We really like our Sea Pine. I think it's the most efficient use of
space in any 10-footer, but if you have kids you'll probably get tired
of them having to climb over the dinette to go to bed. At least that's
what others have said, it's just the 2 of us and we don't have a
problem. If you go to deja.com and do a power search of this newsgroup
for "Sea Pine" you'll see many comments including mine from previous
discussions.
--
Beth
'99 Coleman Sea Pine
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Guess you never looked at Jayco? They have a two models the 10UD and
the 10X, both of which can easily have access. Probably did not look
at Starcraft either as the Stardust is 10' and can get at the fridge
as well. Guess it must be a Coleman thing, just like roof sag is
mainly a Coleman thing.
Like all 10 foot trailers that we have ever seen, you can't access the
fridge while the top is down. We found that to be very inconvienent and
that's the single biggest reason why we probably wouldn't buy one. Again,
this is true of all manufacturers 10 foot models, it is not a Coleman thing.
Oh and if you're buying new, don't worry about the roof as the warranty
should take care of you.
Glen
01 Mesa
98 Explorer
We had a '98 SeaPine, recently changed to an '01 SanteFe. Primary reason was
that the dinette table blocked getting to the rear bed and we had to climb
over the sofa to get to the front bed. The dinette makes using the rear bed
very frustrating, and the seat back cushion had a plywood back that stuck up
above the top of the front bed just enough to get a knee or shinbone every
time. Moving the seat back cushion somewhere else was another pain.
Other than that, the SeaPine is a great floor plan. The '98 had the U-shaped
seating in the front, and I enjoyed being able to sit there rather than having
to sit at the dinette. The ice chest under the sofa was removeable and I
converted the drawer into a pots and pans drawer for my wife. Lots of good
storage under the dinette seats and the sofa and easily accessed. The porta
potti cabinet door in the '98 was smaller than the smallest porta potti sold
by the dealer. I had to enlarge the opening to get the Porta Potti 135 to fit
through it. Easily done, but an oversight by Coleman, nonetheless.
Gail
In the Great PNW
--
Brian and Angie
00 Ford Explorer
00 Jeep Wrangler
00 Coleman SeaPine
http://www.nuttybuddyproductions.com/camping
We have a 1997 Sea Pine. I selected the floor
plan because I wanted two separate seating
areas. The thought of all of us sitting around
the dinette on a rainy day sent chills up my
spine. Don't get me wrong. I love my family
but.....
The 10ft box was our only option (other than the
8 ft box my husband had his eye on!). My
husband, the mechanic, just didn't want to tow
anything heavier than necessary. Which meant no
front storage area either. Fortunately, that did
not turn out to be a problem for us. We can
store everything we need in the Sea Pine (even a
microwave, 13in TV and a box full of tacky
lights) with room to spare. We even found a
porta-potty that fits fine in the storage area
provided.
The "crawling over the seats" issue to get to bed
is not really a problem for us. One of our kids
sleeps on the double bed (dinette) end and once
he is in for the night we don't hear from him
until morning. On the king side it is not a huge
problem either--although I admit that crawling up
the gaucho to get to bed is not ideal but is
worth the aggrevation for me to get the separate
seating arrangement.
Getting into the fridge while popped down? Not
an issue for us because we do not have a 3 way.
It was not standard in 1997. We have a dorm
refrige in the camper. We use an electric cooler
in the car when traveling.
You know...floor plan preference is a very
personal issue and one not easily explainable.
For example, the Santa Fe plan doesn't do a thing
for me. I want seats not cabinets yet others
swear by it. Go figure.
I LOVE my Sea Pine. I am THRILLED my husband
agreed to buy it instead pushing his preference,
the Taos.
You are right: I is strange what works for us. For me I got the SantaFe
for the long counter but because it's just me I did not need a couch. I
just pop my can on the bunk when I need a rest. But I tell you I would
nott trade my Cassette poty for the world. Worth every inch it takes up.
All my best. Ken
--
Visit My Camping Web Site
http://home.rochester.rr.com./sar/camping.htm
>Okay, I guess that I've not spent much time looking at 10' trailers. I know
>that Coleman's, Rockwood's, and the Jayco Heritage 10' will not let you
>access the fridge while the top is down.
Move up to the larger 12' trailers and you will find several models,
Coleman included, that allow access to the fridge when closed. I just
finished loading my Mesa for our next trip, including the fridge,
without unlatching the top.
*****************
-Tom Warfield
> 2000 Coleman Mesa
> 1999 Ford Ranger (4dr supercab, 4.0L, 5sp AT w/OD)
> In the great Pacific NorthWest (sw washington)
http://communities.msn.com/PopUpTrailerCamping
>Okay, I guess that I've not spent much time looking at 10' trailers. I know
>>that Coleman's, Rockwood's, and the Jayco Heritage 10' will not let you
>>access the fridge while the top is down.
>
I have a Jayco Eagle 10 SG one can access the fridge easily
with the top down.
2000 Chev S-10
1999 Jayco Eagle 10SG
Elzie Speir, Jackson, GA
Glen
01 Mesa (with small but handy fridge)
98 Explorer
We have a 00 Sea Pine, bought in April. No problems with roof sag, but
no AC, either. We live in a place where getting cool is rarely a
problem, but staying warm can be (gotta love that 15k BTU furnace after
tenting all these years!).
The flooplan is good and bad, the location of the dinette gives you
that extra sofa, which is really nice. But it is a pain for full-size
people to get in and sit down at it, and as everyone points out, you
have to crawl over it to get to one of the bunks. If you or members of
your family are at all on the wide-size, you might want to go with the
layout of the Sante Fe.
Other than that, everything has worked for the 6 or 7 days that we have
used it so far, and our mini-van handles towing it without complaint.
My only real complaint is that I've had trouble getting the water
heater and fridge to start several times...Gotta have the dealer take a
look at that this fall.
Be sure to get the electric brakes, an important safety feature.
-dm
> Coleman 10' pop-ups put the fridge behind the swing down galley so
it's no
> access without a full roof lift.
>
> Glen
> 01 Mesa (with small but handy fridge)
> 98 Explorer
>
>
Glen:
Not to split hairs, but that's not true either. One issue I decided to
check out BEFORE we even bought our Santa Fe was whether I could lift
the roof high enough with the trailer parked inside in my workshop,
which has limited ceiling clearance, so I could raise the swing level
galley, thereby allowing me to load or unload the fridge (and the rest
of the camper for that matter) in really inclement weather. There's no
way I can lift the roof fully up but I CAN lift it enough to raise the
swing the galley fully up.
Having said that, we chose the Santa Fe over the Sea Pine because we
HATED climbing past the dinette to get to the bed in our previous Jayco
Eagle 10UD, but we would have otherwise chosen the Sun Valley which
does allow direct access to the fridge with the top down, but felt it
was just too heavy for our 3.0L van.
Bill in Ontario
2000 Santa Fe
We had a 99 Coleman Santa Fe and it was a nice camper. We did end up
with a sagging roof though, which Coleman did make right by replacing.
I have a friend who has a Sea Pine and he is very pleased with it. I
think he also had a roof replaced, but has had no trouble with it since.
Apart from the roof problem I am of the opinion that Coleman builds a
nice pop up camper and would have no trouble recommending one if you
are in the market for one.
Happy Camping
2001 Coachmen Catalina Lite 249QB
In article <8nrj6d$18e$1...@slb2.atl.mindspring.net>,
"D Colosi" <dco...@mindspring.com> wrote:
> I have been doing my research on pop ups and narrowed down my choices
to
> Starcraft, Jayco and Coleman. I like the Coleman Sea Pine the best
and am
> interested in peoples thoughts. I have seen a lot of posts about
the roof
> sag on coleman campers and wondered if anyone who has a 1999 or newer
has
> run into this problem. I am looking at the 2001 model and from what
I see,
> it looks pretty sturdy to me. I would be adding an A/C unit since I
am in
> the South.
>
>
I really don't have the answer. I lit the propane on my fridge for the
first time since I bought it 9 months ago (had used strictly AC before). It
took me a good 15 minutes before mine finally lit. Whew! It was work! and
getting down on the floor to see the blue flame in the window was a pain.
If I try it again, and it doesn't work better, will just continue to use AC.
Hal
--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"8-) Hal - Cajun Camper
00' Towlite 17'
98 GMC Sierra ext cab
5.7L v-8 w/3:42 locking rear
Flowmaster dual exhaust -Towing package
see my pictures:
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=956595&a=7000568
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
<dej...@my-deja.com> wrote in message news:8or6h6$m7n$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
Well, Mark, I've got one of them. And frankly I'm getting sick and tired
of hearing about how Colemans have the dreaded roof sag.
A few months ago I did an analysis of all the messages that had been
posted to this newsgroup about roof sag. There were a couple hundred as
I recall. And exactly seven individuals actually had experienced the
sag! (There have been a couple more since then.)
Most of the messages were generated from the same few folks who
immediately respond to any Coleman topic with the same response --
anyone says "Coleman," they say "roof sag." Doesn't matter what the
topic is, the knee-jerk reaction is "roof sag." Really, can't we get
past this topic and generate some discussion that involves more brain
and less smart-ass?
And, yeah I saw your smiley face. It didn't make me any happier with
your note. But if it makes you feel better, here's one back. :-)
--
Beth, cranky as all get-out
'99 Coleman Sea Pine
Me too. Sure would be nice if the problem could be solved.
>A few months ago I did an analysis of all the messages that had been
>posted to this newsgroup about roof sag. There were a couple hundred as
>I recall. And exactly seven individuals actually had experienced the
>sag! (There have been a couple more since then.)
My analysis of several dealer's used camper lots puts it at about 50%-75%
>Most of the messages were generated from the same few folks who
>immediately respond to any Coleman topic with the same response --
>anyone says "Coleman," they say "roof sag." Doesn't matter what the
>topic is, the knee-jerk reaction is "roof sag." Really, can't we get
>past this topic and generate some discussion that involves more brain
>and less smart-ass?
I'm not sure how keeping an honest perspective on things is any more
objectionable than the expositions by Coleman apologists.
My postings on the subject will continue to be in response to those
concerned with the sag issue itself or considering the purchase of
a used unit. I'll probably slip on occasion, but I do know there have
been lot's of discussions about Colemans and sway problems that have _not_
elicited a sag-related response from yours truly. So it takes more than
just the mention of "Coleman".
>And, yeah I saw your smiley face. It didn't make me any happier with
>your note. But if it makes you feel better, here's one back. :-)
Thanks - much more pleasant than other gestures some people have been
sending my way.
Mark J Strawcutter
Indiana PA
'97 Coleman Key West
I agree with Beth on this one Mark. The ascerbic tone of your comments
often solicits a negative response to your posts. "The secret of being
a bore is to tell everything." Oscar Wilde. Perhaps you should err on
the side of restraint once in a while.
I also had a Coleman with roof sag and still feel that they are
basically a good camper and would recommend them. It is unfortunate
that you have had such an unpleasant experience with yours, perhaps you
should trade it in on another brand so that you have something to write
positive comments about.
Respectfully
Don Crandall
2001 Coachmen Catalina Lite 249QB
Wouldn't surprise me. Especially considering the unresolved frame problem
I have. Add to that the fact that there is no way to keep the tongue
weight down. Add to that the fact that the A/C brace has shifted to one
side to the point where it is almost ready to fall out of bracket.
Key West model and floorplan discontinued after 2 years. Probably didn't
sell well enough, but considering the Utah has a mirror floorplan one could
wonder if it wasn't something else.
Original (factory) roof #1 bowed out at sides, dealer initiated replacement.
A/C brace pop-riveted on. Used camper with this roof long enough to have
brace fall off.
Roof #2 had classic sag. Brace still rivited but didn't fall off. A/C mounted
over two openings (they claimed 14x14 opening weakened roof) which restricted
airflow and caused freeze-ups. Later added bolt-on/thru brace which helped
side-to-side sag but not front-to-back. Never did seal quite right on rear
corners - gasket sat up on aluminum corner pieces.
I never saw roof #3. New y2k style, dealer discovered some sort of defect
part way thru install and ordered another.
Roof #4 is also y2k. Rear seals better than #2 (just) but front has "overbite"
problem where it doesn't seal. Looks like the entire roof could stand to be
shifted rearward but dealer sez no way to do that. Looks like the only thing
keeping the brace from shifting more and falling out is the head of a single
screw holding the A/C poser cord - it's right up against the bracket.
Would be the second time it returned to it's place of birth for attention.
I can understand how you would find that annoying. Sort of the "when you have
a hammer everything looks like a nail" syndrome applied to newsgroup postings.
Doesn't matter if it's roof sag or greatest-thing-since-sliced-bread
lightweight travel trailers...
>I like the Coleman Sea Pine the best and am
>interested in peoples thoughts.
I think the Sea Pine has a great floor plan!
> I am looking at the 2001 model and from what I see,
>it looks pretty sturdy to me. I would be adding an A/C unit since I am in
>the South.
Apparently, Colemans with a 10' box have a lower rate of roof sag than those
with a 12' box. Adding AC increases the odds. But if you're buying new, you
do have the lifetime warranty behind you. And contrary to some opinions, not
ALL Colemans sag!
Linda King
99 Bayside (NO SAG)
93 Chevy Suburban
No disagreement from me - I'm sure there are a couple out there somewhere :-)
Mark J Strawcutter
If the dealer were smart and wanted to retain a customer that is what
he should do.
Don Crandall
2001 Coachmen Catalina Lite 249Q
In article <nq3w5.3864$2z6....@news-east.usenetserver.com>,
Is that Wonder, pumpernickel, or rye Mark?
LOL
Don Crandall
2001 Coachmen Catalina Lite 249QB (no roof sag version ;)
Is that Wonder, pumpernickel, or rye Mark?
LOL
Don Crandall
2001 Coachmen Catalina Lite 249QB (and so tasty too!)
Is that Wonder, pumpernickel, or rye Mark?
Ed
<mrw...@my-deja.com> wrote in message news:8pqt5b$1a7$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> In article <srvsf7...@corp.supernews.com>,
> mjs...@grove.iup.edu wrote:
> > >Most of the messages were generated from the same few folks who
> > >immediately respond to any Coleman topic with the same response --
> > >anyone says "Coleman," they say "roof sag." Doesn't matter what the
> > >topic is, the knee-jerk reaction is "roof sag."
> >
> > I can understand how you would find that annoying. Sort of the "when
> you have
> > a hammer everything looks like a nail" syndrome applied to newsgroup
> postings.
> > Doesn't matter if it's roof sag or greatest-thing-since-sliced-bread
> > lightweight travel trailers...
> >
> > Mark J Strawcutter
> > Indiana PA
> > '97 Coleman Key West
> >
>
Hi there,
Sorry, I'm a bit late answering this (we were on holiday when you
posted). We have a 1999 Sea Pine and absolutely love it! No roof sag,
no problems whatsoever. I highly recommend it.
--
Brenda
Toronto, Canada
1999 Coleman Sea Pine
>Hey Brian! Its at the Atlanta RV show! I was up there today (Thursday) and they
>had brought it to the lot while I was inside. Cracked me up!
>
>Ed
I saw it too Ed!! Parked over in the lot on the right. I was helping
with Aunt Susan's Petting Zoo in the back. Did you come by and see
our ostrich?
Gerald
99 Cheyenne
We have a 2000 Coleman SeaPine and like it very much. We just got back from a
one week trip with it. We have also used it on three weekend trips. No
problems at all. No roof sag either. (We have A/C, fridge and furnace.)
Eric
Ellicott City, MD
2000 Sea Pine
2000 Ford Explorer XLT