2018 Dutchmen Kodiak Cub 175BH

[tuffr2]

A quick google search shows a 2000 watt generator produces 16.6 amps. Starting an A/C unit takes a lot more amperage to start then to run. Actually I am amazed are the power needed to start most appliances / ac units. Use Google to see what I mean.

But in a nut shell, yes you should be able to run the A/C on a 2000 watt generator.

FYI - Yamaha makes a 2400 watt generator which is more like 20 amps. But that generator is a bit heavy but it is nice and quiet.

On my generator I really wish I had remote start. Do not underestimate that advantage of remote start. No going outside in the dark or in the rain to start the genny. No bug bites at night either. I hate at night hearing a mosquito buzz past my ear.

[kodiakcub]

Originally Posted by jdbt

I'm about to pull the trigger on a 2019 Kodiak Cub 175BH, and have a few questions for you if you don't mind!!
- Would you still buy this unit if you had to do it again?
- What is your biggest disappointment with the 175BH
- Have you had any warranty issues? And if so, how were they handled?
- Will the RV run on a 2000watt generator?

I appreciate your post as it has a lot more info than I've been able to find elsewhere!

Hi! I can give you an honest update. With more than 25 nights in our Kodiak Cub 175BH and more then 10,000km this summer both park camping and boondocking:


Would I still buy this unit again? - Yes! This was the best equipped trailer with the most options, storage and decor in this floor plan.


What is my biggest disappointment? My roof leaking this past week - somewhere along the roofline where the fiberglass front meets the rubber roof. There is no visible damage and i looked closely at the seams - I can't see where the water is coming in. It has caused damage to my cabinets across the queen bed, it has warped the wall panels and caused some trim to fall off. We literally just arrived home, so I will be following up with Dutchman this coming week to see about getting it repaired. I did contact the dealer I purchased it from and was directed to the Dutchman customer service 1-800#.



The other frustrating thing to note and i read above somewhere that someone else has experienced this, is that with the humidity in the trailer, most of the trim pieces have bowed and in some cases popped off. It is a result of not enough staples to hold them in place. This was easily fixed with some wood glue and a brad nailer, but still an inconvenience.


The last thing to note, that I was aware of when purchasing but convinced myself it would be manageable was the small size of the black water holding tank. 4 people and 2 days of morning use, or overnight use (rather than the trek to the public washrooms or outhouses) will fill the tank faster than you think.


Generator question: I have 2 generators that I use for other tasks, but I do take them camping. I have the Honda 2000i (Brand New) inverter generator. This will run everything in the RV - including the A/C - however it doesn't sound happy when the A/C is on. It struggles. This would be with the eco-mode off and running at full speed. If you aren't running the A/C then the eu2000i will make you very happy. Sips fuel. Ultra quiet. All good. Just a quick side note... I did have a Champion 2000w inverter generator that would NOT run the A/C. It would overload the generator. I also have a Honda eu3000is inverter generator. This will power everything including the A/C with eco-mode on and doesn't struggle. It barely raises the RPM of the generator when the A/C compressor kicks in. I haven't tried the microwave and the A/C together, but the A/C and toaster don't have any problems.


Other than the leak that has just occurred, I am very happy with the RV. I do plan to make the top bunk a full size bunk this winter (it currently flips up, but I will permanently mount it to the 4 walls to give extra weight capacity - currently listed for 150lbs).


I learned for my towing set up (F-150 screw 4x4 2.7l) filling the fresh water tank 1/3 full before leaving will help leveling the trailer and drastically increases my fuel mileage .


I will post back when I can share my leak repair experience - or answer any other questions!



Good luck!

[corum999]

Originally Posted by kodiakcub

What is my biggest disappointment? My roof leaking this past week - somewhere along the roofline where the fiberglass front meets the rubber roof. There is no visible damage and i looked closely at the seams - I can't see where the water is coming in. It has caused damage to my cabinets across the queen bed, it has warped the wall panels and caused some trim to fall off.

I suppose I should check that spot for any issues also! Can you post a picture of where you are seeing the leak or damage to the cabinets?

Originally Posted by kodiakcub

Generator question: I have 2 generators that I use for other tasks, but I do take them camping. I have the Honda 2000i (Brand New) inverter generator. This will run everything in the RV - including the A/C - however it doesn't sound happy when the A/C is on. It struggles. This would be with the eco-mode off and running at full speed. If you aren't running the A/C then the eu2000i will make you very happy. Sips fuel. Ultra quiet. All good. Just a quick side note... I did have a Champion 2000w inverter generator that would NOT run the A/C. It would overload the generator. I also have a Honda eu3000is inverter generator. This will power everything including the A/C with eco-mode on and doesn't struggle. It barely raises the RPM of the generator when the A/C compressor kicks in. I haven't tried the microwave and the A/C together, but the A/C and toaster don't have any problems.

A generator is on my wishlist and its great to read about your experience with those models. I have seen some favorable reviews of the Westinghouse iGen2500 Generator. My impression is that it would perform somewhere between the Honda 2000i and eu3000is, and can be found for less than $600.

Originally Posted by kodiakcub

I learned for my towing set up (F-150 screw 4x4 2.7l) filling the fresh water tank 1/3 full before leaving will help leveling the trailer and drastically increases my fuel mileage

That is very intersting. Why do you think it is improving your MPG?

We have taken a few short camping trips (2 hours away) and a long 2 week trip (2000 miles). Highway MPG seemed to all be aboout the same.
2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4 3.6 V6
- without trailer 23MPG highway
- with trailer 11 - 14 MPG highway depending my speed and headwind dragging on the huge sail I am pulling

[kodiakcub]

Originally Posted by corum999

I suppose I should check that spot for any issues also! Can you post a picture of where you are seeing the leak or damage to the cabinets?




A generator is on my wishlist and its great to read about your experience with those models. I have seen some favorable reviews of the Westinghouse iGen2500 Generator. My impression is that it would perform somewhere between the Honda 2000i and eu3000is, and can be found for less than $600.




That is very intersting. Why do you think it is improving your MPG?

We have taken a few short camping trips (2 hours away) and a long 2 week trip (2000 miles). Highway MPG seemed to all be aboout the same.
2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4 3.6 V6
- without trailer 23MPG highway
- with trailer 11 - 14 MPG highway depending my speed and headwind dragging on the huge sail I am pulling

I will try and take some pictures of the damage. If you were facing the queen bed standing in the kitchen, the left corner of the mattress was soaked. Also about 2 ft to the left of the wardrobe the mattress was wet. The water was pooled in the top left overhead cabinet (over the bed). There was a good 1/2" of water in there.


As for the fuel mileage... i think the added weight helps balance the load of the trailer. With it being a single axle it doesn't take much to increase / decrease your tongue weight based on what and where you carry gear inside the RV.



I'm in Ontario Canada so my calculations are in Litres per 100km -
Truck loaded with no trailer 10L/100km highway (23.5MPG)

With trailer and no water in the fresh water tank 34L/100km (6.9MPG)

With trailer and 1/3 fresh water 26L/100km (9 MPG)

[kodiakcub]

Hopefully these pics show up. Water was coming in between the 2 pieces of wallboard. The wallboard has swollen and now popped the trim. This was leaking down into the mattress.

I can't get a good picture of the cabinets as it's too dark and such a small space.

[jdbt]

Thank you both so much for your information on the kodiak cub 175bh! We pulled the trigger on it today. We pick it up on our way to Montana this week!

We negotiated our pricing on a 2018 model, and then it was unfortunately sold by another salesperson, and we lost it. They decided to give us the 2019 for the same price.

Here are a few pictures of our unit!






I hope to be active on here, and will be doing some upgrades and add ons for sure.

Thanks for all the tips and info.

Good luck with your water leak :( keep us posted!

[corum999]

Originally Posted by jdbt

Thank you both so much for your information on the kodiak cub 175bh! We pulled the trigger on it today. We pick it up on our way to Montana this week!

Congrats! I bet you will love it.

[jdbt]

Originally Posted by corum999

Congrats! I bet you will love it.

First trip in the books!!! It was awesome! We love it so much. I can't wait to start upgrading it and making it our own.

[LittleHouse]

Hi we also have a water leak in our new mini lite. Waiting to hear when we can take it to the dealer for fixing. We have added more sealant but that hasn’t fixed the leak. No pooled water but ripples in the wallpaper. I guess it can happen to any model. Gas mileage sucked on our last trip, but we were bucking a wind. 25l/100k. F150 v8.

[seaninnj]

Wow what a terrific post with the good and not so good! Now the Kodiak Cub 175BH is on my shortlist of rigs to consider for our first RV. It looks like a good pairing for my FJ Cruiser.

I’m wondering how it compares to the Passport express 175 BH?

[corum999]

Originally Posted by seaninnj

Wow what a terrific post with the good and not so good! Now the Kodiak Cub 175BH is on my shortlist of rigs to consider for our first RV. It looks like a good pairing for my FJ Cruiser.

I’m wondering how it compares to the Passport express 175 BH?

We have very happy with the Kodiak Cub 175BH. It is really similar to the Passport express 175BH (ours was made at the same Keystone factory I believe). Some differences that we saw were:

• Kodiak has the larger lower bunk. The passport adds extra space between the tub and toilet.
  
• Kodiak had an extra cabinet where the passport puts the TV above the sink.
  
• We liked the smaller fridge, bigger counter top layout of the original style Kodiak. The newer Kodiaks now have the same layout as the Passport with the larger fridge and big sink that takes up all of the counter space.
  
• Kodiak has cabinets above the bed.
  
• Kodiak has drawers under the bench seats.

Quick note on tow vehicles - the tongue weight they list for these trailers is usually when empty. Once you load it with stuff, batteries, propane, fresh water, etc. the trailer weight increases, along with the tongue weight. We have been around 4500 lbs loaded up for a trip. If you target 10-15% of that on the tongue you end up between 450-675 lbs tongue weight. Just something to keep in mind.

Good luck, we definitely recommend the Kodiak

[corum999]

Originally Posted by jdbt

First trip in the books!!! It was awesome! We love it so much. I can't wait to start upgrading it and making it our own.

That's a nice looking combo!

My 2 favorite upgrades so far are the Furrion Observation Camera and a Barker Power Jack.

[SurfColorado]

We just purchased a 2019 Kodak Cub 175BH.

We have two batteries and plan on camping remotely a lot without hookups. How long are you guys getting the batteries only to last boondocking?

We also plan on getting solar and would be interested in what people have or recommend.

[Persistent]

Originally Posted by SurfColorado

We just purchased a 2019 Kodak Cub 175BH.

We have two batteries and plan on camping remotely a lot without hookups. How long are you guys getting the batteries only to last boondocking?

We also plan on getting solar and would be interested in what people have or recommend.

I have two 100 amp/hr Interstate AGM batteries. Two of us camp dry for 5 days in the summer and still have reserve capacity. Usually the gray tank fills before the batteries run out.

In late fall and early spring in Wisconsin we use the furnace. We have camped dry for 3 days and left with ample reserve.

Note: My experience with the 2018 Kodiak Cub rear dinette is totally different from the good experiences posted above. Perhaps the manufacturer has made quality improvements since mine was built.

Even so, unless you have made major improvements to yours, I would not try to use your plumbing when the temperature drops below freezing. Advertising promises about "All seasons" are false concerning the enclosed and heated underbelly.

Things fall off the walls inside. Things fall off the outside. Keystone answers the support line. They refuse to offer help and advice on repairs during warranty and after. They referred me to a dealer in Indiana as a source for parts I could not find locally.

The frame and wall structures seem to be of the best construction. Everything is still solid in that respect after a year of towing local around Wisconsin and cross country to Texas and back. The list of things that fell off on the trip to Texas is long. It is mostly just annoying stuff.


Modifying the underbelly to prevent plumbing freeze cost about $2300 the dealer paid for and 6 months of my time plus materials. Also, if you are not using an "oversize" tow vehicle, you may want to get a tongue weight gage. They only cost about $130 on Amazon. My Kodiak came in at 900 pound loaded for camping. That was not good for my Pathfinder.