Starcraft RV started when Teddy Roosevelt was president in 1903, the same year Ford and Harley Davidson were founded. Back then, the company was called Star Tank Co. and manufactured metal farm equipment and steel boats. It started building campers in 1964 and became Starcraft Corp. in 1966.
Lloyd Bontrager, who founded Jayco in 1968, ran operations at Starcraft until 1967. While there, he invented the first lifter system for fold-down camping trailers, which facilitated their opening and closing. In 1991, Jayco purchased Starcraft’s RV division, which continues to offer lightweight and full-size travel trailers and fifth wheels.
