Watch
http://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/strippedchassis/trim/?trim=f53
This has an option for CNG flexfuel system! SWEET!
Traditional RVs are built for 60 year old boomer couples with their foo-foo tastes, or millionaires who want to out-dick their competition, but imagine what one could do with a ~$200,000 budget with that as a basis.
An RV is a really crappy inflation hedge, but I think it'd be a gas to go mobile, as the song said.
And if we get Japan-style deflation, who needs inflation hedges, LOL!
I'd love to spend the next 20 years cruising the US and Canada, working from this. Hell, I could even house-swap with people who wanted to borrow it for a month or two, LOL.
Follow
Befriend (3)
14 threads
2,449 comments
San Jose, CA
Premium
Can it be designed to do double duty as a houseboat?
Follow
Befriend
31 threads
1,534 comments
Bellingham, WA
Premium
Going with a 190" wheelbase chassis, total bottom plane area would be 20.3 sq meters.
gross vehicle weight of 7000kg requires 7 cubic meters of draft, or 34cm without any sponson/pontoon design.
Battery-power drive train for marine action would be awesome. With PV recharge capability one could cruise to Hawaii, LOL.
Piloting your house from Santa Cruz to the Kahului Costco would be a trip, LOL.
Problem is adding complexity adds maintenance and breakdowns, alas.
Follow
Befriend (17)
785 threads
7,962 comments
Boca Raton, FL
Premium
Personally, I prefer the Uziel. I've always favored energy weapons and you can put dual phased particle cannons in this puppy. Yet it's still fast and agile.
Follow
Befriend
31 threads
1,534 comments
Bellingham, WA
Premium
One idea would be to pick up 2 or 3 off-grid properties and "commute" between them. Eg. summer on Lake Whatcom and winter in Santa Cruz.
Why leave the house behind if you can take it with you?
SC to Bellingham is 1000 miles, at 5 mpg that's 200 gallons, CNG is ~$2 now, so that would cost about $500 to relocate, cheaper than flying, LOL.
Follow
Befriend
31 threads
1,534 comments
Bellingham, WA
Premium
Here's what Winnebago did with the 190" wheelbase chassis:
what a pile of crap. Having lived in Japan for 8 years I can only laugh at permanently devoting a third of the internal volume to the mattress space.
Geez, how hard would a murphy bed be, anyway?
I see another mfr has figured this out:
http://www.leisurevans.com/unity/gallery.html
much more my speed, but too small to live in I think -- I need throw space for my JVC projection system, LOL.
Follow
Befriend (5)
74 threads
1,401 comments
Premium
Can these come with a high speed internet solution to seriously work out of this van? I see only satellite dish TV - maybe with a high speed unlimited 4G data plan you can tether from your cell phone, but it's not optimal.
Follow
Befriend (17)
785 threads
7,962 comments
Boca Raton, FL
Premium
mell says
How much posting to Patrick.net do you do?
Follow
Befriend
249 threads
2,915 comments
Bellingham Bill says
I didn't realize you had lost it........ did it run away or something??
Follow
Befriend (5)
74 threads
1,401 comments
Premium
Dan8267 says
Too much - I keep coming back because I'm drawn to AF's genius commentary and I started reading Patrick.net from its very beginnings. Weaning off now.
Follow
Befriend
31 threads
1,534 comments
Bellingham, WA
Premium
Call it Crazy says
I've been in the market for a house for 10+ years now, LOL
been renting for more than half my life, : (
Was too young to buy in the 1980s, went to Japan in the 90s, things got crazy in the 00s, was looking 2001-2002 but decided to wait for the crash that finally came, still kinda a bear now even with what I suspect is going to happen this decade (inFLAtion).
But for real inflation to come this decade, three things have to happen:
1) Romney wins
2) Republicans don't walk their talk about austerity and cutting leviathan
3) Mother of all money balls thrown at the masses again
I didn't see the 1990s boom coming before it did, so I don't have any great faith in my ability to see the future from here. There are many possibilities still.
Follow
Befriend (1)
296 threads
5,271 comments
Bellingham Bill says
Yeah I've been paying 200% more for every thing across the board since Obama took office, with funny money. When does that REAL inflation kicks in, will we be playing for realzies with real money?
What planet are you people on?
Follow
Befriend (3)
23 threads
130 comments
Minneapolis, MN
Seeing that weird looking vehicle made me think of all the people who are going to be pointing and saying, What the hell is that? Which reminded me of the Saturday Night Live bit with Steve Martin and Bill Murray. It's still hilarious.
Here's the link:
Follow
Befriend (13)
61 threads
2,705 comments
Premium
Travel with living space? Fully self-contained? Sailboat.
Follow
Befriend (3)
14 threads
2,449 comments
San Jose, CA
Premium
CaptainShuddup says
Houses got cheaper
Follow
Befriend (3)
21 threads
1,524 comments
Victorville, CA
Premium
Bellingham Bill says
You joke, Bill...but I covet the nomads life . I prefer Airstreams
Follow
Befriend
31 threads
1,534 comments
Bellingham, WA
Premium
thunderlips11 says
yeah I've been adding up the weight of stuff I'd want to cart around with me . . .
11,000 pounds of payload is doable -- it's the weight more than the space that's a limitation -- I lived in a 25m2 apartment for years in Japan and it was great, LOL.
PV and battery packs are much easier to carry in a sailboat.
Problem is outside the Panama Canal and Great Lakes, boats are limited to sea-level, LOL.
If I were to do this probably the best path would be to order a partially fitted-out shell from a major body manufacturer (whatever they do better than I can) and then have the interior systems built out to my sensibilities.
(Or buy a used RV and gut the mother)
Either way would blend in better.
Diesel pushers look to be a better QOL while on the road but CNG power looks simply awesome from the cost, supply, and heating/cooking angle.
Doing this I learned that 1 gallon gas equivalent of NG is half a cubic foot at tank pressure (3600PSI) and weighs 5.66 lbs. Currently costs $2.20/gallon around California. Might want two massive tanks on this - 1 44 gge CNG tank weighs 600 lbs fully loaded.
Follow
Befriend
31 threads
1,534 comments
Bellingham, WA
Premium
http://www.hackneys.com/mitsu/index-lessons.htm
this guy had my idea and executed it.
the more I think about it I'm going to need an actual property to "home" in for some of the year.
wintering in California campgrounds and summering in WA seems doable . . .
Follow
Befriend (3)
21 threads
1,524 comments
Victorville, CA
Premium
You're back to thinking inside the box there, Willy.
This is what you need:
http://camillc.com/terrawind.htm
You could cruise over to Japan in this puppy. Take it down south to the Chilean coast. You could even host off-shore gambling parties legally and take a nice 20% cut of the winnings.
RE: WA. They hate Californians. Try Florida. Nice warm beaches.
Follow
Befriend
88 threads
458 comments
El Cerrito, CA
Premium
Lived out of this for twenty years and only paid for showers at the gym.
Follow
Befriend (3)
14 threads
2,449 comments
San Jose, CA
Premium
taxee says
THAT is a tiny house!
Follow
Befriend
4 threads
207 comments
Redwood City, CA
Bellingham Bill says
I met this guy in a Home Depot parking lot in San Diego County about 7 years ago. I saw his vehicle and was intrigued. It was a nice build. Bigger than what I would choose for an around the world expedition vehicle, but very interesting.
Follow
Befriend (9)
183 threads
1,660 comments
Premium
I once met a retired New York stock broker on a camping trip. He was pulling a horse trailer behind his RV and took his horse along on his travels. He still traded in stocks via satellite and just went and stayed in campgrounds and places where they allowed horses. Funny fella.