Shadow Cruiser Campers Anybody heard anything about them?

[lincolnmatthews]

Just wondering about them made by Cruiser RV in the 80" & later. Was thinking of a clean one up to about 9.5ft'er as a 2nd camper to take up in the woods etc, my 1181 Lance is just to big to go where I like to camp up in the boonies. I can get it there but just think its way to rough on the camper & truck. I've got a spare old F-250 4x4 that's just crying for a spare old camper.
I would really like a decent old pop up but there just to expensive for what I want it for. I'll keep my 1181 on my good dually (we love the floor plan) for long vaca's etc.
Were the Cruiser's aluminum framed (like I see there trailers are) or all wood? They seemed to be finished nice on the inside & had a cool fiberglass front nose & taillight assy.
They appear to be kind of rare, must have been fairly expensive but somewhat well made??
Thanks, from anybody who's ever had one or knows anything about them!

[sabconsulting]

Joe417 wrote:
sabconsulting has a shadow cruiser. He rebuilt part of it. May be in the library. PM him for more info.

Yep - still got the old Shadow Cruiser. I have the short bed hardside one with no bathroom. A 1991 model that has suffered a fair amount of rot causing me to have to re-skin the roof and repair a few other parts of the timber structure.

Steve.

[profdant139]

I have had two trailers made by Cruiser -- both without serious quality problems. But all manufacturers make lemons from time to time. If you find an old TC at a good price with no roof damage and no water damage, it has already withstood the test of time.

I think (but do not know) that slide-in TCs hold up better than trailers because the undercarriage is not subject to the same wracking stresses. That twist is then transmitted to the whole structure of the trailer.

[billyray50]

I owned a 1995 shadow cruiser 11 footer years ago and it was a nice hard side camper with a fiberglass front and rear cap. Only reason I sold it was to gain more Black/gray tank capacity. Tanks capacity was small. Ceiling in cab over was a little low. Kept bumping our heads.

[Joe417]

sabconsulting has a shadow cruiser. He rebuilt part of it. May be in the library. PM him for more info.

[mellow]

I had one, had to replace the roof on it to make it usable. It was a decent truck camper, I would even go up to the M-11 which was the biggest one as with the basement it is still tight quarters, my 250 didn't even know it was there fully loaded. Search deeper as their was threads about them on here.

[sonuvabug]

Travels with Yoly wrote:
... snipped ... We were unlucky enough to purchase a 2013 Fun Finder 214 (Cruiser RV) just after an internal split between the family owners. As I understand it, one brother left to form his own company and took most of the really skilled workers with him. Ours was apparently built by drunk chimpanzees.

To the OP ... given Yoly's information and personal experience, it would appear that you want to look at units built 2012 or earlier.

[Travels_with_Yo]

We were unlucky enough to purchase a 2013 Fun Finder 214 (Cruiser RV) just after an internal split between the family owners. As I understand it, one brother left to form his own company and took most of the really skilled workers with him. Ours was apparently built by drunk chimpanzees. Our first outing was to winter down in Florida. After 100 miles of towing south from Atlanta we stopped for lunch and found the glass shower doors on the floor in the bathroom. Then as we set up in Florida we found water running down the inside wall of the dinette the first time it rained. The slide out roof hadn't been sealed properly. Then one night I got up to use the lavatory and stepped in a 5 inch deep puddle ... this time it was the bedroom window seal that wasn't installed correctly. Then another day (when it wasn't raining) we came back to the camper to find the cabin flooded again. This time it was the plumbing at the water pump. Then this scenario repeated itself a week later only this time it was the plumbing for the water heater. So, to summarize ... the cabin flooded 5 times in the first 3 weeks of ownership. In making the necessary repairs, I had to pull off paneling to get to the plumbing and what I saw hidden behind the walls made me amazed at the poor attention to detail. Wiring was hanging in a large ball with dozens of twisty caps. Nothing was routed with any logic or secured in any way. None of the water pipes were cut to the correct length so that all the unions with tees had the pipes coming into and out of them at radical angles. No amount of tightening the connectors was going to last long as these were destined to vibrate loose for the life of the trailer. Sold it at a loss ($6000) after 9 months of ownership. So I might assume that there are varying degrees of assembly and quality control depending on year models.

UPDATE: for the record, I assumed this was a pull behind trailer reference ... I did not know Cruiser RV had made truck campers !

[mkirsch]

My advice regarding old out of production campers is as always: If it is in good shape and well maintained, what does it matter what the camper is made from or what the reputation of the company is/was? You'll be on your own for repairs regardless, so you can do whatever you want if and when it comes time. Maintain the camper well and do not abuse it, and it will serve you well for many years to come.

[WNYBob]

The company is Crusier RV (who was bought out by Thor.)
Shadow is a class of RV for them, I see they are producing some units.

I have a 2011 Shadow Cruiser 195wbs (a TT).

Quality seems typical of units produced now, nothing to brag about.

Good luck in your search.