This is our magic school bus, Seaweed! My wife and I bought Seaweed during the pandemic. It was partially built out but we hired VENTUR (previously known as CT vans) to finish/redo the entire thing to our liking. We redid the kitchen, adding butcher block countertops, a lovely big sink, a propane stovetop, tiles, and cabinets to give it a real homey feel. We added plumbing, solar, refrigeration, a nomadic cooling system, and more.
We spent the next few summers traveling the country on our bus with our Australian shepherd, Bobby. My wife is a singer-songwriter, and I am a drummer and visual artist. We played shows and slept oceanside wherever we could. (Seaweed is even a little famous as featured in The Wall Street Journal! *see screen shot in photos*)
The bus can run on shore power, but we never once had to plug it in during our travels. The solar panel system along with the three lithium batteries makes it so you can truly live off the grid. Some of the best aspects of Seaweed are the amount of storage, the height of the ceilings (about 6 feet), the queen size mattress, and the size of the kitchen space (and sink!). When traveling for long periods in a cramped space, it so nice to have a big comfy bed and be able to stand up straight while cleaning, cooking, and navigating around the vehicle with another person. Also, when you spend a good amount of time cooking and cleaning inside your vehicle it makes a huge difference to have a large counter top and nice big sink.
The kitchen table is also on a swivel, is height adjustable, and can be lowered all the way to turn the dining area into a bench seat/couch. The nomadic air conditioning system is top of the line and we were able to stay cool traveling throughout the summer with no issues. The 40 gallon water tank is also so nice because (depending on your usage) you can easily go more than a few weeks without having to fill up. The outdoor shower attachment is also a great feature especially because of the battery powered water heater. Yea, hot water whenever you want. The water heater is the most taxing thing on the battery life though so use it sparingly when off the grid.
Overall, Seaweed feels so homey and spacious compared to other built-out vans I have traveled in. We really didn’t want it to feel like you were inside a vehicle and it truly feels like you are traveling inside of a tiny home rather than a bus.
There are some notable issues to be aware of. We’ve put a lot of mechanical work into the bus ourselves to ensure it’s longevity, but there are still some things that our mechanic recommends that we just aren’t willing to fix at this point. Here are the issues our mechanic found:
-Glow Plugs need replacing
-Fuel line needs replacing
-Fuel injection pump needs replacing
***Another important thing to note is that the bus has no heat or heating unit whatsoever. We only lived in it during the summer in warm weather places so we never felt the need.
