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New Member
Long time lurker here that has gained a ton of knowledge from this site over the years.
I have been camping my whole life. Boy Scouts, fishing/hunting trips, rock crawling, and just for the heck of it. Me and my Wifes 1st camper was a 2000 Sun Lite pop up truck camper that we thoroughly enjoyed. We outgrew it once our son started getting older.
Our 1st motorhome was a 2005 Gulfstream BT Cruiser 5250 purchased in 2014 . After 6 years we were outgrowing it and decided to find something a little larger. We weren't sure what we wanted so stayed in just looking mode for a while.
My inlaws had a 1998 National Dolphin 5330 that they had purchased used, travelled in it a couple of times and parked it due to health reasons. My wife mentioned taking a look at the Dolphin but it was big, old and had been sitting a while (under a barn). I was not thrilled with the prospect.
One day, a couple of years ago, I got curious and started poking around and noticed that the Dolphin was in pretty good condition. It obviously needed cleaning but it appeared to be solid. I had done some reading on the National products and they were reportedly good quality units. I put a jump box on the starting battery and the v10 fired right up, check. I plugged in the shore power and started going through all the systems and appliances. To my surprise everything worked (some with a little fiddling), check. I took it out on the road for a short shakedown and it drove and stopped fine (even with the dated and dry rotted tires) The generator cranked and ran (after cleaning the carburetor) but had no output.
After crawling in, around and under the coach I discovered the previous owner(s) had installed air bags on the rear axle, Davis TruTrac in front, Banks intake/exhaust/and transmission module. All the bones were there.
In late 2020 we sold the BT Cruiser and took on the Dolphin. I put a set of new tires all around and changed all the fluids, my wife started inside cleaning/upgrading and I began on the mechanical side chasing/checking all the gremlins throughout.
Items repaired/replaced:
New tires (Toyo)
Dropped fuel tank and replaced fuel pump
Cleaned generator carb and replaced board
Cleaned and repaired Fantastic vent and bathroom exhaust fan
Replaced slide motor
Removed exterior decals (holy cow)
Swapped out gold cabinet hardware with bronze
New kitchen faucet
New queen mattress
New gas assist shocks on all storage doors
New LED TV
Replaced 1 AC cover
New microwave
Adjustments on everything that needed adjusting
New track bar bushings (huge difference)
To do:
Figure out why the right jack button doesn't work on the leveling system
Paint/decals or wrap exterior
Replace other ac cover
Replace awning fabric and slide topper
Upgrade to LED bulbs/fixtures
Install waterproof luxury vinyl flooring
Whatever else pops up
We have camped in the Dolphin 5-6 times(used it this past weekend) and really enjoy the space. All of our camping is primarily done a within a few hrs of home, but I would not be afraid to take it most anywhere. We have a nice motorhome (and getting nicer) that fills our needs for a fraction of what a newer one would cost. Looking forward to the continued use of this site and hope I can contribute in some way.
Thanks,
Robert
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