A confused Cikira owner- and new too

[clown]

Hi to all,
I pick up a new 2008 Cikira 16FD which has been hiding out in a dealer's lot for a while. I will of course be spending a lot of time checking it out for damages before I leave the lot with it.
My confusion- I have found 2 Forums that show the Funfinder line and Cikira line together, yet not many Classic Cruiser postings. Did I make a huge mistake and get a lemon or something. The only thing I found was a very unhappy owner of an 06/07 with tons of rot, he really railed on Cikira.

PLEASE tell me I did not make a mistake and that there are lots of "us" out there and then maybe you can tell me some of the modifications, enhancements people have done and of course the things I need to make sure I inspect/maintain.
I live in the Toledo OH area and am new to camping though I have done a bit in a pop up I traded in. I travel only with my Min. Schnauzer as I am a widower, enjoy the outdoors and friendliness of campers as well.
I am a race fan and will be doing mostly open field camping with no shore services so am also looking for a nice light (back issues for the ole man) and inexpensive generator. I am better prepared to buy a "disposable" unit for a few hundred than a lifetime Honda at several hundreds.
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

[flugelboneman]

Hi Clown,

We own a 2009 FF 189FBS. After at least 10000 miles, have few complaints. There is a disturbing rash of dissatisfaction on this forum, but I still believe these are exceptions to the large numbers who are satisfied and silent. Go out and enjoy your rig. Curious thing about small generators. Name brands like Hondas are still way up there in price. However, China has flooded the market with equivalent units marketted by Home Depot, Rona etc, for about half the price. I am not aware of the quality difference. I'm sure if you acquire the names of some of these "knockoffs" and google them, you will get feedback.

[dlhilliard]

Hey, Clown:

I have a 2009 FF-189 FDS which, I'm guessing came from the same factory as your Cikira., I'm pleased with it. I've had a couple of minor problems-a leak in the slide, and a loose wire in the 120v sysyem-but both were repaired under warranty. The only issue that really got to me was the loose wire. It stranded me in a remote Colorado town without power of any kind. Fortunately, a local RV mechanic-the only one in town-came out and gave me a temporary fix. Cruiser refused to pay the service call. PMO, but what can I say it's right there in the warranty statement.

I've seen a few real horror stories on this site, but I think for the most part the trailers are well done. Having said that, you need to look it over very carefully. Sit in it for a full day, even in the driveway, read all the manuals, and operate everything. Don't forget to crawl underneath, lay on your back, and look up. That's when I noticed the brake pigtail dragging on the inside of the tire. It had already worn the raised letters off.

I bought a Honda generator because the sound of the cheap ones used to drive me crazy when I was a tent camper, but it's a personal choice. It's been great except when I took it to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (8,600 ft elevation). Didn't run worth a *rap at that altitude.

Have fun. Keep in touch.

[clown]

Pleased to report I have been out 2 times in my new Classic Cruiser and have had a great time! The bed is new and hard, I know in time it will settle in as it takes a few times to break in a new mattress.
Everything worked great! The only problem I had was towing back from Cleveland to Toledo into a strong wind my 09 Santa Fe just barely got the job done. A couple more trips like that and the transmission would have failed, so I went a spent some more of my kids inheritance and got me a new F150. I plan on going into Canada through the UP of Michigan, cross over to Maine and come back along the Great Lakes early next year so needed to solve the towing issue quickly.
Hoping to make it over to Gettysburg PA sometime in October as I am a Civil War buff and I will get to see some pretty leaves too.
I am designing my own leak test machine as the commercial is over $3500, way above my limit. I will report on it over the winter when I get a chance to put it together.
Thanks for the encouragement. I am a "happy camper"
Dave

[dlhilliard]

Hey, Clown:

Responding to your question about being the only Cikira owner in the world, I found the following on RV.net's blog and copied it here for you. It goes a ways in explaining the history of FunFinders and how they and Cikira are joined at the hip.

"I know it's long, but here is the text of the article on the Yahoo site. The link won't work unless you're a member. I own a 2007 FunFinder X-210 & I have nothing but good to say about it. It's too bad that ALMOST EVERY PRODUCT LINE PRODUCES LEMONS. I hope you get your problem resolved to your satisfaction, even if it means changing brands.

Here's a recent history of Shadow Cruiser, Cruiser RV, and Cikira RV (to the best of my knowledge): (I removed the author's name since this is not authorized)

My parents had a mid-80's Shadow Cruiser 7' wide 5th wheel, so I know the original company goes back that far. Shadow Cruiser hit hard times twice. The second and final time in 1998, they ended up in bankruptcy. The 1999 model year was the last year models were produced by the original Shadow Cruiser company.
It's my assumption the introduction of the Phantom line in the 1996 model year followed by the Stealth line in the 1998 model year overextended Shadow Cruiser and that was their downfall. Sunnybrook RV purchased the Shadow Cruiser assets in a bank sale, including the Shadow Cruiser name. Cruiser RV was formed in April, 1999, by the Pat Makusky, Sr family and Louis Dickerhoof. They purchased the Shadow Cruiser name, manufacturing equipment, and a factory lease from Sunnybrook. For the 2000 and 2001 model years, they only offered the original 5th wheel line, which was a continuation of the 7' wide models that Shadow Cruiser had been producing for a long time and the 8' wide models that went into production in the 1995 model year. The Fun Finder line was introduced in the summer of 2001 for the 2002 model year using floorplans from the original Shadow Cruiser 139 and 160, which were called the Silhouette models in the late '90s.
In 2003, Cruiser RV received a cash infusion from and became a subsidiary of Doubletree RV, which is why you see the name Doubletree RV on 2004 Fun Finder models. Doubletree RV was founded in 2002 as a subsidiary of Sunnybrook Manufacturing, of which Sunnybrook RV is a subsidiary. DavidFought was heading up Doubletree RV and was one of the co-founders of Sunnybrook RV in 1992.
In 2004, Cruiser RV moved manufacturing from Bristol, Indiana to Howe, Indiana to increase production capacity. Apparently, a number of workers did not want to make the 20 mile move or commute. About the same time, David Fought, along with his son Jeff, purchased Cruiser RV outright, so Cruiser RV went through an ownership, management, worker, and plant changeover in the middle of the 2005 model production year. It is interesting to me that David Fought was the co-founder of Sunnybrook RV, which purchased the assets of the original Shadow Cruiser company, and now David owns Cruiser RV. In March, 2005, former management and workers who had left Cruiser RV helped form Cikira RV and began producing their Classic Cruiser line for the 2006 model year. The Classic Cruiser 13CC and 18CC are nearly identical to the Fun Finder T-139 and T-189 models. The upcoming 16CC will be very much like the Fun Finder T-160. So, that's my working knowledge of the recent history of Shadow Cruiser, Cruiser RV, and Cikira RV. If anyone knows more info or can correct any of my info or dates, please chime in.



Message #6320 November 18, 2005



One of the first things David and Jeff Fought did after becoming owners of Cruiser RV was to focus on a new audience for the Fun Finders. That's how the Red Xtreme models came to be offered for the 2006 model year. Another thing they did was to standardize production practices and change some of the equipment, features, and options available. At last word, I know they are still working on a 5th wheel line. Beyond that, it's just speculation on my part on what their future plans are (I keep sending in my floorplan ideas!). The good news is they are sound financially and continue to increase production and sales of units. I should have mentioned that the recent history I described primarily focused on travel trailers, with a sprinkling of 5th wheels. Shadow Cruiser also produced a very popular line of truck campers, including the soft-top (canvas pop-top) truck campers. The production of the truck campers continued through the changeover between Shadow Cruiser and Cruiser RV in 1999. Currently, the soft-top truck camper production has been suspended. While I mentioned that "DoubleTree RV" appears on 2004 Fun Finder models, my 2002 model has "Shadow Cruiser by Cruiser RV". It does get confusing keeping up with the metamorphous that has occurred."

* This post was edited 07/14/07 09:41am by Arn *

[clown]

Thanks for the report on the history of our campers. Seems like they have been changing ownership, location, etc. nearly every 3 years or so. Hope all of that silliness is behind us! Sort of nice to have a solid company behind your thousands of dollars toy!!

Dave