Y I chose this RV........

[INTJohn]

I chose a Shockwave T24FQ MX Toyhauler to live as a fulltime boondocker (boondock fulltimer?)
Y?
Several years back I decided to get rid of all the bs I didn't give a damn about; get back to the simple basics - buy an Rv and just get back to being what I am - A vagabond. I had never spent any time in an RV - when I camped it was out of a tent, van or truck. I had spent years boating however and done most of it 'on the hook': hook = anchor; the boating equivalent of 'boondocking'. I figured rv's can't be that much different - right and if anything a lot less complicated than boat livin - which it is.
 
Step 1 was deciding which type rv I really should consider and one of the biggest factors for me was to have as few engines on wheels as possible. Vehicles are expensive to have & maintain and my attitude was easily the few of them in my life - the better. I need some kind of truck tho to make money once in a while and I already had a 3/4 ton 4x4 Burb that was paid for that could pretty much tow anything you could hook to it. So it was easy for me to rule out motorhomes and fifth wheels........
Towing was not an issue for me as I had used The Burb for years to tow a 35' Formula go-fast boat - 14,000lb's total tow load when on the trailer.

From there I started looking at TT's; from this perspective:
"Do & Can I want to live in & out of this thing for the next 15 years?"
 I started out looking at the real basics - pretty much just something to sleep in but qwikly realized I would need more in terms of 'Longterm Livability' as well as my increasing age:
Heat; water, cooking, power usage, etc blah, blah ,blah..... just like with a boat too durability & toughness vs the elements. 

Once I started looking at toyhaulers it didn't take me long to realize that that was probably going to be best for me in the long haul over my projected 15 year period - even tho I would never use it to haul toys. Y? Because they're built tough; made to survive drunk & stoned out younger guyz beating the **** out of them with atv's & motorbikes! and with the 'garage' they're really roomy even without slides - and I didn't want slides - just more moving parts & seals to go to ****. AND I really liked the idea of the back door opening up that I could use for a deck.

Then it was what make model & options accessories. After a 3 month research projected decided on the Shockwave and haven't been disappointed at all. Been living in it now for 4 years almost all of it fulltime boondocking in Michigan & So Cal or travellin between.........

Included Arctic Package

Power: 
It came with 160 watt solar panel by Go-Power; 4000 watt generator with integrated 40gallon gas tank; I told them to keep their bs so called 'deep cell' dual purpose batteries and I installed 3 Trojan T-150's - true 12volt deep cells total 450 amp hours. YES! and also purchased a 120 watt fold up portable solar panel so in summary:
280 watts of solar panels;
4000watts of cummins/onan generator with 40 gallon gas tank
3 - 12 volt true deep cells 450 amps worth baybee!
Also added 2 inverters:
1500 watt modified sine wave inverter for generic purposes
300 watt pure sine wave inverter - specifically to charge my MacBook Pro

Water:
105 gallon fresh water tank, added portable 55 gallon barrell and 8 2.5 gallon jugs
42 gallon blue boy
Girard hot water on demand - which I really like. 

Heat: 30,000 btu furnace w/ ducts ( I rarely use this)
         Added portable Buddy Heater & a 750/1500 watt electric space heater.
         Have but rarely used the Air Conditioner 

Added: 
LED lights
Vent covers to the 4 roof vents as well as the square vent insert insulation pillows.
Rotated the bed 90 degrees for added room in forward bedroom.
Removed: 2 tables, one chair and the couch.
got rid of the TV - haven't owned one for 25years.
Dehumidifier
Wilson weboost cell/wifi signal booster
Small 120 volt vacuum
12volt Sea Breeze 3 speed fan

Ok enuff for now time to make a gin & tonik.
Thanx............INTJohn

 

[OutdoorFT]

Sounds like home sweet home! Got any pictures?

 

[Ballenxj]

Sounds like a well provisioned toy hauler. I'm with you on the TV, I don't own one either. I get more reliable news on the net, and if I want to watch a movie, my laptop works just fine.
While you were "on the hook", was it wind or fuel propulsion?

 

[INTJohn]

Sounds like home sweet home! Got any pictures?

I'll get some up here shortly for you. Thanx

 

[INTJohn]

Sounds like a well provisioned toy hauler. I'm with you on the TV, I don't own one either. I get more reliable news on the net, and if I want to watch a movie, my laptop works just fine.
While you were "on the hook", was it wind or fuel propulsion?

I stayed on power boats - had 2:

1 was a 35' Formula that I used/raced primarily around the Great Lakes. Generally Would tow it to specific places/areas then live out of it for several days at a time.

The other was a Trawler: 34 Mainship pilot hardtop - no flybridge w/ single engine yanmar diesel in it; this was a primary live aboard.

Sailboats are too much work & too much drama for me - why they always name em after women?  :s   and most peeps just use em for floating condos. They do make good lightening rods to have near you tho during a storm; haha.......INTjohn

 

[Ballenxj]

Sailboats are too much work & too much drama for me - why they always name em after women?  :s   and most peeps just use em for floating condos. They do make good lightening rods to have near you tho during a storm; haha.......INTjohn

LOL! I came dangerously close to living aboard one of those lightening rods once upon a time.  
That Trawler with the Yanmar sounds sweet.

 

[INTJohn]

LOL! I came dangerously close to living aboard one of those lightening rods once upon a time.  
That Trawler with the Yanmar sounds sweet.

Yeah that Mainship is a very basic nice & simple Trawler for a live aboard - nothing like a 48 Nordhavn. haha 
It worked for me till I wanted to make it 'green' & have a boat off the grid. I devised a plan of removing the diesel from it and get a civilian equivalent electric motor that General Dynamics makes for the stealth submarines that the SEALs use. The civilian version isn't built to military specs or classifications but its still one mean producing high torque low rpm electric motor.

Then I was going to outfit it where the fuel tanks were with the biggest battery bank(s) I could get in there. Go totally solar panels & wind generators with a small diesel genset mostly for minor emergency backup; as well as a smaller type trawler sail. bla,blah,bla.
A friend of mine who is an Electrical Engineer helped me with the design and we had it all worked out - all I had to do was tear the Mainship apart buy all the stuff & install it. I figured I was looking at a 2 to 3 year project - hell I thought I'm too old for this ********. I'm sellin all my crap and buying an RV - drop in the bucket $$ wise compared to that boat. You know what BOAT stands for........
Break
Out
Another
Thousand
I couldn't justify the expense ; there's so much more to do & go on land than livin' on a boat & everyday you're fighting wind, waves & weather and other things. sheesh!!
too much drama - as bad as being married. I got the boat thing out of my system.

INTJohn

 

[INTJohn]

Sounds like home sweet home! Got any pictures?

Here a couple pix of trailer I just took:

 

[INTJohn]

here's the other 1

 

[INTJohn]

Sounds like home sweet home! Got any pictures?

http://www.rvusa.com/rvs-for-sale/2...mx-toy-hauler-new-mineola-texas-75773-2043060

Here's a link that is basically the same as what I bought. 
The floor plan pik as well as the bedroom pix: When you look at the layout of the bed forward, I rotated that bed 90 degrees so it is parallel with the trailer width vs the trailer length. This gave me more room as I walk into the room and eliminated that little side space on the one side. I had to remove the storage area compartment under the bed and add shelf brackets; then I added a 1"x12" cedar board to support the edge of the mattress.

I also had to cut part of the ward on the one side as well as remove the accompanying drawer. Also I had to cut the bottom off the door to the ward as well as cut the mirror and then reassemble the now shorter door with the also now shorter mirror.

In the pix that show the tables & couches; my trailer didn't come with 2 couches but just 1 and instead had a couple of rocking high back chairs. I removed the couch and the tables and one of the chairs; then I put the storage compartment that was formerly under the bed over by that larger window and thats basically what I use for a table now.

 

[INTJohn]

Here's where I cut the ward door and removed drawer to rotate bed 90 degrees........

 

[INTJohn]

This shows increase in room at what is now side of bed and the wall.

Was about 16" now almost double to 30" or a lil more.

 

[Ballenxj]

This shows increase in room at what is now side of bed and the wall.

Was about 16" now almost double to 30" or a lil more.

Looks like you're on a roll here. Plus you seem to know what you want, and how to do it.  

 

[OutdoorFT]

Very smart!

 

[INTJohn]

Thanx;

There's always going to be stuff you'll want to modify/change & add some but I've always thought if you think/feel like you've got to basically rebuild the thing (whatever it is) - do a lot of major modifications; you haven't done your research properly because somewhere 'out there' is something pretty damn close to what you really want; you just have to know what it is you really want and then spend some time looking for it.

Then there are some peeps who just geta nut off of ripping stuff apart and then rebuilding it into something else - I get that; but I've never been like that, really. If I can't find something very close to what it is I'm looking for - I'll start from scratch and build it myself new from the ground up - thats what I did with my house back in 1987. A lot of this 'van' stuff here on this site: If it were me I'd figure out what kinda van/box/truck etc I want to live out of - buy a shell new and outfit/rig the thing the way I wanted it........... just me tho and I probably should add I've always bought my stuff new: vehicles, trucks, boats, this trailer, etc. then I know what I've bought; and I can break it all in properly - especially when it comes to engines & other moving parts & electrical/ plumbing stuff.

Some peeps don't think my toyhauler is very big to live out of all the time boondocking but its just me by myself - solitary and I'm not high maintence. My trailer is about 1600 cubic feet. Gosh I've seen some of those tri axle fifth wheels or the huge motor homes and with 2 adults (together they're 3 of me) along with their black lab and 2 yappin lil cork screw haired muts that pour out of the thing - I've 3 times the amount of livable space per creature as what they do!

...........and a lot more peace. haha.............INTJohn