Be Prepared for Perfection
Marrying advanced technology and old-world craftsmanship, Marathon creates cabinetry second to none. Every cut, corner and curve has a reason and a story. With 150 years of combined experience in cabinet design among the eight people on the cabinet design team and 19 people in the cabinetry department spanning 17-30 years of experience each, it’s no wonder that Marathon cabinet construction and installation has become functional art.
“It’s a really involved process,” explained Mike Wilson, cabinet builder with Marathon for 29 years. “They look really simple when they’re done, but getting there’s not easy. We do everything we can to ensure the quality’s as good as it can be. Quality is what we’re all about.”
Our engineers and craftspeople have a true knack for creating cabinets that look simple but are designed for flawless performance day in and day out. At Marathon, we know that good design makes our daily lives easier and our luxury motorhomes better. As you reach for your wine glass, your shoes or your secret stash of chocolate, our goal is to ensure that ease of use and longevity of the beauty and functionality of your cabinets are as great in year 20 as in year one.
“The people here aren’t just construction professionals, they’re craftspeople,” said Divisions Production Manager Mike Perotti. “We’re not about speed at Marathon, we’re about quality first. We really do build the quality into the coach. Most everything has a variance of a 32nd of an inch. That’s tight!”
We work together on every project, thinking through each room and cabinet, corner by corner without exception. With a track record as the industry leader, Marathon led the way with curved cabinetry back in 1990. Industry exclusives including such things as a swiveling snack tray on the driver console that reveals hidden storage below, a hinged dinette back that exposes hidden storage behind, an air-powered pocket shower door, a commode cover that acts as a vanity stool, a bunks-to-wardrobe system that converts at the touch of a button, the headerless pocket door and
a rear water closet that can be converted into a hanging clothes closet as necessary, continues to solidify Marathon’s place as industry leader.
Modern materials usher you through the threshold to where beauty meets function in the case of a concealed refrigerator with no visible door pulls, plus a “hidden appliance kitchen” including dish drawer dishwasher, microwave and refrigerator concealed from sight with cabinet matching panels.
“Every cabinet door will be side-by-side and the grain will literally match,” said Perotti. “Then the craftsperson will find the pattern, and go back and forth until each little grain matches perfectly. In the coaches, we do grain match in vertical or horizontal. Sometimes it’s just a little drawer and we have to go through a whole four-by-eight sheet and go all the way around to find that exact match to expose perfectly aligned grain. This creates a seamless flow throughout the coach.”
Of course Marathon is driven by more than mere design, it’s driven by quality. Completely sufficient, yet undeniably graceful, Marathon stocks an extensive supply of cabinet hardware to use in all its varied installations so the optimum hardware can be used for each cabinet design. For instance, it stocks more than a dozen different door catches to ensure each door has the appropriate catch rather than indulging in a one-size-fits-all approach. Serviceability of components is also a priority in cabinet design. When applicable and possible, “toolless” fasteners are used on cabinet access panels for easy access by customers and service technicians to get to components for routine maintenance, trouble shooting or repair. Magnets, hook and loop (Velcro), snap fasteners, friction catches, hinged panels, etc. are all used. The faster that components can be accessed, and the faster a coach can go through our service departments for routine maintenance and repair, the sooner we can get our clients back to their lives of adventure.
Whether you consider your Marathon your private five-star hotel, your rolling beach cottage or your full-time home, it’s a place where you strive to live your best days, be inspired, collaborate with the world at large, explore and share life’s adventures. We don’t take that lightly. That’s why our team is all about the details.
1995: Marathon began designing all the cabinetry in 2D AutoCAD
2005: Marathon purchased its first Computer Numeric Code (CNC) router and began cutting approximately 20 percent of all cabinet parts with the router
2006: Marathon began the transition from 2D AutoCAD to 3D solid modeling software (Autodesk Inventor)
2008: Approximately 50 percent of all cabinet parts were being cut on the CNC router
2010: All cabinetry has been designed in the Inventor 3D solid modeling software *Marathon maintains a digital record of the cabinet drawings so they can be reproduced at any time for any reason (replacement, repair or remodel requests)
Truly Customizable
A true custom cabinet shop, Marathon has completed dozens of coaches over the years where each cabinet in the coach has been individually fashioned. Here are just a few of the noteworthy cabinet and component designs that have been done:
a. Convertible coach: The galley and bathroom cabinetry sections were built on slides. The coach could convert to a private rear lounge by moving the two sofas in front of each section, sliding the galley and bath sections forward and placing the sofas to the rear to create the rear lounge. Even the pocket door moved with the two sections so the rear lounge could be private.
b. Business to relaxation: A double sofa with conference table in between that converted to a large bed at the push of a button
c. Created for entertainment: A Murphy bed that flipped up to view a 50” TV on the underside
d. Time to study: A convertible “bunk-to-desk” assembly
e. Doggie door: A trap door in the bottom of a wardrobe to let a dog outside without opening the front entry door
f. Extra bedroom: A trap door in the floor of the salon to let a child go down to their “basement” bedroom that had a mattress and television
g. For the birds: Custom bird cage
h. Dog haven: Custom dog kennel, as well as custom dog beds and custom feeding and water bowls
i. Out of sight: A cat litter box concealed in the bed pedestal
j. Coach secrets: Multiple hidden storage compartments to hide firearms, liquor, etc.
k. Guest friendly: Bunk pods that stowed up against the ceiling while traveling – a lever pull released them from the ceiling, dropped on a scissor mechanism to access when the coach was parked
l. Inviting and warm: A “see through” fireplace positioned between the bedroom and the bathroom so it could be seen from both sides
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