Gulfstream quality opinions

[boiledowl]

Hello, I am looking for opinions on the quality of the BT Cruiser's. If you type in RV brands to avoid Gulf Stream comes up a lot. I have read mainly they used to be good but newer ones are prone to leaks and overall shoddy build. I know all brands have problems so I don't expect perfection but these bad reviews make me wary..Thanks

[elGatoGordo]

I bought a new BT Cruiser BT 5245 this spring and can confirm shoddy workmanship.

The doorframe to the bathroom is so warped that the door will not latch, sometimes by 2 inches. The service guy removed the striker plate to that door and the hole underneath was not only oversized, but looked as though it had been dug out with a dull screwdriver. The bedroom side wall panel is not fastened to the studs. Apparently the nail gun ran out of nails and the worker kept right on going. Small holes where there should be nails.

Cabinet doors are not aligned. Numerous small issues. No hold-open catches for top hinged outside bins. Very little storage, inside or out.

And why do they make mattresses so darn hard? This, of course, is not limited to Gulfstream. But the silly split mattress cannot be replaced by a softer one. Sigh.....

That said, I still like the darn thing, and the Ford E-350 chassis hauls the horse trailer just fine. I don't know of any other small RV that meets our travel and hauling needs so well.

[Dinobee]

Originally Posted by boiledowl

Hello, I am looking for opinions on the quality of the BT Cruiser's. If you type in RV brands to avoid Gulf Stream comes up a lot. I have read mainly they used to be good but newer ones are prone to leaks and overall shoddy build. I know all brands have problems so I don't expect perfection but these bad reviews make me wary..Thanks

We bought a new 2021 BTouring Cruiser 5210 in June of 2021 in Florence, OR. We have driven it about 10,000 miles since then and camped in it for several days in a row and find it to be quite comfortable. We've had no issues with leaking although it has been stored outside without a cover for the past two winters in the Oregon Coastal rain and cold. We are very pleased with this RV, although we're now considering trading up to a longer fifth-wheel trailer. The BTouring Cruiser is a bit small for our comfort.

[RY469]

I hear these things a lot being in the RV industry. The main issue is quality Vs weight Vs cost. Gulf Stream is a lower cost company. So as a result, quality suffers. Things like mattress issues are a product of weight reduction. Companies (like Gulf Stream) figure they can keep costs down, sell more and people like you and me will fix the little issues. After all, we saved money buying it. Companies like InTeck do better with quality, but you can buy three Gulf Stream trailers for the cost of one similar InTeck trailer. I own a Gulf Stream for these reasons.

[elGatoGordo]

Valid observations, RY469. Still, as a construction electrician of 45 years experience, I expect people to do a job properly. It costs the manufacturer less to have it done right the first time, than to come back to fix sloppy work for an old grouch like me.

As far as hard mattresses, everyone uses them. But wouldn't softer foam be lighter weight?

Cheers!

[Dora's explorers]

Maybe the older ones were built better but we love this little 21' home away from home! We've had very few problems...the worst was an awning collapse which was our own fault and totally preventable. The fridge got replaced in 2015 on the way across country and then to Alaska. No...the jackknife sofa is not very comfortable but extra padding makes it quite serviceable.

My advice: whatever you buy, be very diligent about maintainence...prevent the big stuff by caring for the little things. All rvs have issues as do homes or cars.

Happy travels!

[BobClearyJr]

We bought our 2011, 32-foot Class-C, Yellowstone in 2013. Our first big repair was the slide with the couch and stove. It was dragging on the floor when extending or retracting. Because the dealer rented it the manufacturer warranty was void. We bought an extended warranty that "covered the slide" but not for a manufacturer defect. It was determined that the slide floor bracket had a design flaw. This was the year after we bought it.

The other slide floor also failed (master bedroom and bunkbeds). The moisture barrier under the floor looked like a dollar store black garbage bag. One of the rollers cut through and the plywood rotted and the roller punched through.

The first was a $4,000 repair the second was a $13,000 repair.

The headscratcher was a very intermittent water leak. Having worked in technical support for 45 years an intermittent problem tends to not be there when you look. If you don't see it you don't know what to fix. After a few years, while doing laundry in my basement at home, I heard a faint ticking noise. I recognized that to be the hot water pipe expanding. So next trip in the RV (we have nowhere to keep it at home, so it lives in an RV Park 90 miles from home) I pulled the bed apart to get to the plumbing, turned on the hot water heater and ran the hot water. As things heated up a drip started from the plastic hot water bypass valve. The fittings were only finger tight. Two years later the leak came back. This time the bypass valve cracked. I replaced the $90 plastic one with a $35 brass one from Home Depot.

[Tpreston]

We bought a 2021 Conquest 6245 in August of 2020. I had a few little nagging issues with it for the first year. Bathroom faucet was leaking. I had to remove some trim to get to the plumbing. The connections weren’t tight. The trim piece I had to remove had 3 screws in it and all of them had a different head!
We don’t have much storage and never use the fresh water tank mounted under the bed so I decided to remove it and put sliding doors in to access the area. When I removed the bed frame I found the water tank had never been strapped down. The strap was just hanging loose.
The worst situation was the slide out. After 2 seasons one of the motors gave out. It’s a Schwintek slide and I don’t think it is strong enough to handle the weight of my full body slide. Fortunately my extended warranty covered the repair but I’m very worried about it happening again.
With these issues I have to say I am happy with my unit. They get beat up on the road so you need to be prepared to do maintenance and make repairs for things not done right the first time.

[Tribewinds]

"And why do they make mattresses so darn hard? This, of course, is not limited to Gulfstream. But the silly split mattress cannot be replaced by a softer one. Sigh....."

I hate the split mattress. I bought a tri-fold 3" topper on Amazon and it helps tremendously and fits the space when the slideout is closed.

Agree with the rest of the complaints. I have a BT Cruiser 5245.

[lipmsp]

I have a 2022 5210 and found the usual problems that plague most RV's build today. None of them to complain about. It just makes me a better RV'r now knowing all the ins and outs of the coach

[ezdriver]

I'd like to comment on the "hard mattress". I tried laying on a memory foam mattress in a store, and I hated the thing. I felt like it swallowed me up, I couldn't even roll over. They are very popular now, so it must be personal preference. That said, it was time to replace the mattress in our BT Cruiser and I found a standard innerspring to our liking at "The Original Mattress Factory". There is a store near me, which allowed me sample their various offerings and choose the firmness I needed.
I have no connection to this company other than I like their products, so I will share this information. First of all, everything they sell is made to order. You order it, they build it and in a few days it will be shipped to your home. They can build any combination you can imagine, so you can order a soft mattress that will fold wherever you want it to, just give them the measurements.
My 2005 BT Cruiser 5270 has a queen bed, and part of it lifts up for access to water pump, drain valves, etc. They said they would "hinge" it in the middle, which they did. They were also familiar with a "short queen", which is common in RVs. To make getting around the end of the bed easier, I asked them to make it one inch shorter, which they did, no problem. Of course if you need the length, you won't want to do that.
Lastly, there are no returns, so be sure you specify exactly what you need, and if you need it to fold at a certain location, be sure to tell them you need it to fold way over (assuming 180 degrees?), not simply bend to lift it. They make a good product, in the USA, which is refreshing these days. Website is originalmattress dot com.
One final note, although they are a custom builder, they do not cost any more than other brands.
If anyone buys from this store, I'd like to hear their comments and how it worked out for them, and if they could get a "split" mattress.

[Just two]

We love our 2021 21’+ 5210. Needs some help fixing things up the way we want them. But after the rebuild work it should be a super camper.

Lots of power but bad gas mileage.

[Just two]

Not a fan of the frameless window. Found the seals don’t seal tight because of the design. They make so much wind noise going down the highway. We bought replacement 60” x 30” sliders from RecPro. We have installed the first one and really love the quality.

[Just two]

Got the second window replaced. Nice! Now we start the other steps in the rebuild.

[Just two]

Took down the ceiling yesterday we found that there were big gaps in the insulation. When it first turned cold we checked the walls and ceiling with a FLIR camera. Now we know why it had the cold spots. It is a mix of pink fiberglass and styrofoam. There were a lot of places we could see the bottom of the roof deck.

[Just two]

With the ceiling down we found big gaps in the duct work for the ducted AC. GS had a single piece of foil tape spanning a 1 “ gap between the duct pieces. We were cooling the space between the ceiling and the roof. I added a metal sleeve and more tape. I also found gaps in the ducts around the AC unit. Working on fixing those now.

[Just two]

Originally Posted by elGatoGordo

Valid observations, RY469. Still, as a construction electrician of 45 years experience, I expect people to do a job properly. It costs the manufacturer less to have it done right the first time, than to come back to fix sloppy work for an old grouch like me.

As far as hard mattresses, everyone uses them. But wouldn't softer foam be lighter weight?

Cheers!

ElGatoGordo being an electrician I was wondering what you thought of the electrical outlets?
They all seemed to be pressed in not using any screws. The only exceptions are the outside outlet and the GFIC.

[Just two]

Work continues on this camper. We had snow and when it melted there was water on the floor mat behind the passenger seat. Found a place where the front fiberglass cap and Azdel wall meet. There was a lack of sealant in the area behind the awning. It was a good thing we had the tv cabinet down or the leak would have gone unnoticed and would have caused much damage.

It seems like it didn’t get sealed because it was a hard to reach area.

This camper was built during COVID and I feel that the construction quality is lacking because of it.

[OAKBUM312]

BT 5245 Bought used only had 2k miles Built 2021/2022 Sat for a year, purchased Mar. 2023 . Quality
was and is complete garbage. Luckily I ran a fine tooth comb thru it before I purchased it . I knew what I
was getting into . There is one thing that had me flabbergasted ,a LIFE SAFTEY issue which is they way
they built it . In my opinion could have been life ending, if not repaired . Pictures are of before and after .
These are the propane lines If you don't see the problem take your Rv to a Real Service Mechanic not an
RV dealer.
[ATTACH]20230517_123227.jpg

20230520_142910.jpg[/ATTACH]

[Just two]

Wow was that hanging down like in the picture or did you pull it down on inspection? Good catch.I replaced all the propane line and now have them running from a distribution header. Had some sketchy runs and didn’t want to have a problem down the road.