Darn Near Pulled the Trigger on a Fifth Wheel

[Pat Anderson]

So, plenty to consider. Cruising isn't always easy or convenient, but it is always interesting. Pat has good input when he talks of Yuma (by RV).

Last Sunday on our way back from Birch Bay, one good eye and all, we decided to stop at an RV place in Burlington. There was a 2004 23' SunnyBrook fifth wheel in immaculate condition, and it is one of the very, very few towable with our Titan. We both loved it. Spent a few hours there, got the deal to what I would consider a great deal. But we told the guy we definitely needed to sleep on it.

Had a bit of discussion with the morning ham net and on RV.net. Listed the pros and cons (and plenty of each). Conclusion was right unit, right price, wrong time. Main thought was not that it would be eight years old when we retire (a con of course, but with the fiberglass skin and end caps, a canvas cover would keep it nice, not really worried about it deteriorating), but that it would be competing for our time over the next four years with The Crab Palace and Daydream, and it probably would be hard for us to get enough time in it to justify buying it.

But every day, Patty says "Damn, I love that SunnyBrook - we could still buy it!" And driving north yesterday on I-5 through Burlington, I noticed a distinct tendency of the Titan to want to take that exit!

We are counting on there being a lot of used units available in 2012!

 

[Sawdust]

Pat one-eye --

Those decisions are tough! Because my employer required that we move from coast to coast on a regular basis, we tried all sorts of mobile gadgets. Many motorhomes, several 5th wheels, campers, etc. Motels with 2 adults, 3 kids, and dogs just ain't all happiness.

We NEED to tow a boat, so the way Bob goes is :thup :thup for us. There are so many good (Class whatever) units now that are built on trucks a choice would be difficult. I'd love to have Hank's rig, but my wallet can't handle that -- but there are great choices now.

Dusty (with age related macular degeneration)

 

[Sneaks]

But every day, Patty says "Damn, I love that SunnyBrook - we could still buy it!" And driving north yesterday on I-5 through Burlington, I noticed a distinct tendency of the Titan to want to take that exit!

We are counting on there being a lot of used units available in 2012!

As you know, Pat, we spent some 30 years RV'ing with a 5'er before switching to a Class C. Wonderful choice when the time comes. Especially since both of you know how to "live small" I can only give you two things to think about:

First, making the bed in a small 5'er involves lots of clambering about - and is far less difficult for the vertically challenged and the younger set. It's why we eventually went to a Class C. If Patty can handle it then go for it....

Second, in the coming years, the 5th wheel manufacturers are going to be forced to either go smaller or get out, due to both fuel prices and the shift in truck manufacturers to smaller more efficient (lousy towing) vehicles. The 5'er designers will be taking full advantage of lighter technology and I'd love to see what's in store for 2012....

Oh, and a third. Keep the Titan 'till the wheels fall off. I still have my brute diesel Duramax and am loath to get rid of it simply because it's fully set up for even the biggest 5th wheels and it doesn't have the latest fuel guzzling emission stuff so the MPG is significantly higher than the newer ones. Sure my Lazy Daze 23.5 can tow a C-Dory and I can have the best of both worlds and tow my HHR for economy but it ain't the same.

There will be plenty to choose from when the time comes, nephew. I envy you.

Don

 

[JamesTXSD]

We understand the quandary... how do you find the time? Well, getting rid of the job certainly helps, but then you wind up with more time than money. :wink: When I had a steady paycheck, having a motorcoach with a big diesel chassis that sat more than it moved didn't seem illogical. Even with that, we still couldn't take all the stuff along.

We've come to the conclusion that not having to work the fun stuff around a work schedule means we can enjoy what we want when we want... but we still can't take it all along. As much as we enjoy Wild Blue, we still hankered for RVing. So now we'll do both... just not at the same time. Will there be times when we drive by water and think, "Oh, that would be fun with the boat"? Sure. Or when we're on the boat, "Gee, it sure would be nice to have an RV on that beach and a vehicle to run to the store."

You have the perfect boat(s) for where you live. We feel we do, too. And they're relatively easy to haul around to other cool places. RVs serve much the same purpose... it just depends on the amount of "like home" you want.

Sunnybrook is a well-built brand. You may start with a 23', but when you start spending the winter in one, you will likely want to step up. Trading up is pretty easy... trading down or selling off is pretty tough right now.

There was a time when we had two homes, two RVs, two boats, two motorcycles, AND jobs. And as the RVs and boats got upgraded, trying to take it all along got to be way more work than fun. As you know, we are not minimalists - we need more than 3 outfits and like to have some creature comforts. You can find time to play with all the toys, you just might not have as much time PER toy while you're working.

I'm not trying to talk you into our out of anything - just a thought: better to find out while you're working if you enjoy a particular lifestyle, rather than retire, buy the big toy, and find out you don't really enjoy it. Ask Dr. Bob about the folks who went cruising at the same time they did... few of them stayed with that lifestyle. Same thing for RVing... over the years we've met plenty of couples who didn't "sync" with the idea of traveling... one of them really wanted to spend those "golden years" working on a garden or baking cookies for grandkids. If you get a smallish RV now, you may find that it really "floats your boat"... or not. Then, when you're ready to spend LOTS of time out and about, you'll know what works for you.

Before we ordered the Nu-Wa, there was a lot of discussion. Joan was more than ready to do more RVing... I need more boating. As usual, we came to a good compromise: let's try it for a while again, and if it's as good as we remember, we can sell the house (split our time between Wild Blue and the RV... we've never named our RVs). If not, we can sell everything, get that bigger sailboat and go chase those horizons. :wink

I can work with that. 8)

You are close enough that you can picture retirement... hell, from the sounds of it, you can almost taste it. Getting to where the weather suits you is good for the soul... how do you picture it?

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[JamesTXSD]

...

We are counting on there being a lot of used units available in 2012!

An article I recently read regarding the RV industry forecasts the current downturn to last through late 2010. Just as we've seen with the boat market, it means a lot of used stuff on the market right now and a real shake-out of manufacturers. The proactive manufacturers reacted quickly and cut workforce/expenses. The ones who didn't are in trouble. Much like a lot of the boating industry, these manufacturers are not giants like GM. When we visited the Nu-Wa factory, they could potentially produce 20 units per week... they were now geared for 10.

So, that means fewer late model used units in 2012. I agree that RVs are going to change - lighter is going to be important, as is size and profile. There will be a market for larger units because people are still going to full-time... I believe that market will be serviced by way fewer manufacturers and dealers than current. If/when fuel prices stabilize, people will re-evaluate what's important in their lives and find the means to pursue that.

Drop me a note if you want to talk.

Best wishes,
Jim