1984 30R here!

[Lifeincolor]

My family (husband and I and two girls) got our 1984 30R in spring of 2015. It was actually from Mark who was getting a different Avion (if you're on here, hi Mark!). We've done a few things to it (I'll start another reno post for that) and here it is now. We love love love our Avion. It's been such a great fit for our family. Our longest trip was a month long but we leave next year for a six month trip! This forum is great!
Amber
Right after a coat of WD-40:

Towing:

Looking to the back:

We had family photos taken with the Avion a few years ago:

[Lifeincolor]

I'm going to list all the things we've done here so if anyone has any questions feel free to ask!

Outside:
Resealed roof, took out all the caulking and resealed, resealed windows, redid rub-rail, bottom rail and new rock gaurd (all bought from Cayo), POR 15 on the front hitch, new awning, new battery box & batteries, re-did all the running lights and reflectors.

Inside:
Originally I had planned to paint and re-do floor but it was in such good shape when delivered we didn't think it was worth it for a camper we planned to use a lot. Eventually we did replace all the knobs (FYI there are SO. MANY. KNOBS. in this trailer) and did a stain refresher thing on the cabinets. Replaced the toilet, painted a bit in the bathroom where the faux skins are (it was like wallpaper so we striped it off). The biggest job was sewing all new sheers and the pleated drapes. Oh my god the pleats. I went through 47 yards of pleating tape, it's not a job for the faint at heart, but I love how they turned out and it keeps with the orginal look, just updated fabric. We had the gaucho couch recovered (if you're in Oregon and want this done the lady I used is amazing and it was very reasonable cost wise). I re-did all the bolsters in the back. My husband put in new Fantastic fans. We put in a new fridge. This was an emergency fix as the other one exploded amonia on my husband! After looking at prices we went with an apartment fridge from Amazon vs. a traditional RV fridge since we are almost always plugged in where we stay. The savings was worth it for us. Put in silver mini blinds in kitchen and bathroom. Over the door window we took apart and re-did the pull down roller curtain. My husband has done a lot of stuff I can't see, like new plumbing, a water filter thing, some electrical stuff... I'm trying to get him to come on here since he's so knowledgable! He's currently trying to fix something to do with the waste system... (our outside pull thing came off last camping trip, ewwwww).

I'm sure there is more, now that I write it out it seems like a lot! But it was spread out over many years with a big push before our month long trip in 2017.

Can't say enough about the help we've gotten from the Facebook groups and Yahoo group. Love this community!

Amber

[Razorback]

Welcome to the forum, Amber (and family)!

It is so neat to hear other people express their happiness with their Avions! That is how we are.......

Looking forward to hearing from your husband (but... my wife doesn't participate here....) and hearing of the progress you are making with the updates and repairs.

[RISK]

Hey Amber and co,

Excited that you are keeping an Avion alive! The mechanical and aesthetic things we do for these trailers is a necessity but the memories made within them is the true heartbeat.

My children are growing up with and in an Avion and I couldn’t be more pleased.

Regarding your refrigerator, while I understand your decision I’ll have to say that having a fridge that can be run on propane and 110 is invaluable and I for one would never be without the option as it has more than proved its worth many times over.

Respectfully,
Ian

[Lifeincolor]

Ian,
Ya the fridge was something that had to be fixed right away for an upcoming trip so we did the cheapest easiest thing at the time. We may well go back to the other type. One thing I didn’t mention though is our onboard generator. The previous owner had it all wired in so we can utilize that to keep the fridge going when we’re not plugged in... though it’s not my favorite option due to the noise!

Yes I love the memories. Our youngest (just turned seven) doesn’t remember us ever not having the trailer, since she was a toddler when we got it. We all love it!
Amber

[KYAvion]

Welcome to the site! I’ve enjoyed reading your post and I’m curious about your onboard generator. Where is it installed and how is it vented?

[Razorback]

Welcome to the site! I’ve enjoyed reading your post and I’m curious about your onboard generator. Where is it installed and how is it vented?

I remember seeing an Avion with an onboard generator installed under the dinette seat that is closest to the entry door. Is this the same Avion?

(Editing.... I answered my own question..... went back and looked at your pictures..... this is a different Avion, different floor plan.)

[Lifeincolor]

The generator is installed on the back:

And is wired such that when we have it running we just go to the compartment on the side and plug it in instead of plugging into shore power. But all the wires and stuff are IN the Avion. If that doesn't make sense I'll take a pic of the wiring. We didn't do it, a previous owner did. They also did this:

under the couch... has anyone seen anything like that before? We have never been able to figure out what it was for. Mayby a battery array? They also added a five gallong fresh water tank under one of the back beds so maybe they went more off grid? We really don't know. This is kinda fun though, a few years ago I found this YouTube video made from photos of the orginal listing of the trailer so you can see what it looked like when we bought it:
https://youtu.be/itvnEkZIdp0

[RISK]

That outlet is for 30amp 250v. Did they have a clothes dryer in there? Maybe they welded? I noticed that in your previous post.

Avion frames are really strong but I'd keep an eye on the frame where the generator is mounted. That is a lot of bounce back there and that Honda 3000 watt generator... that booger is heavy. Did the PO do any supplemental frame work?

Very nice rig.

Ian

[Lifeincolor]

Hahah my husband was totally like, “what did they weld?!?!” So maybe they did! Yes the frame has been reinforced. We used to also have a bike rack back there but it was too much sway for us. We have a new set up inside with a 4x6 and some things for the forks of the bike to hook into, it works great.

I just got a couch of Craigslist today so we have to see if that outlet is live and deal with that as we pull out the gaucho! Hopefully this other couch will fit with a few modifications... it’s gonna be tight. And it’s heavier by a bit. I need to do some calculations of the pieces we’re using to see exactly how much more it weighs.