FROM DREAM TO REALITY.

January 2009 , we were in the workshop  and they ripped into it.

Don't assume - Ask , was our guiding comment and ask they did . We called in daily and all parties benefited.

Mike worked on the new centre door , the lockers and the under floor fit out.
We wanted to freedom camp for up to two weeks so we spent extra dollars under the floor.
Three fresh water tanks , interconnected , which provide 585 litres.  Plus another 116 litre tank for the loo. Black water tank of 158 litres , grey tank of 250 litres . All are monitored by a BEP Tank Sensor unit.

The Battery locker was set up with two Heavy Duty Starter batteries and two 250 amp hour sealed Deep Cycle Batteries.  These are supported by a 25 amp Pure Charge 3 Stage Battery Charger . A 60 amp Alternator for the house batteries plus the standard alternator for the motor start batteries.
A 1500 watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter , a Morningstar  Tri Star MPPT solar controller , the wiring and fuses and a 240 volt mains supply system was installed by a camper van wiring specialist.

Mean while Andy and Daniel worked on the interior which had its own challenges.
To pander to our ageing eyesight we needed an all white interior which is very unforgiving as any errors really show up.
The aircon roof mounted gear was removed and that space was converted to a light well with a four way vent/hatch.

It was a busy time as we had to keep ahead with our decision making and the purchasing of the product so the items would be available when needed.


Mike pushed on.
He installed the Atwood 22 Litre gas hot water heater and a Webasto Air Heater , fueled by diesel, plumbed from the main fuel tank.

The water pump was next , a Extreme Sensor 4 , 50psi marine pump hooked up to Pure Zone water filter which was plumbed through to the vanity basin and the sink bench.

The gas locker was vented and fitted up with three 4.5kg gas bottles.
There was enough space left to fit a Honda 2kw Gen Set on slides for easy servicing .
This was permanently wired through to the 12v/240v switch.
We had a little awning made as our thinking was that if we needed to use it , it would be in bad weather conditions and it should be kept dry.

The interior fit out was proceeding well.

The kitchen cabinetry was made and fitted unit by unit.

The Waeco electric only frig/freezer with microwave and cupboard over fitted as detailed.

The Dometic washing machine was securely fixed to the floor by a steel subframe that Andy fabricated.

The stove is a Spinflo Mk3 , Caprice. 3 gas rings and 1 electric ( never used so far ) with a full oven and a separate griller.

The Queen size bed has 4 large drawers under it which are easier to access than having to lift the bed up.

The kitchen has  slide out pantry and drawers (no cupboards )
on full extension slides. This allows us to look down into a drawer rather than kneeling on the floor and peering in to a dark cupboard.

The bench top is made out of formica type product as was the vanity top and the table top.

With the en-suite walls up the areas were defined and as to plan.

A Majestic TV/DVD with Free To Air was mounted on a hinged panel with signals from a manually adjusted Sat/dish.

A timber overlay floor and skirting was laid in the kitchen/lounge and bedroom .

The en-suite floor was covered in a non-slip lino like what is used in big walkin showers and returned up the walls so as to be a shower base.

 Mike fitted Tecno-Step electric folding steps and the 3 point locking door and screen.
Also a folding handrail that can lock closed across the door for extra security.

A reversing camera , a tow bar and insect screens were fitted and the exterior was ready for painting.

We chose a metallic grey and white two tone which made it look quite smart.
When we bought the rig we did not realise that it had Isuzu hubcaps and they polished up quite well which helped the appearance.

We did not want to tow our 4x4 so sold it and bought a Susuki Carry mini truck . It was 4 wheel drive , high and low reduction with a 3 cylinder, 660cc motor . A canopy was fitted with polystyrene lining . We were impressed , we had a "shed on wheels"and a shopping basket , that could take on the beaches , sand dunes and supermarket carparks. Its 30 litre fuel tank took us 600 Km , we were impressed.

April 24th 2009 and we left the workshop - our life as  live-a-boards had started.

READY - GET SET - GO.

Back home - oops - back in NZ , we had no home .

Fortunately for us - life long friends opened their hearts and their home to us.
The layout of their home allowed for us to use 2 bedrooms ( one as a TV/lounge room ) with a bathroom and toilet . Our area could be cut off from the rest of house by a sliding door in the hallway and there was a backdoor we could use to come and go without disturbing anyone.
It was a really good setup - we were very appreciative.

We moved in and put a truckload of stuff into storage . It was September - it's only for 3 or 4 months we said - Yeah Right !

Next , up to the bus in storage, to check out some detailed parts of the design.

We spent days removing luggage racks and stripping the interior . Literally thousands of screws and lots of brackets and fittings went to the scrap heap.

Then , check out the Concept.
We were not having an aisle layout. Where there is an aisle down the middle with units / seats / etc lined up each side.
Our concept necessitated a centre door and it could be done - great.
The bedroom was at the back , over the motor.
The floor would be one step up from rest to be over the wheel arches. Looking good so far.

The en-suite would fit as planned , along with the linen cupboard , clothes and shoes storage and wet weather gear ( we were yachties in the past . )

The kitchen/ dining/ lounge would fit OK and the cab was planned to convert to a computer work station/ office area.

The Concept  would work , now to finish the detailing .

Our Detail drawings were done to a 1:20 scale and were quite specific , down to plus or minus a millimetre in places but with some non critical areas where say 20mm or so could be added or lost.

While we progressed the details we were also out looking for someone to do the fit out.
We had been to some shows during the last two years , talking to Suppliers and coach builders/fit out companies.
There was three likely contenders , based at Dairy Flat , Whangaparaoa and Whangarei.
All three were small family businesses , which suited us well.
After many meetings and negotiations  we did a deal with the Dairy Flat based Frontier Motor Homes.
Mike and Kathy and their small team had to finish a 10.5 metre conversion and we would be next.

However , the Big Yellow Fella was slow to finish .
There were many extras  and it only left the workshop on December 24th.

Patience is a Virtue , so the saying goes but is was a frustrating delay.

After the Christmas Holidays we were all set to GO.

Second - WE NEED A PLAN.

HERVEY BAY - home for the next three months.

The Welcome Committee -

Across the road from the camp a herd of Roo's-
Herd of Roo's? - of course we have heard of Roo's but we did not expect to see them in the cemetery across the road !!!
We were at Point Vernon in the middle of the bay with 12 miles of beach in both directions.

Beach means motor camps , big motor camps.

With packs on our backs we began daily walks through every camp we came across .
Looking at rigs , talking to the owners and started to form a list of " must haves "

We quickly realised that we could do a "walk through" every couple of days as the rigs were constantly coming and going.

"Grey Nomads" we are called over there and they claim over one million people enjoy the lifestyle.

The DIY conversions were generally not to a very high standard . A lot had good , even flashy paint jobs and graphics but the interiors were unacceptable to us.

 One rig had an old , unpainted garden gate as a door to the shower!!!!!!!!

The Sun Lodge Camp was very good .
At the end of the Point , just cross the road and we were on the beach.

We had a stand alone, self contained cabin.

It was a great lead into small space living with its small, basic kitchen and minimalistic ablutions .

The neighbours were an attractive lot but their daily 4.00pm get togethers where rather noisy.

Our designing was proceeding quite well. Our ideas for the frig/freezer/micowave/ cupboard over unit were drawn up and we then checked it out by getting some heavy cardboard boxes . Next we cut and hacked the pieces required and glued and cello taped it all together in the kitchen at the end of the sink bench. It proved the point - it worked!

 We ate very well . The aussie food is pretty damn good and we enjoyed it , so we made note ,  to be very careful with our kitchen design so we could produce good whole some food that suited our dietary requirements on a regular basis .

The message was starting to sink in - because you live in a motorhome does not mean you have to slum it or go without , anything.

We were now halfway through our stay.

Our concept plan was complete and the detail drawings were coming along nicely.

Out we went looking at product.

Hervey Bay was once several little villages .
Now it is 12 miles of development which is a lot of area to cover.

We spent 3 to 4 hours a day out and about.
Each day we marked our map for the area we had covered .
The next day we would drive and park in the center of the next area. Then , with lunch in our pack off we would go.

The walk back to the car was along the beach and with scenery like this to enjoy was very pleasant.  Coral of all shapes and forms literally was the beach in places and changed with every tide.
Flowering trees were spectacular and the bird life they attracted was amazing and noisy.
We even found a large colony of bats !!  Apparently we are supposed to like them but to us and to the locals who live near to them , they are obnoxious , stinking creatures who crap more than their own weight every night. They could be smelt 300 metres away - defiantly not good neighbours .
But I digress - again !

But the time was well spent .

There were a lot of different brand names on the market here and we found making comparisons very interesting . The collection of brochures increased daily as did the ideas.

Waeco and Dometic were brand names that would be in our rig - for sure.

As would be LED lights . They had big displays of LED fittings , designed for every purpose which we knew were not available in NZ.
We did a good deal and bought  lights for the whole rig - turned out to be a good decision.
We chose a TMC Electric toilet , but found out that they were available in NZ - thank heavens - imagine that as carry-on-luggage !!!

Time to come home.

We were very pleased with what we had achieved
and considered the 3 months , time well spent.
Our plans were now well developed and ready for final checking .

Our last walk on the beach was at low tide and thousands of Blue Soldier Crabs lined up as though they were a Guard of Honour for us.

           Thank you all - it was a pleasure.

First - CHOOSE A BUS.

We had made the decision -
                                             we were going to set up a bus as a motorhome just for the two of us.

Our home had been sold so the idea we had lived with for the last couple of years, could now become a reality. We had three weeks before we went to Aussie to escape the winter, for three months, so we started looking.

Just up the road at Kumeu was Buses Direct.  In we went to be greeted by Grant .
Straight up , a Izusu Journey caught our eye. A delightful white with a pink trim - perfect , Yeah Right.
Apart from the colour every thing else checked out fairly good.
But , we were hardly likely to buy the first rig we looked at , were we !!!!

Off we went , checking out rigs from Bombay hills to Wellsford.

Then onto the web , searching all of NZ for a 9.0 metre rig.

There was not a lot available , and even less Izusu's. We liked Izusu's . Our truck and our 4x4 were both Izusu's and they did great service for us.

 Back to Kumeu we went.
Another long careful look and a trial drive up the main highway and around the rural back roads.
"We will think about it "we said to Grant .
There was not much time to think , we were off to Aussie in two days time.
The next day we went back ,"Lets do a deal" we said to Grant , "Great " said Grant with his best friendly smile.
The negotiating took a couple of hours . It was not just the price , though we got that down by several thousand dollars.
Grant agreed to a 10% deposit , he would put it into storage for 4 months then we would pay the balance and take delivery.

We paid the deposit , shook hands and then did a measure up of the interior . The next day we took off for Aussie , our sketch pad and basic drawing gear in the suitcase .

                               Proud owners of a shell of a bus and with a head full of ideas.

SOLAR PANELS.

Our solar panel system was not preforming very well . We struggled through the first two winters .
The short storey is - we started with four 120amp panels and kept on running out of power.
Back we went to our motorhome wiring specialist - "no worries , I have allowed wiring for two more panels just in case they were needed " he said. We reluctantly bought two more panels and paid for the installation.  Guess what - not one extra amp of power was produced !!!!
Next came the B--- S---. Loads of it .
We went to the supplier of the first four panels for guidance . He talked to us for an hour and then on the phone to the wiring guy for nearly an hour. He then gave us an invoice for his two hours involvement , $100.00 !!!!  just to hear him covering his back in case we tried to make a warranty claim.
During the next 14 weeks we spent many hours searching the web, talking to other live- a- boards and other solar specialists.
Finally, the very able solar guys in Henderson , West Auckland defined the problem , provided the solution and specification for remedial work.
Basically , the wires coming down from the panels were too thin - it had to be rewired.
A live-a-board friend who lived off solar power for many years had a loose panel. We experimented with tilting it towards the sun. The output doubled !!!!!
We were impressed - we would tilt three panels and leave the other three flat.

First , the panels had to come off and be rewired into two banks of 3 panels each. This provided for two supplies of 36 volts down to the solar controller which smartly converted back into 12 volts ( so I have been told ).


Glen delivered the framework and we carefully manhandled it up onto the roof.


He then puzzled over what to do next. The photo recorded him scratching his grey matter. It didn't take long and he was back into it.


He had guidance from Graham and me , of course.

 

 

The first 4 panels came from Serada and the extra 2 from A A Solar.

You can see the Specifications are very similar but the price difference was incredible.

In the two years between the purchase dates huge factories in China had been commissioned and as production increased the prices came down.

Footnote - look back at the last six issues of our clubs Motor Caravaner magazine . The prices have been reduced every issue. Also the output has increased . No need to install an 85watt panel now , 

you can get an 180watt for less dollars than the 85 used to cost.

 

Glen designed a clever lifting device , operated from the ground , which allows the panels to be tilted up to 55 degrees in 6 stages.


It is easy to operate , the lift is provided by three gas struts.

Once the control arm is released a small amount of uplift from me activates the gas struts which take over the lifting until the desired angle is reached.

To lower the panels a light pull down on the control arm is all that is needed.

There was needed a few other modifications .

Like upgrade the Solar Controller to a 60amp one.
Install two circuit breakers on the roof , one for each bank of panels.
Another circuit breaker between the Solar Controller and the batteries.

Plus a major improvement to the washing machine.
Our Dometic motorhome appliance had been installed to only operate when we were plugged into mains power. We do not go to motor camps so the machine was never used.  The solar guru from Henderson said it should work off our solar system and provided the info to rewire it , and work it does.

If the batteries are down , a sunny day will see 40amps of charge going in over and above what we are using at the time.

We finally have a Solar System that works.  Our system provides power for an electric only frig/freezer , micro wave that we use for cooking and heating water for our cups of tea, electric blankets in the winter , washing machine ,  toaster , toilet , steps , Nespresso coffee machine and the odd things like fans, kitchen wiz , vacumn , TV , drill , angle grinder and lots of LED lights.

Just like home - but then it is our home . If you are tripping away for a weekend or even a week or two, you can put up with a lot of minor inconveniences , but when living aboard you want the comforts of home.

                                                  Happiness is -

DIESEL TANK & MIRROR MOUNTS.

A couple of small jobs are combined in this blog
for the sake of keeping the record of the maintenance work we have done on Kiwi Style.





While in Tauranga in 2011 we noticed fuel dripping in a steady flow from the tank - not good.

Into the workshop and the rig was lifted up by four little fork hoists , one on each wheel , which allowed the tank to be dropped down and we could then assess the problem.

Happily the tank was in very good order , except for rust where it sat on two steel bearers.

Steel patches were welded on.
The whole tank was sanded and had a rust treatment applied, then repainted.

Refitted , tested and declared to be as good as new.

Then in early 2012 we were looking at rusty rear vision mirror mounts , again.
Three times they have been sanded and repainted but still the rust returns.

The solution was simple , get new mounts made out of aluminium.

Back we went to that incredible craftsman , Glen.
He is the guy that made our replacement locker doors.

"No problem" he said and there wasn't.
A real good job at a reasonable price.

WINDSCREEN FIASCO.

  Now , the facts.

We rang Covi Insurance and they said "No problem , glass is covered ". They gave us a Claim Number  and that was that , just get the job done and end of storey - Yeah Right !!!!!

Smith & Smith Glass at Whangarei was our choice.
We had used them at their Henderson Branch in the past and everything was 100%. Dream on .

Top left photo is the original chip - quite bad but repairable they said.
Not so in reality - after the repair there was to be seen, from the outside , two spots that would be acceptable , but from the inside it looked like the original unrepaired chip.
"No problem " they said ( those words again ) " we will replace it" . First , it had to come up from Christchurch.  A week later it arrived.

Out came the old screen ( top right photo ) and in with the new.



But they cracked it !!!!!! and at the same time they cracked the passenger screen.

Loud hoots of laughter echoed around the workshop - the two young guys from Smith & Smith thought it was a big joke.

We were not impressed !

A week later and two new screens arrived along with two older staff and the screens were fitted.


A job well done, we hoped.

Not so .

The paintwork was damaged ( see photo above)
and the black sealant stained the paintwork on the mullions , both sides of the screen ( see photo below).

We had had enough of Smith & Smith by now so instead of complaining we fixed the paint chips and cleaned up the black stains ourselves.

Ok , we thought , all we have to do now is get the graphics replaced.
Which we did .

The graphics cost us $145.00 .  Hold on a minute , we thought . there was one word on each screen and Smith & Smith broke one screen so surely they should pay for half the cost of replacing the graphics .

So back we went .    It was a total waste of time .     Their initial reaction to my request was ,  you might guess , a good laugh .   "Claim it off your insurance " they said in-between chuckles.

A week later we had a good rainy day - the windscreens leaked .

Not just a trickle or two , multiple flows that needed many paper towels across the bottom of the screens.

Back to Smith & Smith . They listened with an air of disbelief and smug superiority that reflects the management attitude at the Whangarei branch. " It was probably condensation " they said.
We went out to the rig for an inspection .  They stood there talking about condensation , I went inside and came out with two hand fulls of sodden paper towels. It was not condensation.
They did a closer inspection . When they fitted the screens , someone stood on the ground and sealed across the bottom and up each side as far as they could reach and left it at that.

The silence was deafening - not one word of apology , just some muttering between them selves .
Out came the trestles and plank and it was sealed as it should have been in the first place.

Good Bye Smith & Smith Glass - may our paths never cross again.

Since then surplus sealant has oozed out from behind the rubber extrusion all around the screens.

When I can borrow a stepladder I will clean it up.

Their is one more chapter to this tale .
Covi Insurance rang me.
" Could I tell them why the claim is for three windscreens ?" they asked.
Well I did - "I broke one and Smith & Smith broke two"seemed to sum it up correctly.
"Thank you"they said.

To summarise - Smith & Smith claimed from my insurance company the cost of three windscreens , two of which they broke themselves and they should have claimed for them from their insurance.

I now know that Novus Glass are in Whangarei so no prize for guessing where I will go for any future glass work.