Hatteras mini rally

Dear Debi Disguised as Bob,

"Looking at shells"???????

As intriguing as the concept of building your own coach appears, except for the ability to proudly say I did it myself I think even to the most capable the project is expensive and time consuming.

Let's start with the expensive part. By the time you buy the shell (not a small investment) and the stuff that makes the shell a house you are well north of $500,000. On the surface that seems cheap compared to the prices new coaches are selling for. But there is a whole lot more involved, including the depreciation of all of the stuff during the time it takes to assemble your own bus.

Then there is the time. By my estimates, based on conversations with various converters the typical coach takes 7,000 to 9,000 man hours. Bear in mind these are the hours to assemble an already proven design, using components that already have been programmed for their CNC machines, and wiring systems that have been assembled the same way for years. For an individual to tackle the construction of a coach it takes skill in plumbing, woodworking, electrical design, AC, audio visual systems, and interior decorating.

I can envision a home built conversion taking four years. In today's market you can buy a professionally converted 4 year old slide coach for $800,000 or less. That is where you will be when the home built conversion is finished. You will have a four year old coach.

But don't let my negative comments dissuade anyone. When a competent builder puts together a conversion, if it is done right there will be nothing more satisfying than having it exactly the way you want it. And when someone shows up at a POG rally with a conversion they did themselves they will get the anal award and it will be retired because nobody will be able to top that.:D

Debi,

I thought Mike was a metrosexual before I actually met him :eek: After he told me the Christmas story and the skydive story and the story about him and those sheep; oh, never mind about that one......

My wife now bugs me about wanting to read the posts since she now thinks knows everyone, but she is a closet poster. She just tells me if I need to harpoon Lew or Mike. :rolleyes: So now I have to be real careful what I say ;)

I think I just need to be in line for all the hand-me-down coaches that the rest of you pass on. Us working guys have all the social security to pay in and with Jon being unemployable it all falls to the proletariate.

I have passed on the words of "Obie Jon Kanobi" to bob-00 . I think he has already figured out everything you wrote in your post but I am making him read it anyway;) Besides, he would never ever want to take the anal award away from you!

Jerry, please tell Rae to post--Bob can't type or he would be writing these things himself--I think I read about the sheep in the archives<G>

Debi and Bob

Jerry, we bought our Liberty with the idea that if the platform was in good condition ( Chassis, engine, tranny, & etc. ) we could upgrade the coach vs buying a different coach every couple of years. Of course the POG rally was a big setback to that thought process........new...shinny metal......gizmos......( water in desert speach after a week in the sun)Need.....new....coach.....must have....:eek: Back in the safety of Southern VA....we settled on a Jeep Liberty with a matching paint color. By the way Ellen has always read the posts and since we sign in as Ken & Ellen it is hard to say who is posting what????

We will post several dates for the Hatteras trip......hopefully it will fit schedules of the potential attendees. There is a nice airport in Maneo for those who wish to fly in for the day

You mentioned the Parliament Rally in Asheville in an earlier post, so I thought I'd mention this. If you want to come you are more than welcome. The Parliament Travel Club is open to any Class A coach as we have members with Prevosts, Blue Birds, Vogue's , you name it. Dues are only $35.00 per year and we typically do three rallies a year which leaves time for other groups as well. You can come as a guest but you would still need to fill out the reservation form that's on the Parliament Coach Corp. website.
The Asheville rally will fill up in a hurry and it's limited to the first 50 coaches because the campground is kinda small. Smaller rallies are more fun anyway.
There are more than a few Parliament Travel Club members who hang around this site so you would be in good company (did I really say that?).
Check out the Parliament Coach Corp. website for more information. I believe there is a link on this website.
Steve

Hello Everyone,

Ken and I have finally come up with some dates for the Hatteras Mini rally. If anyone is interested the campground is great (Camp Hatteras). The beach is just over the sand dunes. The sites have cement pads and are plenty large for all of the buses. A great seafood store right down the way for the &quot;Seafood Potluck&quot;. And yes, we own it! The three choices would be the weekends of June 9,10,11; July 21, 22, 23 or July 28, 29, 30. If there is enough interest we can probably even get a group rate. They do that with our other camping club we are in. Please send an email if you are at all interested, as it is a great place to go. The ferry is free to go over to Ocracoke Island. They have the wild ponies, British cemetary and many other fun things to do on the island. Look forward to hearing from you all!
Ellen& Ken

K & E,

Would love to make it. July 21 is the OSH Rally, but July 28th looks good for Mike and the Mangoettes (be very afraid as the girls are coming).

MM

Great Mike & Donna, glad you can make it. You'll love it there by the beach.I'll send the contact info once we finalize some more info. Not sure I can cook as well as you can, but I'll give it the &quot;'old college catering job&quot; try!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ken&ellen

Hello Everyone,
Ken and I have finally come up with some dates for the Hatteras Mini rally. If anyone is interested the campground is great (Camp Hatteras). The beach is just over the sand dunes. The sites have cement pads and are plenty large for all of the buses. A great seafood store right down the way for the &quot;Seafood Potluck&quot;. And yes, we own it! The three choices would be the weekends of June 9,10,11; July 21, 22, 23 or July 28, 29, 30. Ellen& Ken

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Ken and Ellen,

Bob and I are in for the July 28,29,30 dates. Exactly where is Camp Hatteras, is it far out on the cape or near the entrance?

Debi and Bob

Hey this is great about Debi & Bob.

Wonder if BOB-00 will have a new bus by then.:)

MM