No....you need to talk about it more: it's like Fishing....it's not about Fishing....it's about talking about fishing
Actually theres probably little point documenting your thought processes in relation to anything you do to your bus as your original intention ie to share your experience and draw on that of others therfore enriching the collective knowledge may be misinterpreted. Arriving at a solution or a methodology doesnt necessarily mean your going to see it through as resources or circumstances will alter your priorities and a lot of it is talk in the persuance of an ideal solution. There are more than a few on here who believe you shouldnt share your knowledge for free. I obviously am not in agreement with that as if you nip round to a mates and help him out you dont charge him... measure something and give him the info you dont charge - invite soeone around for a brew or a meal - you dont present them with a bill. Going off on a tangent here.
I've got an A4 refill pad full of sketches and drawings of stuff I'll never do.....mechanisms, hinges,....you name it. TBH I enjoy mulling stuff over and figuring things out, regardless of whether it comes to fruition or not... beats watching East Enders..... ^^^this, however, isn't using my van for what it was intended for' Ask me if i give one....
Think were being a bit oversensitive! Im sat in my van at the moment or at least in my favourite place sitting on the floor out of the slider. Wasnt made for sitteing here and doing this you know. Then again dont think netbooks were concieved in 1972!
Yep that's it. Not sure what is has to do with commercial TV though. You're a bad man encouraging that there Vanorak chap though, he'll never get his bus onto a camping field.
I blame @theBusmonkey for all his new age new-fanglery flash bang - make your life more comfortable approach but @zed says its ok for him to do so thats fine
He will - even if I have to convince him its a good idea to convert it into a caravan and tow it there. Hes the best self funding R+D department ive come across. Your a wrong un you wind up merchant!! (or is this just a bit of chivvying for us to cut the carp and just get the bloody things on the road?)
I'm just taking the ******* of course. I spent a lot of time on my interior and yet it's quite hopeless in a practical sense even though IMO it looks good. You see I like these old vans because of how they look and to me, trying to make them into an all singing all dancing holiday destination just can't happen - they're too small for starters. Mainly I just use mine to snooze in the warm sun, make a cuppa and sleep in. When the battery runs too low to work he eber it's time to come home. I don't think I could stand it for more than a long weekend, it's just too cramped. Busmonkey says they're going to spend 5 months solid in their's, so we can forgive him a few luxuries.
I know but everyone loves a pillow fight eh! This 5 months thing is just an excuse for more toys imho.
btw - im MOTd running like a dream. engine leaks oil like a seive, got a bed (no cusions) - but got a air bed, a camping cooker - even got a little caravan gas fire, a portable fridgey thing, a mains hook up (if i need it) a full tankk of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, its dark and Im wearing sunglasses - good to go really!
I'm worse as bad TBH, but it's 3D CAD drawings for me, home designed and made special hinges, hidden blinds, hidden heater, hidden stereo - a bit of a theme going on there, but I did design specifically to actually make everything rather than as an excercise for the pure joy of designing. I spent 20 years as an engineering design consultant so the fun has long since gone out of it. The CAD (which I tried hard to avoid) was the quickest means to a workable end.
Same here (in principle.... ) there's bugger all in my van compared to others....hopefully, what's in their will work well and last....I only put a zig in on the grounds that I was going to rent it out.....that ain't happening now. i do like the idea of Solar power though....and hate the idea of spending hours and a small fortune on fixtures and fittings only to wake up and find everything damp and cold.....maybe that's the nature of the beast?
However, my designing lead in a straight line to a finished van that I camped in probably for at least a dozen weekends last year. Since then I've done nothing to the interior, it's finished enough to use though there are a few things to finish properly. Whether I'll ever get round to it I don't know, I prefer camping in it TBH. Not to mention I do get my fill of bus related tinkering at work!
Stay in bed until the suns warmed the van up. Yes I need some solar as well, but I know enough about it to realise I'd have to cover the roof to get a useable amount of power and as I just weekend in it, I can more easily recharge the battery when I get home.
most of the stuff i think up is pie in the sky tbh....but it's fun (for me at least) to ponder... True.....in the final analysis, it'd be the cost/benefit that dictates whether I'd fit something proper, or not. As it stands, you're looking at a sizeable investment for a questionable outcome.....but if I was doing some serious travelling (weeks/months at a time) I'd definitely be thinking about PV.....simply because it frees you up from mains.... Why wear a hair shirt, when you can have a cashmere turtleneck?
I'm dreaming of that day....you off out today? I'm sat on the bank in the sun contemplating the seal change on the steering box. Don't want to rush it, it's a lovely day!! Nailed it chap! I reckon we'll save on campsite fees, well thats the plan. 30 nights at 10-20 euros should cover the cost. I won't have PV on the boat though as the cost benefit payback means the kit will be nearly worn out before break-even. A live aboard needs at least 50 amps plus potential output to satisfy demand from fridge/freezer/washing machine etc & that means massive panel array, huge battery bank and loads of money. The downside of the CIGS tech means, as @zed says, the whole roof needs to be covered. Thin film solar is just not as efficient yet so it's bigger panel size for the same gain. However, you can't see them unless the roof is up, they're very light and these are the major benefits. When it's all said & done, we're all of us right! The same goal of pulling up, popping a beer and watching the sunset.........
