Foamie motorhome

Canvas covered foamies (Thrifty Alternatives...)

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Re: Foamie motorhome

Postby GPW » Thu Nov 29, 2012 7:12 am

One only has to visit any independent RV Forum to see the discontent , and the HUGE amount of money spent on Ridiculously Expensive repairs which should not have happened in the first place ... The Factory Forums simply delete or Ignore any negative comments ... :roll:
There’s no place like Foam !
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Re: Foamie motorhome

Postby Wobbly Wheels » Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:02 am

One VERY lucrative little sideline I have has been replacing the injection molded polystyrene shower pans with glass. I've done three of them so far and they were all cracked in the same place. They simply are not made to be used.
On two of them, I had to replace plywood in the floor because (of course) there was no membrane of any sort laid underneath them in case they leaked. Combine that with leaking drains and you are begging for a major repair bill. You'll never drive past a gas station...or a dealer's service dep't...
If you can buy a new bathtub and seat for $150, you have to wonder just how much profit there is in the RV manufacturing biz given what they charge for such a shoddy product.
I've installed a bunch of satellite systems in them and can also attest to what Bogo said about the walls. Next to trying to find a way to make the installation inconspicuous when the walls were built in place, reinforcing the 1/8" paneled walls to hang a TV is often a chore.
Once you pull the cover plate off an outlet or the antenna booster (to access the built in coax to the roof rather than drill and seal a new hole), it often looks like the aforementioned monkeys bashed to hole through with a hammer - the hole is irregular and the veneer on the paneling is blown out.

:x

Still....RV owners seem content to pay over and over again to repair things that shouldn't need to be repaired. For a while I considered going to work for the local RV service shop, but thought better of it - I don't want to be part of that. I'd rather stick to boat work (not that you don't see shoddy work there too sometimes, it's just not as common)

The idea of reworking a bus or commercial truck has always appealed to me: you are starting with a product that was designed from the start to be robust and run darn near forever with regular maintenance.
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Re: Foamie motorhome

Postby GPW » Thu Nov 29, 2012 1:26 pm

I was amazed that 20 seconds after the warranty was up , Everything started falling apart ... :o The factory response was “ we can’t help you now ...take it to the dealer “ .... the dealers response... “ That will be $5,000 “ ... :shock: :? :frightened: Not like the old days when they made them to last a reasonable amount of time ... :roll:

I honestly believe they do this INTENTIONALLY .... it’s good for their “economy” When I needed a roof repair , they (supposedly ) ordered the plywood from the factory , and it was $1400.00 :o I was expecting to see the most Fabulous plywood in the world for that price , turns out it was the cheapest POS I’ve ever seen ... Their supposed “membrane” for the roof was the quality and thickness of a cheap dollar store vinyl tablecloth (TRUE!!!!) ... didn’t even bother to ask the price on that , or I’d have gone “postal” ...
This is a perfect example of Vulture Capitalism ,almost worse than Wall St. bankers :o And although they’re flag waving fools , there’s Nothing “American” about them ...
There’s no place like Foam !
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Re: Foamie motorhome

Postby redveloce » Thu Nov 29, 2012 1:37 pm

GPW - I may agree with you, but can we please try to keep politics out of this topic? :beer: I've seen too many go sideways when people start arguing then can't stop, like it's some form of Tourettes :crazy:
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Re: Foamie motorhome

Postby GPW » Thu Nov 29, 2012 5:20 pm

OK, I’ll try to keep to less controversial subjects , like religion and sex... :roll: ..... :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Foamie motorhome

Postby pete42 » Thu Nov 29, 2012 11:05 pm

GPW said "like religion and sex" Like glen I to like religion and sex
wait did I miss something was Glen beng facetious?
I had better start reading the whole thread.

pete :lol:
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Re: Foamie motorhome

Postby DriverOne » Thu Nov 29, 2012 11:40 pm

Here in SC, it's no wonder that the RV lots look the same as the RV "townships". Sixty-five thousand dollars. For a 35-foot pull-behind. Why? I can buy a small house for that! In fact, I honestly only know one person who has an RV of that caliber, and he's a retired US Marshal. From what I hear, though, you can buy an RV on the West Coast for half what you can on the East Coast, so he probably got a good deal on it. Why can't we have anything?

My parents introduced me to camping in a 1970-something Aristocrat camper. It even came with a battery-powered black and white portable TV so we could watch the weather. Twelve D batteries, hahaha... They bought it for $2,000 back in 1985. To me, that just seemed right. We were getting away from home in a cabin on wheels. We were intentionally leaving cable TV, and enjoying family time by the fire. We didn't need to make sure the X-Box was hooked up with HDMI this time, because last time it "didn't feel like home". Go home then!

I think an old Winnebago fomicised would be awesome. My only concern at that point would be I-70 during the "breezy days".
Image
Image There's a fine line between breathtaking ingenuity and "That's the stupidest thing I've ever seen!" Image
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Re: Foamie motorhome

Postby GPW » Fri Nov 30, 2012 6:22 am

D1, carry more BEER !!! :beer:
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Re: Foamie motorhome

Postby Wobbly Wheels » Fri Nov 30, 2012 7:18 am

The concern I would have about building a class A is regulation more than the actual construction of it. As far as regulators go, it would be considered a home built vehicle, where a class C built up from an existing cab-and-chassis wouldn't.
The fact that it would be built far better than what it's replacing is irrelevant when one is dealing with bureaucracy.

Does anyone have experience registering and licensing U-built vehicles ?
Given the lack of them around, I'm guessing it's a long road to get it done...at least here.
Our oligarchical licensing body would even like to see JDMs off the road.
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Re: Foamie motorhome

Postby redveloce » Fri Nov 30, 2012 10:53 am

I'm not one to ask for permission. No one is going to know enough about one to care if you're starting with a class A to begin with.
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Re: Foamie motorhome

Postby redveloce » Fri Nov 30, 2012 11:26 am

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Re: Foamie motorhome

Postby Wobbly Wheels » Fri Nov 30, 2012 12:46 pm

The ad says "No leaks".
No visible leaks, maybe...
Looks clean, but check the inside of the back wall and the base of the windshield for water leaks. That 318 has got to be tired. It's only a 20' but with the genny & A/C it's got to be running heavy. The other thing I'd check personally is the propane volume. If the same tank feeds the engine, the genny AND the house, that's gonna cut into your range. Apparently you can adapt a 20lb bottle as a 'jerry can' but I've never done it. On the plus side, the 318 IS on propane !
Probably a good donor rig for a lightweight build though. I'd like to see this idea realized.


I agree with you on the "permission" thing but, in an accident or a VI, it'll give the insurance co an excuse not to cover you. I got stung that way when I was younger ( coverage territory though, not Ubilt). Needless to say, it was an expensive lesson. Not meant to be a 'Dad' moment, I'd feel bad if I didn't at least point out that it's worth looking into.
Nuff said.
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Re: Foamie motorhome

Postby Bogo » Fri Nov 30, 2012 2:57 pm

Wobbly Wheels wrote:The concern I would have about building a class A is regulation more than the actual construction of it.

Starting from a bus chassis gives you an already existing vehicle that meets crash and other specs.

All the regulation that may give you grief are for stuff like the electrical wiring, plumbing, etc.. Unfortunately most of them are buried in automotive and RV industry documents that you have to pay for. I'd just buy industry used parts, use them how the industry does, and claim ignorance due to lack of being able to access the regulations.
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Re: Foamie motorhome

Postby redveloce » Fri Nov 30, 2012 3:08 pm

I've never heard of anyone going through a motorhome to make sure things are 'approved'. There are so many junkers on the road with structural rot, held together with bailing wire, that I just can't see anyone caring about something for personal use. There aren't going to be any crash standards on a 70's motorhome, and if there are any regulations on an owner changing up materials, no one is going to care. At least in my state. If you're thinking of building something to sell, that's a whole different ball of wax. Btw, if anyone has any specific washington state vehicle questions, I have a close contact (inlaw) who is a WSP vehicle inspector.
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Re: Foamie motorhome

Postby GPW » Fri Nov 30, 2012 4:23 pm

Come to think of it , there’s probably No one on this site who would want a motorhome , foamie or not ... It’s just not our “Thing” ... :roll:
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