Community Forums

johnsong3 · 03-17-2011, 08:40 PM

Howdy,

I remember the last time I was in a motorhome with my father. We hadn't gotten 5 miles when it broke down. The wrecker came and hauled it to the shop and I swore I would never own a motorhome. Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree because here I am looking to get a motorhome.

My wife and I are both teachers and we have decided to go ahead and get some ownership experience under our belt before retiring. We are looking for that special one that we think we can't live without. We will take our time until the right one comes along. We can retire at any time but plan on teaching for a couple of more years.

We have spent the last 15 years boating. Presently we own a 43' twin diesel trawler which we are in the process of selling. When we aren't cruising the East Coast I spend time working on it. When we look at motor homes we are both amazed at the similarity of the systems boats share with motorhomes. We are looking forward to buying a motorhome a little newer than the trawler.

We have always enjoyed listening to the voices of experience. We have been hunting the Web for a site such as this. The members remind us of another group we belong to - the MTOA (Marine Trader Owners Association). One of the basic premises of MTOA is to help each other as we pass our experience on. Well I think we have found the land based equivalent of MTOA.

We look forward to listening for now and hopefully have something to offer one day in the future.

Glenn and Karen Johnson
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

seabee13 · 03-17-2011, 08:58 PM

Welcome, I know you'll enjoy Life's next adventure RVing. As you look around at different Class A RV's take a good look at Newmar we have owned three other manufactures RV's and our Newmar Dutch Star is a quality built unit with great factory support. Best Wishes in your new adventure.

Seabee

**NLOVNIT** · 03-17-2011, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnsong3

... When we look at motor homes we are both amazed at the similarity of the systems boats share with motorhomes.

Yep, both money pits, but OH so much fun.

Enjoy reading the posts & gathering info. When your're ready to buy your motorhome, we'll be here ready to answer any questions.

Lori-

JMonroe · 03-18-2011, 12:23 PM

Welcome aboard, johnsong3! (Am I right in guessing the name of your boat is something similar?) I, for one, would be interested to see photos of your boat. It's the same length as my motor home! Don't see many of that size here in the Midwest.

I think you'd be a perfect candidate for a diesel pusher (DP), because of your experience with the boat engines. They're used for the heavier rigs for the same reason they were used in your boat. Long term durability and reliability. As you've already figured out, there won't be much mystery in the house sytems for you either. The plumbing, holding tanks, pumps, etc are going to be almost identical to what you're used to. Same with the LP system for cooking and heating (all electric is becoming increasingly popular in some higher end coaches these days). Not sure what kind of power generating system you may have had, but I'm guessing that was similar too. They're also easier to steer and 'dock' (my twin jet was a handful when trying to dock in a cross wind), although you probably didn't have many low hanging tree limbs to be concerned with when piloting the boat.

Don't hesitate to jump in with either questions, or contributions. You're right on the money in your assesment of the good nature of most on this forum.

Happy trails...

jackrobinryan · 03-18-2011, 01:39 PM

Welcome from another former boat owner. 7MPG is looking pretty good to me right now.

The last long day running my 39' SeaRay, I burned almost $1,000 in gas. Would take me a bit longer and get me quite a bit farther by RV.

If you can handle a trawler, an RV will be a snap.

Safe Travels

DutchStar38 · 03-18-2011, 01:54 PM

Welcome, SOLD our 34ft Silverton last year. Now we can concentrate our traveling with the RV we have. And yes, I would suggest Newmar. I would suggest doing what we did and that is rent different units (Gas & Diesel), so that you can gain personal experience of each type and floorplan. This will aid you significantly in choosing what fits your needs and lifestyle. Between this and the information on this site you should be able to pick your perfect unit. Good Luck and Happy Motoring

Dacotah · 03-18-2011, 02:14 PM

Glen and Karen, welcome to irv2!! We also live in Florida and have a motor home and a 42' diesel boat (which is up for sale). We have had boats and motor homes since the 1970's, but went without a motor home for the last 17 years. We moved to Florida about 15 years ago and kept buying bigger boats until we bought our present one. Yes, we have had many great trips to the islands and around Florida, but the dockage, maintanance, and cost of running a boat is much higher than a motor home. Our 10 day trip to the Abaco islands last summer covered 550 miles and cost us about $4000.00 in fuel, dockage, fees and food. Thats why we bought the motor home, a 38' diesel pusher, 2001. The brand does not matter as much as the chassis and motor, and you will get lots of advise on all of it. This site is as good as your boat site for figuring it all out. Will you keep the boat? In our case it would be to much maintainance with both. Have fun with your search. DACOTAH (yes,

that's the name of our boat)

Dixieray53 · 03-18-2011, 02:48 PM

"The brand does not matter as much as the chassis and motor, and you will get lots of advise on all of it. This site is as good as your boat site for figuring it all out."

Welcome

Also your floorplan should be up there on the list. You need to see and feel yourself weeks, maybe months at a time in your MH, so you need to be comfortable...Good Luck with your search...Peace. D