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RobertRyan's avatar
RobertRyan
Explorer
Oct 09, 2015

Jayco Starcraft Sports :Can you tell me about it

Jayco Australia, although unrelated to the US Company bought some of the Campers to sell here.
Jayco unveils $11,000 camper

Just months after releasing its first teardrop camper, Jayco has unveiled another cut-price model, an Australian-spec, US-built camper trailer at the Melbourne Leisurefest show.

With a ‘show’ price of just $10,990, the wind-out camper dubbed the J8 undercuts the current entry level, Australian-built Jayco four-berth camper, the Swift, by around $5000, but comes with fewer standard features.

The 3.7m long ‘Starcraft Sport’ model on display in Melbourne was based on a Jay Series Sport camper from the Jayco America range, and had been tweaked to comply with local gas and ADR laws including having its one-piece door (which slots inside the roof when travelling) on the ‘correct’ side.

It featured a powdercoated steel chassis with spring leaf beam axle suspension and 12in wheels and tyres.

Up front was fitted an ADR-compliant 50mm coupling, removable jockey wheel, 4kg gas bottle and a manual winder to raise the fibreglass roof and canvas side walls. Other standard features included wind-down corner stabilisers, LED external running lights, rear-mounted spare wheel and awning.

A battery is optional but the J8 camper does come with a very basic electrical system including 12V lights and a Setec transformer.

While retaining the dark wooden timber look typical of many American RVs, the camper’s interior had been freshened up with bright new Jayco Australia cloth upholstery on the four-person dinette seats.

The display model also featured a small 60 litre Dometic fridge, roof hatch, Dometic two gas burner cooktop with glass lid, and a stainless steel sink with old-style pump tap connected to a 35 litre water tank.

The two double beds down each end had what appeared to be solid foam mattresses rather than the plush, coil-spring mattresses now fitted as standard on Oz-built Jayco campers.

Like the tiny, $9990 J-Pod, the bare-boned, four berth American camper is designed to attract buyers on tight budgets into Jayco dealerships as well as those with smaller tow vehicles. With a Tare of 604kg, 82kg ball weight and 749kg ATM, the J8 camper doesn’t require electric brakes.

Jayco has brought in an initial batch of 40 campers, in what is believed to be the first American product offering by Jayco Australia in its 40 year history.

“This is a product that (Jayco chairman) Gerry (Ryan) brought in from our sister company at Jayco in the US, “ explained new Jayco Australia CEO Carl Bizon.

“He thought it was a good introductory product that could be appealing to people that have limited means that still want to experience caravanning.

“It gives us a price position at the bottom of the market that helps people if they can’t quite get to a Swan or a Flamingo or an Eagle (camper), they’ve now got something to get into.

“We’ve brought a pile of them in and if it’s a success we’ll do it again…”


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  • RobertRyan's avatar
    RobertRyan
    Explorer
    Oct 19, 2015
    bondebond wrote:
    I hope it works out for them. I know they are using appliances that are more specific to what is used in AU but as an owner of a PUP whose refrigerator was designed for the AU and UK markets, I can tell you that finding a replacement part for something not generally made for your part of the world is a tough deal. Hopefully everything can be sourced there should repairs show up at an owner's door.

    Who would have thought that the U.S. can build and export something that is less expensive in Australia than in-house there, but having the production line already set up for this can make a huge difference in production line costs. Just switching out the appliances and some cosmetic changes for AU isn't a bad way to go. I wish they would turn loose of the "dark wooden timber" look in the US completely. I hate plastic "wooden" cabinets. I would rather have them covered in a laminate that isn't pretending to be something else and be a lot more durable of a finish than what we have.

    Gerry Ryan, thought he would buy a small number of these bargain basement, campers to see if he gets a reaction on these very cheap campers. If you remember Jayco here has released the tent on wheels J Pod, to get interest from young families

  • bondebond's avatar
    bondebond
    Explorer
    Oct 12, 2015
    I hope it works out for them. I know they are using appliances that are more specific to what is used in AU but as an owner of a PUP whose refrigerator was designed for the AU and UK markets, I can tell you that finding a replacement part for something not generally made for your part of the world is a tough deal. Hopefully everything can be sourced there should repairs show up at an owner's door.

    Who would have thought that the U.S. can build and export something that is less expensive in Australia than in-house there, but having the production line already set up for this can make a huge difference in production line costs. Just switching out the appliances and some cosmetic changes for AU isn't a bad way to go. I wish they would turn loose of the "dark wooden timber" look in the US completely. I hate plastic "wooden" cabinets. I would rather have them covered in a laminate that isn't pretending to be something else and be a lot more durable of a finish than what we have.
  • tatest's avatar
    tatest
    Explorer II
    Oct 10, 2015
    Starcraft is building this, for themselves and Jayco. I've been looking at the A-frame model at Jayco's factory showroom each time I pass through the area, most recently early September, and before that, late July.

    I'm finding the finish to be a bit rough. Concerns I've had include uneven or excessive gaps in fit of furnishings to the body, powder-coated metal parts with bare metal where something has been filed or ground away to adjust fit, and sharp edges where I will need to handle something or brush against it.

    The competition here in A-frame popups is Forest River in the lower price ranges, and A-liner and Chalet brands the traditional suppliers. I was looking at Forest River's Rockwood line in 2012, remember the finish being better than Jayco's, but that dealer had an A-liner trade-in on the lot that looked a lot better than the Rockwood.

    In tent-end models, I've usually liked Jayco's J-Series and Sport over the more lightly constructed examples I've seen from Forest River.

    But I think the Starcraft plant needs more attention to detail in the product. An example selected for showroom display should not be roughly finished, unless that means it is the best they can do. The Australian Jayco, if finishing and furnishing these for that market, may take care of some of the detail issues.

    What you are getting, with leaf springs, would be sold as J-Series Sport here, their most basic cold-water model. You can get construction details, download a brochure at the U.S. Jayco website.

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