Floorplans

[henryhighwood]

In lurking and reading here, the mood/allegiences seem to lean heavily to Liberty and then to Marathon. (I have no intention of starting a loyalty war here)

There are many times that I can imagine using a coach for vacations with grandkids to go skiing or to the beach or even Disney, as well as for short trips to OSH Indy 500 and Reno.

This has me thinking that the best floor plan for my use would be a bunk coach and in particular what I think they call a star coach with a rear stateroom and 4-6 bunks.

As it appears I have a few years of work left in me, it occurs that my first Prevost may well be a bunk coach, as it will be 5-7 years before we can think of extended road trips of more than a week to 10 days.

Any thoughts, words of wisdom, or even dire warnings before I make a big mistake jumping off this cliff?

Thanks.

[Just Plain Jeff]

Henry: Privately I am referred to as an old gas bag, so you will learn quickly not to make such open-ended questions.

Anyway (nodding off) the conversion market doesn't do a very good job of supporting the requirement of bunks. The common thought in the conversion business is: "Drinks for six, dinner for four and sleeps two." That's what the vast majority of quality conversions are built for because that's what people want to buy.

That being said, there are just a few bunk coaches out there which have been either custom-built or were intended for other purposes. There was a nice Liberty, I think a 97 for sale last winter in Florida with two bunks. You may wish to check with Dave Wall at Stuart to see if it is still available. The owner's name is Dick.....(forget the last name).

Should you wish to go another step down the line, you are then crossing into entertainer coaches which is an entirely different ballgame. There are two types of entertainer coaches: The good ones and the bad ones IMHO. The good ones are usually considered 'star coaches,' which means they were configured for the lead singer or performer. The bad ones are usually for the band, dancers, back-up singers and so on. A star coach can be pretty nice. We looked at Randy Travis' coach (a Liberty) last fall/winter and decided at 495K miles and the work needed to convert it to private use wasn't worth it. Pretty cool coach with an extra side door; there was a wall built between the driving compartment and the rest of the coach. Helen was good with that because I would leave her alone, but I didn't like feeling so much like an unpaid driver.

The bad coaches are usually of poor construction materials, minimal kitchen and bath facilities and are more on a par with typical non-Prevost conversion quality standards (didn't you notice how PC that statement was?)

They can be bought, usually somewhere around Nashville for reasonable money, but are very tough to unload if you wish to move into a more mainstream coach later on.

One solution to your question is to get a coach with two pull-out sofas, or a coach where same could be installed, which is NBD. Most of the sofas in coaches are pretty standard fare and are rather easily interchangeable even without a grease pit. That way, you can use the coach as a 'bunk job' for a bit and still use it later on for two.

We do know of an older coach which was custom built where there was a trap door under the salon table to the first bay where the kids slept, which was air conditioned and heated. When mom and pop put the kiddos down below, they could party all night long.

Of course, you have to remember that you had kids down there later on. But you must be younger and would remember that part.

So there you go.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Ted,

This is an area where nobody can answer your question. You have to determine your needs based on how you use your coach.

Jeff touched lightly on the differences, but while seemingly similar an entertainer coach with bunks is a totally different product compared to a bus conversion motorhome.

It is very rare when converters step out of their niche. It is not likely you will find many bunks in a Liberty or a Marathon or a Country Coach. Conversely you will not find a motorhome converted by a company that traditionally makes conversions for the entertainment industry.

You have only so many cubic feet in a bus, so if you feel bunks are critical plan to give something else up. Our motorhomes are designed for two, but as Jeff points out with folding sofas and other variations such as a dinette that converts into a bed, more can be accomodated. But if you select a coach with bunks, you will have a smaller bathroom, a smaller kitchen, less closet space, etc.

But beyond the differences inside the coach most entertainer coaches have substantial differences outside and in the bays. First, the entertainer coach has a longer wheel base with minimal overhand in the rear. That could prove to be a real negative in most campgrounds because to make a turn you will eat up a lot of real estate. It also tends to overload the front axle when you add your personal belongings.

Since the primary purpose of the coach is to let the passengers get some sleep while the professional driver brings them to the next venue, it may have a walled off driver area. It is unlikely to have the holding capacity in the fresh and waste water tanks. It is likely to have two generators, but not bus over the road air, relying instead on using the generator to power as many roof air units as necessary to keep things cool. In fact, instead of sophisticated electrical systems entertainer coaches are unlikley to have a lot of battery capacity, but will rely on a lot of generator use.

You will have a lot of bay space because entertainers require that for equipment or instruments. You will lack awnings so plan on spending money for them.

As Jeff points out the entertainer coaches are not built to the quality level of the motorhome conversions because they are business tools, not second homes.

What you need to do is search the internet and find places where you can actually see both types, preferably in large quantities so you become educated in the differences. And there are many. Focus on the floor plans, the equipment, the systems and features that are important to you. Also consider all the ways you will use the coach and try to determine if it will work as you intend to use it. No matter what direction you choose to go I will assure you that it will be a compromise.

[Danss]

Go to www.busforsale.com and you will see many entertainer coaches of all configurations. Contray to our belief, it appears to me that they are no bargains, but in many cases have a price that is higher on the average than our coaches. Check it out.

[henryhighwood]

Thanks for the information,
I think I would find the layout of a "star coach" very functional for my anticipated needs, but was concerned that they have the support systems, meaning the water capacities, heating, and cooling systems and power requirements that I might need.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Ted, Something else that might satisfy your needs is, instead of pulling a toad. Have a "TOYBOX TRAILER" made up with Bunks and Air and Heat etc. powered off the Bus for sleeping only. Everyone rides in the bus and uses bus plumbing and cooking/eating. When the family and or friends are not with you connect the toad and have a regular party for two. With a 40' Bus and a 25' Trailer you would have the best of both worlds

You could even leave the guests in Vegas "with the trailer" while you and your wife toured California

OR: Don't go the custom route just pull an appropriately sized bumper pull camper trailer for "them" You would have to be a strong individual thouth to get over all the remarks you would get from the last combination!

[ajhaig]

Ted,

We just bought a '91 Marathon with a triple bunk setup. The coach was ordered that way by the original owner who is a singer, George Strait. Some minor alterations were made by a subsequent owner, i.e. full size refrigerator etc. We expect that this floor plan will work well for us as we will be traveling with small children.

We did look at some other coaches that had similar setups, most of which were not originally built as bunk coaches, and you could tell.

In that we are totaly new to this stuff and have a very steep learning curve in front of us, I would defer to the others on this site who seem to know this stuff inside and out.

AJ

[Jon Wehrenberg]

AJ has one of the rare coaches. That is a motorhome with bunks.

It is highly likely he has some compromises in his interior, such as losing some kitchen or bath space or closets, but he probably has all the motorhome systems we have so his is likely a second home with multiple bedrooms as opposed to a more conventional entertainer's coach that is unlike ours.

AJ, did you ever check it out to see if this coach was featured when new in the FMCA magazine, and if it originally had four captain's chairs in the living room?

[ajhaig]

Jon,

It was featured, although I haven't seen the magazine. It originally had blue interior and had a wall behind the driver. The previous owner had the wall taken out and redid the interior with more neutral tones. The previous owner also put in larger capacity fresh/holding tanks. Marathon set it up with 4 Cruise Airs, one dedicated for the bucks, that one was removed because it was unnecessary and it freed up space in the bays.

Indeed, there is a tradeoff in the layout, we have a smaller bathroom and a smaller kitchen area, both of these areas seem very functional despite there smaller size. For us the setup should work well.

AJ

P.S. I bought a George Strait CD... Not bad!

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Jon, these trade-offs and layout w/the wall behind the driver sound familure?

AJ once again you did great. When I look at yours, VERY little was compramised. From mid ship forward is standard. We too have a small bathroom but it wasn't ti'll another POGer, who full times, suggested that he wished his was our size that I began to appreciate the extra space it frees up. If it were mine I think Ide be dying to get a copy of that mag. issue