Olg one

[Old one]

I am in the process of selling my boat and am interested in getting a used motor home 24-28', either Class A or C.
Its to my understanding that the A "rides" better than the C, because of the longer wheel bas, but cost more than a C.
Being the wife and I are pushing 80, ease of driving are important.
My background: 60 years and 14 boats, all trailable, the last one a cruiser 24' long with everything in it. The water, cooking, toilet, and refrigeration systems are b=very similar to an RV, of which I have experience with. I am a retired electronics nerd and have successfully designed TV antennas, and battery power and charging systems, and may be of assistance to others. No, I do nit do CB radios. I have been a radio ham for 63 years and may put one in the motorhome. Please be tolerant of my nubie questions. My former occupation consisted on gathering information before acting.

 

[Holdmybeer]

I'm 71 and hoping to crew out with a sailboat from the US to the Marquesas Islands next spring. Meantime, some of those C class rigs are very nice and some cost more than an A. Arguably, a C class I think would be a better fit to octogenarians new to the habit.

 

[TheLooks]

I am not sure if there is much difference when you are moving the vehicle with likely the same engine, a V8 Ford if new enough and a V10 if not. Unless they make a large enough Mercedes. A Super C perhaps? Get into a diesel engine. I worked on a beautiful Thor that was put on a Ford F550 I believe. Diesel engine.
I suppose that also depends how much and how far you intend to travel.

 

[John&Andrea]

Welcome, good luck on your search. We went from a 35’ fifth wheel to a 31’ Class C and we love in. Starting out sixth year.
Happy Shopping

 

[Rollin Ollen]

I am in the process of selling my boat and am interested in getting a used motor home 24-28', either Class A or C.
Its to my understanding that the A "rides" better than the C, because of the longer wheel bas, but cost more than a C.
Being the wife and I are pushing 80, ease of driving are important.
My background: 60 years and 14 boats, all trailable, the last one a cruiser 24' long with everything in it. The water, cooking, toilet, and refrigeration systems are b=very similar to an RV, of which I have experience with. I am a retired electronics nerd and have successfully designed TV antennas, and battery power and charging systems, and may be of assistance to others. No, I do nit do CB radios. I have been a radio ham for 63 years and may put one in the motorhome. Please be tolerant of my nubie questions. My former occupation consisted on gathering information before acting.

Welcome aboard. Just an fyi, I have had both As and Cs. Some seem to forget that a C is just as wide as an A but an A gives you much more visibility. There are plus" and minus" to both styles but I think the most important feature is the floor plan. You will want something that will please both of you and comfortable to be in for a few days should you run into some inclement weather. An A will also give you more outside storage. Good luck with your search and safe travels.

Oh, one more very important thing. No matter what you decide on make sure you have the rig professionally inspected. You will find enough surprises without being saddles with some unseen serious problems.

 

[rjshiflet49]

In our mid-70s we went from a 41-foot fifth wheel to a 34-foot Class A gasser. Despite putting seemingly every possible "stabilizer" on it, the Class A swayed and tossed going down the highway and never seemed to steer correctly. Unlike my 3/4 ton trucks and one-ton trucks, this thing was a constant battle to keep between the lines.

Our next door neighbors had a similar Class A (different brand and older) and said they were experiencing the same thing. They went with a Super C with (I believe) a Kenworth diesel engine/chassis and are very pleased.

We kept our Class A for about two years, honestly never enjoyed driving it and now we're back to a fifth wheel and F-250 to pull.

Best wishes - I hope you get a great one and enjoy the experiences.

 

[Old one]

I am not sure if there is much difference when you are moving the vehicle with likely the same engine, a V8 Ford if new enough and a V10 if not. Unless they make a large enough Mercedes. A Super C perhaps? Get into a diesel engine. I worked on a beautiful Thor that was put on a Ford F550 I believe. Diesel engine.
I suppose that also depends how much and how far you intend to travel.

It is extremely difficult to find a 24-28 with a diesel. They get $10-20K more. If I like RVing I wanted to get one that somewhat holds is value, and trade up and conversely, if I don't, get most of my money back.

I am in the process of selling my boat and am interested in getting a used motor home 24-28', either Class A or C.
Its to my understanding that the A "rides" better than the C, because of the longer wheel bas, but cost more than a C.
Being the wife and I are pushing 80, ease of driving are important.
My background: 60 years and 14 boats, all trailable, the last one a cruiser 24' long with everything in it. The water, cooking, toilet, and refrigeration systems are b=very similar to an RV, of which I have experience with. I am a retired electronics nerd and have successfully designed TV antennas, and battery power and charging systems, and may be of assistance to others. No, I do nit do CB radios. I have been a radio ham for 63 years and may put one in the motorhome. Please be tolerant of my nubie questions. My former occupation consisted on gathering information before acting.

Re: comments below about a Class C vs A.
One thing is bugging me about the Class Cs. Many have the "bumble bee" look with a very large overhang in the rear. Could this be a danger when turning from a major street where there is a lane to your left and the rear protrudes into the other traffic land next to it? Just wondering, because that is the situation where I must turn into my home area. Or am I reading too deep into the?

 

[TheLooks]

It is called tail swing and it happens with TT, A's, C's, and about all of them except possibly the B's. I watched mine closely and had no problems this winter out west.

 

[Baker9713]

Welcome from Mississippi!

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Let's start with origin! I assume you didn't live aboard your boats. So living full time is not your plan.

If you're limber enough to enjoy a trailerable boat then you can find any motorhome suitable.

Class Cs don't typically handle well when compared to DP class As. This is due to suspension not size.

If you did without a dink, you likely can do without a towd.

If you did without a towd, then a van based MH, will probably be more manuverable in towns. Uber can get you to your POI, in most towns.

The acronym BOAT scales well when talking about MHs, and that is what makes them equal. Old MHs are the only ones that depreciation will not destroy your investment. Put another way. You will loose money on the project.

Conclusion? Look at what will make you happy. If you really retire, you're already dead.

 

[Old one]

It is called tail swing and it happens with TT, A's, C's, and about all of them except possibly the B's. I watched mine closely and had no problems this winter out west.

Is there a trick to doing this or is it SWAG? (Scientific Wild Ass Guess?)

 

[Old one]

Let's start with origin! I assume you didn't live aboard your boats. So living full time is not your plan.

If you're limber enough to enjoy a trailerable boat then you can find any motorhome suitable.

Class Cs don't typically handle well when compared to DP class As. This is due to suspension not size.

If you did without a dink, you likely can do without a towd.

If you did without a towd, then a van based MH, will probably be more manuverable in towns. Uber can get you to your POI, in most towns.

The acronym BOAT scales well when talking about MHs, and that is what makes them equal. Old MHs are the only ones that depreciation will not destroy your investment. Put another way. You will loose money on the project.

Conclusion? Look at what will make you happy. If you really retire, you're already dead.

As stated above, yes this is somewhat an experiment, however, my experiments usually have data taken beforehand to guide my decisions. However, (again), sometimes I do get bit.
Yes older is what I am thinking with exceptions:
Before the Ford 10 cyl had some problems due to thin metal where the spark plug seats.
Before 1994, the ODII did nit work with my reader, and the "dask air" had a freon that went away, so a leak could result on rebuilding the whole dash system. This happened on a 1991 4X4 I had. I traded it in which was cheaper.
Myself: I drive a 2003 car, my boat is a 2001. The car get fixed whenever it needed it, and like the boat, maintenance happened in advance of teh manual time period. I would not be afraid to to my 7500# boat interstate.Back when, I was Coast Guard Auxiliary and if your boat failed to proceed, one of us would get ou and safely get you home. My boats and cars are (Overly) maintained with this in mine. I retired out in 1997, but the maintenance is still done. That's how I can drive old vehicles. I would be looking for a used rig owned by someone like me.... Then I would have an RV surveyor check it over. Although I need to sell the boat first, I saw an ad for a Thour motorhome A C E 27 today and it turned me on. BTW, what is teh difference between a Thor A C E and the Vegas, besides money?

 

[AbdRahim]

Whatever you consider drive it before you buy it. Nothing will replace your own experience as to which is most comfortable for you to drive. I do recommend RV Driving School. The cost of the two day course is far less than the damage that can occur from not knowing something. Don’t ask me how I know.

Tail swing is real and should be measured for your RV, and taken into account in traffic.