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Topic: The day has come, LD has closed (Read 11665 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #51 –
 "The day has come, LD has closed"

This is so sad.  I had emailed Todd very recently about planning to have some work done on my LD and asked him how far in advance I would need to schedule an appointment.  He replied four to six weeks.  I just went on the Lazy Daze web site and it is still there.

Monica
2017 LD
Monica
2017 MB
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #52 –
I feel bad for the future generations that they won’t be able to get and enjoy one. We have absolutely loved ours and feel the build quality and thought that goes into them is head and shoulders above that of other RVs. I hope that Todd and others form a new company and make something similar. Best,

Sasha
2005 Mid Bath
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #53 –
Wow.  I'm gutted by this news.  I hope everybody in Montclair lands on their feet. 

In 2017, after meticulously researching what our young family's RV purchase, we discovered Lazy Daze was just down the road a piece.  We popped in, met Todd, sat in the floor model, kicked the tires.  At that point my wife and I just knew this was the one for us.  It's been treating us well ever since with trips up and down the coast, even into Mexico.  I plan to stay active on this board and build upon this wonderful knowledge base.
2017 Mid Bath
-- Tireman valve extenders;
-- Progressive Industries 30a EMS protector;
-- Hellwig front and rear anti-sway bars;
-- Dual canister water filter.
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #54 –
I'm sad that I never got to experience the time capsule that is a visit to the factory in person.  It was always on my 'to do' list. I'm hoping if they come back as a repair facility they don't update too much of the front office.
Hi, I'm Jo!
My little red wagon is a 1997 23.5 TK
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #55 –
Quote from: squeakytiki  - 
I'm sad that I never got to experience the time capsule that is a visit to the factory in person.  It was always on my 'to do' list. I'm hoping if they come back as a repair facility they don't update too much of the front office.

I think I only made it to the factory three times, the first time around 1999 or 2000. I don’t think it changed at all on any subsequent trips so, assuming they stay open for repairs, you probably don’t need to worry about that!  😉


Greg & Victoria
2017 Mid-Bath  “Nocona” towing a manual 2015 Forester
Previously a 1985 TK
SKP #61264
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #57 –
There has been many late model LD for sale past couple days if anyone interested.  Never saw that before.  Looks like some are getting out while the getting is good.  Hopefully they will not regret it later.

Ron
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #58 –
I did not check onto this site for a couple of days. I was really shocked by this sad news. Words just cannot reflect my feelings.  There is no more "mothership". I hope we as a group can and will stick together as we as owners need even more help from each other on these well built quality motorhomes. They are part of our lives.
2004 Mid Bath,
2007 Jeep Liberty Towed
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #59 –
"A business without an answering machine in 2022, gotta love them!"

 :D  Yes, it's a very exclusive club! Reminds me of my Brother, owner/operator of a framing shop. Customers galore but they were unable to leave a message. It's unknown how much business he lost over the years but his work was in high demand and he was always busy, just like Lazy Daze.
Steve S.
Lazy Bones & Cedar
2004 30'IB (Island Bed)
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery
Live for the day!
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #60 –
A Note From RonB  as the moderator.  These two threads were about the same topic, so I have merged them into one. It looks like the system has interleaved the messages by time, so some of the comments and answers may not appear to be related correctly.  A sad time in the history of Lazy Daze.  Ron
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #61 –
Incredibly sad news, been reading the thread this last couple of days and just crazy how the community is taking it as so am I.

I do wonder if we should start to publish out the owners manuals somewhere since in the past the mother ship asked to not do so since they sell them. But without them I hope the next owners that need them won't be left stranded.
1995 23.5 Rear Lounge
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #62 –
Quote from: majortom  - 
Incredibly sad news, been reading the thread this last couple of days and just crazy how the community is taking it as so am I.

I do wonder if we should start to publish out the owners manuals somewhere since in the past the mother ship asked to not do so since they sell them. But without them I hope the next owners that need them won't be left stranded.

That's a great idea/question!!
2013 31' Silver Twin Bed
Semi-retired 6/21....
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #63 –
Hi Folks,
It may be a good idea to take a deep breath for a moment. Todd has stated that he will remain in contact with LD owners and support and direct owner needs as they are needed.

Moving away from the Lazy Daze ethics is not a direction that I prefer to make. LD manuals are protected by copyright and  as such remain the property of Lazy Daze Motorhome Company. Moving away from the perspective of LD copyright protection has never been the direction the LDOF group has ever endorsed and it is certainly not what the Mothership encourages. Until they say otherwise, I will respect the decision they have made in the past.

So for myself, I will do what I can as a Lazy Daze owner to provide as much support and details as is practical. Snippets of LD Manual data is fine as far as I know. But wholesale copyright infringement is unacceptable in my view.

Many here understand how LD has protected its copyrighted material and out of respect for one of the finest Class C manufacturers who have always given their all to original owners and second or third owners one may want to continue this long honored tradition.

Lazy Daze has only now opened up to us about the recent closing. I’ll respect them for that and not pick their bones and cast them to the wind.

Respectfully, Kent
2015 27' RB "MissB.Haven"
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #64 –
I agree Kent, we should hear about Todd’s transition plan first, he may have that covered, or would give us the green light on copies of Manuals if need be.
Dave

2017 TK
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #65 –
Agree Kent. 

Let's give the people who have had their work lives affected some time to collect their thoughts and think about what comes next before declaring LD to be gone forever.

I can see lots of possible outcomes, and all of them would be better for current LD owners than if everything just closes.  All would take time to sort out.

Rich
2003 MB
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #66 –
"LD manuals are protected by copyright and  as such remain the property of Lazy Daze Motorhome Company."

I agree. And I agree with waiting to see what Todd comes up with.

That said, I don't see anything wrong with asking permission to publish the manuals from whoever legally owns the copyrights. Whoever that is (probably Steve), they may be amenable, now that it presumably no longer matters to Lazy Daze. It'll probably be a while before the company's legal affairs are settled, and Steve is undoubtedly all wrapped up in that at the moment, but this is something to keep in mind. It can't hurt to ask.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #67 –
Over my short life, I have watched many iconic companies disappear.   TWA, Pan Am, Kmart, Montgomery Ward, and Sears, just to name a few.  Out of the ashes, something better will come I'm sure.  
I can assure you I have no regrets about buying and owning an LD.   We, Lizbeth and I, will continue to drive the wheels off of Baxter.  I have plans to leave a worn-out RV to my children and grandchildren.  <smile> let them figure out what to do with it .....

glen
personal fine art photo stuff
TF Mack | Flickr
It's all good .......
2014 Twin King
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #68 –
As a new owner of a LD 26.6 MB this is disappointing - AND - this group is so deep and broad and so willing to share - it's gonna be ALL RIGHT!
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #69 –
Lazy Daze Caravan Club  (From the Caravan Club Facebook page) (Thank you Mindispower for copying that message to here.)

Good Morning Lazy Daze Fam! I want to thank everyone for their patience while we’ve been sorting fact from fiction!
1) Yes, the Factory (aka Mother Ship) is closed. There is currently no plan to sell the company or re-open any time soon; if ever.
2) Todd will make himself available within the next few weeks (after a much deserved vacation) for anyone needing to purchase parts. Todd has agreed to remain our contact for parts and will be putting together a list of repair shops that will be able to service your Lazy Daze.
3) Todd’s phone number 909-627-0941 is not currently active but will be soon, so hang onto his number as previously posted. Also, he will be available via email after he returns from vacation. ldrvtodd@yahoo.com or ldrvtodd@gmail.com
4) The Lazy Daze Caravan Club will not be affected by the closure of the LD Factory. We will continue to have 9 Caravans a year and will maintain ownership of our Facebook group pages.
5) There will be no unauthorized sales of Lazy Daze hats, t-shirts, cups, decals, etc. The LDCC owns the rights to their own LLC and I am in the process of negotiation regarding producing additional items on behalf of the Club. No one else will be considered or given permission for such sales and will be dealt with in court if violations occur.
6) I have been in touch with the Admins and or Moderators of the Lazy Daze Owners Forum and the various Lazy Daze group pages and they have been updated. Please do not repeat or repost false information. Todd and I are available for questions and clarification.
7) Josh aka Josh Siever or AJ Josh Siever is not a representative of Lazy Daze or friends with any family member or official representative of the Mothership. He is just another Facebook page owner. His opinions on the matter are just that, his opinions.  Please ask Todd or myself if you have any questions or concerns regarding your LD. We are here to assist you!
I will continue to update the groups as the information is made available. Thanks for for patience and understanding and see you at next LDCC outing!
 ( edited by RonB)                                                                 Christine Nordstrom, Caravan Club Wagon Master.
LD 22', 1989 Custom Build. Chassis 1990 Chevy Van G30, 5.7l.
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #70 –
Those who wish to confirm this with the Caravan Club will need to be Facebook members.  RonB
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #71 –
I was going to try to get on the list but a little late now!
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #73 –
Wow, that is something!  We too figured it might play out this way.

We never got to buy a new one, but thanks to Ed and Carol Daniels, we bought their used 2000 MB in 2008 and made the swap at the Mother Ship when they picked up the first of their two new ones.  We took a one-way return trip across country to see if we liked RVing (drumroll, we did ;-), and then we got moved overseas for my work for the next 8 years.  So ThistleDewToo never really hit the road until 2017.

Currently, we are on our Alaska or Bust! 2022 Adventure, and I'm here to report that ThistleDewToo survived the occasionally smooth, but very often rattletrap bumpy Dempster Hwy and Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Hwy and got me out for a dip in the Arctic Ocean and a beautiful no-set sunset while camping on the "beach" (photo taken at 1:00 AM).  What a ride!  Sleeping across the Yukon River tonight, and driving the Top of the World Hwy tomorrow into Chicken or Tok, AK (we'll see how far we get).

I'm with so many of you in my belief that the repair and improvement brains are right here with this collective group, and I thank you all for indulging my questions whenever something comes up.  And a special shout out to the moderators for their civility and expertise, and for a great group of folks that never get snippy or even need to be moderated these days.  And a special place in my heart for Andy Baird who was moderator when we took the plunge.  Andy, we always give full credit when we show off the pantry cabinet you built and we copied ;-)

Sad about the passing of an industry "David" (vs all the Goliaths), arguably the creators of the first Class C motorhome, but so happy to be part of this family, and to see where this all goes in the future. 

We too wish Steve Newton all the best, as well as to Vince, Todd, Vicki, and the workers who built and repaired each LD!
Steven & Carol Crisp -- 2000 26.5' Blue Mid-Bath named Thistle Dew Too
Our RV Motto:  "No place to be ... and all day to get there"
2024 Adventure: The Great Eclipse Escapade!  HI(Air),NV,AZ,NM,Mason,TX(Totality!) ...
Re: The day has come, LD has closed
Reply #74 –
All things must pass.

This has me reminiscing a bit. In 2003 we were planning for our retirement, which we hoped would include RV travel. We went to the giant Pleasanton RV show in northern California and spent an entire day there. In the end we walked back out to our VW camper, sat down inside and I said, "There's nothing there for us," though we had decided we liked the Class C approach best.

At home I got on what then amounted to the Web and searched for "best Class C motorhome." Up popped Lazy Daze and the precursor to this group. The next weekend we were on the road to the LD factory, where we met the Newtons, Steve and Ed. And of course saw the factory itself. My father at one point taught wood shop in my high school so I immediately felt at home. Sawdust and glue. We'd found what we were looking for.

We've had many visits since, to check in on the construction of our motorhome and then, over the years, any time we were in or near SoCal. It's always been like visiting family. Sometimes there was a purpose, like some service work, often it was nothing but a visit, saying hi, sitting in a floor model, reassuring ourselves that LD was still there. Sometimes we'd encounter indifference or crankiness, other times we'd end up having a long chat, occasionally with Steve, my favorite kind of person, not unlike my gruff but genuine father.

When we ordered our motorhome it was right on the cusp of flat screen television. I didn't want the old CRT that LD then included but was wary of asking for something else. But I did. I was careful to admit I was asking a big favor, made it clear I was happy to pay for the extra work and that I wanted the benefit of whatever solution Steve might come up with. He growled a bit but agreed to give it a shot. Months later when we picked up the motorhome and Steve learned we were there he was anxious to greet us and show us what he'd come up with. It was clear he'd gone to great lengths to figure out a solution and was proud of what they'd done. And to this day we benefit from that help. So beneath the gruffness a good soul, focused on work, not a bunch of happy talk.

Then of course Ed Newton. I'll never forget on one of those early visits standing in the showroom with him, going over the list of options I'd decided to order. As we went down the list Ed made an argument against almost every one of them. When does a "dealership" do that? We ordered most of them anyway, but over time I've come to understand that Ed was largely right. Stuff that sounds appealing when you're in the thrall of initial enthusiasm often later subsides into superfluousness.

I'm actually glad things are ending this way. For us personally we've managed over the past few years to get our LD prepared for the next half of its life with great help from the factory. Roof resealed, end caps resealed and, just this past spring, all four large windows replaced, since some were starting to fog and also to verify no water intrusion so far.

But most of all I'm happy not to watch the takeover of LD by some hotshot new ownership intent on remaking it into a "modern" company with modern methods of building motorhomes. The methods that had us once meeting friends at Pismo Beach to see their new SOB, only to be told that their TV had fallen off the wall on their maiden voyage to camp. It would be sort of like watching you're recently widowed mother start an affair with some charlatan interested in her money more than her, hoping things would turn out well for her but knowing they wouldn't.

My guess is that the LD land will be sold, the factory scraped and condos will rise in its place. And I will still pass by there occasionally and think of what used to go on there: something clearly unique and irreplaceable that will always be treasured by those of us who benefited from that.
Terry
2003 26.5'RB
Gardnerville, NV