Private RV rentals

I see a lot of ads for Craigslist from people renting their RV or people who buy 4 or 5 trailers and keep them in their back yards to rent out.  A few of our customers have told us horror stories about these kinds of rentals - going to pick up an RV and finding it doesn't work or the people rented it to someone else instead and never told you, trailers with bald tires and things like that.  When these people advertise their trailer for rent for $50 a day or an RV for $100 a day, keep in mind that they are operating "under the radar" and don't have to pay for a business location, workers' compensation insurance, payroll tax, a full-time technician to do safety inspections in between rentals, liability insurance, etc.  If you are lucky enough to find an honest RV owner who rents his unit out, keeps it well-maintained and clean, and is organized as far as taking reservations, delivering the RV, etc. - great!  But usually you get what you pay for.  Our company employs a full staff to make the rental process run smoothly and ensure a fun, safe vacation for our renters.  

Boat rentals available at Rice RV

Last year, we explored the idea of renting boats too, but ran into a snag with insurance rates.  We could get lower rates if we rented to a select group (like a boat club) of people who had passed safety tests.  We did not have time to pursue this much last year, but we are going to try again this year.  We have to be very selective about renting the boats.  Driving an RV is similar to driving a car, so most RV renters do just fine (except when pulling long RV's out of gas stations...).  We have to screen potential boat renters more carefully because boat driving and marine safety/courtesy rules are so unique.  The potential liability is much greater with boats, as a boating accident can cause much greater personal and property damage.  Our boat choices include an Air Nautique wakeboard boat and a Centurion wakeboard/ski boat.  

Nick the salesman!

This is one of those things you had to see yourself to get the full value.  The other day, a woman was standing on our lot near my office, waiting for the salesman to return.  Nicholas walked up to her and said boldly, "Can I help you?"  The lady was charmed and told him she wanted to buy a trailer.  Nick asked, "Do you want a big one or a little one?"  The lady said, "What do you like?"  Nick turned to walk down the lot and said, "I like this little one here."  The woman said she needed a big trailer for her family.  Nick thought for a second, then turned around to see the 34' trailer he was standing in front of.  He said, "Here's a big one!" and started to walk toward the door, implying the woman should follow him.  Who knows how long this would have gone on if the salesman had not returned and Mommy intervened.  

Rental reservations filling up

We wondered how the economy would affect the summer RV rental season, but so far we have the same or even more reservations being made for summer vacations. For families that might have flown to Hawaii or Disney World in the past, an RV trip is way cheaper and, I think, more fun.   You probably would not save much renting an RV over driving in a car and staying in motels, but you can park your RV in remote spots where they have no motels, you can relax and watch TV or use the bathroom while another person drives, and you can keep all your stuff, including food and dishes, in one convenient spot for the entire trip.  

RV Survivalists

http://www.lewrockwell.com/schembrie/schembrie13.html

This is an interesting article recommending owning an RV as an emergency mobile house in case of complete economic collapse or civil unrest. I hope we won't be needing an RV for those reasons! They did come in handy in last year's wildfires in San Diego. We lived in one on our lot for a few days during the evacuation. Many people purchased or rented motor homes or trailers to avoid staying in crowded shelters, so they could leave the smoky area, or to live on their property while rebuilding their house. Many of our current sales are people buying large trailers and fifth wheels to live in a trailer park or on a friend of relative's property because of tough economic times.  

A few new RV's in our fleet...

Since we don't buy a bunch of identical discount RV's for our rental fleet, each of our units is unique and renters can choose from lots of different options. For those who want more luxurious RV's, we have several new ones:

The 31' Jamboree has the same basic floor plan as our other 31' class C units (large slide out, rear bedroom, etc.), but is highly upgraded, with leather upholstery, flat screen TV and more. These class C units are easier to drive and sleep up to 8 people. This is a good option between a high-end class A and a basic class C.

The 31' Fleetwood Terra class A has 2 huge slide outs, a beautiful interior, full body paint, and a large bathroom with two entries. It sleeps 4-6 people.

The 40' Monaco is our only diesel pusher currently. Driving a diesel motor home is more like flying an airplane, with a smooth, quiet ride (the engine is 40' behind you!), air shocks, a jake brake for slowing on hills, a computerized transmission and other improvements. The Monaco has 2 large slide outs, a 4-door refrigerator, a washer/dryer and a large bathroom/dressing area. Tile floors, granite counters and leather upholstery add to the luxury.

Newport Dunes Resort

With our limited schedule, when we really want to "get away from it all" we drive an hour and a half up to Newport Beach and stay at the Newport Dunes RV Resort ("the Ritz of RV parks"). Most of the spaces are packed close together, but that's about the only down side for us. If you want more space, you can splurge for the waterfront sites, but you had better reserve way in advance and be prepared to spend more than for a luxury hotel room.

The sprawling RV park sits on its own private lagoon off Newport Bay (called the back bay). This is a kids' paradise, with a water playground (trampolines, climbers, etc.), boat rentals, playgrounds, games and activities, a salt water swimming pool and arcade with pool tables. Movement around the park is slow because of all the golf carts, electric scooters, skateboards, bikes, etc. If you don't get enough exercise walking around the lagoon or into town, you can work out in the marina in a room overlooking the rows of yachts and sailboats.

We like to bring a boat (extra charge for parking the boat in the far parking lot near the launch ramp) and use it to sight-see around Newport Beach and Balboa Island. This is a leisurely tour, as the speed limit throughout the Bay is 5 miles per hour. But this gives you more time to view the 100 foot yachts bobbing in front of the movie star homes along the water. We park at one of the public docks and walk around the shops and mansions. Sometimes we dock on the Newport Beach side, or ride the ferry across, and walk or bike along one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

This really does not qualify as a camping trip. But it's a fun way to break out of our routine without driving far from home.