Tony's Sportsmobile Build / thoughts

[tonyvoudy]

The 3rd seat was removed from the built sheet after an onsite visit. There was just not enough room to add it and it would have been a bolt on addition and not easy to remove like I had first thought. (I was thinking it would have had a lever to pop it out like you see a lot of the 3rd row seats in a passenger van - wrong)

The insulation was something Indiana added by default. I never asked for anything special but I am glad they added it!

The table is something we will pickout when we pick up the van. They apparently have several pre-cut table sizes to choose from.

It will be a challenge to say the least on getting SUP boards on and off the roof. I have seen other pics from the sprinter forums of people using rollers for two person kayaks or canoes. SUP boards tend to be on the lighter side and can be held under one arm with out too much straining. I still am not really sure how I will get them up on the roof and secured just yet. I hope that once I add the rear door ladder to access the back, I will be tall enough to open the front driverside door and stand up to to secure the boards from the front. We don't have the boards just yet as we were waiting for the VAN purchase first. My wife is set on a non-inflatable/rigid board so I will have to figure something out.

We plan on building a sprinter sized garage on the side of our house within 6 months. I already have plans to add a ladder/stairs in the garage that will allow easy access to the roof to remove/store the SUP boards.

I did not get any completed pics from Indiana before we head out of the country today. I will make sure I post some one we pick up the van in September.

tv

[k9sprinter]

Originally Posted by tonyvoudy

It will be a challenge to say the least on getting SUP boards on and off the roof. I have seen other pics from the sprinter forums of people using rollers for two person kayaks or canoes. SUP boards tend to be on the lighter side and can be held under one arm with out too much straining. I still am not really sure how I will get them up on the roof and secured just yet. I hope that once I add the rear door ladder to access the back, I will be tall enough to open the front driverside door and stand up to to secure the boards from the front. We don't have the boards just yet as we were waiting for the VAN purchase first. My wife is set on a non-inflatable/rigid board so I will have to figure something out.

http://youtu.be/WX4asKBcFPE
http://youtu.be/PXZF4lECfII
http://youtu.be/QxBJywfRy7w
http://youtu.be/J5kfSI3MNsk
http://youtu.be/vY0Ctd-mqs4
http://youtu.be/Td6YsDkHGJ0

[windguy]

custom garage for your van - sweet!
have a great trip, enjoy!

[tonyvoudy]

Hi all. Just wanted to share a few pictures from over the weekend. I finally picked up my sportsmobile and have a few days to break it in.

We picked the van up on Saturday. There was a nice lady from Alaska who apparently drove all the way in to have her generator serviced. She brought salmon with her for the SMB staff.

Van in the garage.




Look inside the garage


Another peek inside



Wife behind the wheel as I follow her. (We had to take the rental car back to Indy Airport)



We stopped near Natural Bridge State Park in Kentucky at a Via Feratta area called Torrent Falls. Can you tell which one is our van??? ?



Once home, we cleaned up the inside and I took some pictures before we get it dirty again.




Controls for Solar and Power




Danhard AC Controls



We added two ceiling fans. One would have been plenty as these things really draw air quickly!



Our bed. Very comfy and sleeps the two of us nicely.



We left all this open for storage / stuff / gear / whatever. We had an extra sheet of plywood placed behind the wall so we can add hooks, shelves, etc at a later date.



Roof rack. This will eventually be customized further to include a small solar panel and a custom dual sup board holder. For now, we have a lot of rack space! ?



All in all the first few nights in the van were fantastic! We slept well, and felt we had plenty of space to move around and make breakfast and a light lunch. Overall a great long weekend back home. I have a few exra pics in my album if you want to see the van from different angles.

Thanks for looking,

-Tony and Christine

[freedomrider]

Originally Posted by tonyvoudy

My sprinter arrived at Sportsmobile Indiana on Monday. It felt pretty weird driving to my local MB dealer in Atlanta and paying for it..... and driving back home empty handed.

Hi Tony,

Can you comment on how delivery from Atl to Ind was handled?

Thanks!
Mike - who just started reading this thread and is looking forward to reading the resto fo the story; especially how you deal with interior storage for the SUPs.

p.s. If I read correctly, you want three crossbars for the SUPs but don't see how this would work since the SUPs (at least ones shaped for surfing) will have some degree of rocker (curvature) throughout the board (i.e. only two contact points in the same plane).

[tonyvoudy]

Hi freedom, thanks for the kind thoughts. SMB added both the Thule racks and the extentions. If you see the beginning of this thread the first set of racks were initially not long enough to suit my needs. 4 cross bars are indeed overkill but they were included in the rack extension I had added towards the end of the build.

One of the future addons to this build will be a roof top solar panel added between the two air vents on the roof. There is plenty of room and adapters are available to install panels directly to the Thule racks. I already have the external solar panel adapter installed which will allow me to place a larger solar panel in direct sunlight when camped/parked. The Zamp control panel supports multiple panels.

Additionally one or two crossbars will be removed and I will install a Hullvator from Thule to support two SUP boards.... on the roof! See http://www.standupzone.com/forum/ind...9&topic=9288.0 for a good thread on the Hullvator (Designed for heavy kayaks) converted to support two SUP boards.

There are many ways to purchase / build out your spinter. In my case I chose Huntington due to it being closer to Georgia than Austin, TX. SMB will facilitate the purchase of your sprinter for you or you can purchase one on your own and deliver it to SMB. In my case, I went with a local MB Sprinter dealer in GA and worked closely with Nancy in Huntington and MB in to make sure the right items were added to the build. (If you go outside of SMB, make sure your SMB Sales agent works VERY closely with MB to get the order right!) As SMB is an authorized MB Sprinter outfitter, I had the van delivered directly to the SMB Indiana location. (That is the typical destination charge you see for new vehicles.)

-tv

[freedomrider]

Originally Posted by tonyvoudy

See http://www.standupzone.com/forum/ind...9&topic=9288.0 for a good thread on the Hullvator (Designed for heavy kayaks) converted to support two SUP boards.

Hi Tony,

Thanks for the purchasing info and the link to the Hullvator discussion. SUPs are becoming a lot more popular (and tolerated at some SoCal surf breaks) so I wouldn't be surprised to see more specially designed rack systems becoming available. The market is probably there. Capability to transport a SUP (and maybe an occassional rented kayak) are in my future so it's nice to see how others managed transport on a high roof Sprinter.

Your SMB looks great; especially looking down from the bluff in Kentucky, which is a good example of why all the planning and $$ are well spent. Enjoy the ride.

Cheers,
Mike

[tonyvoudy]

Ever get the feeling even a camper van can feel like you are buying a new/second home? So many things to get for the road....

[DonMc]

Very nice Tony, I've got a Sprinter on order and working out the details for the equipment I would like installed by SMB Texas. I live north of Houston, summers can be brutal here. I see in your photos that you have the Danhard A/C and wondering if you have had a chance to operate it in hot weather and how well it cools? I really like not having to have the additional height of the roof mount units.

[Tacitblue]

Very nice build. What is the distance from the end of the gaucho to the rear door? Also during day time with the curtains closed is it "dark" inside? I'm wondering with the black floor and cherry cabinets, while that's what I think looks the best, may make the interior too dark. Thanks, and great build.

-Mark