Potential new owner in Arkansas

mtlakejim · 08-08-2016, 04:34 PM

The wife and I are POTENTIAL new owners of a Momentum 376 IF Grand Design works out a way to increase the size of the garage just a few inches! Like most people who would be interested in this trailer we have more than just a motorcycle that we might want to carry in the garage. At 9'6" the garage is just 6" too short in it's current configuration. We are hoping that Grand Design engineers will realize that they can extend the garage into the rear pass thru compartment and open up the market to those of us who are not just interested in hauling a motorcycle.

Oddly I came up with the exact design and even drew it out for a factory rep (don't recall if he was with GD) at the Dallas RV show about 3 years ago......Now thy are making it!

If they make the redesign we will be first in line to buy it! In fact we just bought a brand new Ram 1 ton dually this week in prep to haul our new 5th wheel! Hopefully it will be a Grand Design 376 IF they come thru on the design change!!

**JCR GD** · 08-08-2016, 04:38 PM

What are you wanting to fit in there?

mtlakejim · 08-08-2016, 04:55 PM

Jet ski or jon boat or kayaks. All of which are less than 3' tall but over 9'6" long! About the only thing the garage is good for on their current model is motorcycles. If your not into motorcycles then not much intrest (and there is another brand offering a motorcycle in a slide idea! Don't get me wrong we have a motorcycle too (Honda 1100 cruiser) and plan to upgrade that to a Can Am 3 wheeler before long. Our current motorcycle will fit and maybe the Can Am but none of the boats. I think Grand Design is missing a very large market segment by not having the garage long enough to accommodate the boats!!

I know what happened the engineer had that Harley owner in his head and didn't think about all the other things that might be put in the garage! The 376 is a good design that could be great.

mtlakejim · 08-08-2016, 04:58 PM

How long is that 385? Does the Ford pull it strong?

We just bought a Ram 3500 diesel dually yesterday (delivers Thursday) in prep for towing something larger....

**JCR GD** · 08-08-2016, 04:59 PM

If it were me and it was structurally possible, I would put a hatch into the pass-thru from the garage to allow the points of the boats that few more inches to fit when needed.

**JCR GD** · 08-08-2016, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by mtlakejim

How long is that 385? Does the Ford pull it strong?

We just bought a Ram 3500 diesel dually yesterday (delivers Thursday) in prep for towing something larger....

It is 44ft overall. The Ford pulls (and carries) it very nicely.

mtlakejim · 08-08-2016, 05:10 PM

Yeah I actually suggested exactly what you are saying about a hatch to the dealer....Seems so obvious!

mtlakejim · 08-08-2016, 05:12 PM

If your pulling 44' with a side by side in the garage we should be in good shape with 42' and a jet ski I would think. We had a 2500 Ford that we pulled our current 34' Keystone with and it did fine but I knew we needed the diesel and dually if we were going larger.....

**mbaker** · 08-08-2016, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by mtlakejim

Jet ski or jon boat...

You're not thinking of backing that Momentum into the water like a boat trailer (

)I presume; so how would you be moving that 750lb Jetski from one medium to another?

Ben

mtlakejim · 08-08-2016, 08:56 PM

mbaker,
LOL. I would just say "where there is a will there is a way" but the truth is I have put some thought into that situation and the first solution I have is to mount a 12volt winch in the end of the garage to ease the jet ski in and out. But it should be noted that our Seadoo spark is more like 500lbs and it will be sitting on a trailer. I easily move it by hand at home on a frequent basis. Even if I couldn't push it or winch it into the garage of the RV there is always an electric toad/tounge dolly.....but truth is it is fairly easy to move around. Now my Fiberglass Bass boat or 28' cabin cruiser on the other hand LOL.......

It should be noted that I routinely double tow our current 5th wheel and the jet ski or one of my other toys (no not the big bass boat or cabin cruiser). You can do that in Arkansas and many other states but not all. If I could do that in all 50 states (particularly Florida which we visit a lot) then the need for the under the bed garage would be more or less mute. Although there is some degree of comfort in NOT towing doubles across country. That "less wheels on the ground thing" ya know not to mention you can't back up at all with doubles.....

In total we have 8 boats and a motorcycle. When we go camping we routinely carry the motorcycle with the kayaks (so we have a shuttle vehicle and don't need anyone else to help get us back to our truck). If not that we either carry our 14' Aluminum flat bottom (since the Fiberglass bass boat is out of the question on doubles) or the jet ski depending on where we are going and what we want to do. We have carried the jet ski on back and put the kayaks inside the camper a few times (you gotta make sure the kayaks are really clean for that one). With the new crew cab we just bought we could put them on a roof rack or maybe use one of those back of the camper racks I have seen (although you would most likely have to move the boats to open the cargo door.....

Where we want to be on the 376 is just to have the option to use the garage to haul the jet ski which is 10' (understand I will have a custom trailer made for it that is low profile and has a swing away tounge that we will only use when we are hauling it in the camper most likely (I should mention I have a 33hp Kubota tractor with lifting forks that can transfer the jet ski from one trailer to another with ease (in fact I have done that before with another jet ski).

Where there is a will there is a way.......