2003 Sealine S23 For Sale

[grendel]

I always fancied An old British rail crew van, with the workshop in the back, I settled for a transit parcel van conversion by dormobile, 6'6" wide, and plenty of height in the back and sliding front doors, ah those were the days, bombing down the motorway at 60mph with both doors wide open.

[floydraser]

Bilbos Nexa would be our choice, for very long days out and short stays away. However I predict a sharp rise in fuel prices around the beginning of June which may have to be considered. Nothing I've heard or read elsewhere, it's just a traditional time for fuel prices to rise; just before the holiday season and they're already starting to creep up again. Losses to be made up etc.

[Smoggy]

Fuel prices may rise due to tankers stuck in the Suez.

Any excuse and all that.

[Cal]

Well the motorhome will certainly be more fuel efficient than the boat that is for sure 🤣🤣🤣

 

Got around 7mpg as an average from the boat. The motorhome should be closer to 30mpg as an average 😀

[Hylander]

1 hour ago, Smoggy said:

Fuel prices may rise due to tankers stuck in the Suez.

Any excuse and all that.

I hate to say it but how on earth did he/she manage to achieve getting that big so and so stuck across the Suez canal.   Having travelled along the Suez a few times in parts there is hardly room to swing a cat let along manage to get a huge cargo boat stuck across it.      I dont know what made me do it but last Tuesday while out shopping I decided to fill my tank with fuel.  However, saying that , they will shift this boat one way or another.    Short of blowing it up to remove it, (my sense of humour) cant think how they are going to do it.

[ChrisB]

It seems to me that for the price of a new RV, I can purchase a very comfortable and powerful touring car and have wads of cash left for accommodation. Also I don't have to accommodated something the size of an oil rig in the drive.

Someone told me that some of the new build housing developments have restrictive covenants on the time a RV or caravan can be parked.

[Jbx5]

Most newer (last 30 years or so ) developments have restrictive covenants stoping parking of caravans, motor homes etc. In fact it has all blow up on our Close recently.

John

[Mouldy]

I’ve thought about either a motorhome or caravan in the past.  A motorhome saves the pain of dragging a caravan about and as an ex LGV 1 driver, why would I want to tow anything about now?  That said, at least with a touring caravan, you can put it on a site, level it, put the awning up and leave it whilst you mooch around in your car.  The height and size of a motorhome make accessing some places difficult due to the height and length, which is why you see so many with a rack on the back carrying mopeds or cycles, I guess.  
Don’t get me wrong, each to their own, but both options have their compromises and I’m not sure which are easier to live with.  That said, we’re thinking of hiring a motorhome for a couple of weeks next year.  We’d intended to have an extended holiday to celebrate my 66th birthday, visiting Barcelona, crossing the South of France, across Italy to visit Venice and return through Austria and Switzerland, staying at Eurocamp accommodation on the way.  The pandemic and Brexit have made us rethink our plan, so instead, we may spend a couple of weeks in Scotland, more specifically doing the North Coast 500.  We’ll re-evaluate the situation when the virus is under control and the new normal is established  before making too many plans.

In the meantime, we’re looking forward to returning to our boat and enjoying the Broads again.  It’s been too long!!

[Cal]

1 hour ago, ChrisB said:

It seems to me that for the price of a new RV, I can purchase a very comfortable and powerful touring car and have wads of cash left for accommodation. Also I don't have to accommodated something the size of an oil rig in the drive.

Someone told me that some of the new build housing developments have restrictive covenants on the time a RV or caravan can be parked.

The motorhome we are getting is only 6m long so it isn't huge by any means. No bigger than a panel van, in fact some LWB panel vans are longer than the motorhome we want.

 

Our covenants on our estate say you can't park a commercial vehicle, caravan or boat on the drive. A motorhome is non of those things. Mind you there are a lot of people that have taken zero notice of the commercial vehicle, caravan or boat restrictions as well.

 

Luckily with the layout of the houses and driveways where we are no one will have a view of the motorhome from their main windows. We have no windows facing the drive, our direct neighbours across the drive only have a WC and stair window facing the drive and the houses on the opposite side of the road are a mirror image of our houses so again no windows to face the drive. 

 

We have broached the subject with all of the neighbours, especially the ones who have a drive side by side with ours and they are all fine with the idea of it being parked there. If the worst comes to the worst there is a storage yard for caravans and motorhomes literally a 2 minute drive from our house, but we really don't think it will come to that.

 

[Cal]

35 minutes ago, Mouldy said:

I’ve thought about either a motorhome or caravan in the past.  A motorhome saves the pain of dragging a caravan about and as an ex LGV 1 driver, why would I want to tow anything about now?  That said, at least with a touring caravan, you can put it on a site, level it, put the awning up and leave it whilst you mooch around in your car.  The height and size of a motorhome make accessing some places difficult due to the height and length, which is why you see so many with a rack on the back carrying mopeds or cycles, I guess.  
Don’t get me wrong, each to their own, but both options have their compromises and I’m not sure which are easier to live with.  That said, we’re thinking of hiring a motorhome for a couple of weeks next year.  We’d intended to have an extended holiday to celebrate my 66th birthday, visiting Barcelona, crossing the South of France, across Italy to visit Venice and return through Austria and Switzerland, staying at Eurocamp accommodation on the way.  The pandemic and Brexit have made us rethink our plan, so instead, we may spend a couple of weeks in Scotland, more specifically doing the North Coast 500.  We’ll re-evaluate the situation when the virus is under control and the new normal is established  before making too many plans.

In the meantime, we’re looking forward to returning to our boat and enjoying the Broads again.  It’s been too long!!

We really don't want the hassle of a caravan. The towing and having to have a second vehicle capable of towing a decent caravan makes it a no for us. We won't have a second car with the motorhome, the motorhome will be the spare vehicle for the very odd time we need one. And with a caravan we would have to pay for storage elsewhere rather than it being sat on the drive.

 

We don't plan to be properly sited with the motorhome a lot of the time and will be moving around daily or every other day so being able to set up camp and leave it doesn't really matter to us. 

 

We are also used to not getting close to shops with the boat and don't mind a decent walk to get to shops or other facilities. 

 

We also plan to travel Europe with the motorhome and stop on Aires and the like, most of which are motorhomes only. Our travel in the UK will make good use of Britstops and Pub Stops and most of those don't allow caravans either.

 

As you say it all depends how you plan to use what you have and for us it is a no brainer to get a motorhome rather then a caravan.

[Hylander]

10 minutes ago, Cal said:

We really don't want the hassle of a caravan. The towing and having to have a second vehicle capable of towing a decent caravan makes it a no for us. We won't have a second car with the motorhome, the motorhome will be the spare vehicle for the very odd time we need one. And with a caravan we would have to pay for storage elsewhere rather than it being sat on the drive.

 

We don't plan to be properly sited with the motorhome a lot of the time and will be moving around daily or every other day so being able to set up camp and leave it doesn't really matter to us. 

 

We are also used to not getting close to shops with the boat and don't mind a decent walk to get to shops or other facilities. 

 

We also plan to travel Europe with the motorhome and stop on Aires and the like, most of which are motorhomes only. Our travel in the UK will make good use of Britstops and Pub Stops and most of those don't allow caravans either.

 

As you say it all depends how you plan to use what you have and for us it is a no brainer to get a motorhome rather then a caravan.

I am very envious of you.   There are so many You Tube videos to watch regarding all aspects of owning either a motor home or a campervan.    I follow a chap and his little dog from the Shetlands.       

 

 

[floydraser]

1 hour ago, Hylander said:

I hate to say it but how on earth did he/she manage to achieve getting that big so and so stuck across the Suez canal.   Having travelled along the Suez a few times in parts there is hardly room to swing a cat let along manage to get a huge cargo boat stuck across it.      I dont know what made me do it but last Tuesday while out shopping I decided to fill my tank with fuel.  However, saying that , they will shift this boat one way or another.    Short of blowing it up to remove it, (my sense of humour) cant think how they are going to do it.

Sheila can't be expected to be at the helm all day. She just nipped below to use the facilities and left Giles at the wheel. I think the producer knew what he was doing and staged it all to get more viewers.

[floydraser]

1 hour ago, Mouldy said:

I’ve thought about either a motorhome or caravan in the past.  A motorhome saves the pain of dragging a caravan about and as an ex LGV 1 driver, why would I want to tow anything about now?  That said, at least with a touring caravan, you can put it on a site, level it, put the awning up and leave it whilst you mooch around in your car.  The height and size of a motorhome make accessing some places difficult due to the height and length, which is why you see so many with a rack on the back carrying mopeds or cycles, I guess.  
Don’t get me wrong, each to their own, but both options have their compromises and I’m not sure which are easier to live with.  That said, we’re thinking of hiring a motorhome for a couple of weeks next year.  We’d intended to have an extended holiday to celebrate my 66th birthday, visiting Barcelona, crossing the South of France, across Italy to visit Venice and return through Austria and Switzerland, staying at Eurocamp accommodation on the way.  The pandemic and Brexit have made us rethink our plan, so instead, we may spend a couple of weeks in Scotland, more specifically doing the North Coast 500.  We’ll re-evaluate the situation when the virus is under control and the new normal is established  before making too many plans.

In the meantime, we’re looking forward to returning to our boat and enjoying the Broads again.  It’s been too long!!

I too used to drive artics. I've had a touring caravan for a long time, kept in secure storage. We have it for reasonably cheap, familiar accomodation rather than being caravan enthusiasts; we only go to larger sites with decent facilities, and only in the summer.

We don't wave to other caravanners on the road as all producers of camping tv shows would have us believe! 

Towing a 'van needs special attention to weight distribution to be safe but after the first few trips it becomes routine, like mooring a boat I guess. Hiring first is a great idea.

My advice to new campers is avoid the pennons; anyone with those triangular symbols of the hardcore camping enthusiast are likely to be round your unit like moths! 

The Bilbos Nexa is VW T6 conversion and would happily sit on our drive. It goes in most normal car parks and contains a clean toilet and stove so no need to stop at services, and tea made with boiling water at any time! We would also have an inflatable tent or awning (haven't decided yet) for longer stays.

To this end we'll probably be moving the boat on and the Volvo.

[ChrisB]

Just looked at that Bilbos Nexa. I like that.

[Cal]

43 minutes ago, floydraser said:

I too used to drive artics. I've had a touring caravan for a long time, kept in secure storage. We have it for reasonably cheap, familiar accomodation rather than being caravan enthusiasts; we only go to larger sites with decent facilities, and only in the summer.

We don't wave to other caravanners on the road as all producers of camping tv shows would have us believe! 

Towing a 'van needs special attention to weight distribution to be safe but after the first few trips it becomes routine, like mooring a boat I guess. Hiring first is a great idea.

My advice to new campers is avoid the pennons; anyone with those triangular symbols of the hardcore camping enthusiast are likely to be round your unit like moths! 

The Bilbos Nexa is VW T6 conversion and would happily sit on our drive. It goes in most normal car parks and contains a clean toilet and stove so no need to stop at services, and tea made with boiling water at any time! We would also have an inflatable tent or awning (haven't decided yet) for longer stays.

To this end we'll probably be moving the boat on and the Volvo.

The Bilbos Nexa looks nice but it's not for us. You get far more accommodation on a coach built bodied motorhome and far better insulation for winter trips.

 

Much bigger beer fridge and proper cooking facilities as well in what we want. We have made sure we have got the important bits right 

[Mouldy]

14 minutes ago, Cal said:

The Bilbos Nexa looks nice but it's not for us. . . . . . . . . . .

Nor for us.  Granted it’s compact, but a little to compact for us.  However, by basing the vehicle on a van, it would be far more usable as a day to day vehicle, should that be necessary.

17 minutes ago, Cal said:

 . . . . . . . . . .You get far more accommodation on a coach built bodied motorhome . . . . . . . .

Obviously due the the increased height, length and width, which is why I would be hesitant to buy one.  If you’re touring and find an area that you decide to stay for a while, the problem of using it for sightseeing and moving it from and back to your pitch becomes more of an issue.

My brother-in-law was looking at a motorhome a few years ago and decided to back away for the reasons I’ve outlined.  Whether you opt for a camper van, motorhome or a touring caravan, there are compromises.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t decide which one fits my criteria best, so for now, we’re very happy with our boat.

I suppose it’s a bit like deciding which style of boat to buy, weighing up the pros and cons of various styles and buying which suits you best.  As I said earlier, each to their own.  It’s not my place to criticise, but I do have an opinion.

[Cal]

30 minutes ago, Mouldy said:

Nor for us.  Granted it’s compact, but a little to compact for us.  However, by basing the vehicle on a van, it would be far more usable as a day to day vehicle, should that be necessary.

Obviously due the the increased height, length and width, which is why I would be hesitant to buy one.  If you’re touring and find an area that you decide to stay for a while, the problem of using it for sightseeing and moving it from and back to your pitch becomes more of an issue.

My brother-in-law was looking at a motorhome a few years ago and decided to back away for the reasons I’ve outlined.  Whether you opt for a camper van, motorhome or a touring caravan, there are compromises.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t decide which one fits my criteria best, so for now, we’re very happy with our boat.

I suppose it’s a bit like deciding which style of boat to buy, weighing up the pros and cons of various styles and buying which suits you best.  As I said earlier, each to their own.  It’s not my place to criticise, but I do have an opinion.

And I have my opinion as well which is that a coach built motorhome is far more suitable for us then a van derived conversion or a caravan.

 

We want to tour in luxury and not feel cooped up or cramped when the weather dictates we have to stay inside. We want a nice spacious lounge area for bad weather days which a van conversion just doesn't offer due to the limited internal space.

 

We don't plan to use the motorhome to be sited in one place. The intention is to tour with it and stay in each place for a day, two at most. Much like we used the boat, it was a very rare occasion that we ever stayed anywhere more than 24 hours with that as well.

[floydraser]

There are so many variations with caravanning, motorhomes and campavans that hiring to try them out is always a good first move. As with boats it seems pricey at first but if it helps prevent very expensive mistakes, that outlay could be justified.

Motorhomes have become extremely popular in recent years and there are plenty of sites with bus stops etc. by the entrance as a result. There's also a network of free places here: https://www.britstops.com/

[Cal]

We unexpectedly had a lead about a 68 plate Benimar Mileo 202 that had been traded in yesterday. We got straight onto the dealers to enquire about it and managed to strike a good deal on. They wanted to know how on earth we knew about it. It had literally just been traded in and they won't own it until the 16th April 🤣🤣🤣. 

 

We are very impressed with the service from the brokers though who worked until 8pm over Easter weekend to broker the deal.

 

We have left them a holding deposit and as soon as they own it it will be transported to our local branch just down the road for servicing, valeting and preparation. We can then inspect it thoroughly to check we are happy with it.

 

It does need down rating from 3650kg to 3500kg before we pick it up but that is just a paperwork exercise. 

 

The current owners have sent us loads of pictures and it looks like a nice tidy van that has been well looked after.

 

It is 2.5 years old and has come at a substantial cost saving from new. 

 

 

[Paul]

The debate between motorhome and caravan has been raging ever since the towbar was invented, and as Cal rightly says it is the way you intent to use it that should determine which to go for. We like to use ours as more standard holiday accommodation away from home, we site it and leave in place for as long as possible so we have a caravan with modular awning. If we are away just for a weekend the porch goes up, for a week or more the whole lot goes up, We have a permanent double bed, large bathroom, domestic sized shower and full size single beds for the boys which are the seats during the day. We don't need a second car, the Mercedes Convertible is a superb all rounder, solo it's a very comfortable and economical GT car with the roof up as soon as the sun is out the roof is down. Deploy the towbar and it will pull an 1800kg caravan well beyond the legal speeds and in any terrain we will find in Europe. We also have a trailer so if I need to move a sofa or a wardrobe we can do that too. It really is everything we need, though it has not stopped me deciding on another Range Rover, I really do miss my old one!)

I could be forgiven for wondering why anyone would want a different setup, were it not for my own sister. They have a motorhome, they are on their 4th now. They started with a little CI, got bigger and bigger till they had a coach built Hymer which they loved but decided was too big and so they down sized recently. The vehicle they have now is quite an obscure make, usually custom built but this one was a cancelled order with a sizable discount and suited their needs. It is much smaller than the Hymer but clever use of space and a permanent double bed which lifts away into the roof space when not in use means it is still very versatile. Unlike the Hymer it's only just over six foot wide so goes through all the width restrictions and is four wheel drive. It suits them because they like to tour, spending one or at most two nights in any one place, so they don't have the hassle of hitching up a caravan every time they move on and generally the van is small enough to access most places, the only thing it can't manage is height restricted access due to the high roof. It can be parked in a standard car parking space, just. 

The only thing I don't understand is having a motorhome then towing a car. Friends of ours at the cricket club do it, and for the life if me I don't understand why. It seems to me they combine the down sides of both caravans and motorhomes into one package on top of which they have three sets of road tax to pay, three lots of insurance and three lots of mots and servicing. Their XF Estate would tow a very adequate caravan which would have much more space and comfort than the motorhome and whilst on holiday they would have a comfortable car to travel around in, rather than the tiniest thing on four wheels you ever saw. 

[Cal]

We have a friend who has both a caravan and tow car and a camper van conversion. 

 

They take whichever is going to suit the type of holiday they are having. The camper for touring and the caravan for being sited.  It works for them.

[floydraser]

10 hours ago, Paul said:

 

The only thing I don't understand is having a motorhome then towing a car. Friends of ours at the cricket club do it, and for the life if me I don't understand why. It seems to me they combine the down sides of both caravans and motorhomes into one package on top of which they have three sets of road tax to pay, three lots of insurance and three lots of mots and servicing. Their XF Estate would tow a very adequate caravan which would have much more space and comfort than the motorhome and whilst on holiday they would have a comfortable car to travel around in, rather than the tiniest thing on four wheels you ever saw. 

The tiddly car behind the motorhome would be zero rated road tax. Servicing would be minimal if the mileage it does during the year is low, like it's only used for holidays? Unless one is daft enough to let a main dealer charge an arm and a leg for changing the oil and ticking a load of boxes on a service sheet, oh and a free wash. The insurance could be very low, again, linked to low mileage. Overall, the cost of the tiddly car could well be less than the cost of all the accumulated site seeing travel costs of the year's holiday trips. And then there's the convenience of not having to rely on public transport. Not something I would do but I can see the positives. It's the kind of set up I would think ideal for touring Scotland.

[annv]

We had a large motorhome for a number of years when the children were young it was handy to be able to take the childrens toys, games etc for wet days along with showers and toilet to hand etc we often parked in coach parks that were near town centres for the odd day the down side was you were stuck n site without any transport unless bus service nearby,  tried a moped so's could get to shops pub etc but when children became teenagers we started flying for the sunshine, very type of holiday has it.s good and down sides, all though for young children Butlins turned out to be the best at the time, lots for children to tire themselves out along with a chally patrol for us to be able to  go to shows, dancing etc in the evening so very good all round while children were young. now boating comfort, no queueing being treated like cattle indiferent food along with tummy upsets, mosquitoes, sunburn etc now only harmony and able to indulge my every whim PROVIDING i get permission of cause. John 

[BroadAmbition]

I’ve owned a caravan once, bought by mistake too.  We did make the effort to use it though
 

Hired a motor home in Norway, visited Sweden.
 

Easy answer - Why bother with a caravan or a motor home when one can have a boat?

Griff

[CambridgeCabby]

I purchased a small touring caravan years ago from one of my customers in my pub , it was very tidy and two berth and it cost me £500 , I ended up letting one of my staff live in it for six months for which he paid me £25 a week , and then I sold it to another customer for £700 , was one of my better deals.

I also bought an old Morris Minor traveller from the same customer in a very run down condition for the price he was offered for scrap , £60 , my daughter used it as a playpen for a couple of months before I got it mot passed , sold the reg number (PEG 9) for £1200 and the reregistered car for £400 , those were the days.

mind you that reg number would be worth serious money now