Who makes Cruise America 19' class C?

pnichols wrote:
I wonder what the width of that little Class C is?

From the photo, it looks like it's the "widebody" Class C width. i.e. Around 100-102 inches wide.

Although it's length at first looks great for getting into some of the little tiny and beautiful tent campsites in some of our National/State Parks, if it's a widebody there still could be some white-knuckle parking situations.

Specs say 7 1/2'. link

I wonder what the width of that little Class C is?

From the photo, it looks like it's the "widebody" Class C width. i.e. Around 100-102 inches wide.

Although it's length at first looks great for getting into some of the little tiny and beautiful tent campsites in some of our National/State Parks, if it's a widebody there still could be some white-knuckle parking situations.

A year back, I threw the idea over to Phoenix USA to build exactly what they build today, but offer an "optional" seamless bunk cab-over similar to the one used in that tiny 19' Cruise America unit. It seems ideal to accommodate families, much more friendly than a couch conversion bed when exceeding two people. It would be ideal for their smallest model 2100 which is a tad longer than the 19' Cruise America, with improved functionality & comfort.
Oh well.

SkiMore wrote:
I think it is interesting that CruiseAmerica rents a model unlike anything for sale. You would think that if CruiseAmerica thought it was a good idea to put in their fleet some manufacturer would also think it is worth selling. As someone said it looked nimble. I haven't been inside one yet.

European tourists like it because of its size. They are used to narrow streets and smaller vehicles and find larger class C's to be moderately intimidating. You will usually find the 19 for rent near large international airports. Otherwise, there is not much demand for it outside of major metropolitan areas. The elderly do not care for it because it involves a climb into the upper bunk to sleep. I wouldn't personally own one because I am not a fan of the shower/toilet combination. I like having the shower and the toilet at least reasonably separate. Otherwise, it is a pretty neat, compact design that you can take a lot of places where it is not practical to drive a larger C.

I think it is interesting that CruiseAmerica rents a model unlike anything for sale. You would think that if CruiseAmerica thought it was a good idea to put in their fleet some manufacturer would also think it is worth selling. As someone said it looked nimble. I haven't been inside one yet.

Lately C-A has been having custom models made by what used to be the FourWinds company in the Thor group, now part of Thor Motorcoach. But they've worked with other suppliers in the past, so the current relationship may not be exclusive.

Often special rental models will have similar floorplans to a retail model, but will differ in detail. Sometimes the rental models will be exclusive to a particular customer, especially for C--A, and there will be no retail equivalent.

When you find the ex-rental for sale, it will usually be identified as to manufacturer, e.g. FourWinds Majestic for ex-C-A built by FourWinds, Coachmen Pathfinder or Roadmaster for ex-rental built by Coachmen. Winnebago rental models are usually identified by brand when you rent, and many rental companies buy the Chalet rental model rather than a retail model, but those also get used for rental when an early turnover is part of the business plan.

my mom has a 23B... a 2007. great unit. Tons of cabinet and storage space... solid unit

We saw one of them being rented in Canyonlands NP. I think they are quite a nimble rig for two people going for a few weeks at a time, as long as one of them are not too tall for the front position of the over-head bunk.

Four winds builds them to CA's spec which is much more robust than a consumer grade unit. You cannot buy these new retail but you can purchase a used 19 once it is retired and refurbished.

While it's from about 4-5 years ago, here's one rental 19' C that I saw at the Grand Canyon. It's on an E350 SRW chassis.


Jim, "It's bad luck to be superstitious."