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New member on the Isle of Man

1K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  Pudsey_Bear 
#1 ·
Hi all, my name is Mike Percival and I have just bought a 1986/87 Talbot Merlin.
Apart from a bit of bodywork needing grp and filler, and possibly a re-paint, she is in very good nick for her age.
This is my first foray into the motorhome world, previously I have owned Narrow boats on the UK Canal system, so spending time in a confined space is nothing new.
I would welcome any tips for a newbie.
Thanks in advance
 
#4 ·
Hi Mike and welcome to MHF, I'd get under it and check the floor before going any further with repairs etc, MoHos are notorious sufferers from damp.
 
#7 ·
Tis true your Terrance, I was referring to the actual condition of the van itself, it being a tidy age.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Having crawled underneath I'm pleasantly surprised by how good it is under there! The only damp ingress I can find is at the back where the side joins the roof - simple job of scraping out the old sealant, cleaning the joint and re-sealing. The internal floor is good, there is an amount of rot around the wheel arches and door cills, some rust under the windscreen and on the bottom of the doors, but nothing that is beyond my repair capabilities.
I just wish the engine had a bit more poke, there is a sticker on the back of the vehicle which reads "If you think this is slow, wait until we go uphill!" Oh how true!

You are correct, there is no MOT on the Island, however, I feel my vehicles should be in the best condition I can get them in if only to avoid being pulled by Mr Plod.
 
#9 ·
Welcome Manxmike. The 3 legged people.


IOM has a special memory for me. When I was 7 the family went on our first holiday -- to Butlins, just across the little pond from Lancs. What excitement! We toured round the island too. Can't remember in what because we didn't have a car. Maybe the bus. I vaguely remember the big wheel at Laxey???


My next point of reference with IOM was in 2004. At the very moment of buying my moho, I couldn't my cash out of Barclays (Icelandic bank crisis) so a bit of panic when the phone wasn't answered and they were offline. Thank goodness it was quickly resolved.
 
#12 ·
Update time ........
The 1986 Merlin has moved on to pastures new. I went from Heysham to Norfolk in her for a week on the Broads - the moho was fine, the Broads were dreadful!
After our week on the water the Merlin wouldn't start, a mechanic at the boatyard diagnosed a broken HT lead. Four miles of walking later I found a lead, but it didn't fix the problem. The AA duly arrived and thought it might be the coil, the after market control box or the rotor arm. Since none of them could be sourced in the south of england we were transported on the back of low-loaders back to Heysham, then back to the Isle of Man.
I decided that selling the Merlin seemed like a sensible move and had a buyer within hours. OK, I did put it on at a very very low price so someone has got a bargain.
We are now the proud owners of a 2004 Trigano Challenger 192 on a Ford Transit 2.4 diesel chassis. Six berths, large garage, body and chassis excellent, regularly serviced by a garage that normally deals with Rally Cars!
The fridge is non-functional, there is no oven just a grill and hob, fridge and oven can be sorted very easily.
The rear bumper is cracked, so I'll remove it and repair from the inside. Because it's a Ford I'll have to install an immobiliser and decent alarm system.
The Merlin served its purpose - to find out if we liked motorhomes. We do, hence the Challenger.

ps, before anyone comments, we were in a boat on the Broads, not floating the moho!
 

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#14 ·
Our oven only carried the pots and pans and a dozen tea towels to stop the noise. But the microwave was used often.

Ray.
 
#15 ·
Update time
We now have an oven fitted, given that my wife is a seriously good cook, an oven was a requirement. The fridge has also now been sorted and is working perfectly, it needed a new sparking unit and the burner needed serious attention.
I am now looking to fit an inverter, I have posted in the Electrical section on this site asking for advice regarding the type that would suit best. Since I intend to charge my laptop I will require a pure sine wave unit, I would like to run a microwave for short periods, so double the wattage of the microwave would be needed.
Hopefully we will be heading off around the edge of Scotland in late July, and Corona permitting, we are looking at a trip to Monte Cassino next year!
 
#16 ·
Dunno what you have for leisure batteries, but I doubt it'll be enough to power a mickey.
 
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