20 minute read
Newmar’s Cycle of Life
from RV News June 22
by ⌘ ⇧ ⌥
Dealers captured images of Newmar’s 13 brands on display, including the diesel Type A Ventana and Super C SuperStar.
(L to R) Dave Simso Jr. of Dave’s RV Center appreciates his Newmar representative, Ryan Burkhart. Newmar’s Ken Williamson (orange shirt) helps dealers reviewing an Essex interior.
Dealers review notes on the showroom floor before leaving to check out the next Newmar model. (L to R) RV Retailer’s Don Strollo, Happe and RV Retailer’s Jon Ferrando discuss the state of the industry during the dealer event.
When the sky lls with oppressive clouds, and torrents of rain pour down, the last thing RVers want to feel on their necks is an icy drip as they drift o to sleep in a cozy motorcoach.
Worse yet is opening a cupboard to nd a favorite sweater, expensive gear, or even the night’s stash of movie popcorn ruined or reduced to sodden pulp by an undetected leak.
Unfortunately, letting the outside in is happening more often these days.
Savvy RVers are installing various aftermarket accessories in their RVs to make home-sweet-home, even sweeter. From solar panels and satellite dishes to antennas and LED strip lights, creature comforts choices are abundant and necessary to create a great RV experience. However, most of those sought-after electronics come with multiple cables to run through a coach or van. ose cables must go somewhere, and often holes must be drilled to facilitate their journeys.
If adaptations are not made wisely, new drill holes can mean exposure to sleet, wind and moisture for both sensitive electrical equipment and an RV’s occupants.
After all the care that goes into creating a comfortable home on wheels, that exposure is not something most RVers want to contemplate or experience.
Marine-tested technology
When it comes to managing the elements, what better partner to turn to than a supplier that understands the havoc water can wreak on exposed systems and vehicles?
Seaview, a supplier of marine, and industrial electronics solutions, makes a range of cable seals that provide clean, safe, waterproof cable routing. e seals are easy to install, organize unsightly cables and stand up to rugged outdoor use.
An RVer can route a cable from one, or many, electronic devices through a seal and then through a mounting surface, such as the roof of an RV, where a waterproof entry point is needed.
A cable seal is a sandwich containing a cap, rubber stopper or bung, and bottom gasket that compress around a cable. e combination provides a waterproof seal when assembled and tightened.
If needed, several cables can be passed through one seal, providing each cable has its own hole, and one-eighth of an inch of rubber exists around each hole.
Beat Those Leaks:
A Proven Way to Keep the Elements at Bay
Multiple cables can be routed through a Seaview Cable Seal to provide a waterproof seal.
The cable seal’s tapered rubber plug compresses around each cable.
The rubber gasket seals the base and where the lid meets the base.
Protection meets innovation
Each Seaview seal is engineered with the environment in mind on multiple levels.
Seaview President Jason Romesburg said the company knows rsthand the frustration of using a cable seal that does not perform. Seaview once used competitors’ cable seals for other product applications but found they lacked key features.
First, competitor seals would often have a middle rubber bung that sat below the outer cap’s surface. Water and grime would collect in the gap.
Seaview designed a seal integrating a tapered rubber bung that sits ush or rises slightly above the cap, preventing detrimental dirt and water collection.
Second, the company engineered a base gasket with an outer lip for an extra protection layer.
“ e gasket isn’t just at the bottom,” Romesburg said. “It has an outer lip, so that when everything is assembled, it not only seals around the base or the bottom, but it also gets pinched on the outer edge between the lid and the base piece so that it creates a seal. It is another gasket if you will, or one more piece to keep the water out.”
Finally, the company provides unique drill tubes with each seal. e tubes come in many sizes and take the place of a drill bit.
“If you use a drill tube, it provides a clean and easy way to drill a hole in the rubber. e tubes are recyclable and reusable, rather than our competitors, who provide multiple rubber bungs with their products that have various hole sizes,” Romesburg said. “So, while that’s convenient, there are hundreds of thousands of rubber pieces going into the land ll because you only use one.”
Variety provides versatility
Seaview o ers a classic waterproof vertical cable seal for most applications, whether an RVer wants to install the best new exible solar panels for an o -the-grid adventure or satellite TV to watch movies with the kids while camping. e seals come in round or rectangular versions.
For RVers who already have components installed and are having trouble getting a watertight seal around cables or wires, Seaview o ers a Retro t Cable Seal.
“ is is the only one of its kind in the industry,” Romesburg said. “We are the only company that makes them. Simply assemble the retro t seal around cables that have already been installed for a clean, waterproof point of entry.” e retro t seal is the only guaranteed and proven watertight installation for currently installed cables. Each seal piece is split so the seal can easily be built around unsightly wires or cables. e new retro t seal can help clean up messy groups of cables with a passthrough for antennas, rope lights or power cables without the removal of factory-installed connectors. Seaview engineered a low pro le 90-degree cable seal for cables a half inch in diameter or smaller. e low pro les seals are perfect for rooftop electronics such as lights or antennas. e retro t seals are available in the grey plastic. Classic seals come in black, grey and white UV stable, high impact plastic, as well as high polished stainless steel and white and black powder-coated stainless steel. e gray ASA plastic versions of the seals can be painted.
“For running wires or cables in a waterproof and clean way, these seals are tested and approved and 100% waterproof. ey look great and keep water out and are very easy to install,” Romesburg said. “ ey are de nitely far more economical than dealing with water intrusion,”
Seaview Global products are distributed globally. To nd a dealer go to https://www.seaviewglobal.com/pages/ dealer- nder or call 800-655-7922.
Cable seals keep solar panel installations waterproof on a Type B motorhome.
The Essex is among three Newmar models that received a lifecycle refresh in 2023.
Essex Lifecycle Essex, the most luxurious of the three brands, was transformed inside and out.
The coach can now tilt from right to left toward the off-door side to more efficiently drain holding tanks. The new feature will appear in Essex, King Aire and London Aire luxury models. The tilt component operates through a Silverleaf panel in the exterior water bay compartment.
Newmar offers two new floorplans to Essex’s 2023 lineup, the 4521 and 4595. Both include redesigned front and rear caps, along with upgraded interior dashboards.
The 4521 features a full-wall slide enhancing the bath-and-a-half floorplan. The rear master bathroom offers a cathedral ceiling. The door-side dinette overlooks campsites.
The 4595 also has a full-wall slide bath-and-a-half floorplan. The coach features opposing sofas and a driver’s-side dinette. The door-side kitchen includes a stationary counter and Essex upgrades included new feature ceilings, slide-out fascia and window treatments.
The master bathroom includes numerous upgrades from Hansgrohe, a high-end residential supplier, including custom sinks and mirrors.
Dutch Star was the top-selling diesel Type A motorhome in 2021, according to Statistical Surveys Inc.
Among Dutch Star’s lifecycle upgrades is a new grayish wood color option called Driftwood.
cabinet at the kitchen’s rear. The counter can store coffeemakers and cooking accessories or function as an optional beverage center. The beverage center provides an eye-level stemware rack behind glass doors and a wine cooler below.
For the first time, Essex’s 4595 offers Bosch luxury residential appliances. Opposite the kitchen and half bath, the Bosch residential refrigerator is flanked by storage cabinets featuring decorative feet.
“This creates the appearance of luxury furniture,” Newmar’s John Sammut said, “and not merely a refrigerator next to a pantry.”
The master bathroom has a 40-by32-inch glass-enclosed shower, a cabinet-housed washer/dryer, two wardrobes and a dual-sink vanity on the rear wall.
The motorhome includes a new cabinet and entry door styling, as well as redesigned driver/passenger seats. Designers updated window treatments, backsplashes, feature ceilings,
Kim Moore, Newmar interior design manager, examines the Euro-style dinette in a Bay Star model.
(L to R) Jenn Szafran, RV Retailer East Region inventory and administrative vice president, and Monica Monteiro, general manager, RV One Superstores Tampa, walk the show floor. (L to R) Transwest RV’s Meredith Lyons and Newmar’s Michelle Kemp discuss Essex’s exterior paint scheme.
slide-out fascia and cabinet/door hardware. New dinette chairs and sofa with furniture feet provide a residential look.
“We are trying to make it look like it is all one piece of furniture, and a more residential one,” Moore said. “That is why we put furniture feet on. The whole goal is to make it feel like it is your home. Your home on wheels.”
The coach’s high-polish porcelain flooring throughout was updated as well. The 4595 has new bedding, headboard and bed base, and bedroom window treatments.
The master bath includes numerous upgrades from Hansgrohe, a high-end residential supplier. Custom mirrors and sinks are included, with matte gold accents featured throughout. The new shower surround has updated tile and flooring.
The bathroom features a pull-out storage cabinet to store shoes, sweaters, purses or other items—built much like a residential pull-out kitchen pantry.
“It is something you see at a lot of closet stores that are included when you have a new house,” Moore said.
Bonded windows, which first debuted in King Aire and New Aire, are standard on all 2023 Essex. Slide windows provide a panoramic view and feature finished wood trim rings with square corners around the windows. The windows are topped outside with Girard armless awnings.
Baggage doors have a formed inner skin and close with a button push, the same closing system as in the King Aire.
Typically, you want to make the big changes during the lifecycle. If I do not change the headboard now, that means it stays for eight years. I do not like to do that.”
– Kim Moore
2023 Chassis Updates
Representatives from Freightliner Customer Chassis Corp. and Spartan RV Chassis were on hand to discuss chassis updates with dealers.
Freightliner’s prime offering was a new five-year, 100,000-mile chassis warranty, replacing the previous three-year/50,000-mile warranty. The new warranty aligns with the power train. Representatives said Freightliner reviewed warranty claims on similar products, which led to the extension. Syncing chassis and power train warranties will ease consumers’ potential confusion and eliminate a need to explore extended warranties, Freightliner said.
Canyon Star’s three front-engine diesel toy hauler floorplans increased their gross vehicle weight ratings to 32,000 pounds on the new Freightliner chassis.
Freightliner’s OptiView dash features upgraded graphics and consumer-friendly menus. A steering wheel push button enables drivers to adjust Newmar’s comfort drive system without navigating a menu. Tire pressure monitoring systems also are adjustable through OptiView’s menus.
Finally, Freightliner added Mobileye technology as standard in Newmar rear engine motorhomes. The RiverPark offering brings intelligent high beams, which automatically adjust brightness, and lane-departure and speed-limit warnings to Freightliner’s safety product suite.
Spartan RV Chassis’ major updates are on models from the 43-foot Dutch Star through the King Aire. Each features a new 20,000pound Meritor Protect independent front suspension. The system adds Koni shocks to improve ride quality and handling. Spartan RV Chassis representatives said the change stiffens ride control in some areas while softening the ride in others to improve quality.
Typically, adjusting suspension or shocks to provide a better ride quality diminishes control during a turn, Spartan RV Chassis said. The new suspension changes the A-arms in the cradle and combines the change with upgraded Koni shocks to add stability, representatives said.
Mobileye is standard on Ventana through King Aire models built on Spartan RV Chassis’ chassis.
Freighliner CCC staff discuss updates with dealers. Mt. Comfort owner Ken Eckstein checks in with Spartan RV Chassis representatives.
Multi-Model Upgrades
Newmar’s 2023 model year motorhomes featured similar upgrades across a variety of its 13 brands. Lithium batteries, enhanced slide outs and exterior paint/graphics changes hit numerous units.
Last year, the King Aire was the only Newmar brand with an optional lithium-ion battery. For 2023, Dutch Star, London Aire, Mountain Aire and Supreme Aire have the option. The package, offered through Lithionics, contains two 320-amp-hour batteries and surge protection. Dealers can include a third 320-amp-hour battery as an aftermarket addition, which would increase battery capacity by 50%.
John Sammut, Newmar’s vice president of sales and marketing, said the battery package expansion will be impactful, particularly to consumers needing to power the motorhome’s house functions when away from shore power.
He said switching from AGM to lithium-ion batteries offers an underappreciated benefit through weight savings.
Another multibrand change added a patio-side dinette to more floorplans. Previous floorplans required a smaller baggage door on the exterior under the dinette slide because the slide out required an under-dinette space for the hardware to support the dinette’s additional weight.
A new slide mechanism, created in conjunction with HWH Corp., supports the slide out from the sides without floor-based support hardware. Camp-side dinette slides no longer restrict baggage door sizes or limit undercarriage space.
Ron Stichter, Newmar’s vice president of product planning and engineering, said the mechanism took about six months to create. The slide out uses a new structure that bears the weight from the sides.
“By having the dinette on the patio side,” Sammut said, “I think we have addressed the exterior storage capacity concern with the floorplans offered in our product lineup.” Dave’s RV Center General Manager Dave Simso Jr. said, “It was not a system we were familiar with or accustomed to, but it has proven itself to be robust and trouble-free, and it has been a really fantastic system.”
Another multiunit model year change included adding multiplex wiring and/or a 10-inch multiplex monitor to numerous brands. Bay Star and Bay Star Sport now feature both to control interior lighting and HVAC functions.
Canyon Star, Dutch Star, Kountry Star, Super Star and Ventana added 10-inch multiplex monitors for 2023. Each brand already had multiplex wiring.
Sammut said dealers requested adding multiplex controls.
Finally, all 2023 models feature updated paint and graphic designs.
George Stayberg, owner of Midtown RV in Penticton, British Columbia, said the new colors were among the most impressive part of the 2023 model year motorhomes.
Chris McKee, inventory manager of The Hitch House in Oro-Medonte, Ontario, agreed.
McKee said, “Most times, 80% of the RVs are ‘bang on,’ and you can adjust the other 20 percent. This time they have got it pretty well all correct. The only reason to want to change it is to individualize it for somebody’s own personal taste.”
Five Newmar brands added 10-inch multiplex monitors. Patio-side dinette use expanded in 2023 floorplans.
Chris McKee of The Hitch House returned to the dealer event in 2022 after being the lone Canadian dealer attendee in 2021.
Dutch Star Lifecycle Although Dutch Star was the top- selling Type A diesel motorhome in 2021, the brand received a major face-lift. Sammut said the top-selling brand now has a totally fresh look.
The exterior front and rear cap feature updated designs, along with new headlights, exterior graphics and colors. New baggage door seals make closing the aluminum-skinned doors easier and eliminate slamming, Sammut said. The seals appear on 2023 New Aire, Mountain Aire and London Aire models.
Dutch Star has three new floorplans. Replacing last year’s 4020 and 4363 floorplans are the 4071 and 4370, respectively. The 4325 floorplan is new.
The 4071 and 4370 floorplans include a Euro-style dinette on the door side, incorporating the new slide-out mechanism. Both are fullwall slide, bath-and-a-half floorplans with a rear master bathroom.
The 4325 is similar but keeps the dinette on the off-door side and moves a double-sink vanity to the master bathroom’s rear wall.
Interior changes abound. Dutch Star’s upgraded Lappato finished floors resemble a semi-gloss floor. The coach features redesigned backsplashes, slide-out fascia, feature ceilings and window treatments. The new dashboard has a 9-inch radio and monitor screen.
Four interior décors are available, including a new grayish wood color called Driftwood. Newmar-exclusive custom-designed wall sconces and dinette chairs are new to Dutch Star.
Doors and door hardware now feature a gunmetal finish. Plumbing fixtures were updated. The kitchen contains a new apron sink. Moore said the new sink looks more residential than in previous years. She said the sink has a low divider, fashionable in the residential market to help RVers put long sheets or platters across the sink to clean.
“We had the same thing for way too long,” she said of the sink change.
The headboard and bedding give a fresh look to the bedroom. The master bathroom offers a modern shower design, custom lighting fixtures and a switch to a glass sink.
Bay Star Lifecycle Changes Bay Star lifecycle changes begin in the front. A redesigned dashboard provides driver/passenger side consoles with dual wireless charging stations. A new Axxera touch screen dash radio with a 10-inch monitor is standard. The radio can display smart device navigation on the monitor. It includes Apple CarPlay and Sirius XM capability.
The front and rear caps were redesigned, and the motorhome’s interior ceiling height was increased to 84 inches from 80 inches.
Much like Essex and Dutch Star, Bay Stars models have a fresh interior look. Features include new drawer fronts,
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Bay Star released three new floorplans for 2023.
Interior style changes in Bay Star include fixtures, slide-out fascia, backsplashes and new fabrics.
bathroom sinks, slide-out fascia and kitchen/bathroom plumbing fixtures.
The standard vinyl tile flooring was extended into the bedroom to replace the carpet. Sammut said many consumers were choosing a solid- surface option rather than carpeting. Consumers who want carpet in the bedroom can make a special request, he said.
Williamsburg furniture features fresh styling, and for the first time, furniture options offer 74-inch theater seats and an incliner sofa on select floorplans.
Other interior updates include new backsplashes and shower surrounds. New fabrics adorn the windows, throw pillows and bedding. Select floorplans have a door-side televator behind the dinette.
Bay Star unveiled three floorplans in 2023. The 3020 is a full-wall and king-bed slide floorplan. The 3225 floorplan adds an opposing dinette slide out in the living room. The 3629 is a full-wall slide, bath-and-a-half floorplan featuring a rear master bathroom.
Finally, seven Bay Star models will offer a cab-over bunk option in 2023.
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