not a stick man either and hope the shower is workable. With everything else about the coach looking good to me I think I can live with going away from my nice corner shower :)And thanks for the tips as well. With the years we're looking at, the coaches could still be on original tires which will be a negative point. I'll also consider the Chalet as it could be an opportunity to save some $$$Appreciate the comments!

2008/09 Winnebago / Itasca 35J (bunkhouse) questions

dalerussel
Explorer
Sep 04, 2015
We have a 2009 Winnebago Chalet 35JR which is a downgraded Sightseer with most things the same as a Sightseer. Ours uses the Ford chassis.
1. It has a coach heat switch on the dash
2. It has an 8 cu ft, dual elect/gas Norcold Refrigerator
3. there is no backflush on the black tank
4. We do not have dual pane or tinted windows
5. I am 6'3" and can take a shower in the RV standing straight up. It is a little narrow, but acceptable
Some things to check
a. We are 30 amp with only 2 batteries, fine for us
b. As a gas motorhome, max towing capacity is 5000lbs, fine for us since we tow a CRV.
c. Some of the electronics (tv, backup camera, etc) are older and may be hard to fix if there is a problem.
d. Check the awning and slide out covers. Ours needed replacing.
e. Check the dates on your tires. Our tread was great but we had a blowout because the tires were to old.
TriumphGuy
Explorer
Sep 03, 2015
Wow thanks for the replies! I tell you this 35j is looking really good to me. As a diy guy the online support is a real plus.

Another question I forgot to ask, would you know the shower dimensions? I am so used to our corner shower now ... I'll need to convince myself that it will be livable :)
Y-Guy
Moderator
Sep 03, 2015
We have the 2007 Ford F53, so a few things might be different from MareFlos unit. We picked ours up in late 2006 and have been very happy with it.

1. Coach heat does two things, it heats the hot water heater for you (awesome) and you have fan control for high/low heat inside the coach. One vent is near the door, the other under the fridge. Works very well, in cold weather it really keeps the passengers warm if not to warm. Having hot water upon arrival is great.

3. None on our 2007, but it’s pretty easy to add a back flush I did this on my 2007. Once you take off the panel in the wet bay you have access to the side of the blank tank. Not ideal but enough you can flush.

4. From photos would be hard to tell but the sliding panels for the driver/passenger are double thick so they are wider and pretty obvious. I think the vast majority were dual pane and tinted. I’ve seen 10-11 over the years never saw one that wasn’t tinted.
MareFlos
Explorer
Sep 03, 2015
Have a 2009 Itasca Sunova 35J Workhorse W22 chassis...
1. Coach heat is ducted through two ducts in the back under the bed (facing into hallway) and two ducts under passenger dashboard. Has high and low settings.
2. Fridge in my coach is Norcold 811, 8 cu ft.
3. True, no black flush.
4-5. We have dual pane, tinted windows, which I believe was an option. Not sure how you would tell from pictures if windows were dual pane. Also not sure if tinted windows are standard...
We have found the 35J to be a nice, comfortable coach!

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2008/09 Winnebago / Itasca 35J (bunkhouse) questions

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