Road Warriors Live

I’ve had a little boat problem ever since we got our RV last August.

Every time we hit a campground that’s near water. I always wished that we had her boat along with us. In fact at times it’s gotten so bad that we’ve even rented boats to go out on the water. It just kills me since we have a perfectly good 15 foot jet boat and a jet ski sitting in the garage at home.

The only other option we’ve had up until this point is to bring an extra vehicle and tow the boat behind it, or to actually tow the boat behind the RV. I feel for the folks that have a fifth wheel. Since latter is not even an option. I have talked to a ton of people that own fifth wheels, and since their heavy duty towing vehicle is towing the fifth wheel. They really don’t have the option to bring their boat.

For me the idea of launching our boat, with the motor home brings up nightmares of RV floating slowly across the lake, due to loosing traction on one of those slippery boat ramps. Even if we bring the boat towed behind our SUV. There are lots of places that don’t have slips available, or restrict the use of gas motors and their size. So except for a few select campgrounds it was either take the RV or take the boat for the day.

Up until last week we broke down and rented paddle boats for the kids or a pontoon boat for a full day. Now days most of the places we go, want to charge you anywhere from a $100 all the way up to $300 a day to rent a boat.

I don’t even want to tell you what it cost to us to rent a boat at Fort Wilderness in Disney World just to see the fireworks. We also rented a couple canoes to go around the little river in the center of the campground.

I spent all winter trying to find a solution to this problem. I have been on dozens of web sites and must’ve looked at a hundred different boats, but was not able to find a solution and until two weeks ago.

I created a list of must haves, and unless I wanted to make some serious compromises. These were the things that I absolutely had to have if I was going to drop hard-earned cash on another water craft.

1. It had to be portable enough to fit in the storage under the RV, or at the very least able to stow inside still have room to move around while her on the road.

2. It had to be lightweight, since I was concerned about gas mileage, and the amount of weight in the RV. I did not want to reduce my towing ability if we decided to bring the car as a toad.

3. It had to be quick to assemble. So we can take advantage of some of the early morning fishing at campgrounds we were just passing through. I also want to make sure it gets used. If it’s going to take more than 15 minutes to put together I know I won’t bother unless I am spending a weekend or more somewhere.

4. It had to be big enough for four of us to fit in. Since I do not want to deal with the flights of bringing one of the kids without the other. I also do not want to leave the wife at the motor home while I was out having fun on the water.

5. It had to be comfortable to fish out of since kids were getting to the age where they liked fishing and wanted to spend the time with Jen and I.

6. It had to be small enough that I can launch it in fish out of it by myself if no one wanted to go with.

7. It absolutely had to be safe. I can take some risks on my own, but no matter what. I make sure the kids are safe.

8. It needs to be cost effective. I am always looking for the ROI on whatever I buy, especially when it comes to the RV. In other words, could it pay for itself in what I would save on rental fees for a season. After the first season it’s almost like it’s free.

9. It had to be able to be rowed and also be able to use a small electric trolling motor. On some campgrounds you can only row or use an electric motor. Plus I did not want to have to carry along gas for it in the RV storage.

As you can see the list was pretty extensive. I found boats that matched a few of the must haves from above, but nothing matched them all.

I found one company that was very close, but the only REAL option would be a two seater. So there was a real problem with leaving Jen behind with one of the kids.

I gave up and figured we were just going to have to make do with the situation.

A couple weeks ago I went to show someone the pontoon boat I had found, since they didn’t have any kids. It was perfect for them. To my surprise, they just released a four seater. It’s a perfect and match to all of my must haves from above.

I talked to Jen about it and we put in our order.

The boat arrived a few days ago and I will be posting videos of how easy it was to put together. You’ll also get to see videos of the kids, Jennifer, and I out fishing at a few of our favorite campgrounds.

I am extremely pleased with the quality, construction and price we paid for it. There are a few things that I have picked up for our RV trips that have made the experience much better. I would have to say that this purchase is at the very top of the list.

Here is a link for the boat so you can check it out yourself. Even if you’re not looking for a pontoon boat. All the boats that these guys have are perfect for anyone who uses an RV, fifth wheel, or just like us to hit the water while camping

Stay tuned for some new videos.

Steve

I really hope everyone’s having a great summer.

High gas prices have come with a mixed blessing for us. As most of you know, we had planned a trip down Route 66 that would take a couple months this summer. As it turns out $5.00 a gallon for gas put those plans on the back burner pre-quickly.

As we revise plans and scouting locations a couple of things have come up. If you are around last year you know on a not for driving long distances. I guess it comes from years of traveling with my grandparents and even as an adult I would make the trip to from Chicago to Florida in one.shot without stopping.

Our last trip took almost 3 days, but we took a couple detours to miss in bad weather. I still managed to drive 10-12 hours a day. When we got the RV we had originally planned to stop and smell the roses but old habits die hard and when I planned the driving parts of the trip we would leave early in the morning, get in after it was dark, set up watch a little TV, and go to bed. Then we get up early the next morning and start the routine all over again. it was definitely more about the destination than the journey getting there.

Over the past couple months, just like everyone else. We have been taking our trips and staying closer to home in order to save a little gas. Over the Fourth of July weekend we had actually planned to take a longer trip down south. With our schedules and the current price of gas we decided to take a shorter trips to spend a little bit more time at a campgrounds closer to home.

Instead of an 8-10 hour drive we decided to hit a campground that we’ve spent time at before. The best part was we are able to leave a day later than we’d planned and stay a day longer at the end of the trip. We pulled into our campsite Friday afternoon after everyone had already got there. We were set up within 20 minutes. There was an added bonus of staying the extra day. As you can imagine the campground was packed all weekend and I don’t think they had one extra spot available. By Sunday night almost everyone in the campground had gone home so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. It was the perfect end to a great weekend.

Over the Fourth of July weekend I had one of the biggest treats a dad could possibly have. Both my four year old girl and my five year old boy caught their first fish. They have these tiny rods and reels that they practice casting with on almost every trip. We never seem to find a easy fishing spot at our destination campgrounds, and we’re in and out so fast at campgrounds along the way that we were never able to really stop. Since we slowed everything down this trip we are actually able to fish for a couple days.

I let the kids go with their own pace and quit when they were tired so they didn’t get burned out. They also got to do a little swimming and some crafts so all in all we had a great weekend and spent a minimal amount on gas.

I know most of you that have RVs are already aware of the pluses when staying close to home it just took a little while to get through my thick skull.

I guess even if you can drive all over the country with your vacation home and all of your stuff you just don’t have to. Check out some of the places closer to home and you might be surprised.

Steve

Tips For A Great Summer Vacation!

Time seems to get even harder to find these days. Prices are going up, too much bills to pay and taxes keep on increasing nowadays. This is why sometimes getting a vacation seems more of a luxury nowadays. However, you should understand that getting a vacation is not a luxury at all!

No, of course not! There are methods on how you can have a fun vacation even on a budget. If you want to have one, here are some tips on how you can plan your Family Vacation Fun Spots.

Take Advantage Of Timing

Timing is critical if you really want to save money on your vacation. Interestingly, airline price wars typically start during Fridays, which is who fares are to be lowest during late Tuesday nights or early Wednesday mornings, thus you should make have hotel reservations by 4 p.m. during Sundays. If you do this, you would likely find a desk clerk that may give you a discount when you ask for one, rather than talk to those that typically set up room prices, thus saving you more money. You should also rent cars during Sunday] [spin]mornings, since this is when dealerships begin worrying about no-shows.

Off-season Travel

If you’ll be planning your vacation during off-season, this is the time that you can find and get great discounts. In fact, at times you can even get up to 50%, if you would be vacationing to the Caribbean| and the South. You can also get discounts for usual northern ski destinations such as Vermont and Colorado during summer months, when they have down peak in tourists.

Do Your Online Research

It would also be valuable if you do your research. You can try searching the Internet for ticket offers and deals that can give you greater discounts. Try using your vacationtravel destination as your research’s focus point to have more viable search results. After doing research, see and evaluate on which of the offers can give you the most savings and which can fit your budget.

A lot of people underestimate what the world wide web deals out there, just one click away!