Hi Tom and
to the forum, where in between the friendly banter you will get some seriously helpful feedback.
As Martin mentioned, I have a motorhome but it's not big enough to have a garage with external access, unfortunately.
Since our daughter grew up and no longer travels with us, I converted the over-cab bed to storage area and that's where my little Compass SIB and 4HP Mercury 2-st travel, along with all the other accoutrements that seem to be needed - life-jackets, pump, paddles, anchor, fishing gear, etc, etc. I can just about manhandle them down from there and back through to the hab door but it is a bit of a fag.
I can't say I've noticed any strong petrol smell - the tank filler cap breather is designed to be turned off when transporting and storing so there's no escape of fumes and I always rinse off the engine and microfibre dry the casing etc so there are never any lingering odours.
I do have a bike rack (not towbar mounted though) and a large back-box which has been off the van for the last couple of years; I plan to put that back on when I'm back at base and see whether either the boat or the engine will fit in that, as that shouldn't exceed the max weight. I used to carry the boat on the roof (deflated and in its bag) strapped to the roof rails but that was even harder to manhandle up whilst clinging to the fixed ladder, impossible single-handed.
Your motorhome garage should be ideal although I understand your concerns over security - is there any way you could fit a substantial U-bolt through the floor to the chassis, which you could then attach your motorbike style chain and lock to?
I would like to get a larger boat and more powerful engine and had been looking at the F-RIB 330 but that's even heavier and since new engines for leisure users are all now 4 stroke that would also be harder to handle and transport.
However a possible second hand set-up has come up which may prove suitable and I am hoping to check that out over the Easter weekend to see if I can manage it OK. If not, then a trip down to check out the F-RIBs is plan B.
I hope you manage to find a set-up that suits your particular needs, it would be good meet up with you on a waterside campsite sometime in the future.
Fingers crossed.
