Tiny Home Acquired!

The past few weeks have been extremely stressful and too much has happened to keep up with. Not to mention, some of it I don’t really want to talk about – thanks for your understanding.

But what I can tell you, I found my tiny home! I’ve got an RV!!

Meet Serenity

Serenity is a 1998 Coachmen Starflyte. Depending on who you talk to it is either a Class B+ or a mini Class C. I’m going with Class B+.

Let’s get the origin of her name out of the way first. I’ve named her Serenity based on the short-lived, fiercely loved Joss Whedon TV show Firefly and its follow-up movie Serenity. Yes, I’m a big ol’ geek. I even have an autographed painting hanging in her.

The painting was done by Ron from Ron’s Room. It’s been autographed by Alan Tudyk, Nathan Fillion, Jewel Staite, and Gina Torres. I still want to get Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, and Morena Baccarin. And it would be AH-MAZ-ING to get Joss Whedon to autograph it as well!!

Specs Please

OK, now the fun stuff is over, back to business. As I said, Serenity is a 1998 Class B+ Coachmen Starflyte. She’s 21 feet long and is self-contained with fresh water and both grey and black holding tanks. She has an Onan on-board generator, but that is being super fickle. I think I might get rid of it and get an external generator… we’ll see.

The previous owners (I’m the third as far as I can tell) did some building inside. I’ll call them improvements. There used to be a dinette in the back that converted into a bed. It is now a permanent full-size bed. The kitchen that was in the middle has been removed and new cabinetry with a sink, a permanent 2-burner gas stove, a small pantry, and a large Whynter refrigerator/freezer took its place. And, finally, the bench seat behind the driver’s seat was rebuilt to hold the coach battery and all the electrical wiring. This bench has a small drawer for storage. The open shelves inside the coach door, above the passenger seat now have a door, and a shallow cabinet was built into the side of the closet as you come in the door.

Outside, they replaced the back bumper with a heavy-duty steel bumper that they had designed to work with a hitch tray to carry all their surfing gear. The bumper remained but the hitch tray stayed with them. Understandably. They also added a rail for an outdoor grill. I haven’t decided if that’s something I need or want just yet, but this is what I was researching. (I’m not currently an Amazon affiliate, just a regular shopper. 😊)

So, What’s the Downside?

Yeah, there’s always some issues when you buy used. Let’s take a look at what I need to work on.

1. Brakes! I had no idea until I got almost all the way home – from North Carolina to Georgia – that there was something wrong with the brakes. I’ve had the master cylinder replaced but they were still spongy. I’ve had them bled again… I’ll have to keep an eye on them.
2. The generator is still problematic. The mechanic got it running, but now it leaks CO into the coach. AND it’s loud as hell!! I’m thinking this guy is not long for my world.
3. The shower needs to be rebuilt. I can make do for now, but I need a new shower pan and to build up the support underneath. I also need to secure the shower walls and caulk them properly.
4. So many openings. I really need to seal her up all the way around. It’s probably an on-going task.
5. The driver’s side rear tire well has pulled away from the wall of the vehicle. I need to get that repaired.
6. The coach door will only stay closed if I lock the deadbolt. I need to fix the door handle.
7. The furnace isn’t firing. The mechanic changed out a part but I haven’t gotten it to work yet.
8. The water heater is a little glitchy. I get hot water for about 15 seconds then it’s cold again. Not sure if it’s a water issue or a water heater issue or a propane issue.

I’m sure I’ll find a few more things that need to be worked on. Since she’s a little older there will be plenty of upkeep that I will need to stay on top of. Especially since I’m living in her full-time.

Anywho… I’m off to get used to being alone with the doggos in my own tiny space. It’s like getting my tiny home on wheels!!!

Watch for my videos over on YouTube. I’m Sunrise 2 Sunset RV. You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.