Hi, I am a new member!

[Tinbasher]

Hi there. I'm Sean and I'm from BC. I'm in the market for a used fibreglass trailer for myself, my girl and our bratty dog! I am planning to go look at one tomorrow in fact. It's a 17', 1981 Bigfoot. Some "renos" have been done to it and in the listing it says that there is no HWT. Which I'm assuming means no hot water tank. The person is asking $4500 OBO. Would this be a deal breaker or a possible red flag to anyone here? This is our first foray into purchasing a travel trailer and even though it's not a huge sum of money, it's still a little daunting! I am very handy and possess a keen mechanical aptitude. I realize that something this old may need some TLC but at the same time, I don't want a HUGE project?! Any advice on things to look at / inspect, ask the owner about would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Sean

[Donna D.]

Hi Sean to FiberglassRV. I'll leave the Bigfoot questions to those experts. However, since you're looking to buy, we always suggest to print and take the Buyers Check List with you. Find it here: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/d...hp?do=cat&id=5


Best of luck on your egg hunt!

[Island Claire]

Hi Sean, welcome. Good luck in your search.

[WaltP]

Hi Sean. I have a friend with a 1980 17' Bigfoot and it's a very nice trailer, actually a lot like my 2002. No hot water tank would be a deal breaker for me, but not everyone I guess.
That's a good price if it's in good shape, may be worth looking into an upgrade on the HWT.
If the "renos" included removing the HWT, it could be easy to reverse. I kind of doubt a Bigfoot would come without one, but maybe.

Walt

[Tinbasher]

I guess I could use this as a bargaining factor on the price?! We're considering a hot water on demand system as an alternative if the tank is intact....Either way, it's exciting to think about having our own trailer for this spring/summer. Time to upgrade from the tent/mattress/tarp scene!! Thanks for the feedback!

[SOCK MONKEY]

We just bought a 1993 in BC for that same price, but I believe I got a very good deal.
Bigfoots and most FG trailers are in demand so it's generally a sellers market.
I have owned a few trailers as well as a Toyota motor home and have never turned on the hot water heater. To me it's just dead weight and taking up room. I guess people who suffer taking a shower in a phone booth sized stall might need them. We use a black solar heater for washing up and just boil a kettle for dishes.

[Glenn Baglo]

I don't need a hot water heater either.
Mine is a cold water heater and is used daily when camping.

[Evergreengirl]

It could be that at some time the hot water heater went belly up and whoever owned it at the time decided not to replace it. Hopefully the spot where it goes is still there and you could install a new one if you wanted to. I believe an on demand hot water heater would have to be installed on the outside of the trailer (but I'm not sure about that). A few people here have made that mod. My husband and I argue about the necessity of a hot water heater. I love it. He wonders why can't we just heat up some water on the stove. So if the trailer looks to be in otherwise good condition I don't think the lack of a hot water heater need be a deal breaker.

Oh, and of course people will want to know what you plan to use as a tow vehicle. 17' Bigfoots are heavier than some other FG trailers of comparable size. Ours weighs in around 2,800 to 3,000 lbs when loaded for a trip.

[SOCK MONKEY]

I thought of this design where there is a 5? gallon black plastic tank on the roof over the kitchen sink. It had a hose to fill it with regular tap or the trailer pump system. The output is gravity feed to the sink( or shower )
As we only camp in hot weather this should work fine. And I'm used to doing the dishes with very little water.