THE FINISHED RIG.

From the central entry door, looking left .

First there is the lift out , freestanding table. It can be used in several positions inside and easily lifted out for use under the awning. On the shelf over  the table is a fruit basket , our iPod music setup and a Nespresso U coffee machine.

On the right is the gas stove , three rings and one electric with a 600mm, vented Range Hood over.
A decent size oven and a griller.

The sink has a detergent dispenser , faucet and a fresh water tap which supplies filtered water.

Under the bench is the Dometic washing machine. It runs off the solar power supply through the inverter.
The spin cycle does 1000 revs per minute so the washing is quite dry before it gets to the line.


Opposite is the seating.
It is not big but it is set up for the two of us and is well proportioned and very comfortable.
The main seat is 2.0m long and can be a extra bed if required.
At night we sit against the red cushions to watch TV. The TV is mounted on a hinged panel which brings the screen around to face the seat.
 From this seat we look through to the bedroom.
The door of the cupboard on the right opens across the passage to provide privacy when needed.
At the end of the bench is the electric Waeco Frig/Freezer with the Micro Wave over.

There is access from the bedroom to the en-suite.

A decent sized vanity.

The round Stainless steel bowl has a faucet , a filtered fresh water supply and a soft soap dispenser.

There is a mirrored door on the toiletry cabinet.

The cupboard and drawers under the top provide heaps of storeage.

The shower slide also comes in handy when cleaning.

Water is saved by having the mixer valve return the cold water back to the water heater until it runs hot.

On the wall is a Body Wash and Hair Shampoo dispenser along with a scraper to dry off the floor.

There are towel rails over and under the windows.

Not shown is the five towel rails on the ceiling which allow the en-suite to be used as a drying room.

Note - the round black fitting low down on the wall is an inlet from the Diesel Air Heater which provides the hot air for the drying. We also run it before having a shower so we have warm towels.

The TMC Electric Toilet is tucked in around from the doorway.

The chrome corner unit has three shelves , two hold the hand towels while the top shelf has the spray cans of disinfectant .

The floor is non -slip industrial vinyl sloping down to a hair/lint trap waste.

A clearer shot of the vanity.
On the wall to the right is a clock , wall thermometor and a hand towel ring.

All this is protected by a shower curtain on a track which is 1200mm X 900mm . Closed while shower is in use , the walls stay clean and cleaning the curtain is easy.

The bedroom has a Queen Size bed with two side cabinets with drawers on full extension slides.

The cupboard over the bedhead provide hanging space and clothes storage in wire bins.

Under the bed are four large, deep drawers which are easy to access without having to lift the mattress up.

On the pelmet there is mounted the bedroom radio speakers which is a separate system from the lounge system.

Venitian Blinds are fitted throughout.

From the bed , on the right is the bifold doors into the en-suite and on the left access to the main area.

And finally the cab area.

To avoid the need to use the table for the computor we designed the cab area to , in just a few minutes, convert to a U shaped work station.

Into the dashboard is a 4 in 1 printer on the passenger side.

The side unit has the top hinged with storeage within it.

The next section lifts up and provides the main computor work space.

The passenger seat swivels to face the area chosen for the work.

The third leg of the U shaped work station is provided by a shelf that fits through the steering wheel and rests on top of the dashboard.

The setup is quick and simple and it works.

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 -