I need Help!

You have a big job ahead of you. Take the whole gang and start sitting in them, standing in the shower, sitting at the table and laying in the beds. Sit around and watch some TV get a feel for all you will be doing inside look at as many floorplans as you can. Don't feel hurried and ask as many questions you need answers to.
Renting might be a good idea as someone else suggested also.

You will have a hard time fitting that many people and beds (particularly bunk beds) into a relatively short class C.

Frankly, the length probably makes the least difference in actual driving when compared with the height and width. On the road, the length matters mostly when merging or passing, and one usually doesn't pass too many vehicles when traveling in a motorhome. A longer unit does require more care when maneuvering around gas stations, parking lots, or campsites, but it's easy enough to compensate by going slowly and carefully and getting out and looking (and/or using spotters). Driving any of them is somewhat like driving a U-Haul, except the seats are usually more comfortable and the visibility out of the motorhome usually a little bit better.

IMHO bunk beds as commonly implemented in motorhomes are not as nice as they would at first seem to be. Many are pretty short and scant on space, while cutting rather significantly into the room available for other parts of the RV--those parts that you use when you're awake, like the kitchen or bath or living area. That said, I have seen one or two nice bunk layouts, including a really neat old Gulfstream layout (unfortunately in an RV that had been severely neglected) where the rear bedroom area had bunk beds on one side and a little second dinette on the other side, which would have worked out pretty nicely with a crowd.

Why you doin' this?

To much for me to write so call me.

klutchdust wrote:
Before you dive into this I would recommend you rent a few different models and lengths. Take all those you plan on living with on a weekend trip and see how it goes. Invite friends and fill every bed up and report back after 1 weekend. Sleeps 8?

X10

Very good advice above. Something else to consider... just because a C has beds for 8 does not mean it has the storage capacity for all of your stuff {X 8} because it won't! :S

I would scale back your expectations as to how well you will be able to accommodate a large crowd. Consider camping gear {tents, sleeping bags, ice chests etc for those trips where the population is going to swell. Many campgrounds restrict how many bodies you can have and RV Parks often charge extra per body above a particular number.

There is an old saying that applies to boats and RV's... the perfect one does cocktails for 6, dinner for 4 and sleeps two. There is a lot of wisdom in those words. :B

Welcome to rv.net. Being a class C owner myself I think that you made a wise choice. As far as driving a class C it does take some getting used to. Just remember that you have 26-30 feet of vehicle behind you versus 15 to 20 feet of your current vehicle. Just take the turns wide and have a spotter when you back up. As for maintenance of your class C it is not much different than a truck. Obtain a good pre-trip check list online or compile your own. The 2 things that are most important to me are checking the air pressure in your tires and your fluid levels. Do that often, change your oil at least once a year or more and you should be good. Have fun on your upcoming adventures.

Before you dive into this I would recommend you rent a few different models and lengths. Take all those you plan on living with on a weekend trip and see how it goes. Invite friends and fill every bed up and report back after 1 weekend. Sleeps 8?