1 of 5
Melanie Cullen
Blue Sky Energy Motorhome
2 of 5
3 of 5
4 of 5
5 of 5
By Nanci Theoret, Florida Weekly Correspondent
Industry is on the road to exceeding expectations this year.
Those vacation homes on wheels are soon to be headed south for the winter. Inside these recreation vehicles: full kitchens and baths, living rooms, a flat-screen TV or two or three and even a pop-out back porch. Most will have an obligatory car in tow and securely fastened bicycles, kayaks and paddleboards providing a clue to how their occupants will likely spend their time in Southwest Florida.
Since taking a recessionary dip in 2007, RV sales have rebounded as more travelers return to life on the open road.
“Our industry is a leading indicator of the economy,” says Kevin Broom, director of media relations for the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, which represents manufacturers and suppliers. “When RV shipments go down it’s usually ahead of a recession. It’s been the case for the last few recessions.”
Before the current economic downturn, the industry recorded five consecutive years of growth, reaching 390,500 units in 2006 — the most since 1981. Shipments starting picking up in late 2009 and have grown every year since, says Mr. Broom, noting 2014 sales are on track to exceed the RVIA’s projected 349,400. Manufacturing is up to $15 million from a $10 billion low.
Local RV dealers and parks are also reporting increased sales and occupancy.
“We’re doing very well,” says Timothy Lowry, marketing manager for North Trail RV Center in Fort Myers. “Our business is steaming right along. The whole industry is going through a growth pattern.”
So much so, that North Trail is in the process of upsizing, building a new service center with 44 bays, a 24,000-square-foot parts department and equally sized administrative and corporate offices opening in October. It will eventually expand its sales space, provide fabrication services and ultimately hire 200 additional employees.
The company represents 11 different manufacturers and is the world’s largest dealer of Newmar, which pioneered the slide — pop-outs that expand sleeping and living areas. Its fleet includes every class of recreational vehicle — a term used for towable fold-out campers to tricked-out motorcoaches with all the luxuries of home. Class A is the top tier and typically the largest and most luxurious (think rock stars on tour or John Madden).
More than half of the customers for Charlotte RV Center’s consignment RVs are from Charlotte County.
“We get buyers from all over the country,” says Dewey Laforge, general sales manager. “We recently had a customer from Oregon. I pointed out to my staff he looked past every RV retailer in the country to get here.”
The center has also shipped overseas to Denmark, Germany and “sent a fifthwheel to France where it joined the circus, literally.”
“We guarantee everything’s going to work,” says Mr. Laforge. “That’s a big part of our business model and we do a good job at it. If someone’s buying an RV on the street, they’re taking a chance. These things are rolling houses with three air conditioners, a couple of TVs and kitchens.”
Mr. Lowry says the recession helped weed out the weaker manufacturers, resulting in a limited supply when demand returned.
“The market came back hard and it created its own frenzy,” he says. “There are only so many RVs to choose from that have the features a customer wants. People came in wanting units that were bought right out from under them.”
Kings and queens of the road
RVers tend to start with the travel trailer then work their way up to motorized wheels, which at North Trail cost from $100,000 to almost $1 million.
There’s really no typical demographic of these kings and queens of the road. Mr. Broom says the average owner is 48 and the average RV purchase is a $30,000 trailer they’ll use for long weekend getaways and weeklong vacations.
Those purchasing in the upper echelon — the motorhomes — tend to be older with the time and means to travel.
“RVers in general are very unique people,” says Mr. Lowry. “A lot are very wealthy and very down to earth. They have to be. If they stop at a place that isn’t a luxury resort they may be parked next to a travel trailer. But they already have something in common: the RV lifestyle, being on the road camping and seeing America and Canada.
“Our customers come from every different background you can image — someone in Kansas that literally sold dirt and a guy who made software for hotel minibar receipts, retired at 40 and set out with his wife.”
Charlotte RV’s typical buyer is a family spending $30,000 to $70,000. The company’s only new product is the Forest River Coachman Viking, a lightweight travel trailer that can be towed by an average SUV, sleeps two to four and sells from $11,000 to $15,000 depending on its floor plan.
“We brought them in to compete with pop-ups, which have become a big market,” says Mr. Laforge. “Our trailers have solid walls and sales have been very good.”
Many RVers enjoy the open road and some like Steve Hunter, a former newspaper publisher and current Realtor, will eventually settle down, usually in an RV park.
“The RV lifestyle is somewhat of a mystery if you’re not familiar with it,” Mr. Hunter says. “It’s a great way to travel. You leave, you drive at your own pace, stop at your own pace. While you’re driving, if there’s something you want to see, you can take two or three days. You’ve got your home right there with you.”
RVing vs. the Resort
RVing is an option travelers choose instead of staying at a resort. Locally, site rentals are as little as $500 a month during the summer and can reach $2,000 during peak visitor season in resort-style parks.
Despite rising fuel costs, Mr. Broom says gas prices would have increase significantly to cancel out the savings of traveling by motorcoach. The association’s triennial analysis of prices and the RV industry, last conducted in 2012 when gas was $3.39 a gallon, reports a family of four saves 23 to 59 percent in vacation-related costs traveling by RV. When fuel costs do increase, more RVers tend to road trip closer to the primary residence or travel less when they reach their destination.
Homes away from home
State and national parks are the top draw for 65 percent of RVers, says Mr. Broom, and Florida is among the top destination states. “RVers go everywhere but the more popular places are the South, including Florida, and the west: California, Oregon, Washington and Colorado,” he says.
Florida hosts 875 of the nation’s 16,000 public and private RV campgrounds. Twenty to 30 of those parks were built or updated in the past five years, says Bobby Cornwell, executive director of the Florida Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds. During the recession, business fell 15 to 20 percent, considerably less than hotel occupancy rates.
December through March is usually the sweet season for local campgrounds, which often post “no vacancy” signs.
Many RV parks are updating their amenities and facilities, offering free Wi-Fi, cable TV hookups and other amenities. “The trend in the industry is a mix of size and amenities and price points,” Mr. Broom says. “Campgrounds are offering activities for kids and luxury motorhome-only resorts have swimming pools, spas and golf courses.”
Introducing the RV resort lifestyle
While the sleeping accommodations are determined by what’s on those wheels, the rise of more affluent motorhome travelers has prompted many local RV parks to add amenities that rival the resort. It’s a trend that’s been coming of age the past decade as campgrounds make the conversion and add more amenities, according to Mr. Cornwell.
The site map of RiverBend Motorcoach Resort along the Caloosahatchee River near Alva resembles a masterplanned community with its inland lakes, 315 landscaped lots and three clubhouses. It’s even gated.
Resale lots are listed between $53,000 and $190,000, says Mr. Hunter, a Realtor, RVer since the 1970s and a RiverBend resident for 10 years. Weekly, monthly and seasonal rentals are also available.
“I can say without exaggerating that RiverBend is the premier Class A motorhome resort in the country,” says Mr. Hunter.
The resort has been built in phases since 2000. It has its own water and sewer treatment plants and its list of amenities include a riverfront clubhouse with a seasonal restaurant and bar, guest cottages, swimming pool, fishing and boating piers, a fitness center, pickleball, bocce and lighted tennis courts and a host of residents clubs. It’s also home to a model railroad village, a speedway for remote-controlled cars plus other interests ranging from bridge to beading and billiards and biking.
It’s not uncommon to see $2 million coaches, Mr. Hunter noted. “We have some pretty spectacular rigs here.”
Expect to see more RVs next time you hit I-75. More than in recent years as RVers seek out their place in the winter sun.
“An RV is a dream, and people are not ready to give up on their dream,” says Mr. Lowry.