Veebyes wrote:
As I read through your post I am starting to think, "this guy is a boater" with the fearless go anywhere fix it yourself attitude.
Then you mentioned my favourite store. Defender Marine.
BINGO! Gotcha.
Ya you are right and you made me laugh. I used to have a 42 foot Cheoy Lee Open ocean sloop.
I sailed it across the Pacific from Seattle to Asia. I also circumnavigated Vancouver Island with it. As well as many other trips.
What amazes me about RV'ers is how totally dependent so many are to repair shops to do simple things.
NO Sailboat captain worth his salt would set out without full knowledge of his craft and it's systems and be able to fix anything that goes wrong himself. Or if not fixable than to fashion a good work-around.
You cant call road service in the middle of the Pacific, at night, in the shipping lanes, when your electrical has gone out.
My feeling is that anyone who wants to RV should have a solid working knowledge of all the on-board systems and be able to fix them himself or do a work around.
Of course this is a bit harder for someone with a class A DP. But you should at least know what makes that engine work and how to do all the maintenance on it.
I believe that you really need to be self sufficient to a great degree if nothing else than for your own peace of mind.