Trying trailer life this winter

[Irish Mist]

Well after much thought, we decided we would give a fifth wheel trailer a try this winter.. Not sure how it will be.. I'm sure the "anchoring " for the night at a Walmart or flying J will be much the same as trailering the boat. But easier access . Not sure how the camp grounds will compare to marinas but going to give it a try.. I can tell you that parking a fifth wheel in tourist camp grounds is way more expensive then a marina in the same area.. It is nice to not have to get Permits and increase my insurance for the winter ..It will be a different winter this year... The boat looks sad sitting on the trailer, but I'm sure having a break from bouncing along the highways will not hurt.. 🙂 Anyways thought I would share as I know a lot of you have or have had some sort of an RV .. Looking forward to new adventures this winter 🙂

 

[stwendl]

Funny, I had a sailing catamaran of some size and several Rvs in succession, when I realized i can only use one at a time. Then a club member showed up in a ranger tug during one of our cruise outs and I was sold on the idea. Sold my Rv and sailboat and got my r27 which I can use for both purposes. Sure a Rv has more space and my cat had 3 staterooms and a salon. But most of that space was not used all the time. So practically my downsizing gets me more use per sqft

And for sure I know my r27 is watertight from top and bottom, something I could not say of my rvs entirely 🙂. So my downsizing and consolidation worked for me, just need more time to use my r27 by consolidating my boat with my work, something I still have to figure out.

 

[knotflying]

If you are heading south to Florida make sure you are making reservations. It can get very difficult to find a spot on the fly. I heard Knights Key in Marathon is still open for business for 2017. We will be in Blackfin if you are in Marathon.

 

[Scuffy]

We have looked at some of the smaller Mercedes based RV platforms like Itasca, Winnebago, Leisure, and Renegade Villago. These usually are for two people although you can squeeze one or two more in some models. I would not make a move like this without first selling the boat. I can see maintaining a boat is getting to be more and more of a chore. Keeping the roof waxed and looking decent is not one of my favorite parts. Plus no need for bilge pumps. I don't like to paying for things I know I can do. It would seem this sized RV could be easier to maintain and park while traveling and wanting to grab a bite to eat etc.. They reportedly get around 15 to 17 mpg with a 188 hp V 6 diesel engine. I guess we would pull a small car as a land dinghy so you could get settled with the main unit hooked up at the RV park and then hop into the smaller ride for more out of the way local points of interest. I don't know if we would ever actually do it. If we did I would probably look for a low mileage used unit and let someone else take the depreciation beating. It's amazing to see the number of late model low mileage units for sale. I guess there are a lot of people who change their minds about how much fun it will be or health issues make it no longer possible. We always found people at RV parks to be fun and mostly friendly. At 20 to 40 dollars a night they are cheaper than marina. Plus no marina fuel prices to deal with anymore. These smaller RV units usually are limited to towing about 5 thousand pounds and no more the 500 pounds of tongue weight. Maybe I could see towing a center console type fishing boat if we were to head for a place with good fishing opportunities. I'd like to check out route 66 and the Pacific coast highway before I check out.

 

[JamesTXSD]

We have been boating and RVing for a lot of years. While there are many similarities, the experiences are definitely different, at least for us. Use an actual RV, and the short-comings of using the boat (on land) as a "boaterhome" become apparent. Especially the holding tank(s) situation. If you haven't had both, it is harder to appreciate the differences.

One isn't "better" than the other, but being able to do both boat cruising and RVing is a great way to go. Both are "lifestyles"... both can be as "social" as you want to make them. We love being on the water; so many great places to see by land.

We enjoyed the heck out of the NuWa HitchHiker 5th wheel we had for 6 years, but know that we now prefer motorhoming. Some boaters will appreciate this: like the difference between sailing and powercruising. 😉

We got into RVing as a seasonal escape from the frozen northland years before we retired. Some folks get an RV, go to one area/resort, and that's their use. Some will RV the way a boat cruiser does it: some time in one place before moving on to the next place/adventure. There are a LOT more RV resorts to choose from than marinas. And some RVers like the boondocking life, like those boat cruisers who only like to anchor out.

All that said, we find RVing to be easier, boat cruising to be more adventurous. Nice to have all the amenities in the typical RV, making it more "residential." Either way, home is where you park it. 😎

When we were sailors, the joking among cruisers was: when you can't handle the sailing any more, you'll get a trawler; when you can't handle the trawler, you'll move on land and get an RV. For the record, we were RVers before we got hooked on boating.

Good luck with this new conveyance - head for the warmth!

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[hughesdave123]

The wife found a Seasonal RV park in Rehoboth DE. and it comes with a boat slip! so we do both RV and Boating now during the summer. We have a 5th wheel as well. The RV is hers and the Boat is mine , She used to win out 90% of the time because she wanted camping (Glamping).

They are out there , Seasonal RV lots with Boat slips/Marinas.

 

[StinkerBell]

We are currently in the process of purchasing a R25SC (Sea test today) and putting our RV up for sale. We have spent almost two decades RV'ing/camping. We are hoping that experience transitions to weekend boating.

 

[jld]

RVing doesn't have to be more expensive than a marina. Instead of private campsites, State parks and Corps of Engineer parks have very reasonable rates! In addition, if you are 62, or older, check out the National Park Service $10 lifetime Senior Pass, as my understanding is that it can provide 50% off the price for camp sites in National Parks.

I'm currently a couple of years away from retirement, and my wife and I are considering full-timing in a fifth wheel for 1-2 years as we will be selling our house next Summer and not buying another one until a couple of years after I retire.

Jim

 

[Irish Mist]

To be absolutely Crystal clear .. I'm not getting out of boating... I already know I prefer the boat.. I also like the smaller compactness of the boat... Being houseless we are just exploring all options.. I am open minded about the trailer and willing to give it a try.I was the captain of the boat ( in my mind ) Now it's the Admirals turn to be in charge.. I didn't hardly have it parked and she was out getting new towels , cutlery etc.. 🙂 I am sure it will be fun. We are hoping to check out the parks and have already booked a campsite in Florida City.. The Keys are out of our price range.. And pretty much totally booked... One site is booked 5 years ahead!! Anyways thank you for your replies and suggestions.. Will be back on the water in April 🙂

 

[Sea Jo]

A lot of people use truck campers and pull their boat as they go south or wherever . Look at a Host triple slide Mammoth truck camper,its like a small apartment. Or Lance 1172 models,also Artic Fox ,or Eagle Cap. Pass port America or Happy Campers allows you to stay a lot of locations for half price some include boat slips. BLM land or National Forests also have low price camping. Walmarts, cracker barrels,flying J truck stops and a lot of other free stop overs, while traveling. Harvest Hosts ,Boondockers Welcome, www.overnight rv parking.com are just a few ways you can learn about free camping. America The Beautiful Acess Pass is another way to save. Sometimes bigger class A or 5th wheels are the way to go ,or smaller and simpler is the way. A lot of folks we met have owned everything and go back to the ease of using a truck camper. Remove it at your campsite,and drive your truck ,no need to tow a toad.

 

[stwendl]

Lots of campsites will not permit unloading of a truck camper. Guess they are worried that disposal is more expensive then a trailer. Been there

 

[NorthernFocus]

We've been looking at 5th wheels as well. Since we already have a truck we figured we'd try that out rather than jump into a motorhome. Not working any more so plan on spending winters somewhere other than Alaska. But not anywhere hot. We sold our house and now rent a place for half what our mortgage was. We plan to spend summers on the boat in Alaska and winters "outside"(aka in the lower 48) in a 5th wheel.

While working we never had time to take the boat to SE Alaska. That's on the agenda for next summer. We plan on spending 3 mos. cruising SE. Then drive south, purchase and RV, and spend the winter down there somewhere. Never gave the boat camping a serious consideration. RVs look WAY simpler. Plus we can keep one on each end.