Launching Mac with RV

[BOAT]

22 FEET CLASS B DIESEL OR BIODIESEL FRONT ENGINE REAL WHEEL DRIVE DIFFERENTIAL THREE QUARTER TON And I do not have a hitch on the front.

The manufacture is Mercedes and the truck is a tank. We hit a deer in Texas at 65 and cut the deer in half right down the middle. The van is built like a Panzer tank.

That's the one the admiral wants. MB, or the Winnebago unit built on that MB Sprinter chassis. .

I can understand why she says that. My wife drives ours for hours on end cross country just fine. She gets better MPG than I do because she has a lighter foot. I get 22 to 24MPG but she will get 25 to 27MPG. It's easier to drive than a car because it's actually narrower than a regular truck like a F150 or a Chevy or Ram. The one we have is an old one - 2004, and they are smaller than the ones they build today. You don't need the dual axl unless you go with the big class C style "box" built on the MB truck - which I DO NOT recommend. The whole point of going with a vehicle like this is so you can operate just like a car. We park everywhere a car parks. Right down the narrow side streets of New Orleans between Bourbon and Royal and up the River Walk in San Antonio right down Lombard street in San Fran. NO PROBLEM.

I have had lots of trucks - Several F150, RAMS, Econolines, Chevy - this one is the best truck I have ever had. It's the ONLY truck that I have been able to have for so many years - it's 11 years old and still ready to go another 11 years with no issues at all.

As for backing - this thing is great because the back doors swing all the way around out of the way. I can swing the back doors against the side of the van and back up the boat looking right down the bow! But what really gets people talking at the ramp is when I get the trailer in the water, I WALK thru the back of the van right onto the trailer to release the boat. I never get my tootsies wet - even on the shallow sand ramps like they have in Mexico.

I have loaded the thing up with sand, cement, whatever - the rear does not deflect. Had 15 people in it and the rear hardly moved over an inch. It's got some super duper fiberglass or composite spring leaf thing in the back that makes it adjust to any load and still ride upright and nice. It does not squat under a load like all my other trucks did.

[grady]

I do not see the sail on that one.

Add a swing keel to it stick a flag pole on top, I bet it would sail as fast as one of those blue hull mac's!

[dlandersson]

FYI, "panzer" is German for "tank". So saying "Panzer tank" is saying "tank tank".

22 FEET CLASS B DIESEL OR BIODIESEL FRONT ENGINE REAL WHEEL DRIVE DIFFERENTIAL THREE QUARTER TON And I do not have a hitch on the front. The van is built like a Panzer tank.

[BOAT]

FYI, "panzer" is German for "tank". So saying "Panzer tank" is saying "tank tank".

22 FEET CLASS B DIESEL OR BIODIESEL FRONT ENGINE REAL WHEEL DRIVE DIFFERENTIAL THREE QUARTER TON And I do not have a hitch on the front. The van is built like a Panzer tank.

Yeah, that's what the truck is like, it's like a TANK TANK. That's a pretty good way to put it. My neighbors call it an Urban Assault Vehicle.

[Tomfoolery]

You don't need the dual axl unless you go with the big class C style "box" built on the MB truck - which I DO NOT recommend. The whole point of going with a vehicle like this is so you can operate just like a car. We park everywhere a car parks. Right down the narrow side streets of New Orleans between Bourbon and Royal and up the River Walk in San Antonio right down Lombard street in San Fran. NO PROBLEM.

All the ones I've seen looking around online are based on the 3500 series 6-wheel Sprinter chassis, which I would guess is a little wider than the 4-wheel version (unless the rear axle is shorter, of course). I'm talking about the Class B types, not the boxy Class C. Like this one rat cheer.

[BOAT]

The six wheel Sprinter is a ONE TON rated truck. Sprinters are not available in a half ton like the American trucks.

They have 3/4 ton or 1 ton.

You really don't need the one tone unless your going to have a huge motor-home box built onto the thing. (not recommended).

[Herschel]

My wife and I are considering buying a class C RV and wondering if there might be issues launching our Mac SX. We currently have a Dodge Ram 2500 and launch without problems

First, let me say I am envious of your Dodge Ram 2500. I have a 1500 hemi and pull a Puma travel trailer with it. There are times I could really enjoy your 2500. That said, let me come to the point I would like to make. I have thought about trying to combine RV trips with my Mac 26X on occasion. Generally, I considered whether or not to get a truck bed camper of some sort so I could pull my Mac with my 1500 truck. I absolutely have no idea about what is right for other people to do, but I can share my thinking about my situation and leave it to others to judge if it is relevant, at all, or in part for them. What I have decided to do, however, is not to combine them. This is my thinking. I am in my 5th year of RV ownership and 12th year of Mac ownership. RV's are not "appliances" like cars (i.e., turn the key and go). I probably put an equal amount of time and effort into the technology of RV-ing, along with the proper repair and maintenance of the RV, that I do my Mac. RV's are essentially boats that "cruise" on the road and not in water. They are just about as complex, perhaps even more in some ways (e.g., RV's nearly always have both 110 volt and 12 volt systems, plus propane, perhaps even solar). The vibration of the road does its work on the inners of the RV like the water environment does its work on the materials of our Macs. In addition, RV-ing is, generally, a hobby in itself with many interesting places to visit and multiple uses to consider to get the most out of your investment. Most of those interesting places would not be suitable venues for my Mac (e.g., Grand Canyon, campsites near my grandkids). So I spend a lot of time out with the RV and NOT focused on sailing my Mac. For me, it is sort of two different worlds. I do have an inflatable dinghy and a sailing rig that I can store in my RV for when the sailing bug bites, and I am a long way from my Mac (e.g., Lake Powell AZ, Pontiac Lake MI). One advantage of not trying to combine the two is that I got a lot more RV space for my money with a travel trailer. I can pull a nice 26 ft (interior measurement) trailer with one slide with my 1500. It gives me a lot of space and mobility when I get to the camp site. I drop the trailer, and I have my truck to go shopping or sight seeing. With a class C and a Mac, I am going to be running side trips with a bicycle or braking camp to get a loaf of bread at the 7-11 ten miles away! I had trouble trying to load a pic of my Puma on Photobucket, but here is link to the Puma website just for kicks. And a picture of my sailing dinghy. Happy to share any further thoughts with you. Good luck in thinking this out.
http://www.palominorv.com/ProductInfo.a ... &RVType=TT

[1st Sail]

We expect to travel for 2-4 weeks at a time. The struggle is deciding on an RV short enough to pull the Mac with reasonable turning radius for launching and yet large enough for extended stays. On trips without the Mac we will pull a small suv. Obviously there are compromises at any length.

[Do+fus1]

There are some great posts here. I like Boat's idea of a tank tank with the MD and Sprinter chassis. Just went to RV show and the Winnebago was disappointing as far as quality goes, plus the new ones cost way too much. If you go to Craigslist, beware. There was a 2006 MD View for $10,000 including shipping from Medford, OR even though the add said it was in Spokane, WA. The "lady" who was selling it said you had to buy it off Ebay. Anyway it sounded like a con to me. Beware.

[Herschel]

The struggle is deciding on an RV short enough to pull the Mac with reasonable turning radius for launching

Another issue I ran into pulling my Mac from near Detroit, where I bought it, to Orlando was visibility while backing. I used a U-Haul truck much the size and shape of a medium class C RV. Despite trying to stay at motels with "drive thru" convenience, I got caught in one parking lot and had to turn the rig around by backing and turning through a 180. When you can't see straight out the back (or view what is out there on a small screen) while backing, you can't see what boat trailer is doing until it shows up in your side view mirrors. By that time the trailer is already way out of alignment for the target of the maneuver, namely the parking space or the ramp you are shooting for.

[1st Sail]

The blind spots with my Yukon XL are bad enough. I can only imagine the fun of backing up the Mac with a 30ft MHome. A pair of walkie-talkies are a must.
There are a lot of very favorable owner reviews for both LazyDaze and Phoenix Cruiser MH. I have been following blogs, forums on both of these mfgs. and so far the results are very positive will beyond the posts for the production builders like Winnebago, and Thor industries. However, in respect to all volume builders you have to take into consideration their production volume and order of magnitude with regard to production / quality issues.
These are privately owned companies with limited production. From what I have read totally committed to customer support and build quality. Much like the marine industry.
http://www.lazydaze.com/
http://www.phoenixusarv.com

[BOAT]

The blind spots with my Yukon XL are bad enough. I can only imagine the fun of backing up the Mac with a 30ft MHome. A pair of walkie-talkies are a must.
There are a lot of very favorable owner reviews for both LazyDaze and Phoenix Cruiser MH. I have been following blogs, forums on both of these mfgs. and so far the results are very positive will beyond the posts for the production builders like Winnebago, and Thor industries. However, in respect to all volume builders you have to take into consideration their production volume and order of magnitude with regard to production / quality issues.
These are privately owned companies with limited production. From what I have read totally committed to customer support and build quality. Much like the marine industry.
http://www.lazydaze.com/
http://www.phoenixusarv.com

All the cookie cutter production factories are bad motor homes because all of them load up the rigs WAY WAY too heavy. If you are going to do a Sprinter I highly recommend you stay away from the production factories. You will end up with a rig that has been loaded up to it's weight limit before you even add a boat trailer.

All that weight will tear up your rig in nothing flat. I put slide in campers in pickup trucks and tore up an awful lot of big truck before I got enough intelligence to properly spec out a rig properly.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you go to a custom shop that specializes in building rigs for different functions. The very best of them is a place in Austin Texas called SPORTSMOBILE. Only put in the rig what you want and don't put in junk you don't want and will never use. And don't go to the SPORTSMOBILE plant in California, go to the one in Austin, Texas and talk to a guy named Paul. The Sportmobile plant in Austin, Texas does all custom made to order - the California plant is more of a production plant and they can't really cater to your individual needs as well as the Texas Plant. Have your RV custom made to exactly YOUR floor plan and specification to create the best possible tow vehicle for you.

If you just want a motorhome - go anywhere - buy anything.

If you want a tow vehicle for your boat - go talk to Paul at Sportsmobile in Austin Texas.