New Here, Hope to exchange info and any thing else Of interest, Pleased to meet you all,
I retired promptly in September last year, As the real Estate Agent got me a ridiculous amount of money for my second house, Allowing me to become a self funded retiree and buy my boat at the same time,.
I bought my boat sight unseen in Fiji, In September last year, 2002 34 foot Gemini Catamaran and sailed it back to Australia, Where I sank it at anchor after getting blown up on shore in a storm, and punching holes in the bottom of it, On Broughton Island,
I bought it back from the insurance company after they wrote it off and paid me out in full, It is currently being repaired at Yaringa Marina in Western Port Bay, Victoria, After I trucked it back from Port Nelson in NSW,
I will be sailing it to the Kimberlys next year, Life long ambition to go there, I worked my way around Australia in the early 70's after I finished my Apprenticeship as an Engineering Blacksmith, That took 4 years,
When I come back from my boating trips,
I will be driving my new, second hand Bus around Australia, It is currently in Texas, USA, On Monday it will be driven 1500 miles to California to be converted to Right hand drive and full compliance to Australian ADR's, Then it will be shipped to Melbourne Ready to be registered here in Victoria,
1989 Foretravel Grand Villa, 36 foot, ORED, 300 Cat Diesel Pusher, with an Allison 4 speed Auto, With everything that opens and shuts, and all the bells and whistles I could imagine, Cruises at 75 MPH, and gets 10 MPG,
It is only missing solar power, But I will chuck a few panels on the roof and then it will be totally self sufficient for power, It has Dunny, shower, bath, Kitchen, Queen size bed, Air conditioned, Rubbish compactor, Fresh, Grey and Black water tanks,
I will build a trailer that can carry my Jeep Patriot,, and my two motorbikes, Honda 2006 Super Blackbird, 1100XX and a 2002 Kwakasaki ZR7 650.
I think I am enjoying this retirement Thingy, Say Hello if you see me,
Wow Brian! All the comforts of home and then some! Welcome to the forum. Have a wonderful retirement. Monica
Hi Monica, Yes, Its certainly a house on wheels, My own home doesnt have the stuff this RV has in it, I was going to buy a bus and do it out, But it was cheaper to buy this one from the USA,
It certainly has been an eventfull year since I retired, Looking forward to the rest of it, It only took me 49 years to do it,
Welcome from me too. I'm only a bit jealous of all your toys.
Thanks Mate, I started out with only the money for the boat, Fixing the boat myself, It Only cost me a third of what the insurance was going to cost, That left me with enough to buy the RV, I have never had money, Two ex wives, So I am a real Scottish Jew with money and I make it streeeeech,
Google is my freind, Lots of research, over months, and I ended up with very cheap buys,
That RV will give me change out of $50,000-00 Total, converted and Registered on the road here, What can you buy here for that, And that includes getting the licence to drive it as well,
Its not the way I wanted it to happen, But I ended up with a Boat and an RV for less than what the boat cost me originally,
Brian, as you can see from my avatar we have a Foretravel Grand Villa as well. Ours has a Cat engine, Allison transmission as well. We missed out on the garbage compactor but we do have an ice maker. Maybe we will meet you on the road sometime or if you need to know anything at anytime about the motorhome you can private message us & we will give you our email. Regards Alice & Keith
Yes, I hope the conversion is stress free, Thats why I am getting it done in California, They also supply the Certification for it, Cheaper than here, And I couldnt be bothered myself, Just past it, Alice and Keiths one has a red wave paint job, Other wise they are the same,
You have a boat ozi2, Might see you in my sailing travels before I change over to the Bus,
New Here, Hope to exchange info and any thing else Of interest, Pleased to meet you all,
I retired promptly in September last year, As the real Estate Agent got me a ridiculous amount of money for my second house, Allowing me to become a self funded retiree and buy my boat at the same time,.
I bought my boat sight unseen in Fiji, In September last year, 2002 34 foot Gemini Catamaran and sailed it back to Australia, Where I sank it at anchor after getting blown up on shore in a storm, and punching holes in the bottom of it, On Broughton Island,
I bought it back from the insurance company after they wrote it off and paid me out in full, It is currently being repaired at Yaringa Marina in Western Port Bay, Victoria, After I trucked it back from Port Nelson in NSW,
I will be sailing it to the Kimberlys next year, Life long ambition to go there, I worked my way around Australia in the early 70's after I finished my Apprenticeship as an Engineering Blacksmith, That took 4 years,
When I come back from my boating trips,
I will be driving my new, second hand Bus around Australia, It is currently in Texas, USA, On Monday it will be driven 1500 miles to California to be converted to Right hand drive and full compliance to Australian ADR's, Then it will be shipped to Melbourne Ready to be registered here in Victoria,
1989 Foretravel Grand Villa, 36 foot, ORED, 300 Cat Diesel Pusher, with an Allison 4 speed Auto, With everything that opens and shuts, and all the bells and whistles I could imagine, Cruises at 75 MPH, and gets 10 MPG,
It is only missing solar power, But I will chuck a few panels on the roof and then it will be totally self sufficient for power, It has Dunny, shower, bath, Kitchen, Queen size bed, Air conditioned, Rubbish compactor, Fresh, Grey and Black water tanks,
I will build a trailer that can carry my Jeep Patriot,, and my two motorbikes, Honda 2006 Super Blackbird, 1100XX and a 2002 Kwakasaki ZR7 650.
I think I am enjoying this retirement Thingy, Say Hello if you see me,
I may be old, But I aint slow,
Enjoy the Piccys of my new life as a Grey Nomad,
Cheers,
Brian,
Hi Brian.Modest chap arent you?.Mate I have just read about your trip from Fiji.What an epic trip was that for you,a whole lifetime of adventures in one trip.I picked up your post from an article I googled about Trimarans being holed off Broughton Island.I would urge all who have a sense of adventure to look it up.Good on you Brian and welcome to a sedate life.well here's hoping,lol.Cheers Ibbo.
Hi Brian.Modest chap arent you?.Mate I have just read about your trip from Fiji.What an epic trip was that for you,a whole lifetime of adventures in one trip.I picked up your post from an article I googled about Trimarans being holed off Broughton Island.I would urge all who have a sense of adventure to look it up.Good on you Brian and welcome to a sedate life.well here's hoping,lol.Cheers Ibbo.
I am actually, But I decided to put the lot in one post instead of answering questions for another 10 pages,
I certainly whacked a lot into that trip Back from Fiji, But I loved every minute of it, Shame I didnt get it home, only 700 miles short,
It was a learning curve in the extreme, Considering I couldnt sail for crap, But I am proud of myself for doing it, My best achievement in life so far,
Youtube Video, Crossing the Tasman Sea, Day 7,
The Bus will be so mundane after my boat trip to the Kimberlys, But I still have the Bike for excitement,
welcome to a great forum full of fun loving people and amazing stories, love your rig, and your story especialy about being an irish jew lol ,good on you ,have safe travels and hope to catch up on the road one day ,you will learn lots from here and meet some amazing people they all are.
Nice rig there Brian, mine would fit in the driver seat I reckon, enjoy here and out in the playground and,
Size doesnt matter, Its what you can afford at the time, I was just lucky all the cards fell the right way at the same time, As long as you are enjoying life, Nothing else matters.
