#3 – 2001 National RV Sea View 8311 (2021 – ?)

Definitely our last RV, but it is sweet!

The Stats (actual Maximum Carrying Capacity is 3,501 pounds, not 4,650 pounds as shown above)

Almost as soon as we sold our Newmar Mountain Aire this May, we wanted another one. Even when your RV is just parked, it represents freedom. Sounds like a commercial, eh? But it’s true. We are now able to go where and when we please. A great option as we felt kind of trapped in Mariposa this summer.

Anyway, Tom started looking for another used RV a month or two after we sold our Newmar. At first we looked for a Class C motorhome, but decided against that for a number of reasons . . .

Cost – for what you get, they are not a bargain compared to what we were used to (a Class A RV).
Levelers & Generators – most of the older Class Cs we were seeing did NOT have a leveling system. This means you have to use plastic or wood blocks under the wheels to level a Class C. Great in bad weather. Also, having a generator was not guaranteed.
Storage – VERY limited. Plus, often CCC (Cargo Carrying Capacity) was small.
Space – we were looking for a short RV (25 feet or so) with an “island” bed. That’s a bed that has space to walk around on three sides. We didn’t want to be crawling over each other (and Flirt) at our age. However, we soon discovered that islands beds equal at least 29 feet, but typically 30+ feet, in a Class C.

So, frustrated with these limitations we looked at used gasser Class As, like our original 2004 Sea Breeze which began to look very good.

Used RV prices are really high now. “COVID” pricing we called it. However, we thought we could get a “needs work” Class A on the cheap. That didn’t work (see our September 22, 2021 blog Operation Sea Breeze).

We wanted to wait until 2022 to make a purchase, but saw our soon-to-be new/used Class A online at DeMartini RV in Grass Valley, CA (about 50 miles northeast of Sacramento).

Tom made an offer. It was rejected. Then Tom made a second offer at the end of September which was accepted. This offer was contingent upon our inspection so we drove up tp Grass Valley on Sunday, October 3rd.

WE LOVED IT!

For a 20-year-old motorhome it was in extraordinary shape. It was single owner who stored it inside . . . and it showed. Minimal paint fade . . . and everything worked. And, it 31′ 3″ long, almost 10 feet shorter than our 2001 Newmar and 4 feet shorter than our first RV. However, it will need new tires pronto and we’re in the process of doing just that . . . along with other “upgrades” per usual.