This post may contain affiliate links.
I had a really cool project I had hoped to get complete this weekend, but it didn’t happen. I’m just going to say we’ve run into technical difficulties and leave it at that. Maybe it will happen in the future, and maybe not.
But, rather than just sulk and leave all the un-edited footage to gather digital dust, I thought I’d update you on the two projects I DID complete this weekend. These are actually projects I wouldn’t have otherwise written about: the B-team. But since my original idea was a bust, that’s what you get this week. Leftovers.
Induction Cooktop Complete
If you saw our Propane vs. Induction Boil-Off, you know that our induction cook top pretty much blew the pants off the propane stove. Since that time, the propane stove’s days were numbered. Well, this weekend, I finally made it official, and we’re now rocking the new quartz counter top you see there with the True Induction cooktop mounted in it.
This process actually started way back in September, when we made a trip to Aspen Countertops, here in Salt Lake City, to pick out quartz and make arrangements to have the counter built. The price we were quoted was very reasonable, and we’re happy to report there were no overages (Thumbs Up Aspen!). We might have had the counter top done much sooner, but we took off on a month long RV trek down the Pacific coast – the final hurrah for our propane stove.
When we got back, it was time to get to work. We made an appointment for “templating”, but I had a feeling that it would be easier to just leave the original counter top with them. So before our appointment, I removed the sink, the propane stove, and the countertop. And when I say I removed the propane stove, I mean I removed the propane all the way under the van and capped it off there.
When we got to Aspen, they came out to make a template, but they were unsure how to go about mounting the new quartz.
Since I had already removed it, I was just able to hand the old top over to them and let them figure it out on their own time. This left me with this empty counter gash for a couple of weeks. But I used that time to install the 110 volt outlet the induction cooktop will need.
Aspen offered to install the new counter top for me, but if you know me, you know I just thanked them and did it myself.
The Class B Manufacturer List Update
I also made my annual update to our Class B Manufacturer List. It seems like I get the itch every November – maybe it’s the start of RV Show season that does it. This list is actually one of the most popular resources on our site, so I like to keep it current. Here are the changes I made to it for this year:
- I removed Great West Vans – R.I.P
- I removed Leisure Travel Vans – We still love ’em, but they don’t make Class Bs anymore.
- I cleaned up the entries for Hymer and Roadtrek – they’re still listed separately for now, but that may change.
- I added Regency RV – Makers of the Concept One
- I added Chinook – They’re back! And they’re B!
- I added Morehead Design Lab – a kind of quirky independent with some really neat design ideas
So there you have it. Sorry about the B-team updates this week, but my A-list item struck out. I have an interesting road trip planned for this week with a hopefully awesome modification. Fingers crossed.
I want to do that. Will they install the induction stove if you buy their counter top? I live in Park City so I can drive down there to get it don.
still trying to decide between Travato, Paseo Zion. Zion is favorite layout but I like what you done to your travvato to upgrade tech wise. Not sure I could pull that off in Zion. If you were to buy new now. What would you get?
I didn’t ask them if they would install the induction cooktop, but I’m sure they would. They install whole kitchens – a single burner cooktop shouldn’t be an issue.
If we were buying new right now, we’d still wind up in a Travato.
James, will the current T battery pack work with the induction stove top you installed or does it require an additional Lithium battery pack?
You should be able to run an induction cooktop with the current battery setup in the Travato. You just won’t run it for very long at full blast!
You could probably run it indefinitely if you ran the engine while you did it.
That looks like a pleasure to cook on. How do you like it so far?
Love it! It boils water in a flash (very important for morning coffee). Also, we don’t have to open vent fans for cooking unless we want to (since there’s no combustion going on inside the rig).
If it’s not on full blast, it doesn’t use nearly the 1800 watts it’s rated for.
Oh… and, it cooks well!
I hope Winnebago will soon offer a unit which incorporates the changes you’ve made – high capacity generator, big battery, induction cooktop, etc.
Unlike you, I’d never undertake all of those modifications. Winnebago needs to do it before we find a few acres for sale. . .
We hope so too!
James,
Will you be doing a follow-up video of your likes and dislikes on the induction cook-top. They look great to me of no experience.
Thanks,
Bill
I suppose we might if I uncover any dislikes. But so far, it’s all been fantastic!
Boiling water for coffee takes fewer than 3 minutes. And the control of the heat (which is very even – no hot spots) is excellent.
Great! I’ll be looking for a coach with one installed or do what you did and retrofit one. I have lots of cast iron. The only problem is weight.
We got a set of Magma cookware that nests, is induction ready, and works like a champ. You can get them here.
I love your blog/site and find it endlessly fascinating. I don’t (can’t) swing a hammer (or turn a screwdriver) to save my life so your DYI projects are amazing to me. We have rented RV’s a couple of times and plan to buy one in the future. Some years ago pulling into our campsite at Denali National Park when it was 49 degrees and raining and turning off the key and camp being set forever changed my ideas about tent camping. I do like the smaller Class C’s like the Leisure Travel Vans (what I think of as B+). For you, what are your reasons for sticking to Class B’s. Or, for you what are the smaller Class C deal breakers. Our plans would be to do more remote boondocking camping when we can. If it is primarily a size issue (and ease of driving around) are there places you can go that you think something like the LTV couldn’t handle. Thanks. If you ever need a longer shower and you are in Pittsburgh you are welcome here!
I know they’re “similar” in size, but in use, there are actually big differences between a true B and a B+ in terms of where you can take it and where you can park it.
We recently stayed at Henry W. Coe State Park in California. There was no way a B+ could have even made it up the road to the park, let alone stayed there. Downtown parallel parking is also something we run up against frequently. Going to the sun road would be a problem. That highway in the Badlands would be off the list. Things like that.
I’m not saying we’d never get one (because the extra room sure would be nice sometimes), but it would restrict where we could take it and we’re not ready to give that up yet.
Thanks, I love the slide out idea that the LTV 9and others offer. Just that little extra space inside. But I see your points.
Congrats on the successful induction cooktop install. Earlier this year I installed a two burner Kenyon in my coach and LOVE it!
http://www.wanderlodgeownersgroup.com/forums/showthread.php?p=336247#post336247
The Kenyon needed support from below and manufacturer specified that it NOT be allowed to simply hang from the glass lip. I fashioned that support from a couple 2×3’s. Can highly recommend the Magma nesting induction capable cookware.
The induction cooktop is rocking all expectations. Heats water for coffee quicker than the microwave!
Our single burner model didn’t require support, but other larger models from True Induction do.
They need airflow below though, so however you mount one – keep that in mind.
So James,
Are you now running the new induction top off your badass Lithionics 420 battery bank? Can you make coffee in the AM without being plugged in? Love the idea of getting rid of propane but wondering about the reality when it comes to boondocking for any length of time. I suppose you can run the cooktop of an onboard generator?
That’s EXACTLY what I’m doing! In fact, in our Boil-off Video, you can watch it. The cooktop isn’t installed in that video, but we are running it just off the onboard battery.
Nicely done!
So wish mine had an induction cooktop. Not only for the induction but also who wants a flame in a small motorhome? Would much prefer it. Looks great.
CJ
I’m sure a quartz counter top must look really cool, but how heavy is it? I would have a tendency to try and keep the weight down. Especially since you like travelling on remote rough roads.
If I were installing yards and yards of it, I might think twice about the quartz. But we’re talking less than 6 square feet – before the cut-outs. You can lift it one handed.
The entire slab is backed up with plywood to support it, so I’m not worried about rough roads.
Looks great! Plus, I like the “squatty potty” structure around the commode (I assume it’s because it’s a different kind of commode but it still looks custom – like everything else you all do. I continue to live vicariously through your class B adventures. Thanks!
Hi –
The composting toilet sits higher up than the toilet it replaced. The stand you see around the toilet is so that our legs don’t dangle off the front if we sit down on it!
James the RV industry has always seemed confused about the definition of Class B+ versus a Class C. The most frequent difference I’ve heard or read was the C had a bed over the cabin. I always thought of the rest of the LTV vans as B+. Are you only listing Bs not B+s, or are you thinking of B+s as really Class Cs? Or none of the above?
All B+ RVs are actually Class Cs. In the official RVIA classification scheme, there really is no such thing as a B+.
So anyone calling an RV a B+ is referring to a vague marketing concept with no official definition.
As far as what we look at – we just look at what interests us! There’s no official dividing line that we observe.
But generally, we just look at smaller motorhomes. I think we actually even looked at a real Class C way back when.
My Manufacturer List, however, is strictly Class Bs.
It looks great James. Is the cooktop supported by shelf or platform? Or is it just hanging from the cooktop’s surface?
The cooktop is just hanging from its own lip (which is glass over metal). True Induction recommended mounting it with butyl tape for an RV install. Seemed kind of weird, but that’s what I did. It’s holding OK.