New Purchase - Jayco White Hawk 28DSBH

DavidNPro · 08-12-2014, 08:25 AM

Hello,

My wife and I are hunting a camper for us and our son to have some weekend get-aways and a few week long trips over the summer. We have been looking at the Coachmen Catalina with a similar floor plan, but ran across the White Hawk just a few days ago.

At first glance it appears the White Hawk, is a much more "premium" unit than the Catalina. My one concern is the delamination issues that seem to occur randomly in any brand after some research.

Anybody have any thoughts about a White Hawk 28DSBH (or any White Hawk for that matter) regarding delamination, quality, issues etc?

Thanks!

You have a great forum here.

milw156 · 08-12-2014, 10:42 AM

We have a one year old White Hawk 28DSBH and love it. We just got back from a 4100 mile journey from Seattle to the Badlands, SD and back via Yellowstone. Last year we took a 3200 journey down to San Diego. It's done well on extended trips.

What I like about it most is the amount of storage it has. The front hatch doors are larger than competitors, and also by not having a U-Shaped Dinette and a top bunk ladder, you get an extra cabinet. This is huge when trying to store enough food for the trip. We have had some minor warranty items such as the LED's on the awning going out, and the lazy susan on the TV binding. All were fixed without issue.

As for Delamination, I am obviously hoping for the best, but we do things such as checking all roof seams, checking all light housings for sign of water penetration, and making sure moisture doesn't build up inside the camper. However I would do the same for a non fiberglass trailer. At this point no signs of delam.

My wife and I have attended several RV shows since our purchase and we have not seen another trailer with the floorplan that we liked better. This forum is very knowledgeable and supportive, so ask away.

dmward · 08-12-2014, 11:48 AM

Our local Jayco dealer also deals with the Catalina line. The salesman showed us pretty much the exact same Catalina floorplan as the 28DSBH. At first glance, it was pretty obvious that the Jayco was higher quality with the cabinetry work and materials used in general.

We had a 2008 19H and experienced no delamination for 5.5 years that we had it. The White Hawk looks to use a similar lamination process, so I would have no reason to believe that Jayco's experience this problem more often than other makers.

We are definitely happy with the 28DSBH this summer. Have put over 3000 km on it so far since July 1. I think my family would LIVE in it all summer if we had the time off

Derek

DavidNPro · 08-12-2014, 11:52 AM

Thanks for responding.

Did you guys have any other trailers you considered or did you know the 28DSBH was the one you wanted as soon as you looked at it? We have actually not seen it in person have seen several other models in person, but none seemed to have that "this is the one" feeling inside it.

We are planning on driving down to see it this Saturday as it is about 2 to 2.5 hours away from us. With we have seen online so far has us pretty impressed with pictures etc. So we are glad to hear that you guys still like yours after using it for awhile with minimal problems.

As for delamination, it seems like it is hit or miss but mostly from water intrusion. I suppose that good upkeep of the roof and light sealants will minimize this. We were also contemplating getting something like a cheap carport to park it under. This would keep the sun and rain off of it, and more importantly the snow and ice in the winter since we have plenty of room to do so.

dmward · 08-12-2014, 11:58 AM

We also looked at the 25BHS White Hawk. Liked the U-dinette, but the bunks were pretty tight. The 28' gives us a hide-a-bed, which is handy.

Taurus2415 · 08-12-2014, 12:55 PM

We purchased a used 2012 28DSBH from the first owner about 10 months ago. He took very good care of it and we have no trouble at all. Our friends joke with us about never being at home but that is an exaggeration. We love it and the floor plan is just right for the two of us and the occasional guests.

I landed on the Jayco brand while shopping as one of those in the top group as far as quality goes and have not changed my mind. I did a thorough inspection of the TT before making an offer to make sure there were no water issues or mechanical problems he wasn't divulging. Like I said he took very good care of it as have I and see no reason why it shouldn't last quite some time.

Milw156 is spot on when it comes to storage. I can't find enough things to put in all the cabinets. Granted the longest we have been anywhere is one week at a time but that is still pretty good.

Best of luck on your search and be patient. You will find what works best for you.

milw156 · 08-12-2014, 05:19 PM

We looked at the following when comparing against the 28DSBH
Jay Flight 28BHBE
Cougar 28RBS
Aerolite 282DBHS
Trailblazer (Komfort) 2610BH

There isn't a "perfect" trailer that has everything you want. The Jay Flight 28BHBE is also a great option depending on what kind of tow vehicle you have.

1) Here are the things that sealed it for us:
-Lighter than 28BHBE given our at that time F150 tow vehicle
-Magnum truss roof - Jayco has the best in the industry (make sure you get a factory ladder)
-Best combination of features and being ultralight
Storage
-Quality of the cabinet construction for being an ultralight
Appearance (subjective but my wife liked the White Hawk)

2) Some features that I liked about the other trailers:
-The BHBE and others have a larger shower area.
-The TrailBlazer (made by Komfort) is better insulated and has a pass-through door in the back for bikes and other things.
-The wheels on the White Hawk are small (14") and you cannot easily upgrade to a Load Range D tire size, nor will the stock aluminum rims support the PSI of a LRD tire.
-The Cougar has the rear platform rack like the Eagles.

I'm not complaining as I love our 28DSBH, but just some food for thought. Best of luck on your search.

RVer-Bill · 08-12-2014, 06:52 PM

We just traded in our 2008 Eagle 32RLS for our new 2015 White Hawk. We had the Eagle for 7 seasons and had no delamination issues. I regularly checked the roof and never had to reseal it. We stored it in the driveway under 4 oak trees. Plenty of acorns and small branches hit it in those 7 years. The construction of the side walls is the same on the White Hawk as it was on our Eagle. I don't think that Jayco has changed anything. The roof structure is also the same, except I think the Eagle had thicker roof plywood. At least it flexed less when I walked on it.

Nighthawk 96 · 08-12-2014, 07:09 PM

We love our White Hawk 27DSRL. As a retired couple the floorplan is spacious in the living area. Bath between the living area and bedroom is a sound buffer. DW likes to watch TV in bedroom and I like to read in the living area.

Very happy with the quality. No problems with exterior at this time.

Not happy with 14" wheels, but Maxxis make a load range D tire

DavidNPro · 08-13-2014, 05:56 AM

Definitely glad to hear mostly positive comments about the White Hawk line in general.

Also, I did not realize they only used 14" wheels, seems pretty small considering, but does not sound like anyone has had any issues directly due to that.

The next question is the price, the unit we are going to travel to look at is a 2014 model, so brand new but in a few months it will be a year old. Trying to work with the dealer to negotiate down as much as possible obviously. The list on it is around 31,500 I believe for MSRP, dealer is coming in and offering ~8k off of that. Does that seem reasonable to you guys? My only experience with RV's is the small 1999 popup my parents bought.

1wayhighway · 08-13-2014, 05:59 AM

We have had ours since April and have put over 3000 miles on it. We were going between a rockwood with a similar floor plan but had a narrow slide. We liked the rockwood because the cabinetry was very nice but decided on the jayco because of the space the deep slide gave and the storage was a little better.

Good luck on your choice.

RVer-Bill · 08-13-2014, 06:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidNPro

Definitely glad to hear mostly positive comments about the White Hawk line in general.

Also, I did not realize they only used 14" wheels, seems pretty small considering, but does not sound like anyone has had any issues directly due to that.

The next question is the price, the unit we are going to travel to look at is a 2014 model, so brand new but in a few months it will be a year old. Trying to work with the dealer to negotiate down as much as possible obviously. The list on it is around 31,500 I believe for MSRP, dealer is coming in and offering ~8k off of that. Does that seem reasonable to you guys? My only experience with RV's is the small 1999 popup my parents bought.

Since the 2015 models started shipping 2 months ago, it was 1 year old then. Reducing it by $8k isn't bad, but at least one dealer is reducing theirs by ~$10k.
http://www.keystonervcenter.com/2014...er-pa-i1075872
I would offer $21.4k for it.

DavidNPro · 08-13-2014, 06:52 AM

I will set my target at 21k then, because I like to be an over achiever lol.

Also, I noticed some dealers like to add what I would consider an extremely large prep fee. Not the current dealer we are talking to, but another one added approximately 750 just for that. Seems strange since they wont sell it to you without doing it, whatever "it" is.

jtownstumpjumper · 08-13-2014, 06:56 AM

Bought a new 2014 Whitehawk 30DSQB in mid Feb of this year $27000....list on it was little over $35000.....dealer included mirror extensions, WDH, and brake controller.

canuckowner · 08-13-2014, 06:58 AM

A good starting point for negotiating a new RV purchase is 35% off MSRP:

That would make it $20, 500. Start with that number and he will likely try to meet you half way between that price and their "on sale" price. But you will have your list of extras written out on a paper. As he starts to insist on a number higher than 20,500, you can start tossing in the roof vent covers, chocks, upgraded sewer hose, tote, etc. that will need to be part of the deal in order to get you to that price.

Make sure you are well prepared and well armed before you negotiate. Print off as many prices from online quotes (RVDirect, AllSeasons, RV Wholesale Club, etc) too and other dealers nearby.

Be polite and courteous and easy natured but stick to your guns and insist on the heavy discount and the extras to complete the deal. He should be eager to unload that unit this late in the season and being almost last year's model.

Good luck!

DavidNPro · 08-13-2014, 07:03 AM

All good points you guys are making, I had thought about the chocks, sewer hoses etc, but did not think about trying to get them worked into the deal. Also the roof vent cover is interesting I have read pros and cons of having them. But if it is something that was desired I assume having the dealer install would be a good idea then....

Bassdogs · 08-13-2014, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by canuckowner

A good starting point for negotiating a new RV purchase is 35% off MSRP:

That would make it $20, 500. Start with that number and he will likely try to meet you half way between that price and their "on sale" price. But you will have your list of extras written out on a paper. As he starts to insist on a number higher than 20,500, you can start tossing in the roof vent covers, chocks, upgraded sewer hose, tote, etc. that will need to be part of the deal in order to get you to that price.

Make sure you are well prepared and well armed before you negotiate. Print off as many prices from online quotes (RVDirect, AllSeasons, RV Wholesale Club, etc) too and other dealers nearby.

Be polite and courteous and easy natured but stick to your guns and insist on the heavy discount and the extras to complete the deal. He should be eager to unload that unit this late in the season and being almost last year's model.

Good luck!

Real late in the season for the 2014's. Got my 2014 WH in May of 2013. Actually ordered before the end of March and expected a 2013 but Jayco switched to 2014 production before my "ordered" unit went on the production line. The 2015's have been available now for 3 or 4 months although dealers may not have them on their lots. At this point they should be real motivated to clear out the 2014's. Get a quote from RV Connections for a 2015 model and take that in with you. Ordered TT's typically have a 6 - 8 weeks waiting period but an on-lot 2014 should certainly be discounted below what you can order a current model.

Also the online dealers probably won't charge any set up fees. For a dealer that's just gravey [AKA Profit].

DavidNPro · 08-13-2014, 08:04 AM

I have just talked with the dealer, in anticipation of us really liking the unit when we see it this weekend. He said his best price out the door for the 2014 model would be 22450, that includes whatever "prep" there would be, tax, tags, title etc.

I suppose this is pretty decent considering the MSRP is 31500 - 22450 (total cost out the door) = 9050. That is about 29% off MSRP out the door or 33% off MSRP before taxes and tags etc.

--After looking online for an hour or so this seems about like the best deal going that I can find even online dealers that are several hours or states away from me.

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks

DJL1967 · 08-13-2014, 12:59 PM

Bought our 2014 28DSBH this spring and are currently on our East Coast vacation with it. So far we have towed it 6500 km's and have another 1500 to go. Only problem so far is a crack in our kitchen sink that we caught right away so no water damage. We love the layout and it provides plenty of room for the 4 of us. I would definitely recommend the Whitehawk.

1wayhighway · 08-13-2014, 02:18 PM

That sounds like a very good deal with all you mentioned included.

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