UFO Lands in Louisville.

Workhorse UFO™ — the chassis that is creating a
brand new category of Class A motor homes — will
touch down in several manufacturer booths at the
RVIA show in Louisville this year. The platform's
exclusive combination of features includes:
Gas or diesel rear engine, giving RVers a
Universal Fuel Option.

True flat floor, providing Universal Floorplan Options.
Same floorplans fit perfectly on gas or diesel platform
with the Universal Footprint Option.
Optimal ride and handling.

Experience-enhancing amenities for ultimate
performance, enjoyment and bragging rights.
Reviews from the industry media, consumers and dealers have been astounding:

"…the Next Big Thing in the motorhome industry." –MotorHome magazine
"…may well reinvent the Class A chassis business…" –RVBusiness magazine
"This is an ideal coach…I want one!" –Ron Seyfried, Jimthorpe, Pa.
"(The UFO) is going to impress a lot of customers." –Carl Fretz, Fretz Enterprises

Visit the Workhorse Custom Chassis Forum to find out for yourself about this revolutionary chassis. and ask your manufacturer if they're building on the Workhorse UFO™ or visit Workhorse.com for more information.

MIDDLEBURY, Ind. October 10, 2006 — The Captiva Ultra Lite™ by Coachmen RV is a travel trailer that makes everyone in the campground sit up and take notice. Its bold graphics and aerodynamic design shout out that this RV is designed for adventure.

"This is an ultra lite that gives you enormous space and many residential features," said Kevin McMahon, Coachmen's Capri and Captiva product and sales manager. "We designed Captiva so that many of today's SUVs and light-duty pickup trucks can easily tow it without giving up the benefits of storage and living space."

Captiva's laminated Alumicage ™ construction utilizes aircraft-grade tubular aluminum framing on all six sides — the roof, floor, sidewalls and end walls — for strength and light weight. All openings for doors, windows, storage and appliances also are framed in aluminum for additional quality construction. Even the bunk beds have aluminum framing, allowing them to take weights up to 220 pounds. The slick exterior fiberglass skin adds the finishing touch.

Coachmen kept a keen eye on details during construction. A triple seal is used on each slideroom to maximize leak protection, and each Captiva is rain booth tested to make sure there are no leaks before it leaves the factory. All electronic and LP appliances are also rigorously tested to ensure they are in top working order.

"We listened to our customers and dealers before we completely redesigned Captiva for 2007," said McMahon. "We created each of the eight floorplans — four completely new in 2007 — to be functional, innovative and user friendly designs." An example of functional design is positioning the water heater to the off-door side of every Captiva. Traditionally on the door side, the water heater emits heat into the patio area. By relocating to the off-door side, the patio stays cooler, making it more comfortable to use. Another thoughtful, family-friendly feature is locating the bunk beds to the off-door side. Owners can now sit outside and chat during the evening without disturbing the children's sleep.

An illuminated stepwell provides for safe entering and exiting at night, and the patio light has an amber lens, which won't attract bugs in the evening. Another nice touch — a front mounted hitch light illuminates the front of the Captiva, making it easier to hitch up your vehicle or check LP bottles after nightfall. Hooking up the optional exterior stainless steel grill is easy with the standard quick connect LP hookup.

The underbelly of Captiva is fully enclosed for smoother towing and protection from the elements. As an added standard feature, all holding tanks are heated making the trailer a multi-season camper.

"We designed Captiva to have residential appeal with details such as ample counter space and plenty of storage," said McMahon. "The seamless countertops have a designer look and are easy to keep clean." Contributing to the spacious feel, Captiva also boasts a 78-inch interior height, compared with 76 inches for many competitors.

Captiva offers three designer decors — Cove Springs, Canyon Redrock and Catalina Coast — a color scheme for every taste. The thermofoiled cabinetry has a durable, scratch resistant surface that is easy to clean. The interior comes standard in Summit Maple cabinetry, light maple linoleum flooring and maple accents. Optional is the Camp White cabinetry, which yields a modern look with dark oak linoleum and cherry accents. Coachmen is unique in offering two cabinet selections for a trailer in this class.

Storage is a theme for Coachmen with its Captiva. For 2007, all of the shirt closets in the bedrooms were converted into full-length wardrobes. Select models with 81- by 51-inch U-shaped dinette booths have storage bays with large side access doors on the booths. Even the plumbing and wiring is designed to be out of the way for maximum cabinet storage. All models feature a galley pantry for additional storage. Rather than traditional drawers, Captiva has pull out tubs. This convenient feature allows the owner to take the tubs into his house, fill it with supplies and return it to the trailer. These tubs are easily cleaned with a simple rinsing.


"Several models have an optional bedroom lounge where the master bed converts to a sofa during the day," said McMahon. "We also introduced one of the first two-bedroom ultra lites with our Model 270 RS." The mats used on the kid-friendly bunk beds are wet proof. If one of the kids has an accident with a soft drink, the liquid beads for easy clean up.

Captiva Ultra Lite is big on space, yet its light weight makes it easy to tow with most of today's SUVs and light-duty trucks.

The manufacturer's suggested retail price for Captiva ranges from $17,500 to $24,700.

Coachmen Industries, Inc., through its prominent industry subsidiaries, is one of America’s leading manufacturers of recreational vehicles, systems-built homes and commercial buildings. The Company’s well-known RV brand names include COACHMEN, GEORGIE BOY™, SPORTSCOACH and VIKING. Coachmen’s ALL AMERICAN HOMES® subsidiary is one of the nation’s largest producers of systems-built homes, and also a major builder of multi-family residential and commercial structures with its ALL AMERICAN BUILDING SYSTEMS™ products. Coachmen Industries, Inc. is a publicly held company with stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker COA.

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which are inherently uncertain. Actual results may differ materially from that projected or suggested due to certain risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the potential fluctuations in the Company’s operating results, the availability for floorplan financing for the Company’s recreational vehicle dealers and corresponding availability of cash to Company, rapidly increasing costs of product components and raw materials that may not be able to be passed through to buyers, uncertainties and timing with respect to sales resulting from recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast, uncertainties regarding the impact on sales of the disclosed restructuring steps in both the recreational vehicle and housing and building segments, the ability to sell and close the operations for sale as described, the accuracy of the estimates of the costs to remedy the disclosed recreational vehicle warranty issues, the availability and the price of gasoline, price volatility of raw materials used in production, the Company’s dependence on chassis and other suppliers, interest rates, the availability and cost of real estate for residential housing, the ability of the Housing and Building segment to perform in new market segments where it has limited experience, adverse weather conditions affecting home deliveries, competition, government regulations, legislation governing the relationships of the Company with its recreational vehicle dealers, consolidation of distribution channels in the recreational vehicle industry, consumer confidence, uncertainties of matters in litigation, further developments in the war on terrorism and related international crises, oil supplies, and other risks identified in the Company’s SEC filings.

MIDDLEBURY, Ind. — All new for 2007 is Coachmen Recreational Vehicle Company's Chaparral Lite™, a lightweight fifth wheel that is ideal for younger and first time buyers, as well as the more experienced RVer. Coachmen aggressively designed Chaparral Lite to give owners spacious living in a small package, all at a competitive price. The first feature to notice about the Chaparral Lite fifth wheel is its generous living space yet light weight. With three floorplans at, or under, 30 feet in length, the Chaparral Lite boasts a base weight well under 7,000 pounds. Many of today's half-ton pickups can tow this fifth wheel, making the drive to that favorite vacation spot extremely easy and affordable. Chaparral Lite’s MSRP starts at $27,500. Whether at the campground with the kids or tailgating before the big game, the Chaparral Lite fifth wheel draws attention. An industry-first digitized graphics package includes photo quality graphics for outstanding curb appeal. Dark-tinted safety glass windows are a great complement to the exterior appeal. The radius fiberglass wrapped front profile yields an aerodynamic and sleek look. With the huge unobstructed exterior storage there is no problem packing all the gear needed for fun times. The trailer's underbelly is fully enclosed and heated, making it ideal for multi-season camping. Inside, you’ll find the most luxurious appointments for a fifth wheel at this price. Swivel rocker chairs from Flexsteel® (on select models) and a plush residential style sofa add to the comfort of the living area. For increased sleeping space, a hide-a-bed sofa is an option. There is even an optional skylight in the living area to enhance the natural light inside the coach. Chaparral Lite also features a custom entertainment center with leaded glass doors, a plant ledge up top, plenty of storage space and a home theater system with CD/DVD player. Complete the package with an optional LCD television. In the galley area, seamless designer countertops are the perfect complement to the residential style cabinetry design and oil rubbed bronze hardware. Other residential amenities include cathedral cabinet doors throughout the coach, spice racks, a designer faucet and a large double bowl sink. A large eight-cubic-foot refrigerator is optional. Legacy Glazed Birch cabinetry is standard with Spicy Oak available as an option. Fabric patterns include Royal Blossom, Quarry Sand or Shimmering Bronze. Three lightweight superslide floorplans currently make up the Chaparral Lite fifth wheel line. The Chaparral Lite bunkhouse floorplan sleeps eight and the rear lounge and rear entertainment center floorplans sleep six. Coachmen's Chaparral Lite gives new meaning to the phrase "big living in a small package." It's all done at a price the family can afford.

Couple transitions from

weekend RVing to full-time

 

W

e experience our monthly weekend campouts with the Georgetown Rigs-A-Mortis RV Club as special treats, but for Elgin residents Dale and Paulette Olson, being in their RV is an everyday experience. For them, home is where the rubber meets the road, and on any given day the wheels may be turning.

referrelative="t">After several years as weekend campers, the Olson’s decided to go “full-timing.” First they traded in their “Class C,” an RV built on a truck chassis, for a “Class A” Newmar Mountain Aire, the ulti­mate in motor home elegance. They carved two acres off their property and built a 40’x75’ RV garage for the motor home with storage for a few “must-keep” possessions.

            Natives of Minnesota, the Olson’s moved to Central Texas in the early 1980s. In 1992, Mr. Olson officially retired from IBM, but went to work for Dell for another eight years. By 2000, there was no going back; the couple’s daughters were firmly rooted in Texas and their grandchil­dren, native-born Texans. Summer RV trips to Minnesota open up vistas to explore, but Texas will always be home, they said.

As the next step toward full timing, they moved into the motor home to test the lifestyle. They spent monthly weekends with Rigs-A-Mortis and joined Texas Boomers for additional gatherings, plus impromptu trips on their own. Between outings, they lived in the motor home on the property in Elgin. After several months, they found that full timing suited them both, so the Olson’s sold their home and the remaining 14 acres.

Reaching the point of no return, they opted for a 2006 road trip to a rally in Sevierville, Tennessee. They joined via IRV2.com, an Internet Web page where RV owners from all over the United States find others with like interests. For the summer rally they joined friends from previous Texas Boomers events. The Olson’s had never visited the Smoky Mountains National Park or the resort area of Tennessee near Gatlinburg, gateway to the park. The rally would be an interesting side trip, sort of the long way around to check in with family Minnesota.

The Olson’s summer a venture began July 14 when they moved their 37-foot motor home out of the garage and headed for Interstate 35. For the first social event, they joined two other rigs at the Little Czech Bakery in West for breakfast. From there, the rigs caravanned to Little Rock, Arkansas, where they joined five more rigs from Texas and continued the journey to Sevierville.

Rigs from all over the United States had registered for the rally on the IRV2.com Web page. Each paid a flat fee to cover stops along the way and seven days at the destina­tion. The package included catered meals, plus the hallmark of RV camping, one large potluck with every rig furnishing a dish. Additional offerings included a breakfast, an ice cream social and a raffle.

“Boomers are an eating club with an RV disorder,” said Ms. Olson.

Wherever RVs gather, rig upgrades domi­nate the conversation, so vendors offer sem­inars with the latest information. Mr. Olson attended the rally expecting to offer some services. Using portable scales for weighing his own rig, he offered other rig owners the opportunity to determine corner weights to adjust tire pressures.

“It is important to know how much weight each wheel carries in order to prop­erly inflate tires for each axle,” Mr. Olson said. “Improper air pressure can cause blowouts, and properly distributing weight also reduces tire wear and gives a better ride.”

He also helped other RV owners upgrade spark plug wires; install heavy-duty wires and re-gap spark plugs. Our RV club knows Dale Olson as our “computer guru.” A man of many talents, he travels with his laptop and a supply of CDs with updating patches for all Microsoft operating systems.

Planned activities at the rally left plenty of time for touring in the “toad,” the little car “towed” by the motor home. The Olson’s cruised the mountain roads in the park, confirming that the scenery from the

Blue Ridge Parkway

is indeed blue and that the Smoky Mountains hide behind a haze that looks like smoke but isn’t.

Our Rigs group knows Paulette Olson as the “dessert queen,” a recipe collector who furnishes fan­tastic desserts for our potluck din­ners. Besides networking to swap recipes, she also keeps an eye out for arts and crafts that she and her daughters can duplicate. She found Cades Cove a treasure trove.

“No place better to look for ideas than in the tourist shops along the route to the Smoky Mountains,” she said.

Public transportation now makes travel through the resort area easi­er, more comfortable and less expensive. The City of Gatlinburg runs trolleys that link tourist accommodations with Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and major tourist attractions like Dollywood, as well as locations in the national park.

 

Couple averaged 7 miles per gallon

 

From Tennessee, the Olson’s went to Rochester, Minnesota, for the cooler climate and family visiting, before returning to Texas on August 13. In all, they traveled 3,300 miles, averaging seven miles to the gallon with prices between $2.59 and $319.

I talked to them soon after they returned from the big summer adventure, and just before they left for a Labor Day Texas Boomers rally in Burleson. We visited again in La Grange on the September Rigs cam-pout. Their next outing will be the Texas Renaissance Festival at Plantersville. They will be staying at Heavens, Landing RV Park in Conroe. In January they leave for Quartzsite, Arizona, and they have their names on a list at IRV2.com for a 2007 rally in Branson, Missouri. They consider themselves “semi-full-timers,” but it looks like full timing to me.

 

Joan T. Hollier

Paulette and Dale Olson with their motor home, their home at home as well as away from home.

 

    To join the monthly campout as a guest of Rigs-A -Mortis, a Georgetown Good Sam Club, e-mail rvclub@cox.net To join an area Good Sam club, call 915-38&0433 or e-mail mick@thegateway. net