Yachtie about to turn to the road (1 Viewer)

Stephjkm

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We've been liveaboard cruising on our 50' yacht, in the Med, full time, for 9 years and now it's time for a change. We have no idea what we want but we do know what we don't want! Looking forward to browsing and getting more ideas and advice ☺
 

irnbru

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sallylillian

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We did just that 5 years ago. After 35 yrs motor boating all around French Atlantic and Spanish coasts we sold it and bought a Yankee, as we could not cope with the space loss from a 58 ft Trader. Because of a yachts shape your transition will not be so much of a shock but nevertheless a trauma it will be! Then we realised that a 12 mtr Coach was restrictive so we downsized to a 9 mtr European. We enjoy the freedom of our MH and although I loved boating I enjoy this more. We have done so much that we could not in the boat, so good luck.
 
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We've been liveaboard cruising on our 50' yacht, in the Med, full time, for 9 years and now it's time for a change. We have no idea what we want but we do know what we don't want! Looking forward to browsing and getting more ideas and advice ☺


Welcome.

I was cruising in Greece, not full-time but for several months a year for the last 25-30 years, in a Westerly 33' ketch, having, sailed her through the French canals, Italian coast and on to Greece. Having visited about 70 Greek Islands and having had a great time in some very relaxed little ports and anchorages there was a time to change - like you.

I had been working partime between sessions on the boat. One particular objective was the Pyrenees, which I used to look down on from the cockpit in my days flying in the '90s. Well we got there a couple of years ago and they did not disappoint.

I was still doing some part-time work driving all over England when I started to look for a MH, so I was not in a rush and could look at lots. I would urge you to take time as it is a complex business deciding on what suits ones needs - as does choosing a boat.

I soon realised I wanted a good quality German-built 'A' Class and am probably a bit unusual, but not exceptional in going for that.

Before we can help you further you might have to tell us more about what you intend to do and whether you would go on campsites or just these Aires/Stellplatz that they have on the continent and wildcamping. Do you intend to live full-time? Do you still have a house? Not inquisitive into your personal circumstances, just for info which might help some of us advise.

What was your 50-footer? sailing I presume, but maybe not. Will you keep her or sell?

As Michael said above, there is a worry that a motorhome might seem small. I would just point out some differences

A motorhome is box shape so none of the slightly wasted narrow space at bow and stern. 'Living space on a sailing boat is nearly all f'ard of the cockpit. The cockpit is for steering, winch operation and lounging in the sun. The operation of a motorhome is confined to a smaller area, and sun-lounging is done outside, with a similar awning when desired. Point being not so much length needed. Much less equipment storage space needed - suits of sails, spare anchors, life-jackets, wet gear etc. - you know. Fuel and water tanks can be smaller - more places to fill.

I am going through this excercise mainly to give you a taste of what help might be avaiable on this and other motorhome forums. I assume for you that £10-15 for each subscription is within your means. Joining these forums as full members gives unlimited access including private messages(on this forum called conversations) - useful if people do not want to disclose everything to all-and-sundry.

On the positive side of your transition; you will already be accustomed to 12/24v systems, battery consumption, water usage etc., although on a 50-footer you may have had more than even medium sized Motorhomes, which generally have 100-120lt, but more easily replenished.

On the negative side there are Licences, but I imagine you got yours pre 1997 so can drive over 7.5t. Insurance can have limitations for long-periods and or full-time but not insurmountable. Of course there is the annual MOT or equivalent, which(survey) is not required so frequently for a boat, and can only be done in country of vehicle registration.

I am only putting this up for you to know what you have to consider.

You can forget dragging anchors, the stupid charter boat that crosses your anchor and when leaving lifts yours and when he does drop it he drops it short - and downwind!!! Port police shouting Papers! Papers! Come to the Office Now!

I feel we will have more to talk about in the future.

If you join up we can talk on 'Conversations' or exhange e-mails there.

Good Luck it is equally a great way of life to sailing - but I still miss some anchorages.

Geoff
 
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Stephjkm

Stephjkm

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Thanks for the welcome and for the great replies. Plenty for us to think about.

Our sailboat has only just gone on the market so we have lots of time to research and, hopefully, get to some shows in the UK.

In answer to some of your points, Geoff:

Our idea at the moment is to live full time in a MH as off grid as we can, as we do on the boat. We have a house in the UK, we have had good tenants for several years now and we hope it will stay that way. We are use to dealing with a 12/24 volt system and looking after our water/fuel/batteries. Reducing to 120 litres of water will be a shock, at the moment we have 1000 litres on the boat but it is a pain to refill so being able to drive up to a tap with relative ease will be bliss.

We have two cats on board that we rescued from Greek bins as tiny kittens, we're hoping they'll manage the transition and will continue the nomadic life with us.

As far as what we want goes we definitely require a full size static bed, a decent sofa to lounge on and a decent kitchen and fridge (when I say decent you have to remember that I have had the tiniest fridge and galley imaginable for 10 years and can manage well in it, but more space would be just bliss!).

We like the roominess of the American RVs but not the engine size or the restriction that the sheer size would have on getting to the out of the way corners of this planet. I'm leaning towards an A or C class. Other than that we really have no idea!

Thank you all for your input, I'm on a fast and steep learning curve.

Any, and all advice is very gratefully received ☺

I can't see anywhere about subscribing to the forum, have I missed something?
 
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Hi and welcome guys, yep you've already subscribed according to your profile(y)
Sounds like you've been having a great time, very jealous:D

I have an A-class and love it(y)
 

Teuchter

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I have been caravanning for 32 years but in 2014 I have"gone over to the dark side"
Welcome from another Sailor (soon to be ex sailor as I'm going to sell my boat)

German built A class as @nicholsong suggests is IMO your best bet

Good luck & happy Motorhoming! :)

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Jan 11, 2010
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Well that`s our 13th year & still loving it.
It appears there are quite a few of us retired sailors joining the motorhome fraternity, we sailed around the British coast ion our Westerly for 20yrs, we sold that and bought ourselves a Catalina Mk2 42. sailed around the Med for a further 10yrs before selling up, things seemed to change in a few seasons, anchorages, attitudes etc etc.
So we bought ourselves an Autotrail Arapaho, enjoyed that for 4 yrs before changing it for an Autotrail Apache.

Although we really miss the sailing we don`t miss the hassle of the Flotillas invading your quite sanctuary, nor the Port Police with their never ending demand for paperwork.
We certainly don`t miss spending the couple of weeks at the beginning of the season, anti-fouling collecting the sails and re-rigging all the cordage etc etc.

Welcome to world of motorhomes, no tides or on the nose winds to worry about, just a few traffic jams.
 

Popeye

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Hi guys, we too spent many summers cruising mostly the Greek islands, we sold our 35' Moody the year before last. I will admit to being a grown man and I had a tear in my eye when I handed her over to the new owner. Nice to be able to say that a young guy bought her to teach his boy to sail rather like I did in the eighties and nineties.

I have extravagantly purchased a brand new German A class and see no fault in that logic. Many on here particularly full timers go that route.

I assumed that @nicholsong had a nice 40-50' Nicholson but Westerley 33 seemed a popular vessel in the Med.

We started out with a 30' Baltic one design, cutter rigged ketch, only two were ever built and we purchased both of them when they were just a few years old but then the demand for more comfort prompted the Moody purchase.

I wish you well in your endeavour and Welcome you to the best damn motor-home club in the world.(y)

Griff
 

Popeye

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Any, and all advice is very gratefully received ☺

I can't see anywhere about subscribing to the forum, have I missed something?

I meant to say, get your £15 out and join proper like, you will get that £15 ten fold In advice alone without special discounts and large group buying power.

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Popeye

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Whereabouts in Greece Steph? And well done for joining in full.

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Oct 12, 2009
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OK 'ST' - can we have a name please? I guess it could be Stephen, or is Stephanie the poster?

Now we know it needs full-time and off-grid capability.

My question about licence was wrongly worded as I said over 7.5t which should have been 'UP to 7.5t'. Have you got that? - makes a big difference for what you want to do. The reason is payload - what you are legally permitted to carry, which is the difference between the empty weight (displacement) and the maximum permitted mass (weight) licensed for the MH. On this point do not believe any empty weights quoted by manufacturers, dealers or sellers until you have been at a weighbridge in person and seen what the fuel tanks were showing and who was sitting in it. It is all much more critical than loading a 15t boat.

I assume you want to do most of your touring on the Continent, so maybe a LHD MH would be preferable. And if you do decide on a German 'A' Class there will be loads of choice on German and Dutch websites and in Dealers.

I can also guess that since you are selling a 50' boat money will not be a problem when sold, but is the purchase of the MH dependent on the boat sale.

Fixed beds are all aft and come in three types a) athwartships (often up a step over a garage) only option if you want a garage for scooter or pedal bikes. Lower level - fore/aft either b) island beds in centre of cabin allowing access from both sides or c) offset to one side against wall but with a shower alongside or behind headboard. Obviously the low level options do not allow for a garage below although there will be some storage, internal or external.

Fridge/Freezers have been getting bigger and in recent models are nearly full height in bigger MHs. You may be a bit disappointed with galley work surfaces - especially recently as designs have been separating toilet and showers to two compartments, taking up floor-space and in some cases shrinking the kitchen area. Often there is little prep space without utilising the sink covers, rendering the taps useless. Our table is near the kitchen so we use it for prep.

Now if you do want to look at the German market and what is available across many models an good starting point for s/h is mobile.de for English click on German flag and select, then click on MH outline and put in a selction of manufacturers - I suggest Hymer, Burstner, Niesmann+Bischoff, Carthago. It will give you idea of s/h prices. For new prices go to those companies websites, but always look at the extras prices too - like awnings - they soon ad up.

Where will you be staying? On board? where moored?

Well I think i have covered a lot for you, so now it is time to start looking at layouts, ages, prices etc.

Good luck

Geoff
 

laird of Dunstan

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Welcome to the forum ,i sold my boat two years ago ,i was not a fulltimer on the boat just a hobby sailor , i have a Rapido 9000 and would suggest that you look at them as well as the german A class motorhomes , theres a 9 meter double axle verion of the Rapido with a fixed bed that may suit your lifestyle. Dont forget that you will add lots of extras to the basic model of any moho ,I.e LPG refillable tanks ,Batteries ,satelite comms and TV , tow bar if you want to tug a car or a small dinghy.

Moho,s are far cheaper on the continent ,there are web sites such as mobile.de , i paid 95 k euros for a moho that would have cost me 94k pounds in the UK,good luck with your search
 

funflair

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OK @Stephjkm good move subscribing, in your first post you said you had no idea what you wanted but you knew what you didn't want so thats a good starting point if you want to bounce your ideas off us.

If you you are going to basically "full time" you want a reasonable amount of space but still need to be able to use the van and be happy driving it, how many beds, do you want a garage for bikes, boats, scooter etc.

Martin

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sallylillian

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Clearly you will be looking at the larger end of the scale and 9 metres has been mentioned. On my travels I have seen and spoken to MH owners who struggle with even 7 metres, many don't of course. Assuming you stay under 7.4 tons your existing pre 1997 licence will accommodate that without extra licencing and the inherent training that gets you a C (HGV) licence. I would suggest that if you have no experience of larger vehicles that a visit to your local lorry training school for some basic lessons would pay you dividends in stress relief. Remember your first days in close quarter handling a large boat in a tight marina and a force 7 cross wind?
 
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Stephjkm

Stephjkm

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Yes, we're probably looking at larger MHs and ones with adequate insulation, we live on our boat year round and even in Crete it would get very cold without our deisel heater and insulation.

We're use to carrying all our tat with us but could probably lose quite a bit of it, if truth be told. Although our yacht is 5p foot long she is unusual in that she has few large spaces but lots of storage, making the transition will be strange.

We don't expect to get many visitors so a maximum of four berths and seat belts should be adequate. We hope to add bikes and a moped so a garage would be good. My husband would like a garage with a crawl through from the inside so that the cat litter tray can be out of our living space but still accessible for Puss and Fluff!

We want a good service battery bank with solar charging.

After reading back what I've written since my first post it's quite clear that we do know a lot of what we want but don't know where or if we'll fin d it!

Steph
 

maz

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Hi and welcome from a full timer (6 years) who'll soon be going the opposite way to you - from a motorhome to a catamaran. :)

For the past 5 years I've lived in a Hobby 750 - another German make with proper winterisation, good payload and excellent layout for fulltiming with plenty of storage. Before that an older Burstner Elegance 821 - another good van.

Good luck in your travels. (y)
 

funflair

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Yes, we're probably looking at larger MHs and ones with adequate insulation, we live on our boat year round and even in Crete it would get very cold without our deisel heater and insulation.

We're use to carrying all our tat with us but could probably lose quite a bit of it, if truth be told. Although our yacht is 5p foot long she is unusual in that she has few large spaces but lots of storage, making the transition will be strange.

We don't expect to get many visitors so a maximum of four berths and seat belts should be adequate. We hope to add bikes and a moped so a garage would be good. My husband would like a garage with a crawl through from the inside so that the cat litter tray can be out of our living space but still accessible for Puss and Fluff!

We want a good service battery bank with solar charging.

After reading back what I've written since my first post it's quite clear that we do know a lot of what we want but don't know where or if we'll fin d it!

Steph
I would say get the basic van right and then you can add the likes of battery capacity and solar panels that you require, the easiest for you would to get to one of the outdoor shows and looks around, not only what the traders are showing but have a wander around the FUN camping area and just have a chat with folks.

I think whatever you decide on there will still be a compromise, for example our van sound pretty close to what you want but 4 berth with only 3 seat belts, and no "cat flap" into the garage but a man with a saw could sort that (it's not for sale BTW just an example)

In my opinion you will get the best garage/payload with a rear wheel drive IVECO chassis and something like a Niesmann+Bischoff, Concorde or RS, rear transverse or two single beds will be over the garage, we have a a scooter tandem two mountain bikes and BBQ in our garage as well as the usual table chairs windbreak aquaroll etc etc.

Martin

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dabhand

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Nice thread this, and I must admit to feeling a tad jealous of all you ex live aboard yachties, about 20 years ago my wife and I had decided to sell up and buy a 65 foot Oyster, me as Captain, wife as hostess and do holiday charters for small groups of "holidaymakers" we had done several Greek island flotilla holidays, (it definitely wasn't me who dragged your anchor, honest!) had taken a number of RYA qualifications and started looking at boats, to cut a long story short, we ended up buying a derelict chicken farm on a whim and building a new farmhouse, living in our Motorhome for 2 years whilst we built it, have never regretted our decision but often wonder "what if" we didn't travel much for a number of years as I loved were we lived, was busy farming!! and didn't have the inclination to travel much. Anyway, got the itch to travel again so bought another new (to us) Motorhome and took off travelling as often as possible, mainly to Spain, Portugal, and France, and about 3 or 4 years ago after lurking on the forum for several, joined MHF did a few rallies and then travelled to Morocco with a few other funsters, can honestly say it's one of the best things I've ever done. Have met some truly lovely people, travelled all over the place, made some great new friends and had a blast, and still am! so I really hope you enjoy this new phase of your travels/life.

As regards a Motorhome purchase, it sounds as though your well on the way to making sensible decisions, and many of the answers to your questions will be found on the threads on the forum, "seek and ye shall find"!

As has already been mentioned, budget is one of the main considerations, and with European motorhomes I wouldn't worry too much about length up to about 9 metres, my Hymer 830 is 8.6 metres, and there's not many places I can't go in it (restricted car parks excepted) but even in those your normally ok if you have no height restriction, have a clear exit and (in some cases) are prepared to buy two tickets. I haven't been stuck yet! Think tail swing, tail swing, tail swing, some of the wider US and liner type vehicles are not quite so easy to manoeuvre, but I've seen many in out of the way places, so who knows.

If your going to live in it (and even if your not) you probably should be looking at proper wet central heating (Alde or similar) and as you have already noted, plenty of solar power with a decent battery bank, built in inverter, decent satellite tv, good security, large insulated water tanks including waste, decent tyre compressor, spare wheel, a jack that will lift the van, a basic tool kit, don't get 4 berths if you won't be putting people up, the extra storage space will be invaluable, occasional visitors can always stay nearby in a b&b or tent, get rid of as much tat as possible, otherwise your main consideration will be payload, actually it probably should be anyway, and don't forget, all the toys add to payload.

Generally speaking the bigger the Motorhome, the bigger the payload and the more tat you can carry about, much of which you will probably never use, I try to empty the garage after each trip and leave the unused stuff at home (apart from emergency equipment) and then pack more specifically for each trip, not much point in carrying summer gear in winter etc so.....

Big stuff -

Vario - very expensive, very desirable

Morello - as above

Concorde - newish = very expensive, bigger than most European

Hymer - can be expensive for newer stuff

Niesmann Bischoff Flair, Arto etc - as above

Actually there's loads, just buy a vario, put your car in the boot and go, you won't ever change it!!

But if budget is a consideration you may have to rethink the last statement!

Good luck and ask away!(y)
 

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