Sailor Man's Coach: Then & Now

[sailor man]

I think that it may be time to look back and see how far I have come.

My father trained me to always look for what's wrong and not d=see what is right. So that is how I am. When I turn a completed building over to a client, I never went back to look at a building until at least one year had passed and people had used it and made it their own. It was like giving a child up for adoption.

It was also a way to see how the project had been used by other people. What had worked and what had not. By then, my grief of giving up my child had ended.

So first, How many miles have been put on it since I bought it.

I think that I had taken possession in December 2020, so I am working on it for 4 years and 10 months.

This photo was taken on 3/15/21, so It was after Cliff Golby had done the initial road test.

32,116.1 Miles! Could be 132,116.1 miles or 232,116.1 miles too but it hasn't been driven very much in the last 10 years.

Photo from August 27, 2025. 32,130.8.

It has been driven 14.6 miles in total and I really don't want to think how much money and time I have put into it.

Let's see how much it has changed. Lets start with the rear of the coach.

This is when I first saw it on November 17, 2020. The owner did not sell me the aluminum box but look how close it is to the ground.

The current box is certainly much higher.

And here it is on December 30, 2020 and it is at Cliff Golb's shop. I didn't take me long to by a new spare tire cover and have it painted to match the body.

Kendra, this is the cover I gave you when you visited me after we met at the GMC COOP's closing business auction (02/21/23). No wonder it looked so good. You were looking for one at the auction and the only one you found was cracked, so you didn't buy it. The one you have was almost brand new which I discarded for the present one.

Since you said that the color matched almost exactly, you coach is probably "Cameo White" too.






I still have to fabricate and install the new cover for the mini-splits and the linear led rear light above the rear window.

By the way, I have recently purchased a pair of rear spoilers that are currently being painted to match the coach.


And how it is today. Quiet a change.

Yah, I know I'm a nut! Aren't we all!

Can you see all of the changes? Remember the 2 similar cartoons in the newspaper that you had to find all changes?

 

[sailor man]

How about the front of the coach.

This is how it was.

This is how it is.

Can you find all the changes?

 

[RvRev2]

Quite the voyage your GMC has undergone. What is probably even more amazing is the amount of change it has undergone, that we are unable to see---all the hidden improvements you documented in your other posts.

 

[Kendra]

View attachment 16803

Kendra, this is the cover I gave you when you visited me after we met at the GMC COOP's closing business auction (02/21/23). No wonder it looked so good. You were looking for one at the auction and the only one you found was cracked, so you didn't buy it. The one you have was almost brand new which I discarded for the present one.

Since you said that the color matched almost exactly, you coach is probably "Cameo White" too.

My GMC was repainted at the Co-Op in 2016. Jim Bounds called it Cal Tan, a color picked by the previous owner Cal Terry. They eliminated the spare since a quad-bag will theoretically run on 5 tires, but I'd never attempt that in some of the remote areas I drive. DJ Eberhart in Oregon gave me an extra spare tire bracket - all good.

I call the color Playa Tan. Blends right into any dust storm at Burning Man.

 

[Don Jaksa]

You certainly have devoted your time and effort to building a spectacular GMC Motorhome.

Kudos to the journey and much admiration to you and your skills.

Very commendable!

I wish I lived near you.

 

[sailor man]

My GMC was repainted at the Co-Op in 2016. Jim Bounds called it Cal Tan, a color picked by the previous owner Cal Terry. They eliminated the spare since a quad-bag will theoretically run on 5 tires, but I'd never attempt that in some of the remote areas I drive. DJ Eberhart in Oregon gave me an extra spare tire bracket - all good.

I call the color Playa Tan. Blends right into any dust storm at Burning Man.

Please add a photo of your spare wheel cover on your coach.

 

[Kendra]

Please add a photo of your spare wheel cover on your coach.

Here's your spare wheel cover on mine, on the opposite coast. Quite the color match!

 

[sailor man]

Here's your spare wheel cover on mine, on the opposite coast. Quite the color match!

View attachment 16827

It sure looks better on your coach than it ever did on mine.

I got such a warm feeling to see that it found the right place and it was a gift to you even though we had just met a couple of dozen hours ago at the GMC COOP's Closing Auction.


The day you took it away.

 

[sailor man]

How about the front of the coach.
View attachment 16807
This is how it was.
View attachment 16808
This is how it is.

Can you find all the changes?

The nasty spare tire that came with the coach.

Look at all of the stuff on the roof and the Quad Bag was not there yet.


Nothing on it now ready for the solar panels.

As for the generator compartment......

There was the operating Onan the Barbarian with the 12vdc 100aH deep cell house battery and now

or at least it will be again after I get the batteries back in.


The DieHard 100aH 800CCA Starting battery in it's crude plywood battery box as I found it when I looked inside the engine compartment to see where it was.

(3) 12v, 100AH batteries fit perfectly into the Ragusa aluminum battery pan with the DieHaed starting battery behind them.

Whoops, there is a later sketch somewhere where the BBGC2 battery in the rear is actually the Diehard battery. Sorry.

In documenting this, even I am beginning to realize how long the journey has been and I still have so very far to go.

 

[Kendra]

Thank you again for the spare tire cover!

Quite a remarkable change on the outside - especially clearing that roof - but the main thing you've designed and created are all the internal systems. On the topic of clearing a roof, 11foot8.com shows the incorrect way to do that...

I hope you can get out there and truly enjoy what you have. At least it's in your driveway now - with cockpit & house A/C systems that operate without any engine running.

 

[sailor man]

I am still working on the kitchen area. On the refrigeration side, there was a small refrigeration freezer with a microwave above the freezer section.




To the left of the coach's systems meters was the Onan Generator's controls and the generator was still functioning well.

The refrigerator/freezer and microwave was removed as was the Onan control panel.

Al large stainless steel Indel refrigerator over freezer was installed with much greater storage capacity that the existing unit. The refrigerator has its own compressor and the freezer has one as well.

Under the freezer unit is an Indel refrigerated drawer. It can be used either as a refrigerator or a a freezer. I intend to use it as a freezer to solely store ice.




The old Onan generator panel has now been replaced by a (3) circuit breaker panel. The refrigerator, freezer and drawer each have their own dedicated compressor, so each has its own circuit breaker with the panel powered directly from the 1,000aH BattleBorn battery bank.
There is around twice as much refrigerated storage that will probably be using less than 1/3 energy of the old system.
Above the refrigerator section will be a 5 bottle wine rack for white wine and below the ice drawer will be another 5 bottle wine rack for red wine.
You can see that there is a 5" wide, (4) shelf pantry unit. There will be (2) of them stacked on the right hand side of the refrigerator/freezer.I plan to use them for boxed & canned foods and drinks. I also plan to use OXO vacuum rectangular containers or Mason canning jars.
The space under the two pantries are not as deep because of the well for the rear tires, so I plan to use that for a slide out 5" wide rectangular trash can.

There will be be considerable food storage on the refrigerator side of the galley (kitchen). I will be talking about the kitchen's (4) wall cabinets and base cabinets on the driver's side in another post.

The bar area is all Jim Ammeter's work, as is the cabinetry. The glasses and decanters are his.

I can't wait to fill those decanters and wine racks!

and grab some ice from the drawer freezer.

Maybe I'll put some ice cream and frozen juices in with the ice and run it a colder. The added sugar requires a lower temperature than standard frozen goods.

 

[sailor man]

I am still working on the kitchen area. On the refrigeration side, there was a small refrigeration freezer with a microwave above the freezer section.

View attachment 16851
View attachment 16852
View attachment 16853
To the left of the coach's systems meters was the Onan Generator's controls and the generator was still functioning well.
View attachment 16850
The refrigerator/freezer and microwave was removed as was the Onan control panel.

Al large stainless steel Indel refrigerator over freezer was installed with much greater storage capacity that the existing unit. The refrigerator has its own compressor and the freezer has one as well.

Under the freezer unit is an Indel refrigerated drawer. It can be used either as a refrigerator or a a freezer. I intend to use it as a freezer to solely store ice.



View attachment 16849
The old Onan generator panel has now been replaced by a (3) circuit breaker panel. The refrigerator, freezer and drawer each have their own dedicated compressor, so each has its own circuit breaker with the panel powered directly from the 1,000aH BattleBorn battery bank.
There is around twice as much refrigerated storage that will probably be using less than 1/3 energy of the old system.
Above the refrigerator section will be a 5 bottle wine rack for white wine and below the ice drawer will be another 5 bottle wine rack for red wine.
You can see that there is a 5" wide, (4) shelf pantry unit. There will be (2) of them stacked on the right hand side of the refrigerator/freezer.I plan to use them for boxed & canned foods and drinks. I also plan to use OXO vacuum rectangular containers or Mason canning jars.
The space under the two pantries are not as deep because of the well for the rear tires, so I plan to use that for a slide out 5" wide rectangular trash can.

There will be be considerable food storage on the refrigerator side of the galley (kitchen). I will be talking about the kitchen's (4) wall cabinets and base cabinets on the driver's side in another post.

The bar area is all Jim Ammeter's work, as is the cabinetry. The glasses and decanters are his.

I can't wait to fill those decanters and wine racks!

and grab some ice from the drawer freezer.

Maybe I'll put some ice cream and frozen juices in with the ice and run it a colder. The added sugar requires a lower temperature than standard frozen goods.

A view of the interior storage.

I have 3 of these controllers that have to be installed in each unit. It controls the speed on of each compressor motor to match the load so that the compressor can run only as fast as the cold escapes. It is purported to save 35%-40% of the energy use. It also starts up a compressor more at about 60% of maximum speed to eliminate start up current surges.

A closer look at the pantry side out. It is too high, so I will have to reduce the height by about 3". The thin plywood strip on the right is there to keep the slide in place during delivery. When it is removed, the (4) shelf unit will freely slid to the right.

 

[sailor man]

View attachment 16829
The nasty spare tire that came with the coach.
View attachment 16830
Look at all of the stuff on the roof and the Quad Bag was not there yet.
View attachment 16833
View attachment 16834
Nothing on it now ready for the solar panels.
View attachment 16835
As for the generator compartment......
View attachment 16831
There was the operating Onan the Barbarian with the 12vdc 100aH deep cell house battery and now
View attachment 16836
or at least it will be again after I get the batteries back in.

View attachment 16832
The DieHard 100aH 800CCA Starting battery in it's crude plywood battery box as I found it when I looked inside the engine compartment to see where it was.

(3) 12v, 100AH batteries fit perfectly into the Ragusa aluminum battery pan with the DieHaed starting battery behind them.
View attachment 16837

Whoops, there is a later sketch somewhere where the BBGC2 battery in the rear is actually the Diehard battery. Sorry.

In documenting this, even I am beginning to realize how long the journey has been and I still have so very far to go.

The next thing to come off the roof is "whip antenna". The new wing antenna is a AM/FM & TV amplified wing antenna painted to match the coach. The whip doesn't work well & is in the way of the solar panels.

In the rear is a pair of 4 foot spoilers, also painted to match, hoping to alter the air stream over the toad.


I think that I better roll and tip a new coat of paint on the roof. It certainly looks nasty now.

Time to start flying.

Got to get my rear in gear.

 

[sailor man]

View attachment 16864
A view of the interior storage.
View attachment 16865
I have 3 of these controllers that have to be installed in each unit. It controls the speed on of each compressor motor to match the load so that the compressor can run only as fast as the cold escapes. It is purported to save 35%-40% of the energy use. It also starts up a compressor more at about 60% of maximum speed to eliminate start up current surges.
View attachment 16866
A closer look at the pantry side out. It is too high, so I will have to reduce the height by about 3". The thin plywood strip on the right is there to keep the slide in place during delivery. When it is removed, the (4) shelf unit will freely slid to the right.

This is what the galley looked like when I bought the coach.


The dropped in lpg range with gas oven and burners was not there and there was a hole in the cabinet where the the oven once was.




This is the current situation with the new stainless steel Bosch 4 burner cooktop but the countertop will require substantial renovation. The counter never continued in front of the cooktop.


This range has powerful burners so there is a fire issue made worse with the close proximity of the dark brown Formica cabinet to the left. I plan to laminate a brushed stainless steel sheet over the laminate. At least the most powerful burner is on the right and side.

I also plan to laminate cypress veneer over all of the rest exposed dark brown Formica.

In the place of the range is a new 3 in 1 Breville microwave. It is a stainless steel microwave, air fryer and convection oven.

The previous owner added solid cypress doors and drawer fronts but he neglected to install cypress veneer over the exposed dry brown laminate. I will have to do that.

I planned to laminate 1/4" thick Cameo White Dupont Corian over the old formica countertop and replace the large stainless steel sink. I finally chose to go in another direction.

This is an integrated, molded in glass sink in a 1" thick tempered glass countertop. I am already purchasing 3 of these tops for new vanities for our house. We have had similar installations in our New Jersey condo and loved them. They were so easy to keep clean with zero joints.
Anyway, here is the plan for my coach's galley.



I also plan to fashion a laminated maple or oak cutting board to set in the sink and set a Nutone blender in the counter.

This is what I am planning to install.

 

[RvRev2]

Sounds beautiful. I never heard of a tempered glass countertop.

 

[sailor man]

View attachment 16829
The nasty spare tire that came with the coach.
View attachment 16830
Look at all of the stuff on the roof and the Quad Bag was not there yet.
View attachment 16833
View attachment 16834
Nothing on it now ready for the solar panels.
View attachment 16835
As for the generator compartment......
View attachment 16831
There was the operating Onan the Barbarian with the 12vdc 100aH deep cell house battery and now
View attachment 16836
or at least it will be again after I get the batteries back in.

View attachment 16832
The DieHard 100aH 800CCA Starting battery in it's crude plywood battery box as I found it when I looked inside the engine compartment to see where it was.

(3) 12v, 100AH batteries fit perfectly into the Ragusa aluminum battery pan with the DieHaed starting battery behind them.
View attachment 16837

Whoops, there is a later sketch somewhere where the BBGC2 battery in the rear is actually the Diehard battery. Sorry.

In documenting this, even I am beginning to realize how long the journey has been and I still have so very far to go.

I have been trying to work my way through the wiring in the coach and then implementing my new electrical design.

I downloaded the original GMC Electrical Plans and then decided to print it out. It took about 9 separate pdf's to print out (9) 8 1/2"x11" sheets to bind them all together, end to end. I had the total print out, black and white, which is now rolled up around an old cardboard roll from a paper towel. At lest I can roll out the entire drawing to see what is what.

However, I am still pulling out old unused wire to get rid of the rat's nest of ancient wire.

The new electrical system bears little resemblance to the original wiring. I decided to start from scratch to put together a plan that will allow anyone to track down things in the new arrangement. Instead of using a black and white drawing with electrical symbols for components, I decided to try to use photos of the components connected with colored lines of various thickness to make it easier to find myself around the diagram. I think it will help the people I may hire to work on the couch for me or future owners.

The diagram is a work in progress and it will take some time before it is finished but I think that you might like to see where I am at now.

It is being easier to to work through the system to determine if the design will work. There are components using one or more of these types of communication to work together and all require programing to function as I am intending. It will be great if there are not too many bugs and clashes. I hope that nothing burns out.

(5) Programble Automatic Transfer Switches for either alternating Current or direct current or both.
(2) Sterling Battery to Battery Chargers
(2) Victron MultiPlus II inverter/chargers
(2) Victron SOC (State of Charge Controllers
Multiple Fuses and Fuse Blocks
Multiple Circuit Breakers and Breaker Panels
(2) Alternators with dedicated Smart Remote Regulators
(2) 48vdc Mini-split Heat Pumps
(2) Lithionics 51.2vdc LiFePO4 Batteries with provision for a third battery
(1) Litionics Remote BMS system using dedicated IonBus can bus comunications
New Custom Electric Power Center
Etc., Etc, Etc.........

There are bluetooth, wifi and internet communications

Not all of the components are on the diagram yet, but here it is.....

Can you follow it?

Do you have any suggestions on a way to make it more clear?

I intend to expand the set by providing blow ups of the components the various detailed wiring to see all of the connections. This diagram is primarily concerned with batteries, changing systems, conversion between alternating current and direct current and various voltages.

I am going to add the current protections for the fuses and breakers. You are looking at ac and dc wiring.

AC: 120v but portions can use 120/240v
DC: 12 v
48v
51.2v

In actual use, the voltages vary considerably.

 

[RF_Burns]

I downloaded the original GMC Electrical Plans and then decided to print it out. It took about 9 separate pdf's to print out (9) 8 1/2"x11" sheets to bind them all together, end to end. I had the total print out, black and white, which is now rolled up around an old cardboard roll from a paper towel. At lest I can roll out the entire drawing to see what is what.

You can buy a large scale electrical wiring printout from Allan Henderson (Ken Henderson's son). He has taken over the electric wiper system from his dad, so try here if you wish to contact him.

GMC Motorhome Electric Wiper Motor Upgrade - GMC Motorhome Electric Wiper Upgrade

gmcwipers.com

Also, what software are you using to make your wiring diagrams?

Thanks

 

[sailor man]

You can buy a large scale electrical wiring printout from Allan Henderson (Ken Henderson's son). He has taken over the electric wiper system from his dad, so try here if you wish to contact him.

GMC Motorhome Electric Wiper Motor Upgrade - GMC Motorhome Electric Wiper Upgrade

gmcwipers.com

Also, what software are you using to make your wiring diagrams?

Thanks

I am using ArchiCAD 24 which is a very sophisticated 3D CADD program.

I have been using it since version 3.5, so many years ago. The first project I used it for was Yogi Berra Stadium around 1991.
It was originally design for the Apple Mac but was also made available for the PC and is widely used.
I really use very little of its capabilities these days.
It is quite expensive, around 6,000/year but I have so many projects designed with it, so I keep upgrading so I don't loose access to the old plans. Sometimes I get requests for information on my old projects and I can provide drawings to them for a good fee.

I have already installed Ken's electric wiper motor. Works great.

I think I got his electrical drawings to print it out.

 

[RF_Burns]

I think I got his electrical drawings to print it out.

Allan's electrical drawings are printed for you on 17", 24" or 36" wide format paper. Here is some more info with photos of them hanging on a door.

https://www.gmcmotorhomemarketplace.com/GMC_Motorhome_Wiring_Diagrams.pdf

Your CAD program is a bit more $$$ than I need! All my drawing software went with my company when I sold it.

 

[Richard RV]

Not all of the components are on the diagram yet, but here it is.....
View attachment 17202
Can you follow it?

Do you have any suggestions on a way to make it more clear?

Nicely done.

It'd be very interesting and useful to have a 3D model of all of the electrical wiring and components so someone could put on a VR headset and be able to visually follow the wiring like they had X-ray vision. Blink on a component and the installation manual would pop up.