| Maiden Voyage Report [message #267830] |
Fri, 19 December 2014 00:00  |
The Dr
Messages: 75
Registered: July 2014
Location: Toledo, OR
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We finally had our maiden voyage in our 26' Avion two weekends ago. Before leaving, we did upgrade to the house electrical which included transfer switch, power quality monitor, and new converter/charger/fuse and breaker box. Other changes included new axles, front shocks, LED clearance lights, new air bag control valves, New insulated fantastic fan cover, door grommets, oil, fuel, and air filters, quick connector and fill valve on the air tank, LED light strip in the galley cabinet, and sealing everywhere we could find a hole.
We didn't have a working refrigerator, but it was a short trip to Honeyman State park near Florence, Oregon. I used my home compressor to pump up the rear bags to get out of the driveway without scraping anything. Fortunately someone had mentioned checking the carburetor fuel connection after changing the filter. That delayed us a bit but saved us a major problem as it was leaking badly.
Off we went. Found out about Yachats that the compressor was no longer pumping even though running. Locked off the bags and continued on after lunch. Everything went well and made it to the campground before dark. Enjoyed a campfire for about an hour before it started to rain. Didn't need fire starter since I had a butane torch for working on the soldering and heat shrink tubing. Forgot the hatchet too, but had a pry bar and hammer that worked pretty well
We enjoyed our day and a half there. I found out I was right. It is great to have those big windows to enjoy nature when it rains here in Oregon. The furnace kept Donna toasty warm. I warned her that the bed was going to be like a piece of bread on a plate. It was a thin, king mattress from a sleeper sofa just temporary until we can afford something better.
On the way home we found another leak in the carburetor that only seems to happen during the warm up pumping. Need to get the choke working. It also seems the master cylinder may be going bad. It got us home with no major scares or issues.
Decided to get it back in storage before the big storms hit. Pumped up the air bags again to get out of the driveway. Set the valves to travel and off we went. After a about half the trip, it felt like it was riding funny. Couldn't figure out what the problem was. After it was in storage Donna said she knew what the problem was. Looking from the back it was visible that the driver's side was much higher than the passenger side. The ride height valve had been sticking and left us cockeyed. At least that is a cheap easy fix.
All in all a wonderful trip and we look forward to the next after fixing some problems.
Thanks to everyone on the forum that helped me catch things even if you didn't know. 
Mike Sauer
Toledo, OR
1975 26' Avion
1-ton front end, SullyBilt AirBag System, 3.21 tranny
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