rvSeniorMoments

Oct 23

First 3 Days with Our Sea View RV

Ok, we brought our new-to-us 2001 National RV Sea View RV home to Mariposa on Tuesday, October 5th.

We’ve been very busy getting it ready for next year as we plan to travel back to Wisconsin in Spring.

Though winters in Mariposa are nowhere as bad as Wisconsin winters, it still gets cold here which making working outside problematic. So we’re rushing to get as much done as we can.

Here’s what we’ve been up to . . .

Day 1 – Wednesday, October 6

Inspected the major systems: water, electrical, and HVAC as much as possible. For example, tested both AC to see how much they cooled. Very much in fact. Then tested the propane heater. Fine also. Turned the refrigerator on and tracked the freezer and fridge temperatures. Both were very much in spec – freezer < 10 degrees F and fridge < 40 degrees F.

The hot water heater works, but the relief valve leaks so ordered a replacement. Found out that our water heater runs only on propane, not electricity.

Discovered that our Sea View does not have a transfer switch that switched between external (“shore”) power and our RV generator. To use the generator, you have to physically attach the shore power cable the generator’s outlet. Since both our other RVs had an automatic transfer switch, we’ll be installing one on the Sea View (more on that later).

Day 1 Photos

Found out that ALL the inside and outside cabinet support struts needed replacing

Removed Both TVs (living room & bedroom) – Very Heavy Cathode Tube TVs from Long Ago

Removed Both the Carbon Monoxide & Propane Gas Detectors – Both Units **Long** Expired. Replaced with a Single Dual Detector.

Behind a Plumbing Panel Noticed Large Gaps in Flooring – Mouse Highways that We’ll Fill with Expanding Foam

Day 2 – Thursday, October 7

Because the couch was not long enough to lay on comfortably, we decided to remove it and eventually replace it with one to two recliner chairs.

The bedroom mattress went the way of the dumpster too.

Day 2 Photos

Just 6 Bolts Held the Couch to the Floor

Sans Couch – That’s a Furnace Vent that was On the Front of the Couch

Installed a Floor Heating Register a Few Days Later

Parked the Sea View in Our Park’s RV Storage Area (VERY handy)

Day 3 – Thursday, October 7

Just one item on the agenda . . . Dumping the RV’s waste tanks at the nearby Mariposa Fairgrounds . . .

This is the Only Picture You Really Need to See of This Event

Oct 10

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We Bought Another RV

On Monday, October 4th we inspected and then purchased our new-to-us 2001 National RV Sea View at DeMartini RV in Grass Valley, CA.

DeMartini did a PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspection) on Tuesday, fixing the generator and water pump, and we drove it home that day.

For more info, see Our RVs above.

Sep 25

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Operation Sea View

No, not the 60s Richard Basehart TV show. I’m talking about our newfound interest in a 2001 National RV Sea View after Operation Sea Breeze failed . . .

At 30′ 3″ this 2001 Sea View above is just 10″ longer than the 2001 Sea Breeze

But first, Operation Sea Breeze failed pretty much from the get-go. For example, let’s start with our drive to the Sacramento RV dealership to see the 2001 Sea Breeze . . .

PART I – THE DRIVE THERE

We had several routes to chose from, and since we were in no hurry, we decided to take the “scenic” route – Highway 49 / 120. I mean, according to the Google map below, the scenic route was only 20 minutes longer.

What a mistake.

The Good News about the Highway 49 / 120 route is that we drove it for the first time. So we’re now familiar with another fire evacuation route. Also, great mountain scenery, especially if you like STEEP DROP OFFS & HAIRPIN TURNS. (Check the map insert below.)

The Bad News about Highway 49 / 120 – besides some white knuckles – is that the route added more than an HOUR (not 20 minutes) to our drive. C’est la vie.

So after 3 1/2 hours of driving, we arrive at our hotel room near the RV dealership. We eat lunch, freshen up, and walk the dog (oh yeah, Flirt is with us).

After lunch we drive over to the RV dealership to check out the 2001 Sea Breeze.

PART II – IT’S DEFINITELY A SELLER’S MARKET

As soon as I walked into the RV dealership, I knew buying an RV here was going to be difficult.

The Guy at the Front Desk just kept talking on the phone when I came in. Would not turn around even after I dropped a large RV catalog on the desk behind him.

Then, after finishing his phone call, he walked away without looking at me and got some kid to help me.

Zow!

PART III – THE 2001 SEA BREEZE WAS A POS

It reminded me of RVs returning from the Burning Man Desert Festival – Dust Mobiles that looked like they had served in Erwin Rommel’s Africa Corps or in Breaking Bad. Let one picture tell the story . . .

On The RV Roof – Oh Look, It’s an Open-Air Shower

PART IV – THE OFFER

Definitely a fixer-upper, so I thought I’d offer less than asking price when I met with the RV dealership’s finance officer.

Our short meeting was classic Failure to Communicate. When I told Mr. Finance my offer, he asked “You mean the ‘Out the Door’ price?” I didn’t know what that meant. However, I said yes. What a mistake. I was talking about just the RV price and he was talking about the total cost (RV + tax + fees).

After he turned down our offer, Jan and I went back to the hotel, checked out, and drove back to Mariposa – the fast way this time.

PART V – WHERE’S MY HOTSPOT?

A few minutes after returning home, we realized that we had left out Internet hotspot in the hotel room. Long story short, the hotel staff found it and will mail it back to us.

Lovely.

Sep 22

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Operation Sea Breeze

On Thursday we’re going to look at buying another RV. This time it’s a gas Class A and much shorter than our former Newmar – 30′ 5″ compared with 41′.

Also, the Sea Breeze doesn’t have any slide outs which is one less thing that can go wrong.

We’ve been looking for another RV for several months and used RV prices are still high, just like the housing market. We don’t want to spend much, so that really limits our selection. C’est la vie. We were going to wait until next year to buy, but this “deal” came along.

We’re excited, but also wary as this Sea Breeze has been driven. It’s definitely a fixer upper. Since our RV choices are limited by our budget, for any RV we ended up purchasing we figured that we’d end up replacing the tires, fridge, and ACs in pretty short order . . . and that’s what it looks like for this 2001 Sea Breeze.

More info after we come back.