It’s Not A Boat, It’s Not A Plane, It’s Super Cool!
2013 Bowlus Road Chief! Go to the website and drool, even the site is cool!
Ya can start your squawking about how this is not a boat on this site later. But first look over the new , yes NEW Bowlus Road Chief Trailer. This is about as cool as it gets. it’s a testimate to timeless design and the passion of one of today’s top designers. Every detail about this trailer drips with coolness and style. If your going to travel, travel in style we always say. This trailer restores my faith in modern humanity. I love it. It’s a big flying finger of fate to the Walmart mentality of design!
Dang! Life is good in a Bowlus.
Have a nice small lake boat strapped in there, pull up to you camp at the lake and you are gonna show the Jones’s next door in there plastic tub who’s boss. Watch out cause Mrs Jones is com’n over for Martini’s when her man is out fish’n for catfish with his hands. The Road Chief captures the lifestyle we live, only on land………Wait, maybe it is a boat, just flip it over. That’s it, it’s now PERFECT! It’s not Bow-less anymore!
ya may want to close the windows on a rough day! but it works for sure! Kinda..
Our captain’s hats are off as we bow to a great design and great folks who hung it out there and went for it. WOW! Below is a video telling the story in a more entertaining way than I can. And no bad spelling.
For $100K is it self polishing? Could be more time consuming than varnishing.
Very cool, very expensive. The opportunity cost way too high. I,ll take a tent and a bunch of lapstrakes instead.
I always felt the invention of the hotel with electricity and running water made those obsolete.
Dito.
Seconded.
Well I never knew Bowlus made the Spirit of St Louis.
Is that a Saab towing that thing?
Its one design towing another design. All cool stuff for sure.
Sure it is cool as hell – no doubt there. But the price point? Huge, for essentially a small trailer. I have always liked the Bowlus, and I think they somehow begat Airstream. Much like new mahogany boats, the low volume Bowlus is priced far beyond anything that is practical for any but the tiniest fraction of folks.
My personal preference to this would be to find an original and restore it, or buy one done. WIth an original you will always have some value. I like most old trailers, but for me the pinnacle was the 1946 – mid ’50’s Spartans, particularly the ’50 – ’52 Imperial Mansion. Made of aluminum as well, much, much larger and the best of them restored or remodelled can be bought for half the cost of this Bowlus, or less. This will be a tough sell, but they did a nice job of it.
Paul, here’s a great restoration of a vintage Spartan. You can check out the rest of the pics here: http://www.vintage-vacations.com/46_manor_frnt_kit.htm
For this group…Bus Conversions are the way to go!
Each one is unique and the layout is up to you.
1959 GM PD4104
Yes, Much better!
In particular, the old Flxible’s were very stylishly designed coaches and they look fabulous when restored and modernized into motor homes. Coaches are probably the way to go for us classic boaters, as we could tow a boat along behind, if we wished.
Also for consideration, a custom adirondak Airstream
exterior of bus
Ok, yes it is different and good looking at first glance and the fact that it is light and all makes it efficient.
BUT, from a design standpoint, this thing is garbage. The layout inside is good, but that total stainless kitchen is a joke unless you want your place to look like crap or spend your entire vacation wiping down and polishing the entire kitchen.
Given that 99.99% of all campgrounds are set up with the same layout – ie the electrical and potty stuff on the rear left side and usually the door on the mid right side, this thing has the door directly above the hitch.
Having been an camper with a trailer, I can say from much experience that the door was used when the trailer was hooked up to the car, esp during the loading and unloading phase. With this joke trailer, one would be tripping over the hitch and car etc etc. Real smart. And once unhitched from the tow vehicle at the campground, one usually wants to exit the trailer into the outdoor living space where the firepit and chairs etc are all usually set up. The dining area would inlcude that while at the table, you would be looking at your neighbor or the bushes, not either the rest of the campground or the lake behind the trailer. None of the normal campground layout was included in the design of this trailer.
A trailer for $100k should have every single design element taken into account and worked to the best advantage. The designers of this thing threw that to the wind and the result is something that clearly would be a royal pain to live with. One can still have great design, infuse the elements of the glorious past (ie that of Mr. Bowlus) and have great form and function all in one package – that is great design. This joke is all form and very little true function.
I think the form is part of the beauty of this, there are countless piles of fiberglass trash out there with moveable walls and platic wood floors. This is ALL about design.
True. But the pinnacle of great design is the best of both form and function, and winning the constant battle between the two.
Airstream trailers would be a great comparison. Beauty and wonderful function all wrapped up into one. Not your average fiberglas stuff.
With the Bowlus, a beautiful exterior with top notch materials inside means nothing when the owner is in hospital with a broken leg having tripped over the hitch when exiting the trailer.
I think I’m starting to miss the old toilet seat days. Classic glass and stainless steel campers are fine but we need a WoodyBoater throwback day.
Or the traditional Shasta…
THAT is just way too cool. Perfect.
Arright, time to step it up a notch….take your bolus, your airstreem, your shaster, and put them there in the back, plenty of space!
If we are featuring land yachts we should include one with a flying bridge.
http://aluminumfever.blogspot.com/2012/03/decoliner-by-randy-grubb.html
rob
When I go camping….
You can park all that stuff out back.
Did you see the car auction where one of these sold for a million dollars several years back? Very cool.
We love the vintage buses and travel trailers, tried to find our pictures of the Tin Can Tourists to show their really cool campers but no luck…too bad…
Camping and boating, doesn’t get any better than that!!!
Why not have the best of both worlds with this rig. Classic boating and tin can pleasure, all rolled into one. And it looks safe – Right?
In Syracuse, Indiana the Liberty Coach Company built these amphibious creations that rode on land with a specially constructed undercarriage – which was also propelled in the water by an outboard motor.
Oh my, Could this ungainly looking glob have possibly been the design progenitor of the notorious Combo Camper of recent WB infamy? This looks like a mobile hot dog stand that you’d see at a carnival or something.
For the picture attached, I had to share this ad for an “RV” trlr found in “kijiji” B.C. Canada:
Used Airstream-like Trailer That Rocks the Kazba:
Looking to own a piece of American Road History? Want to park something in your drive that will really piss off the yuppie neighbors? Is your current meth lab lacking square footage and adequate ventilation? Then look no further! This unit has it all!
Just some of the many features offered on the Silver Bullet of Awesomeness:
–2 bedrooms
–bathroom with spacious tub that can comfortably accomodate 2 or more halflings
–soiled mattress that may or may not have muffled the screams of abducted hitchhikers during their final terrifying moments of life
–original partially torn up asbestos floor tiling
–homey wood panelling
–sink complete with unwashed 30 year old dishes
–“vagrant-chic”-broken windows
–nests and fecal deposits of several endangered species of local wildlife
And if you act now, because I can’t do this all day, I will throw in FREE OF CHARGE, the ceiling waterstain that bears an uncanny resemblance to Satan!!
You’re probably asking…Ajay, what’s the catch? Why hasn’t this full metal jacket shagg’n wagon been snapped up by some other visionary counter-cultural recreationalist?
I won’t lie…it needs a little TLC to be road worthy. Brakes and lighting are currently for aesthetic purposes only and I can’t find the registration papers in my filing cabinet/trash bag full of aged receipts. But people, use your imagination. Put it on blocks in your backyard and voila..instant revenue property! Rent it out to students and you are well on your way to becoming a Titan of Real Estate. Or turn it into a snazzy guest suite..your in-laws will never complain again about the noise and inconvenience of indoor plumbing or the lack of fresh air in your stuffy basement.
You are limited only by your own vision. Maybe you just need a man cave where you can kick off your black sandals & socks, stroke the ol’ handlebar mustache and enjoy a few cold Pilseners while contemplating how awesome your life is. It’s a blank canvas awaiting your signature. All you have to do is reach out and sign it.
If you think you have what it takes to be Master & Commander of the SS Kick A#@ Road Ship of Awesomeness, email me and arrange a viewing. Open to offers and we can move it down the road for you within 30 km radius provided you can take delivery in the middle of the night since a permit is quite frankly out of the question.***Warning: trailer may currently be occupied by a black bear. Please ensure tetanus shots are up to date prior to viewing.***