Land N Sea Houseboat Information Compilation

 

Here's a snippet from one of the owners of LNS....

Wanted to live on a boat, found the LnS showing their prototype. Became 34th order and as the factory they were preparing was between my home and the college I visited often. They were producing one boat every six weeks and my order 34 looked a long ways off. Great factory assembly line, worker madhouse, I made my opinion of the mess frequent and loudly. Finally the prime owner Sandy Kaye asked if I was all mouth or could I help. Since I had 21 yrs leading men it seemed easy so I accepted the challenge for a promised 6 months. We got the production up to 8 boats a month and then hired a production manager from Southern Cal boat industry who got the production to 11 a month.  I got my boat custom built and moved aboard in Oyster Point, South San Francisco. Started dating a young secretary whose boss was my present wife Becky. Boat company hit a wall in the '73 energy crunch. We had just started the molds for a upgraded model with a small business Gov't guaranteed loan. Our boats were so popular that we were selling with commissions only to our boat owners. We had 16 back orders in Nov 73 and the Jan-Feb boat show orders would usually amount to 60+. All 16 cancelled and the boat shows did not yield, Small Business Administration came under Congressional scrutiny and called our loan and so we folded after building 251 and just beginning to show a profit. 

Here's some pics sent by that same owner - in no particular order.

This is the fellow who sent me the memorabilia - he's over 90 y/o now.

This video was used at boat shows to show how easy the LnS is to tow and launch.

 

This video is just fun on the water. Notice how well the hull takes the wakes.

Here's another example of how stable the LnS hull is. 

Short factory video
 
Land N Sea Get-together

Sous Vide

I read about Sous Vide on a boating forum. My interest was peaked when they suggested one needed  precise temperature control for cooking. I have been messing with temperature controllers for years and thought this might be another application, so I did a little research.

Sous Vide is putting stuff in a vacuum pouch in a container of water, then cooking it at a precise temperature. Commercial units can be over $400 - no way was I gong to spend that kind of money -  I'd use my crock pot and my temperature controller.


I don't know much about meat - every time I cooked a steak it was disappointing. Even putting a roast in the crock pot was far from satisfying so the only meat I've been buying for the last several years is cheap hamburger. I was skeptical of ruining an expensive cut in my Sous Vide experiment so I bought what appeared to be some midrange hunks of beef.

I put it all 3 pieces in a zip lock bag.

You're supposed to vacuum bag the stuff, so I zipped up the bag leaving about an inch, inserted a straw, pinched the area around the straw lightly and sucked.

It seemed to get the job done. So I plunked the bag into a crock pot full of the hottest water I could get out of the tap.

The bag floated so I reinserted the straw, did the gentle pinching, sucked and zipped...the bag now would now submerge in the water.

I plugged the temperature controller into the wall, then plugged the crock pot into the controller. I set the controller to 136° as recommended by recipes on the internet. Then I stuck the controller probe into the vent hole on top of the crock pot, making sure it was well into the water.

I set the timer on my phone for 1 1/2 hrs, a little longer than recommended by the recipe because the temp in the crock pot was somewhat below the suggested 136°.

The temperature of the water soon rose to 136°. After an hour and a half, I removed the bag from the crock pot.

The meat had changed to a pastier color and was heavy with juices. I put the meat in a pan for the final operation.

The final operation is to brown the surface. Some like to use a red hot frying pan, but I thought I'd try the blow torch method. This way one can get small 'burnt' areas like on the outside grill.

First one side, then the next - the amount of flavor you want to 'brown in' is easily accomplished.

So, how did it eventually turn out?

I've never had a better plate of meat (in any restaurant or anywhere else) no matter what the cost...it was tender, juicy and oh so flavorful. No more burgers for me!

Saga Of Aquiring A Forest River Wolf Pup 16FQ

My wife and I have been to Alaska twice from SC. The first time towing a 23' travel trailer with a pickup and the second time towing a cuddy cabin boat with a van.

Van towing 18' Cuddy

We also used the cuddy cabin boat as a camper for several trips across the US before acquiring a trailerable 28 foot houseboat. The point is, we are no strangers to pulling trailers.

The houseboat, called Big Duck,

is a wonderful combination of of travel trailer and boat, complete  w/ double sink, 4 burner stove, full sized oven, fridge, microwave, stand up hot water shower, generator to power the air conditioning and run a freezer on the aft deck. Big Duck sleeps 7 so she is more than happy to accommodate family outings  with our daughter, her husband, two kids and dogs. So why would I be looking at a small travel trailer?

The downside of Big Duck is that at 12,000 lbs, she requires concentration on the road, and even though we have addressed getting my handicapped wife aboard while camping it's getting to be more and more of a chore for me.

There's a hand ratchet that raises her up to deck level on land or in the water.

Sooo, I started to look for a small travel trailer for the road trips.

While some folks like to go big, my goal has always been to find the smallest item possible to get the job done. One result of this small directive was a 27' sailboat that we lived aboard for 3 years -but that's another story.

We spent hurricane seasons working and cruised the rest of the year for 3 years

This time I would be looking for a self contained trailer 20' or less.

I checked out a couple local RV places, canvassing the inventory myself to get a feel for what was available. I found a used trailer at the first place that was the right size but really didn't speak to me. I dug up a salesman and told him what I was looking for and what I'd found. He quickly advised that this was the only unit that was available in my configuration and they couldn't keep them on the lot.

"What are you towing with?"

I told him a one ton van that we used for our second Alaska trip that we were currently using to tow a 12,000 lb houseboat.

"You'll need a brake controller."

I have one.

"You'll probably want an equalizing hitch."

Really, with a one ton van - I didn't need one with my 12,000 lb houseboat? 

 "Also sway control, marine battery, have the propane tank filled and and and."

He hadn't heard a word I'd said, he was just gong through his routine.

At the second place while I was looking at a couple trailers a yard hand asked if I needed help. He said although he was not a salesman he would be glad to show me a couple trailers and even sell me one if I was ready to buy. I told him that it appears all the trailers I was interested in are open and I'd just poke around. He said there was a very nice used one, but it was kept locked.

As we approached the used one, he pulled out a key and I found out why it was kept locked. The lock was jammed - looked like someone tried to get in with a screwdriver. Thanks anyway.

The third place was larger and specialized in motorhomes. A salesman was on me before the door behind me had time to close. "What can I help you with today?"

I said I was looking for a trailer 20' or less and...

He stopped me at that point and as the dollar signs disappeared from his eyes he said, "I've got a phone call in 15 minutes so I'll hand you off to another salesman."

The 'low dollar' salesman was friendly, knowledgeable, honest and sincere. He introduced me to the Wolf Pup which turned out to be exactly the trailer I was looking for. I needed to do a little more research before I was willing to pull the trigger so I went home and priced them online. This guy was right in line with a couple places that posted prices for the same unit.  My wife Suzy had not yet seen the trailer (she's in a wheel chair and we need to orchestrate her outings) so I returned a day later and had the salesman fill out all the paperwork, including the loan papers, so we'd be ready when I could finally get my wife to the dealership to see the trailer. The next day I was advised that everything was in order and all I had to do was come in and sign a few more papers - the payments would be $130/mo.

Before I could get my wife to my local dealership I got an email from a salesman 440 miles away offering me the same trailer for $2,700 less. My first reaction was that it was a bogus offer and the 'extras' would put the price right up to what I'd been quoted locally.

I responded to the 440 mile away offer asking them to write up the trailer showing the 'drive it off the lot' price. The response still showed a savings of $2,700. This made me kind of mad that my local dealer was trying to fleece me. I sent the 440 mile quote to my local guy and told him if he could beat it by $100 I'd pick up his trailer as soon as he could have it ready. The local dealer responded that he couldn't come near that price and I should be wary of remote deals like the one I was considering.

Still a little mad at my local guy, I told the 440 mile salesman I'd like to send a deposit. He told me not to worry about sending money, the trailer already had my name on it. Just show up with a drivers license and an insurance card in about 3 days and I would be able to take the trailer home. The salesman said a guy from the service department would call me to make an appointment for a 'Walk Thru" of the trailer prior to signing the papers. I thought to myself, "This is going to be easy."

The service guy called, suggesting he had appointments available Friday (in 3 days), one at 1pm and one at 3pm. Thinking about the drive up which I anticipated at about 9 hours, I opted for the 3pm appointment but told my wife we needed to be there by 1. This would mean we'd need to be on the road by 4am, so I told my wife we'd be getting up at 3:00. To my amazement, we were on the road by 4:30.

We made one stop for potty for my dog Merlin and one stop for gas on the way up. Suzy was an absolute trooper on the road requiring minimal stops. The trip took only 7 hours, not the 9 I had planned. We arrived at noon because I forgot to figure the time zone hour we'd gain. I knew our arrival would be early but because I hate phones, I decided we'd just take what lay ahead when we arrived early.

Suzy stayed in the van while I went in the dealership to advise of our arrival. This place was huge, I might have guessed a square mile of and GM 's, and RV's of every nature.They had Vets and Jaguars on the showroom floor. As I entered I didn't see a 'Welcome Desk', so I had to interrupt one of the 7 or more salesmen milling about. This salesman didn't recognize my salesman's name but did point me in the direction of the Service Dept where the fellow who had arranged my appointment for the Walk Thru had a desk. I had to ask again for directions when after what seemed to be a quarter mile walk, it appeared I'd run into a dead end. Eventually I did find the Service Dept and was told that my Service Guy was the one on the phone at desk 5 of 6.

I stood in front of my 'service guy' for abut 10 minutes while he negotiated with the person on the other end of the phone in regard to dissatisfaction about the service they'd received. Finally the service guy hung up and asked what I wanted. I told him I was actually 3+ hours early, but was here for a "Walk Thru" of my trailer. He said, "No problem, I'll call the Walk Thru guy, you're his only appointment today."

The Walk Thu guys phone went directly to voicemail - his phone was off, so the Service Guy told me to take a long lunch, fill my truck and leisurely return. The Walk Thru guy would surely be back in an hour or so. In the meantime, I called my sales guy and it went right to voice mail so I left a message that I was here to pick up my trailer.

After lunch and a trip to the gas station (about 1.5 hrs) , I returned to the Service Guy. Still no word from the Walk Thru guy, but the Service Guy would ring my cell when the Walk Thru guy turned on his phone again...

I waited in the Service area for my phone to ring or my name to be called, listening to several folks complaining about the service they'd received. Finally the Walk Thru guy showed up about 45 minutes later telling me his phone had gone dead but was now about 70% charged.

On the walk to the Walk Thru, I decided that they probably needed a guy who knew the ins and outs of all the different trailers, motor-homes and vehicles that were being offered by this dealer. I was very impressed by this Walk Thru guy as he introduced me to my new trailer. He was knowledgeable, efficient and precise, providing all that I needed to know about my new purchase. His talk ended in the parts/accessories store, but he was not at all pushy when I told him there was nothing I needed. The Walk Thru guy escorted me back to the sales floor - "Now all you need to do is sign the papers."

There was some himming and hawing when we went to my salesman's office. He wasn't there - so the Walk Thru guy found someone else who I assumed was the Sales Manager.

The sales manager sat me in front of the fireplace in the lobby and told me he'd get me into an office right away. About 20 minutes later, another salesman came by and asked for my drivers license and insurance card. Then he too left me at the fireplace.

Ten or fifteen minutes later a different salesman appeared and took me to his office. This guy was unbelievably efficient. He shoved paper after paper in front of me describing what/why I was signing. At one point he had a sheet of options that he might have ordinarily pushed but after a very quick once over was content that I wasn't buying. He then asked for my deposit and I handed him my credit card. "Sorry," he said, "We don't take credit cards. Do you have a check?" I don't carry checks anymore, but he did settle for a Debit Card. Then I was taken back to the fireplace.

About 15 minutes later, yet another salesman came by with my temporary plate. He drove me to the new trailer, then waited while I went back to get the van. He directed me as I backed the van up to the hitch and we got the new trailer all coupled up and ready for the road. Then he put on the temporary plate. I asked him if this was a specialty, putting on the plate like the special Walk Thru guy's job, but he said he was just helping out my absentee salesman.

I did my regular walk around to make sure everything was in order before hitting the road and was just getting into the van when another salesman showed up. Well, I'll be! He introduced himself as the original salesman who had given me the quote. He hadn't been available because his garage door wasn't working right. We shook hands, he wished me well and I was on my way.

We're pros at spending the night in Walmart lots on our adventures and figured that's what we'd do if I got tired on the way back home. In addition to reclining seats in the van, we also have a cot in back (which is preferred by Merlin) so we wouldn't need to use the new trailer if/when I pulled over.

Merlin on the cot. It was 40° when we left, 19° at the dealer and 45° when we got home...thus the pile of coats.

However, I never felt the need for rest - we made it home in 7 hours with only a single gas stop, for a total of 20.9 hours on the road.

We didn't actually drive for the whole 20.9 hrs -- the van idled the whole time I was in the dealership.

 Now, the Pup is tucked neatly next to the Big Duck in the back yard awaiting a Florida adventure early next year to see my dog Merlin's twin brother Niko.

Merlin keeping watch on Wolf Pup and Big Duck.

Niko and Merlin on a previous trip to Florida

Then on to Western adventures in the Spring.

It turns out that my trailer isn't exactly like the local guy was offering - mine is actually a 2016  and minus an option or two but is sold as a 2017. So, would I buy from a dealer 440 miles away again to save $2,700; the difference being $20/mo? No, next time I'll buy locally. Here's why.

After having the trailer in the back yard for over a month, I was ready to hit the road. This meant dewinterizing and familiarizing myself with the systems. During this process I found many little things that need attention - doors that don't close properly, woodwork that is cosmetically cracked, outside fittings improperly caulked, an electric water heater I didn't understand, a water system pump that wouldn't shut off - to name a few... I'm handy, so I'll just deal with these things myself, but I'd prefer to take it 10 miles down the road and have the dealer do it. There's also the registration and plates - I had to do those myself  'cause the paperwork they gave me was all out of state. Also - it would be nice to have a friend in the business - the folks who sold me mine at discount profess to be 'wholesalers' - that means I'm the dealer and responsible for all these little annoyances...but they said, "You can always take it to a dealer near you for service."

Adjust/test Electric Trailer Brakes

My electric trailer brakes are auto adjust in the forward mode. I installed new hubs and wanted to make sure the brakes were adjusted before I hit the road. Had to come up with a way to get the wheel spinning, then lock it up a few times so the adjusters could do their thing. The brakes can be adjusted manually, but unlike the regular star wheel adjusters, these are extremely hard to back off without getting under the trailer.

The parts are all available at your local hardware store in the plumbing dept.

https://youtu.be/0a_HIQnM8yY

If you use a standard 3/8" drill...the load will make it heat up during the first go-round. I employed the drill motor that I use for my trailer jack after smoking my 3/8" model. 

Electric Trailer Jack

 

Electric Brakes for your Boat Trailer

The first argument I hear against electric trailer brakes is, "Electricity and water don't mix!"

Totally electric brakes work by magnetism. Twelve volt power is used to make magnets. Sealed magnets. The strength of the magnets is determined by how much braking is called for. Magnets work in air, water or even a vacuum. There is absolutely no mixing of water and electricity.

The next argument I hear is that electric drum brakes don't hold up well with salt water dunkings.

I had a tandem boat trailer that had electric brakes on one axle and surge discs on the other because I got tired of replacing disc brake parts and decided to try all electric. The physical appearance of the drum vs the disc of course favored the disc - the drum did look rusty, but the function is what's really important. The electric brakes were far more reliable than the discs.

Here's how my boat trailer ended up with one axle being surge disc and the other being electric drum:
One of my boats came on a trailer without brakes. I told the shop I wouldn't take the (#3,600 gross) boat off the lot without trailer brakes, so at my expense, they put surge disc brakes on the trailer. Within 500 miles I had a bearing failure. The hub was replaced under warranty, but continued to run hotter than I liked, so I had a second axle put on the trailer. Actually, they put two new axles, with 4 new tires and a new actuator on while I waited. I was a happy camper.

After about another 500 miles I lost another bearing only 50 miles after I had checked the temps of the hubs with an IR gun. I was ready this time with a spare hub and was on the road again in about an hour. This is the reason disc brake folks carry so many spare parts and tools.

I experimented with ways to keep this from happening again, like a stiff spring to keep the brakes from coming on so soon, and leaving a tiny bit more clearance in the castle nut/bearing (an additional flat) to wobble the rotor so it would push the pads back into the caliper. I had good results with the heat problem, but only 3,000 miles after a complete disc brake overhaul (new pads, turned rotors) on the way to Alaska, there were no pads left on one brake, with the backing plate constantly gouging the rotor. We searched for parts and found electric brake parts available at auto parts and RV stores but no parts were available for my discs, so I had to lock out the brakes for the remaining 11,000 miles.

The van is a one ton, so not having trailer brakes wasn't all that scary. By the way, those are passenger car radials on the boat trailer.

When I returned home, I contacted the disc brake people. They said 3,000 miles was about all I could expect from the pads and I should just get some new ones (at about $35 each wheel). Trouble was the caliper pistons were corroded in the calipers too so I opted to put a set of electric brakes on that axle and continue to run the surge brakes on the other axle. The entire replacement from hydraulic disc to electric drum was $150 for both wheels, and installation was 4 bolts, 2 wires and a castle nut for each wheel.

Not long after the I put on the electric brakes, a hydraulic line ruptured on the disc brake side. I knew to try the bleeder screws on the calipers before I invested in any new parts - they broke off. So the second axle got electric brakes as well. Never had a problem after that - 80% of the time in salt water.The electric brakes were still working fine when I sold the boat.

"Sharkskin" on left, generic on right. The Sharkskin look better - the generic worked better.

What else about electric brakes?
*They work in reverse (you don't need a reverse lockout solonoid) - nice on a slippery ramp
*You can test them and apply them at will so you know they'll be there for you

Click to watch test

*The square you see below, with the silver button is attached to the magnet arm and rotates when the magnet is energized, pushing the shoes outward. This is about as simple as it gets - no close tolerance hydraulics.

*No bleeding or bleeder screws to break off.
*No adjusting required with Nev-R Adjust brand
*There are no moving parts in the coupler with electric brakes
*New EVERYTHING is only about $150 per axle,
*Rebuild is 4 bolts and 2 wires at each wheel - includes drum, backing plate w/ shoes, bearings and seal.
*They are off while compression braking on steep down grades

But you will need a controller in your vehicle (the brakes will not work without one) and a breakaway battery on the trailer.

I'd been happy with the electric brakes on my boat trailer for years, then towed a different trailer with a new set of electric brakes on it and decided I'd replace the 40 year old drums. 


Go electric!