My New (to me) Northstar 800 pop-up

Hi there. Fairly new here. I posted an introduction here http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/15508-allow-me-to-introduce-myself/ Received a nice welcome! Will post some more there about where I live, etc., in response to a question about information about the area and etc.

This thread is going to be about my new to me Northstar (TC?) 800. I am going to try and find out the year and correct model today. It is an 8' pop-up with east/west sleeping, exterior shower, no bathroom. It was my neighbor's (Muffy Davis, Paralympian, and her husband Jeff) who got it from her Dad, a Doctor, who cared for it very well, and bought nice things to start with. Muffy and Jeff moved on to a Hideout trailer with a floor plan that she can navigate in her chair, and a lift, so she can be independent on their camping adventures. I worked out a trade with them for the Northstar, so a no brainer. I slept in it for the eclipse this year. My family tent/car camps up at the mountain lakes of Idaho primarily, to go waterskiing on the lakes, mountain biking, etc. We typically camp in the campgrounds with a bathrooms, and will want to be able to leave the camper at camp, while we use the truck to launch the boat, go biking, etc. I am not worried about the weight of the wood framing as I am not trying to 4wheel, backcountry too much. Some dirt roading is all we will need. Idaho is already pretty remote.

Below are a couple initial pictures. I hope to get a couple more of the interior, though Jeff needs to clean some stuff out that he has stored in there, and it is a bit dirty and cluttered inside.. We have the first snow on the ground, and it is time to button it up for winter.

Jeff has gone through it during his ownership, and it seems sound, doesn't leak, and everything works. It is missing a little door to the Propane, and handle to the crank for the roof vent. He replaced the lighting to LED. We will need to add one more jack, it has Rieco-Titans, and it was set up as a tripod originally. Other than that, am considering a few mods. One thing I want to do, after camping a lot with others and their campers, is set up an outdoor living space with an awning, with covered outdoor cooking, ability to have some mood lights and sound (will just use our bluetooth speaker) and seating. Kind of like an outdoor great room.

Other mods I was considering:

* Rack on top for bikes (but also thinking about just adding a hitch receiver to truck to carry bikes on front. Rear hitch will usually have the boat)

* Ladder to top

* See if I can convert the old titans to power jacks for easy one person on and off.

* Solar.

Pics!

One more pic. Will need to fix the door on the hatch to the propane. This is the side where I think I will put the awning. Would love some advice on what type, and where to mount. Since the propane is right there, it will be easy to hook up a grill and/or a couple burners that can be stowed with not in use. I talked to the Northstar service guy, and that was his suggestion, instead of pulling any lines through walls, etc.

And ok, rather than upload a whole bunch of photos, here are some interior pics and miscellaneous in a google photo album.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2us77M6zgN9yUDGH2

As I said, Jeff has some cleaning to do, but will clean up and serve nicely I think.

We did find one more significant issue to fix before I take ownership. Jeff remembered that the track for the pop up lift on the driver's side sheared its bolts and needs to be re-secured. Not sure how to do that, but Jeff has an idea and is pretty good with that stuff. He did not think about it as he did not use the camper really at all this year as he bought the trailer, and it happened in the spring or late winter.

So, will have to figure that out before full winter. No big deal, everything still works, but needs to be re-secured before anything gets tweaked.

Looks nice, happy camping

Well, got it cleaned out and vacuumed, removed the mattress, pads, etc., everything is drained and winterized, battery removed and charged, and found out I could store the camper under our lean to carport with our boat, on a dolly the prior owner built for it. Pretty stoked about that. Did not really want to store it outside, even though lots of people do. Also, in cleaning stuff out, found the old manual. It is a 1994, and they felt it would weigh 1600 with typical equipment.

Link to album with additional pics here.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2us77M6zgN9yUDGH2

I am excited about this thing. Lots of potential.

Hi,
Yours is similar to the TC800 (2000 model) I bought last month. Propane door is not a big deal and should be available at any RV service center. In a pinch a piece of plywood can be fitted as a door if vents are added. You will want to check the seal around the roof vent. Any cracking or failure in the adhesivity of the sealing material should be taken care of yesterday if possible. DO NOT use silicone caulk anywhere. Sika 715 is a self leveling sealant that works very well for this and can be applied on top of existing seal after cleaning. Also check the sealant at the corner brackets of the roof. Sika 505 is a no sag seal good for that.
To add more jacks for 4 corner support you will need extra corner support brackets. I have Happijacks on mine and they also have VERY sturdy jacks brackets and motors that can be bought online for not the usual overpriced dollars. Check Panther RV Products.

One more very critical thing; you MUST replace the propane and carbon monoxide detectors. They are most likely as old as the camper and they have a useful life of 5 to 10 years. Also add a smoke detector on the ceiling. Your life may depend on these.

Profkanz said:

Hi,
Yours is similar to the TC800 (2000 model) I bought last month. Propane door is not a big deal and should be available at any RV service center. In a pinch a piece of plywood can be fitted as a door if vents are added. You will want to check the seal around the roof vent. Any cracking or failure in the adhesivity of the sealing material should be taken care of yesterday if possible. DO NOT use silicone caulk anywhere. Sika 715 is a self leveling sealant that works very well for this and can be applied on top of existing seal after cleaning. Also check the sealant at the corner brackets of the roof. Sika 505 is a no sag seal good for that.
To add more jacks for 4 corner support you will need extra corner support brackets. I have Happijacks on mine and they also have VERY sturdy jacks brackets and motors that can be bought online for not the usual overpriced dollars. Check Panther RV Products.

Click to expand...

thanks for the tips! Just starting to thaw out in April and look ahead to camping season. Will look into your suggestions. I also am considering a simple ARB awning for the side.

Have you figured out what to do for the sheared bolts yet? If not, I would drill and extract out the old bolts, being careful not to enlarge the hole any further. That way you can buy two of the same size threaded bolts and replace with out having to fill the old ones and drill new holes. And like Profkanz suggested, be proactive on the rear roof seal. Otherwise you may have to go through what I just did with my sun-lite! Happy camping!

My post above has been edited with important info.

snwbdr94 said:

Have you figured out what to do for the sheared bolts yet? If not, I would drill and extract out the old bolts, being careful not to enlarge the hole any further. That way you can buy two of the same size threaded bolts and replace with out having to fill the old ones and drill new holes. And like Profkanz suggested, be proactive on the rear roof seal. Otherwise you may have to go through what I just did with my sun-lite! Happy camping!

Click to expand...

Yes, my neighbor, and prior owner, was able to do just that. I helped. All is good with that. We I will check out the roof seals. It is under cover now, and has been all winter.

Profkanz said:

Hi,
Yours is similar to the TC800 (2000 model) I bought last month. Propane door is not a big deal and should be available at any RV service center. In a pinch a piece of plywood can be fitted as a door if vents are added. You will want to check the seal around the roof vent. Any cracking or failure in the adhesivity of the sealing material should be taken care of yesterday if possible. DO NOT use silicone caulk anywhere. Sika 715 is a self leveling sealant that works very well for this and can be applied on top of existing seal after cleaning. Also check the sealant at the corner brackets of the roof. Sika 505 is a no sag seal good for that.
To add more jacks for 4 corner support you will need extra corner support brackets. I have Happijacks on mine and they also have VERY sturdy jacks brackets and motors that can be bought online for not the usual overpriced dollars. Check Panther RV Products.

One more very critical thing; you MUST replace the propane and carbon monoxide detectors. They are most likely as old as the camper and they have a useful life of 5 to 10 years. Also add a smoke detector on the ceiling. Your life may depend on these.

Click to expand...

Was planning on new detectors. never hear of a propane one before. Will find one.

sunvalleylaw said:

Was planning on new detectors. never hear of a propane one before. Will find one.

Click to expand...

Good to hear that the bolts got replaced! The propane detector would be considered an explosive gas detector.

Getting ready to order the camper tie down stuff. Gonna go with frame mount in the front, and start with fender bumpers in the rear. Then will be finding another Rieco Titan jack to make my jacks a set of 4 and move away from the tripod. Then will get the camper on the truck so I can try it out and figure out more improvements from there.

Thinking I will go with an ARB awning. Have tork lift tie downs coming. So, will get the battery figured out (want to perhaps replace the start/deep cycle with a better one for lights, etc. and in prep for solar) and will find one more camper jack to make it 4 and move away from the tripod set up. Then will just use it for a bit and figure out more later. Will wait to order the awning too. But that is what I think I am doing. Hoping to get it on the truck next week.

Do you have batteries in the camper currently? If so where are they located at? You'll enjoy the torklift mounts. I wish I had spent the extra cash for torklift or happijac mounts instead of the brophy.

I was looking at your album, what are the dimensions for that mattress? Looks very comfortable and big!

snwbdr94 said:

Do you have batteries in the camper currently? If so where are they located at? You'll enjoy the torklift mounts. I wish I had spent the extra cash for torklift or happijac mounts instead of the brophy.

I was looking at your album, what are the dimensions for that mattress? Looks very comfortable and big!

Click to expand...

The battery goes in a box on the rear exterior. It will fit a large car size type battery. It was recommended in this thread: http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/11556-folding-solar-recommendation/page-4 By Vic Harder and ckent323 that I figure out my power needs and go from there. I may have to expand my battery box a little. It was suggested that I try to get two golf cart batteries in so that I could store enough power, and effectively use solar. This is the direction I will head over time. I am thinking I will buy a suitcase type and not mess with building, but I have not decided for sure. See that other thread for that discussion.

The mattress is 55" x 75". In this Northstar model, from 1994, you sleep "east/west" rather than "north/south" as they come now, so whoever is farther back in has to climb over/around the person sleeping closer to the edge to get out. A minor inconvenience given the deal I got on this unit.