Ok. So I did a whole lot of discovery and plotting and research back in the summer. Then life did what it does and I put camper van on back burner.

Ended up traveling over land. A lot. And now that I knew what to look for I saw soo many camper vans and small campers and vehicles that I was like, huh. That’d work amazingly well too!

Like this small bus.

Which lead to several peeps connecting me to fellow sailors in So California who were selling their converted bus.

Long story short? I just spent my first night in said bus. And while I’m freezing, it’s insulated as well as can be. But still no heat and temps were down to 20’s/30’s last night. And hungry. I didn’t plan this first overnight very well. I’m sooo happy!

I’m so excited. I love it. However, the yellow has got to go.

Previous owners… technically current? Have an Instagram page for bus already. If you’re interested check it out @the_exbusition I’m thinking of taking over the page so bus can live on.

So I was with a friend in Maryland just roaming around the bottom portion. And I’m pointing out different vans that I’m thinking of. And lo and behold we see this beaut.

It’s actually for sale.

It’s within my budget. $6000

The owner was there so got to start it up, purred like a kitten. Minimal rust on bottom. Just passed state inspection. Clean. Never smoked in. Back bench already folds down to nice bed. I can stand up in it. Only had two owners, a retired army vet and a amateur car racer. Vet didn’t drive it much and current owner just uses it to haul his racing car. Only 81,000 miles.

Is it big enough for the vanhome I want. Not really. But it’s big enough I could work with it.

But other than timing just not being right. It’d be incredibly hard to insulate. The inside is so pretty. I just don’t want to deal with removing all the sides and ceiling and the cabinets it has to give it the insulation it’d require to actually live in. But I probably wouldn’t live in it for more than a few days a month anyway. So….

Or what are the things I absolutely need.

* A bed for sure. Something big enough I can stretch out on. I can get by with a little bunk of a bed. But if it’s my home. A big fluffy bed is what’s really going make it feel like my personal place. Loved my queen mattress when I had a land apartment. But my current boat bunk of 74”x50” is pretty great. I discovered I can sleep in a coffin bunk alright if I can stay warm… but I don’t want that to be my permanent sleeping space. Although I have to admit. The storage space was more than enough for all my clothing and gear! Huh. Wonder if I could find some old discarded bunks from the Navy, at least for the storage racks.

* Got to be able to stand up in it. This might be a thing most people wouldn’t think of. Who can’t stand upright in their house? But on boats ceiling height is a major concern for those gifted with verticalness. As a short person, this actually isn’t much of a problem I have. But also having a taller ceiling means I get to install overhead cabinets which means more storage!!!

* Good working galley. Thankfully, I like to cook. Because I have stupid food allergy and eating out is hard. I’ve always been a minimalist in the kitchen. One pot or One skillet. Will make tasty food.

I love to bake. But I found it’s actually fairly easy to find a friend with an oven if I want to bake the tasty treats. Friends never mind me taking over their kitchen because then they also get the tasty treats!

What I really want in an Instant Pot. 6qt. I’m in love with my friends. That thing cooks (pressure and crock), simmers, steams, bakes!!!! I’m going to make a post about power. This thing is the key to planning my power grid.

Other things in my galley. Got to have a fridge with a freezer. I know a lot of #vanlife people and blogs are all about as little electric appliances as possible. Read a blog that stated vanLife was about living outside the van. Living in coffee shops and libraries or other public spaces. And grocery stores become your pantry/fridge. But for me, a home is not a home unless you can keep ice cream in it. #priorities

Actually so much of the galley stuff ties into electrical. Which is its own beast. Now that I’ve blathered on so much about Insta Pot and Fridge/Freezer let me give the basic list: counter space, tea kettle, sink with tall extendable spray nozzle. Because then it can double as a shower!

* Comfy chair and a small table. It’s a place to eat. Hold my tea as I read a book. Hold laptop or sketchpad. I’m thinking a bed that folds up into a couch is my solution. I’ve a whole post on van beds planned.

Huh. This is going to be a very scattered blog. There’s just soo much. And my squirrel muses are in overdrive with this project.

Honest answer right now is, most likely. But there’s still a chance I might not go through with it.

Why not? Top reason: I’ve lived two and a half years without a land home. Do I really need one now? Reason I am thinking about it now is because not every boat owner will let you live on their vessel. I mean, so far I’ve been able to. But I have actually said no to a job because logging wasn’t provided. But, will I actually be forced to be land based often enough to justify putting all this money into a van home?

A: sure is nice not having a car payment. Or maintenance. Or insurance.

Reasons Yes. Top reason: it’s just fucking cool. Also I’d be forcing myself to really learn plumbing and building cabin spaces and electrical!

1: I need a place to sleep and feed myself when land bound. Couch surfing is grand and all. I see most friends and family a lot more now that I need their spare rooms. But I can still use them for their driveways. Heck, they might even want to come land vacation with me and use my couch for a change!

2: I also need a way to get myself and gear from ship to ship. I’m getting good at fitting all I need into a sea bag and backpack. But sometimes I need bedding. Or both warm and cold weather clothing. Or a pirate costume. Traveling the country via Greyhound is fine as long as I can carry everything I need. But it’d be so convenient if my home was right there next to the ships dock to snag my pillow from. I also don’t like having to rely on my mother to haul me and my stuff further than eight hours from her house. And it’s getting inconvenient having to keep going back to her garage in Ohio to reset my sea bag for next ship.

There’s probably other reasons yes and no. But it’s way past my bedtime and brain is shutting down. And there is soo much more to talk about!! Things that need to be in different posts. Like layout. Electrical. Plumbing. Vans. Even if I don’t go through with the building. I’m learning a lot. And if I blog it you all get to learn with me. Aren’t you excited.

#vanbuild #vanlife #vanhome

So far looks like this WordPress app on my phone is going to work.

Checking to confirm this is a paragraph break. Because it looks like it’s a different post in this app.

Also checking to see if this will cross post to the page I made for all the Facebook lurkers. Kevin.

I’ve no idea. I’m not good with this internets thing. I’m a sailor. I quit my corporate open plan grey cubicle job to sail tall ships, pirate boats to those without a nautical bone in their bodies. Not to be confused with naughty. That’s a different thing. But dang. Can I not do paragraphs. This is going to take some learning. Apologies. But I’ve kinda been homeless for about two and a half years now. I’ve been using the term ‘boat gypsie’. I’ve been living out of a sea bag and backpack, traveling the world and sometimes even getting paid for it! But many mates of mine have built movable homes in the backs of vans or trucks. And three years ago a friend was gushing about how I should have a tiny home on wheels. And back then I thought that was silly. Because I was living on the boats. The boats weren’t mine. But free room and board was great! Why didn’t I get into boats sooner. Why had no one ever told me this was a thing I could do! I’m going to see what happens if I publish this. Experimenting. BRB.

Oh good. I can edit after publishing. Especially this one that WordPress felt I needed. It wasn’t a bad quote, just not me nor did it convey what this blog is for.

But the picture is. So the morning sun rising over the water stays. Also their cheesy:

Thanks for joining me!