We don’t even know what all we don’t know

[Patti Brown]

Had to chuckle when I read the title of this post. DH and I were so very CLUELESS when we bought our first RV. Had not yet discovered this wonderful forum that has saved us many times since.

First few times we went to a local RV park for a weekend just to learn things. Profoundly grateful for the folks around us who showed us the ropes and gave very helpful advice when we could not figure something out.

To the OP I second the wonderful advice already given and add that we all started as beginners. Part of the fun of the journey is the "remember when" stories of your early mis-steps you will have to share. They will lighten your hearts and encourage other newbies who haven't a clue. And so it goes...

[Wundertaker]

Originally Posted by Wundertaker

Cmon guys....cool it on the BALONEY....it's hard enough starting out as a newbie without weeding through these untruths

Hope all you smart butts are happy! There's a time and place for our joking and this thread was neither. Someone new submitted a sincere request as even some of us have when we were new and whammo.

I'm embarrassed and my apologies to the Original Poster.

[ravenclaw]

Hi! OP here! Nobody scared me away, lol. Life just got in the way and I haven’t had a chance to get back on until now.
So guess who just bought her first RV today????? Meet “The Surly Mermaid”! (Backstory: that was going to be our boat’s name but then we liked her original name. So we decided that our land yacht was a mermaid at heart but was upset that she’s stuck on land. Hey, I have two young daughters. Don’t knock it, lol.)
It was in just about perfect condition. Passed the inspection with flying colors. Just a few minor things but will need new tires here soon though. Thankfully, we were able to work out a deal and budgeted for upgrades/repairs so that’s not a problem. We’re so excited!!!! A good thing is that they’re about 10 minutes away from where our boat is docked and where there’s a nice campground, and that’s about 45 mins away from our house. So we have a few “4 day weekends” coming up to test it out. Sail all day and then NOT have to sleep crammed in the v-berth. Ah, bliss. And close enough to home if things go wrong, lol. *knock on wood* I’ve already started reading the manual, and the guy spent about 4 hours today going over everything and showing us how everything worked. I haven’t taken a turn driving it yet, but hoping that we might be able to use our connections to use the fire dept’s driver’s training course to practice. If not, there’s enough empty parking lots and back roads to take her down.

[ravenclaw]

I couldn’t attach a pic to the previous post. The app kept crashing.

[olcarguy]

Welcome to the forum, nice looking rig you have. Enjoy the experience, and don't forget to change the mufler bearings. Not.

[Hit_the_Rhod]

I was going to mention a biggie, but you already did. RV tires time out before they wear out, so your tires are probably 10 or 11 years old. Most manufacturers state no more than 7 years and Michelin states no more than 10 years max. But you probably already know that.

Welcome to the forum, and get out there and enjoy your new toy.

Many of the same systems on our land yacht as we had on our 36 Grand Banks. You probably know more than than you THINK you know!

[ThePowells]

Originally Posted by ravenclaw

I couldn’t attach a pic to the previous post. The app kept crashing.

And last of all GREAT FIND!!

Now, go have a blast. It won't be nearly as hard as you probably think to drive.

[Aegon]

Congratulation! She looks great.

Have a great time with her.

[BOOZE TRAVEL]

As one who has been a boater for many years these are the differences that I found the hard way.
The coach batteries run everything except the engine. If they are not on you have no stereo (drove 2 hrs with no music and got to campsite turned on house switch, on comes stereo).
Generator starts off of house batteries (couldn't start generator, checked everything, later go to RV and wife has gen running for A/C, then I figured out I didn't have house switch on when I was trying)
Ran house batteries down at home working on rv for a few days without plugging in, got to site and couldn't set jacks, extend slides or start generator to recharge house batteries. Turns out emergency start switch only connects house bank to chassis bank, not all together and gen starts off of house bank. Someone on this forum later told me how to manually connect chassis to house to get gen started. On boats the emergency start ties all batteries together to get at least 1 thing started. In the coach they try to makes sure you can always start the engine but not the generator.
Just like my first big boat. Drive slow at first. Take your time docking. Make sure all is clear around before taking off. We both do a walk around outside and inside before we move the coach and something always hits the floor on the first corner (shampoo bottle, unlatched drawer inside cabinet, toilet brush falls over, etc)!
We have had a lot of fun so far though! Good luck and safe travels.

[dezolen]

Originally Posted by Arch Hoagland

Go rent an RV for two weeks. You'll learn a lot from the experience.

It's like learning to ride a bike. You can study it to death but until you actually get on one you can't learn anything of value.

Only trouble with renting is it could turn people off due to the lowest of the low end coaches which are the norm for rentals.
Had friends who did just that and they complained of rough ride and noise. Having an empty coach with just the basics will seem much rougher riding etc.

[tommar]

I'm actually jealous! Your coach does look to be a real find. Especially if it's diesel. You have not mentioned what it is other than it is a Bounder. If diesel, you will also have a diesel generator which means little concerns about carbon monoxide and gummed up carbeurator. Your dog will be fine if you need to leave for a few hours while boondocking. Run the genny and crank the air. We did a lot of boondocking on our trip to MI last summer. Mostly, we stopped at Walmarts, a truck stop, and attended rest stops. In Texas, we've stopped at roadside picknik areas. Zero cost other than running generator. Please post your particulars... gas, diesel, chassis (spartan, frieghtliner, etc. BTW, I'm an ex sailor. Had some crossover issues, for example, 120v vs 12v issues. Let us know exactly what you bought!

[Quincy]

Originally Posted by JT Oregon

Research is key to learning as much as you can.

We already have downloaded as many manufacturers manuals as we can find on our coach coming in May, watched videos, and we come her for supplemental information, and learn from others the gotcha's and errors to avoid. This site and these folks here are perhaps the most valuable resource you'll find. When we ordered our coach, we knew (with one exception - the brochure did not spell out dinette differences very well) exactly what we wanted.

We did a test drive on a unit like ours a few weeks ago. When I fired it up, we heard a series of loud clicks or thunks. My wife, alarmed, asked what that was? Even the salesman had a concerned look on his face!!

I smiled and looked at them both and simply said, "oh that's the auto-locking bay doors that lock when you start the engine. This coach has that feature installed, as does ours when we get it."

If you do enough research, you'll know as much, or more, than your salesman in most cases.

I agree with you 100% but I would bet allot of us just dont do much research until we are in trouble then go on our forum and post a question. I know that method has served me for a long time

The one hard fast rule is "no leaks!!!" Check the ceiling and corners for water damage, any discoloration of the wallboard or ceiling panels. Also the floor for soft spots.