Community Forums

lp5151 · 01-09-2009, 07:23 PM

we just sold our TT and am looking to purchase a National Dolphin MH. we have looked at them in the past and were impressed then. but have heard that there were a few years that the quality was not up to parr. what are the good years and what is the last year they were made?

MonacoMama · 01-09-2009, 07:52 PM

lp5151...Welcome to iRV2!

You have come to the right RV forum if you want answers to your RV related questions.

With that being said...I am going to link this down to the National Owners Forum so you can get some feedback from some National RV Owners who will know best!
Again-welcome to the forum...please visit & post often.

MM

RV Wizard · 01-09-2009, 09:01 PM

lp5151, welcome to iRV2.com. We are glad to have you join us here and wish you luck in your research and possible purchase of a National Dolphin. Follow Mama's recommendation and you will get lots of good info. I am sure you will enjoy this website and we look forward to reading of your adventures and experiences.

Richard S. · 01-10-2009, 04:56 AM

lp5151,
The last full production year was 2007, some 2008 were manufactured. When I was at the factory in July 2007 the mix was 75% 07 and 25% 08 models. My 07 SeaBreeze was built Dec. of 2006 and have not had had any major problems, had a 01 SurfSide and had no problems except the plastic used on the exterior body panels and storage compartment doors were cracking. If it were me I would be looking for a late 2006 or early 2007 manufactureing date, because by Aug. 2007 the employees could see that NRV was sinking. All up National made good coaches.

tatcha n reddog · 01-10-2009, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by lp5151:
we just sold our TT and am looking to purchase a National Dolphin MH. we have looked at them in the past and were impressed then. but have heard that there were a few years that the quality was not up to parr. what are the good years and what is the last year they were made?

tatcha n reddog · 01-10-2009, 06:32 AM

Welcome to iRV2. We found this website to be very helpful when we were looking for our Dolphin. We purchased a 2008 this past summer, brand new, and have had absolutely no problems whatever with it. We are fulltimers and are delighted with our rig. We have a DL35C and our toad is a 2006 Malibu.
Good luck in your search.

two2go · 01-10-2009, 12:07 PM

We are happy overall with our '05. The problems we have had are component issues for the most part. Cheap TVs burned out. Bedroom slide mechanism has a weak gear design. The shallow gray water tank drains forever. The storage compartment doors tend to separate from the formed insulation backing.
I am not fond of the huge windshields (except the good view) or the dash layout, and the driver legroom is minimal, but these things were changed on other models. We like the rest and feel the build quality and design are right up there. Definitely the cream of the gas models IMO.

jagbuxx · 01-10-2009, 02:30 PM

We have an '06 Dolphin that we special ordered.
It was assembled during Feb '06. It now has 7500 miles on it and have had minimal problems.
I would buy another if they still were building by the time I'm ready for another.
2006 was a considerable styling update. Full body paint came along mid '05 on the LX. For '06 it was available for non LX.
2007 brought the 1 piece w/shield and improvements with the side compartment hinges being hidden. Now is the time to buy!!

Jeff H · 01-10-2009, 03:48 PM

We have the Dolphin LX 6320 (34 Ft.) on W22 chassis. We have 26K now and so far, no slide issues, tank drains work great, no compartment door issues. I think the "issues" you heard about were the outside walls/panels from Crane and were previous to April 2006.
After owning 4 other different manufacture RVs, we found this one had way more "fu-fu" and Bang for the buck.
We just finished our TV swap outs for LCDs.
We love this one!

CARVAL Motorsports · 01-11-2009, 05:22 AM

Of course ours is an older coach, but here is my take. We just returned from the Cleveland RV show this past weekend (Very Large). I came across one diesel pusher that we loved (but can't buy), as for the rest, many nice, but a lot of... yikes!? The fit and finish, layout, workmanship of our 97 still looks fantastic and compared to some new products out there, well, I am convinced that NRV had their game on for many years. I was told at the show by what apppeared to be a seasoned vet salesman that we had an era (late 90's) of some of the best NRV had ever made. Don't know if there is a shred of truth to that, but, I will choose to beleive him

Wingnut57 · 01-11-2009, 05:40 AM

Ip5151 you did the right thing by joining here. Very good Site for ALL kinds of info. Welcome & enjoy, the people here are great too!

newk72 · 01-18-2009, 06:39 AM

We have had 3 Dolphin LX's, all 36 footers, a 03,05, and 08. The 03 was a great coach with no problems. The 05 had numerous problems; bedroom slide, compartment doors, fuel fill, to name a few. The 08 is the best one yet. I think it may be the only 6367 built. It has the foward galley and mid entry which we love. I assume the 07's are equally as good. We wish you luck in your search.