Episode 84: Turn Your Motorhome into a Houseboat

Now you can turn your motorhome into a houseboat. I first heard about this very cool (and expensive!) invention at the Perry, GA gathering of the Family Motorcoach Association when I met the man who dreamed up and built something called the RollerBoat, a floating contraption that can certainly take your motorhome places its never been before. Plus this week, we have lots of great questions, comments and tips from readers this week! Also a song you’ll want to hear that captures all the fun of the RV lifestyle sent in by one of our readers [spp-player] First, Jennifer shares listener feedback on last week’s tip about the KAYWOS Cloth… the “Klean Anything Without Leafing a Streak” cloths we featured in Episode 83. Sue, it seems, found yet another interesting use for these cloths. Here’s her message: Hi Mike and Jennifer - Last summer, after hearing your review on Kaywos cloths, I purchased one. These cloths are amazing!! This is the first time I've been able to have streak free windows. But... not only that... we have a Jack Russell Terrier (her name is Lizzy Lizard Licker) who loves to hunt for small rodents. Yesterday, that hunt included a long period of time under the car. When she came out, her normally white coat had a distinct greasy gray smear all along her back. Rather than give her a bath (she'll just go under the car again tomorrow), I thought I would give the Kaywos cloth a go and see what it would do. Amazing!!! It got most of that grime off her coat and saved me from having to bath her. Thanks so much for the great tip about Kaywos Cloth. Best regards and hope to see you on the road somewhere, Susan Garriques JENNIFER’S TIP OF THE WEEK – FOLDING LAUNDRY HAMPER Dirty laundry. Sometimes, it seems like it follows me everywhere. Especially on RV trips. What to do with it? For a couple of years, we stuffed it in plastic bags. And that, we learned the hard way is not such a good idea. The clothes get really stinky in them and even after washing, that smell can be hard to get rid of. The solution for us is a collapsible clothes hamper. Actually, we bought a set of two of them. That’s how they come, a pack of two for $18.99 from Amazon. We got the StorageManiac Foldable Pop-Up Mesh Hamper. Usually, we only need one. But on long trips, the second one comes in handy. They are made from 100 percent polyester mesh and fold down flat for easy storage. They have a sturdy steel frame that pops up to allow for lots of dirty clothes. They have easy carry handles, which makes it convenient when you take your dirty clothes to a laundrymat. Each of these collapsible hampers holds more clothes than you carry. When popped up or open, they measure a bit over 14-inches by 17-inches. And because they are mesh, the dirty clothes don’t have an odor problem. We store the hamper in the bathroom, on a hook mounted o the side wall. Each hamper also has side pockets, which gives ample storage space for laundry accessories, delicates, socks, and so on. The tip of the week is brought to you by Good Sam, the world's most popular RV organization, now celebrating its 50th year. LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK: JJ, a solo female traveler, wonders how Jennifer and I travel in our Class B motorhome when she barely has enough room in her 30-foot model. We share our experience Harry wonders how our solar panels can possibly work when we’re parked in the shade. They do, but at a less efficient rate will operate down to approximately 20% of a sun which is a gray sky, cloudy day. Below 20%, the voltage drops off significantly and the solar module will not be able to maintain a charge into a battery or device. Keep in mind that at 20% of sunlight the power generated by the solar module will be approximately 20% of the solar modules rating. Jim asks us for the name of the combination cooking appliance we take with us and use for most of our meal prep. We use the Cuisinart Griddler for grilling and most of the cooking we do,