BoatBanter.com - Spring is coming ...

On 3/18/14, 7:20 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 3/18/2014 6:25 PM, Poco Loco wrote:
On Tue, 18 Mar 2014 18:04:04 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 3/18/2014 5:40 PM, Poco Loco wrote:
On Tue, 18 Mar 2014 17:03:16 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 3/18/2014 3:25 PM, Poco Loco wrote:
On Tue, 18 Mar 2014 15:18:37 -0400, H*a*r*r*o*l*d
wrote:

On 3/18/2014 1:36 PM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Tue, 18 Mar 2014 13:15:14 -0400, H*a*r*r*o*l*d

wrote:

On 3/18/2014 12:55 AM, wrote:
On Mon, 17 Mar 2014 21:49:28 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Mon, 17 Mar 2014 17:21:20 -0500, Boating All Out
wrote:

If I had the money to spend I'd design a light trawler
capable of 15
mpg.

===

There's no such animal. Even small sailboats do not get
that kind of
fuel economy under most conditions.

I get around 8-9 MPG at hull speed in my boat.

I get around 8 or 9 mpg in my yacht.

===

How long do your tires last?

Don't know. They look new.

I'm going to have to bite the bullet and spend the bucks for some
tires for the Silverado. About
settled on Michelin LTX MS/2. WalMart's got 'em for $216, plus $12
mounting/balancing/etc. That's
$28/tire less than Costco - which also charges $15/tire for
mounting/balancing.

You need tires already? How many miles do you have on that beast?
My truck just turned 22,000 miles. Had it since 2008. Tires are
still
like new, pretty much. I think they'll rot before they wear.

It's got 57,001 miles on it right now - most of those pulling that
trailer. These tires are probably
good for another 4-5K, but if we decide to take that trailer out to
Yellowstone, which is in our
thoughts, I wouldn't try it with this set.

We tried the RV thing for a while. Just never got into it. The first
TV and major trip was in a 36 or 37 foot Pace Arrow Class A motorhome.
JiminFl should remember that one well. I bought it brand new and we
were on our way to Florida, climbing some hills on Rt 84 in Virginia
somewhere.

All of a sudden I felt and heard an explosion but everything seemed
fine. I stopped for gas and was checking to see what the noise came
from. Discovered I must have caught a rock or something between the
tires on one rear side. (It had duals on the back). Whatever I hit
ripped a hole in the side wall of the inner tire and it was flat. It
was in a pretty remote area with nothing but hills and farms around.
Finally found a truck repair place and pulled in. Nice people but they
had to special order a new tire so we camped in their parking lot for
the night while they sent a guy to who knew where to pick up the tire.

That was the first of several bad experiences with that piece of junk.
Lost the brakes on it and had to be towed with a giant tow truck.
I also discovered that the rubber fuel line for the generator was
chaffing against a frame section that had been cut with a torch by the
manufacturer of the RV and left rough and ragged. (They cut the frame
to add an extension).

Got rid of it fast.

We kicked around buying a Class A for a couple months. I liked the
idea of having a pickup and not
having to tow a 'toad' for running around. We've been very happy with
the Open Range fifth-wheel.
Some friends traded in 5'er for a Winnebago Journey when we got our
trailer. They're not happy, plus
they spent about three times what we did - and we've got the truck
*and* the trailer. I'm still
thankful your wife wanted to keep the one you had on the Sprinter
chassis. Don't remember which one
it was. This 33'er is just the right size - and roomy enough to handle
another couple as well.

Lets see if I can remember all the RV "attempts" we had:

First was a Fleetwood Bounder Class A. Brought it back to dealer after
about 2-3 weeks. There was something seriously wrong with the front end
on it. One of their mechanics test drove it and agreed. They offered to
return all the $$ we paid. Instead, we paid more and went for the Pace
Arrow Class A. I had remembered the name as being a quality rig from
years past but didn't realize the name had been purchased by Fleetwood.
It was a cheap Fleetwood with the "Pace Arrow" logo on it.

I can't blame the flat tire on Fleetwood, but I *can* blame the side
panels that started flapping in the breeze due to being held on with
sheet rock screws screwed into wood strips that were glued to the frame.
Then the brake line that let go. Then finding the generator gas line
chaffing against the roughly cut frame. So, got rid of it before it
fell apart or exploded. Had if for about a year, max.

Next was a Chinook Glacier. That was a nice rig and quality built. By
this time I was losing interest in the RV scene but Mrs.E. wanted one to
go to horse competitions. She wasn't comfortable driving the Chinook
(too big she said) so we got the Sprinter. I liked the Sprinter, but
we very rarely used it.

Meanwhile, my daughter and her family were into camping and convinced my
wife and I plus my son and his wife/family to get trailers. So, we
bought a 37' Raptor toy hauler fifth wheel, a Ford 350 diesel to pull it
with and I set up the rear section to haul two motorcycles. That didn't
last long. The rear section became a kennel for my wife's three Westies
that she had at the time.

We all made our first camping trip to someplace in New Hampshire and had
the most miserable week I've ever had. Hot, humid, thunderstorms
everyday and mosquitoes that could pick you up and fly away with you.

I've told this story before, so I'll leave out the water leaks in my
son's new fifth wheel and my return to New Hampshire in the middle of
the night to rescue my daughter's family and trailer after the front end
of their tow vehicle let go.

By this time I had enough with the RV and "camping" scene. Put the fifth
wheel up for sale and sold it to a couple who drove down from Canada.

I like boats much better.

Reads like a really made "made for cable tv" unreality show. :)