Where have the Islands gone?

[jsallman1]

So I noticed the 2017 Jayflight line Now (this is a recent change) doesn't list the 29BHDS (which definitely there HAVE been 2017 models as they are out there on lots), 23MDS and the 32IBTS was discontinued in the 2016 model year. That appears that Jayco has removed all travel trailers with the islands except the 33RBTS.

So whats wrong with the islands? Is it just a preference thing that wasn't popular or more concerning is it a technical issue?

We didn't buy because of the island but more for the tank sizes, but we do like the extra storage/counter space it offers. If there is a problem I need to be watching for during our Warranty however, I would really like to know.

[havnfun]

Yeah, I love the islands too. Wife and I head to the Caribbean each December just to cruise those islands. Lol.

Happy RVing,
Jeff

[edatlanta]

I always have felt islands were just a fad that I didn't want. An obstacle right in the middle of the rig and not enough room behind it? Not for me.

[norty1]

We purchased our last new rig before the islands became popular. We never cared for them but I have no idea if that had an impact.

[oldenuftoknowbetter]

On most of the island models, you have a slide-out that opens out into the space covered by the awning. Not a good design IMHO.

[robkelly]

Having a decent sized kitchen, with ample counter space for meal prep, was a requirement for us as DW has an autoimmune disease that forces her to be VERY careful about what she eats. Our experience so far is that an island is the only way to get a decent amount of counter space.

Agree with oledenuf that choices are somewhat limited it you don't want want to lose a lot of your awning space. IMHO our current rig gives us the best of both worlds, especially since we have the second awning option.

[jsallman1]

Originally Posted by havnfun

Yeah, I love the islands too. Wife and I head to the Caribbean each December just to cruise those islands. Lol.

Happy RVing,
Jeff

Exactly! Nothing wrong with those or the Hawaiian Islands, Why on earth would you want them to go away!

touché

[schrederman]

Having just been through the process.... We have been researching TTs for a couple of years, and thought we wanted a 28BHKS. It had a kitchen slide and the island sink. We thought we had our minds made up on that model. Side-by-side comparison with the 28DSBH, however, revealed that there was more maneuvering room without the island. From a practical standpoint, the extra slide costs more, weighs more, and will require more maintenance. We could have afforded either, but chose the open floor plan without the island. The salesman was kind of lamenting how hard it has been to sell the island-kitchen models... so it doesn't surprise me that they are dropping them from the line-up. We're very pleased without the island, which is funny considering how long we waited for one to arrive so we could look at it...

[jsallman1]

Originally Posted by schrederman

Having just been through the process.... We have been researching TTs for a couple of years, and thought we wanted a 28BHKS. It had a kitchen slide and the island sink. We thought we had our minds made up on that model. Side-by-side comparison with the 28DSBH, however, revealed that there was more maneuvering room without the island. From a practical standpoint, the extra slide costs more, weighs more, and will require more maintenance. We could have afforded either, but chose the open floor plan without the island. The salesman was kind of lamenting how hard it has been to sell the island-kitchen models... so it doesn't surprise me that they are dropping them from the line-up. We're very pleased without the island, which is funny considering how long we waited for one to arrive so we could look at it...

Interesting. I will have to go inside one without an island sometime. Our REQUIREMENT list included large grey water tanks, and we just couldn't find anything that had the grey tank capacity in the 2015 line we were looking in (even though we ended up with a 2016) other than the island model. The 28BHBE units we found had a smaller tank at that time, its upgraded now.

As far as maneuvering, i will definitely say its a pain when its folded up you cant get from front to back. Using the bathroom on the road is sort of a pain, in 1 door, pump on, out and around the unit, use the facilities, back in and turn off the pump.

Glad I am not seeing any major technical problems with them as the reason for discontinuing.

[jasoncw]

I guess I am in the minority as well with the island. I didn't care for them until my brother bought a big TH with a kitchen slide and island. They are great. One of the main reasons I upgraded from my previous TT was for counter space and interior storage. MUCH better with my Eagle compared to my previous Bullet BH.

[norty1]

Our rig has a sliding cabinet that add loads of counter top work space but slides away when not needed.

One must have for us in the new rig was the ability to get to the kitchen , dinette and bath with all slides in. It just fits our travel style. When we saw this fp, it was a done deal.

[milw156]

We looked hard at the 29BHDS, and loved the island. Our decision came down to availability: ordering the 29BHDS and receiving in the non-trip months. vs buying the 284BHBE on the lot for a good deal and getting a season out of it.

We still would have enjoyed having the 29, but we love our Eagle BHBE.

[Macrosill]

Originally Posted by oldenuftoknowbetter

On most of the island models, you have a slide-out that opens out into the space covered by the awning. Not a good design IMHO.

While I like the islands I hate the slide opening into the awning. I am currently shopping for a larger trailer and refuse to even consider a unit that has a slide opening into the awning as we spend lots of time outside under the awning and it is hard enough to get 2 adults and 3 teens under there lounging out comfortably.

[dewey02]

Here's what happened to Bikini Island:

[schrederman]

Looking at the 2016 White Hawk specs, the gray water capacity in our 28DSBH is 45 gallons. There are 2 tanks for the galley and the bath, each 22.5 gallons. The 28BHKS grey water capacity is only 53 gallons, with the same dual tank setup. The one for the bath is a 30.5 gallon tank, which is where the difference is. for us, not enough to worry about. Our former trailer was smaller but had 2 - 35 gallon grey tanks. Some of the other Jayco brands may have other tank differences, and I agree, the bigger the better on most of it. We generally don't stay places without full hookups, but we have a portable tank for when we do. I just don't like having to use it... yes... in fact I am lazy...

I think the island thing just boils down to personal preference. We thought we wanted one and got to compare with and without, side by side, and decided we didn't really want it.

[On The Lam]

We have a 2016 33RBTS and bought it specifically for the island and layout. Yes, the kitchen slide does protrude into the awning space a little bit, but the slide is shorter than the opposing slides for the living and bunkhouse areas. In reality, once we used it a couple of times, it's not that big of a deal. The interior space created by the three slides is great, but we have 3 teens, two dogs and inevitably a friend or two comes along. The kitchen island is clever, with each side swinging out to provide additional storage. We like it a lot, but that's the beauty of so many different floor plans, something for everyone.

[Ally39]

I definitely hope these were eliminated due to not being popular rather than having issues. We just purchased a 2017 28RBDS in May and love it. The extra storage and counter space on the island works well for us. We were very concerned about the slide taking away from the awning area and while it does affect it a bit, it's not a dealbreaker.

As On The Lam pointed out, there are lots of options out there and different floorplans will fit different people's needs.

[jsallman1]

Just an update for those following the thread, some of the models are now back on Jayco's website, perhaps it was just a glitch. Good discussion none the less, I agree its definitely a preference thing and I am glad we have so many options to pick from.

[HFD147]

These posts have some interesting points. We upgraded to a Jay Flight Elite 28RBDS last fall (left over 2015 stock). We had 3 requirements for our new TT based on our old one (R-Vision 8263S) as follows: larger bathroom (32" tub/shower that you had to enter by stepping over the toilet). The 60" glass door shower stall with skylight is awesome! And the shower gray tank lasted through a week of dry camping. We wanted 4 chairs & a table for dining as opposed to a booth-it was in there! And, we wanted a bigger kitchen (old one had about 3 square feet of counter space). The island with a side counter on the rearward kitchen wall is perfect for us. The awning side slide only goes out about 18-20" so it is really not intrusive under the awning very much. Add to this the outside kitchen, dual fresh water tanks (82 gallons), swiveling TV to the bedroom, large storage closet above the outside kitchen and we are very pleased with it. We have been on 6 camping trips so far this season and have yet to find anything we don't like about it. The quality as well as our dealer (Johnston RV in Webster, NY) is very good as well. Overall we are extremely pleased with our Jayco!

[Bassdogs]

Own a 2014 White Hawk 30DSRE with a kitchen slide and Island. Its just the 2 of us and the wife loves the island. Gives her more space for kitchen stuff and I don't get yelled at for getting in the way. With a large super slide covering almost all of the main salon, there is plenty of room to roam around without bumping in to each other. Our bathroom is directly inside the entry so access with the slides closed is not an issue.

When we came across this model, our search stopped. Have loved it ever since and happy with our timing because this model was dropped for the 2015 model year????? Rumor was it was pulling buyers from the a similar model in another Jayco line.