RV After Cruising???

[HankOnthewater]

In previous posts, there are a some colloquial or country specific terms, like what is type A, B or C van? What is a pusher?

Like many others on the thread…. we do both: sailing and travelling in campervan. I must say the van didn’t get let off the leach much the last few years. And like some others: I also camped in a light weight tent when traveling on my motorbike.

Yes, (camper)vanning is very similar to cruising, particularly when one goes off-road and is then totally dependent on the vehicle, tools, spare parts and driver’s capabilities: driving, repairing, navigation and….. luck with the tyres. We have a 4WD go-anywhere camper. Our camper seldom over-nighted in a paid park, and in Australia there is plenty of room to camp anywhere (although some places are being frowned upon). In New Zealand the facilities are even better if one has a self-contained campervan. Many hundreds of places close to the beach, river foreshore and some of the best scenic places are free. See here: http://camping_nz.rankers.co.nz/filters/campgrounds. We used this map and list of campgrounds/places, marvelous. NZ is very do-able by campervan, Oz….. a bit big to do all of it, unless one has a year or two.
But before we get too old, we like to spend 18-24 months on a (canal)boat, to travel the canals and rivers in Europe.
Eh, what about a plane?

Advantage of a van is that one can do that for a few more years, after sailing becomes too difficult physically.

[Scaramanga F25]

I did all that was mentioned above. Narrow boating in England and Wales too, but best of all was a Penichette in the European canal system.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by HankOnthewater

In previous posts, there are a some colloquial or country specific terms, like what is type A, B or C van? What is a pusher?

They are standard industry terms for different types of motorhomes. I believe they are used internationally in the industry:
- Type A: Is a chassis where the entire house is built by the RV manufacturer. (with the exception of some bus chassis which are still considered Type A)
- Type B: Utilizes a standard van body with minimal exterior modification by the RV manufacturer. (camper vans would fall in this category).
- Type C: Utilizes a chassis with a van (sometimes pickup) front cab with the rest of the house built by the RV manufacturer
- Pusher: This is a diesel pusher motorhome. A subset of Type A. It's typically a motorcoach (tour bus style) with the diesel motor mounted at the rear. Generally the most expensive type of RV.

Tow-able RV's have a few categories:
- Tent camper/Pop Up: This is essentially a tent on a trailer that can collapse down to a small 3-4ft high trailer for towing.
- Travel Trailer: In Europe they would be called a caravan. Sometimes called a bumper pull (though rarely actually attached to the bumper for anything but the smallest). This is towed using a ball on the tow vehicle and a socket that drops over and locks onto the ball.
- Fifth Wheel (5er): This uses a semi-tractor style hitch mounted over the rear axle of a pickup truck (some larger one utilize commercial flatbed trucks customized for the purpose).
- Tear Drop: A very small bumper pull that is shaped like a tear drop from the side. Generally lacking the amenities of the other types...no standing headroom or bathroom. It may or may not have a built in kitchen but usually you have to stand outside to utilize it.

Then finally you have truck campers. These are units that slide into a pickup truck bed (though again, you may see them on a large flatbed.

Each has pros and cons depending on what you are looking to do. For example: Currently we have a 5th wheel. It tows much better than a bumper pull and provides large and commodious accommodations. But when we do the PanAmerican Highway, we will probably switch to a truck camper which will be less spacious but better suited to poor roads and tight spaces.

[DD788Snipe]

I guess we're doing the opposite. We sold the Motorhome in Feb. We've had motorhomes of the past 25 years. I guess we got road weary. I owned half of the 42' Californian LRC Trawler for 9 years and sold my half about a year ago. Didn't think I miss it but did so when the Admiral said lets sell the pusher and buy another boat I jumped at it. So now we're in the process of purchasing a 87 42' Royal Star Sundeck from a friend of ours and that will be our home away from home. So instead of spending our summers on the Oregon coast we'll be in Chula Vista starting this summer. Looking forward to the being back on the water.
Don't get me wrong, it was hard to watch the KStar drive off without us in it but it's time for new adventures. Camping has just recently become very expensive with fuel increases and with so many people starting to get into that lifestyle the campgrounds are also raising their rates so it was time.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Thanks A64, but to be clear, I have no intention of abandoning the cruising life for the RV life. My interest is to see if it makes sense to combine the two. We already cruise roughly 1/2 the year, and then do other things for the other 5 months.

We spent one recent winter motorcycling and camping around Canada and the USA (five provinces and 17 states). I guess this is what opened my eyes to the possibility of RV living. We found many places where it was possible to stay for free, or for a small (~$5-$10/day) price. Some of these were on the water (Oregon coast, Gulf Coast), but of course all these locations were off-grid; boon docking.

The ICW still beckons, although there are challenges to us small-budget Canadians (mainly healthcare). But I do think we will head down that way once we’re done with Newfoundland and the Canadian Maritimes.

Mike,
I don’t know Dick about the ditch but you are right to be concerned about getting sick or hurt in the USA as the cost of care down there is insane. I had a motorcycle accident in the USA and was in the hospital for 19 hours before my wife flew down and got me on my way back home. All surgery was done in Canada all I had was tests in the USA. My bill was $49,000 for that 19 hours.
My advice would be to carry on down past Florida to the NW Caribbean where the living is easy, cruising is great and costs are low. I don’t bother with health insurance down there because it’s cheaper to just write a cheque. Hell for 49 large I could probably buy the whole hospital. R

[camaraderie]

When we quit cruising after 6 years...we were ready to see the land side of the country and we really love our RV (short Class A gas motorhome) and spend around 1/3 of the year traveling around the country and exploring places we've never been. We are NOT campers which make up a large subset of RV owners. We are roaming with our home and we plug in somewhere every nite. We carry 150cc Vespas instead of dragging a car and we love tooling around new places and the national parks on those. There is nothing to approximate the cruising community in the RV world but rallies can be fun ways to meet folks & have some fun. Battery and head systems & DC electricity have a lot in common with cruising boats so making the maintenance transition isn't too difficult.
The best part is not having to worry about the anchor dragging or taking the dinghy 1/2 mile to do the laundry. And I can smile and reflect on that while stuck in traffic!
So...there is incredible wonderfulness to see in our country and north of the border too...and we are so glad we are doing it while able to. Everyone will find their own sweet spot in the many RV lifestyle niches... but there's more to see and do without a water view!

[seaamigo]

When our kids were young, we already had a cruising sailboat bur when I proposed we go cruising she said she liked terra firma and the more firma the less terra! But later when the kids were grown we did go cruising to Mexico and still do. We also have a motor coach which we have cruised the US and Canada as well as Mexico and Beliz.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Mike,
I don’t know Dick about the ditch but you are right to be concerned about getting sick or hurt in the USA as the cost of care down there is insane. I had a motorcycle accident in the USA and was in the hospital for 19 hours before my wife flew down and got me on my way back home. All surgery was done in Canada all I had was tests in the USA. My bill was $49,000 for that 19 hours.
My advice would be to carry on down past Florida to the NW Caribbean where the living is easy, cruising is great and costs are low. I don’t bother with health insurance down there because it’s cheaper to just write a cheque. Hell for 49 large I could probably buy the whole hospital. R

Sounds like good advice Robert. We may just bypass the whole USA thing if/when we head south. But I’m in no rush. Still much to explore up north here.

[HankOnthewater]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

They are standard industry terms for different types of motorhomes. I believe they are used internationally in the industry:
- Type A: Is a chassis where the entire house is built by the RV manufacturer. (with the exception of some bus chassis which are still considered Type A)
- Type B: Utilizes a standard van body with minimal exterior modification by the RV manufacturer. (camper vans would fall in this category).
- Type C: Utilizes a chassis with a van (sometimes pickup) front cab with the rest of the house built by the RV manufacturer
- Pusher: This is a diesel pusher motorhome. A subset of Type A. It's typically a motorcoach (tour bus style) with the diesel motor mounted at the rear. Generally the most expensive type of RV.

Tow-able RV's have a few categories:
- Tent camper/Pop Up: This is essentially a tent on a trailer that can collapse down to a small 3-4ft high trailer for towing.
- Travel Trailer: In Europe they would be called a caravan. Sometimes called a bumper pull (though rarely actually attached to the bumper for anything but the smallest). This is towed using a ball on the tow vehicle and a socket that drops over and locks onto the ball.
- Fifth Wheel (5er): This uses a semi-tractor style hitch mounted over the rear axle of a pickup truck (some larger one utilize commercial flatbed trucks customized for the purpose).
- Tear Drop: A very small bumper pull that is shaped like a tear drop from the side. Generally lacking the amenities of the other types...no standing headroom or bathroom. It may or may not have a built in kitchen but usually you have to stand outside to utilize it.

Then finally you have truck campers. These are units that slide into a pickup truck bed (though again, you may see them on a large flatbed.

Each has pros and cons depending on what you are looking to do. For example: Currently we have a 5th wheel. It tows much better than a bumper pull and provides large and commodious accommodations. But when we do the PanAmerican Highway, we will probably switch to a truck camper which will be less spacious but better suited to poor roads and tight spaces.

Thank you for all that, and yes, most of it is new info for me.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

We may just bypass the whole USA thing if/when we head south.

that's a long off shore trip

But here's the thing, would you prefer to get hurt in the USA where there's lots of doctors and health care, or would you prefer to get hurt on some back island in the Bahamas and wait for the doctor to show next Thursday?

But what does this have to do with moving onto a RV anyway?

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

that's a long off shore trip

But here's the thing, would you prefer to get hurt in the USA where there's lots of doctors and health care, or would you prefer to get hurt on some back island in the Bahamas and wait for the doctor to show next Thursday?

But what does this have to do with moving onto a RV anyway?

Hmmm, so you don't go anywhere in case you get hurt? rather limiting I think, a shackle I certainly don't want.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by daletournier

Hmmm, so you don't go anywhere in case you get hurt? rather limiting I think, a shackle I certainly don't want.

what??????????????????? you must have me confused with someone else

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

that's a long off shore trip

But here's the thing, would you prefer to get hurt in the USA where there's lots of doctors and health care, or would you prefer to get hurt on some back island in the Bahamas and wait for the doctor to show next Thursday?

But what does this have to do with moving onto a RV anyway?

Actually, it is very directly relevant — even more so than for cruising. IF we move into RV life for part of the year we pretty much have to go to the USA. So thanks for asking — yes, it is directly relevant.

And aren’t you the one who has managed to find a way to get your health insurance for a pittance? I assume this means healthcare costs are relevant to you as well.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

what??????????????????? you must have me confused with someone else

My point was, you don't decide on where to go based on where you'd prefer to get hurt.

Also, this has been discussed before but there is some very good medical care in countries poor than the States. My Canadian mate is getting teeth implants here in Brazil while here due to the great value and quality.

Anyway we digress, my fault.

[sailorboy1]

well a thread I started is over for me

people must need more coffee in the morning to not be in bad mood before reading a post on going off in so direction not intended