When we originally designed The Tortuga Expedition Camper, we installed a microwave oven. In real life on the road, we used it only occasionally to reheat coffee or a bowl of soup. Since propane is the best way to cook, and it is readily available everywhere in the world, the microwave was really an unneeded […]
For those of you who are familiar with The Turtle V and its European-style Tortuga Expedition Camper, you may recall that to maximize use of space, the shower and Thetford Porta Potti are in the doorway, a space that is always there. The Porta Potti simply slides out when needed. The problem was that the […]
Our three-burner Amana/ Magic Chef, (www.magicchef.com) propane stove was wonderful. Talk to serious blue-water sailors and overland travelers who really like to cook, and they will tell you propane is the way to go, and despite misconceptions, propane can be found anywhere in the world, and it is totally safe when properly installed. Yes, forget […]
Yes, we have hot water again in The Turtle V. VERY hot water. The Espar D5 Hydronic, or the engine if it is running, pumps heated coolant through the heat-exchange plates of the FlatPlate double wall brazed plate heat exchanger. That means the engine coolant can be as hot as 210°F. The D5 Hydronic has […]
Into hot water again. Yes, the luxury of having on-demand hot water in The Tortuga Expedition Camper was addictive. Our Seaward marine hot water heater took heat from the engine coolant or our Espar D5 Hydronic coolant heater. The problem was, we were carrying around 6 gallons of water that could not be used unless […]
Out with our old leaking compressor box! K&W Tool Boxes in Bronson, MI is building a custom box that uses a leak-proof seal design. K&W specializes in custom aluminum boxes. www.customtoolboxes.com. We will be completely redesigning the compressor system using twin Extreme Air compressors by Extreme Outback Products, www.extremeoutback.com, a 5-gallon ACCUAIR aluminum tank, www.accuairsuspension.com and […]
We have become so soft, when the air conditioning system starts to blow warm air, we say “what’s that about?!!”, forgetting the days of our Land Rover when we had neither AC nor power steering nor power brakes nor cruise control. When our AC started to act up, the soon-to-be great automotive technicians at Sahuarita […]
Fords have been notorious for having cracked sector shafts in the steering gear box. If a cracked sector shaft breaks, and they have, you loose all steering. Nice huh? All steel components including the sector shafts are magnafluxed at Lee Power Steering before assembly. In route to the Overland Expo, we stopped at Lee’s in […]
The primary purpose of building a garage and shop with a 14-foot ceiling was to allow our Turtle V expedition truck to fit. A second advantage has been to add mechanical lifts that bring our light storage boxes, ice chests and even our Old Town canoe up out of the way, making room for our […]
Major problem!!! Our grey water tank had developed a serious leak, and the custom aluminum tank was built into the walls and cabinets of the camper. The great guys at Sierra Trailer in Nevada City found a way to cut a section of the Nida Core body out to access the ugly hole and patch […]
