We picked up our 2012 Flagstaff Shamrock 233S with the Sedona with Cherry interior on Thursday. Slept in the trailer last night with our three DD’s.
Here are a few pics of the Trailer in our yard …
Except for a few frustrating delays and the uncertainty caused by those, a mix up with the batteries, and a broken window blind, the process has gone pretty nicely for us.
Here’s a recap of my buying experience. Sorry for the length.
I ordered a 2011 Shamrock 233s on March 15th from a local dealer - Scenic Traveler - and was given the typical 6-8 weeks for pickup. The trailer, which turned out to be a 2012, was offline on May 17th and I was scheduled to pick up on May 25, but the driver shortage caused a delay and the camper was delivered the Thursday before Memorial Day.
Since the techs at my dealership had off on Friday and Monday, they didn’t get to work on it until the Tuesday after Memorial Day.
The dealer gave me some freebies, though. They initially installed the wrong batteries (I had arranged for two US 145 batteries) but they couldn't get them for two more weeks. They came through with two Trojan T145 batteries at the same price as the US batteries - saving me about $47 per battery – sweet. I also had them install my Maxxair II and Fan/Mate.
I have to say that I like this dealer. This is not my first trailer but I had had no experience with them in the past. Besides being local – about 40 minutes away, they also gave me a nice price and were very close to RVW and RVD. We opted for the local guys for the service.
The trailer was really clean – very little sawdust or bits and pieces in the corners like can sometimes be found. The walk though took three hours. The tech and service manager very patient and thorough and fully covered all systems. This was particularly useful for my DW who is an electrical engineer and really wants to know the details. Me, too, I guess. I had forgotten a lot. Where’s that bypass valve? How do you light the oven? The little things.
All systems passed testing with the exception of the blinds on the window over the sink. I guess I didn’t check it while there and I just found that they won’t rise. I’ll see if I can fix it myself or I’ll just wait until I have to take it in for something more important. Also, my water pump was cycling on and off every three seconds until I realized the outside shower head hadn’t been turned off completely from the walk though.
There are some interesting differences with the 2010 and 2011 Shamrock/Roo 233S’s that we had looked at and our 2012 model year:
- There is a full length cabinet over the couch now instead of a ¾ length cabinet. But no light – why would they leave out the light over the couch? Anyway, FR moved the radio that was installed over the stove on the ‘11s to this new cabinet.
- Speaking of which, the DVD/CD/Radio is now a Genesis GT-2.0 instead of the Concertone ZX75. The Genesis works well so far.
- The TV shelf that was over the stove is no longer there. It’s now a fully enclosed cabinet offering extra storage space. The control monitor panel is now installed on the side of the new cabinet right next to the door at eye level. No controls where my 5-year old can touch them.
So my projects this weekend, if the kids will let me, include little things like installing a screen door push bar, an Oxygenics shower head, and LED lights that I bought on eBay. Mostly, though, we’re just going to enjoy the weather and the camper. It’s 85 and sunny. Time to get back to work.