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Old 07-06-2016, 08:53 PM   #1
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Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Cincinnati, ohio
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Quick Introduction, and a short breakdown of my project.

Hello all, i'm John, i was ecstatic to find such a wealth of information in the vast halls of the internet and i am very happy to be counted among your ranks. First a little about me, i'm 29 and am a tinkerer and maker for life, i love making things and modifying things and it brings me great joy to do so. That said, here is where my project starts. I'm looking to convert an old school bus into "Project Pirate Bus", a combination functional motor home/interactive art piece. I was inspired by stories from burning man and similar festivals and have been wanting to build a mobile home for myself for a long time. I've done a great deal of research and am fairly handy, for anything i can't do myself i have people who are willing to help in exchange for crash rights every now and then. What i am hoping to find here is kind people to point me in the right direction, i've never done a project quite like this and there are going to be some hoops to jump through for sure but anything worth doing is worth working hard for. Here are my starter questions and please excuse my lack of general knowledge on this subject.
1- I know i want a large bus but i've had a great deal of trouble figuring out actual dimensions, is there a chart, or a breakdown for these somewhere or will i just have to measure as i go?
2- I've heard that it is best to get your bus directly from a local school, what is the best way to go about doing that?
3- I am a competent builder and have no doubt i'll be able to frame out the insides with not much fuss, but i would love any suggestions on floor plans. I'm tossing a couple around, part of me wants to do an open floor plan, and another wants to make it a bit more like an RV. What are some pro's and con's of both?

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read through this and get to know me a bit! I sincerely look forward to getting to know some of you on this crazy journey of mine.

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Old 07-07-2016, 06:53 AM   #2
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Location: Columbus Ohio
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Year: 1991
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Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
welcome fellow ohioan!! doesnt seem to be too many of us from ohio here!!

-Christopher
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Old 07-07-2016, 11:12 AM   #3
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Well it is Ohio. I love her but she is a fickle mistress. Happy to be here
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Old 07-14-2016, 05:15 PM   #4
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
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Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
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Originally Posted by darkjedijr View Post
Well it is Ohio. I love her but she is a fickle mistress. Happy to be here

I actually like Ohio... Ok except when its cold.. i detest being cold... maybe why im getting a loft in st pete.... so I can be warm! even when its cold here

-Christopher
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Old 07-14-2016, 06:51 PM   #5
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
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Year: 1999
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Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
I actually like Ohio... Ok except when its cold.. i detest being cold... maybe why im getting a loft in st pete.... so I can be warm! even when its cold here

-Christopher
My aunt lives in Canton. Its ok. The streets are horrible, though.
St Pete is really nice. It will be GREAT to have someone as smart as you so closeby, too!
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Old 07-15-2016, 06:11 AM   #6
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My aunt lives in Canton. Its ok. The streets are horrible, though.
St Pete is really nice. It will be GREAT to have someone as smart as you so closeby, too!
if its in fl, its not nice. go to texas
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living in a bus down by the river.
my build pics
https://www.skoolie.net/forums/membe...albums942.html
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Old 07-15-2016, 06:22 AM   #7
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if its in fl, its not nice. go to texas

I like austin a lot... but in the dead of winter i want jacketless warm weather and when i was in austin for 2 months solid in late 2014 / early 2015 (building the JW marriott).. there were a lot of days in the low-mid 40s and rain...

besides as far as florida goes im leasing a place for a year.. if i dont like it i just leave... I'll have a minimalist style Loft (ultra modern).. just me.. no kids, wives, girlfirends, boyfriends, husbands, or dogs.. so I can easily take off if it sucks.. ive spent enough time in st pete downtown to live in a loft.. (not the party beach.. though ill attend the beach alot as I love sand N sun).. brand new apartment so I dont have the old-building BS to deal with.. right now my biggest hurdle is finding a place to keep the bus when im at my lforida apartment.. RV / bus / boat storage is everywhere up here in ohio.. havent found a good place in st pete yet.. my plan was to be able to drive it back N forth from my place in ohio... I fiogured with the possibility of hurricanes in florida it would be easy to find indoor storage there...

some of the apartments I found in the outskirts / burbs have storage spots available but im an urban city boy and prefer the downtown life... like to find a place I could Uber to / from

-Christopher
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Old 07-15-2016, 06:32 AM   #8
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if its in fl, its not nice. go to texas
FL is great. Why so negative, man?
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Old 07-15-2016, 06:37 AM   #9
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
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Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
I like austin a lot... but in the dead of winter i want jacketless warm weather and when i was in austin for 2 months solid in late 2014 / early 2015 (building the JW marriott).. there were a lot of days in the low-mid 40s and rain...

besides as far as florida goes im leasing a place for a year.. if i dont like it i just leave... I'll have a minimalist style Loft (ultra modern).. just me.. no kids, wives, girlfirends, boyfriends, husbands, or dogs.. so I can easily take off if it sucks.. ive spent enough time in st pete downtown to live in a loft.. (not the party beach.. though ill attend the beach alot as I love sand N sun).. brand new apartment so I dont have the old-building BS to deal with.. right now my biggest hurdle is finding a place to keep the bus when im at my lforida apartment.. RV / bus / boat storage is everywhere up here in ohio.. havent found a good place in st pete yet.. my plan was to be able to drive it back N forth from my place in ohio... I fiogured with the possibility of hurricanes in florida it would be easy to find indoor storage there...

some of the apartments I found in the outskirts / burbs have storage spots available but im an urban city boy and prefer the downtown life... like to find a place I could Uber to / from

-Christopher
Throw a moped in the back of your bus and you'll never need uber again. I can ride mopeds year round here in the SUNSHINE state.
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Old 07-15-2016, 06:41 AM   #10
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Throw a moped in the back of your bus and you'll never need uber again. I can ride mopeds year round here in the SUNSHINE state.

im a little dude with not much Muscle.. I cant lift one high enough to put in a Bus.. whenever I drive my pickup or had my wrangler jeep I always brought a bicycle with me to ride around.. I may see if I can pick up a scooter or moped to buzz to the beach N back on though from downtown.. though its not a bad bike ride when i did it last year... i'll also probably keep my smart at the apartment which is a great little buzz around car...

oh crap i hijacked another person;s bus build thread...

-Christopher
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