Recreation - The Final Frontier . . .

This is the story of the soon-to-be RV – "Enterprise". It's undetermined mission; to seek out weird and crazy roadside stops, and new and interesting golf courses. To boldly go where neither of us have gone before . . .

(cue the Theme from Star Trek)

OK, so maybe it's a bit of hyperbole to equate the build of our future Tiffin Open Road 36LA to the Starship Enterprise ™, but let's have a bit of fun with it. As all Star Trek fans know, the ORIGINAL Enterprise was NCC-1701 (which stood for Naval Construction Contract #1700 and the second ship of that contract to be built. So since our 36LA is going to be known as “Enterprise” and our Mini Cooper convertible toad will be known as “Galileo”, introducing . . .

TCC-119312 !

That's Tiffin Construction Contract #119312, scheduled to commence construction PRECISELY at 12:18 PM on Monday, July 22, 2019 in Red Bay, Alabama with Chassis Prep and Fluids.

As you look at the entire build schedule, you see that Tiffin has scheduled this (and every one of their builds) to the minute! Heck, further down in Belmont Final Finish (at their world-class paint plant), they start at 30 seconds past 8:53 AM. And woe be unto anyone who doesn't start on time.

Oper Workcenter Description StartDate StartTime
0010 MS0001 MSN01 CHASSIS PREP & FLUIDS 07/22/2019 12:18:00
0020 WSQUEUE WSQ PRE-WELD SHOP QUEUE 07/22/2019 12:59:00
0030 WSQUEUE WSQ PRE-WELD SHOP QUEUE 07/23/2019 06:00:00
0040 WSQUEUE WSQ PRE-WELD SHOP QUEUE 07/23/2019 06:41:00
0050 WS0001G WSN01 WELD SHOP STA 01 07/23/2019 07:22:00
0060 WS0002G WSN02 WELD SHOP STA 02 07/23/2019 08:03:00
0070 WS0003G WSN03 WELD SHOP STA 03 07/23/2019 08:44:00
0080 WS0004G WSN04 WELD SHOP STA 04 07/23/2019 09:35:00
0090 WS0005 WSN05 WELD SHOP PAINT 07/23/2019 10:16:00
0100 WSQUEUE WSQ AFTER PAINT QUEUE 07/23/2019 10:57:00
0110 WSQUEUE WSQ FUEL & TOUCH-UP 07/23/2019 12:59:00
0120 WS0007 WSN07 WELD SHOP WIRE 07/24/2019 06:00:00
0130 WSQUEUE WSQ AFTER WIRE QUEUE 07/24/2019 09:48:00
0140 WSQUEUE WSQ PRE-HYDRO HOT QUEUE 07/24/2019 10:29:00
0150 WS0008 WSN08 HYDRO-HOT STATION 07/24/2019 10:29:00
0158 MP0000H MPH00 MAIN PLANT FLR PREP 07/24/2019 11:10:00
0160 MP0001H MPH01 MAIN PLANT STA 01 LINE4 07/25/2019 06:00:00
0180 MP0002H MPH02 MAIN PLANT STA 02 LINE4 07/25/2019 08:30:00
0200 MP0003H MPH03 MAIN PLANT STA 03 LINE4 07/25/2019 11:10:00
0220 MP0004H MPH04 MAIN PLANT STA 04 LINE4 07/26/2019 06:00:00
0240 MP0005H MPH05 MAIN PLANT STA 05 LINE4 07/26/2019 08:30:00
0260 MP0006H MPH06 MAIN PLANT STA 06 LINE4 07/26/2019 11:10:00
0280 MP0007H MPH07 MAIN PLANT STA 07 LINE4 07/29/2019 06:00:00
0300 MP0008H MPH08 MAIN PLANT STA 08 LINE4 07/29/2019 08:30:00
0340 QUEUE MPQ UNDERCOATING 07/29/2019 11:10:00
0345 QUEUE MPQ PRE-TEST DRIVE QUEUE 07/29/2019 12:31:00
0350 MS0002 MSN02 TEST DRIVE 07/30/2019 06:13:00
0360 QUEUE BELMONT QUEUE 07/30/2019 07:35:00
0365 BEW010 WASH BAY 07/30/2019 07:35:00
0368 BES000Q PRE-SANDING QUEUE 07/30/2019 08:16:00
0370 BES001D SANDING STATION 1 07/30/2019 09:48:00
0380 BES001D SANDING STATION 2 07/30/2019 11:10:00
0390 BES001D SANDING STATION 3 07/30/2019 13:12:00
0395 BES001D SANDING STATION 4 07/31/2019 06:13:00
0397 BEP000Q QUEUE 07/31/2019 07:35:00
0400 BEP010 PREP 07/31/2019 08:16:00
0410 BEP020 BASE COAT 07/31/2019 10:29:00
0420 BEP030 PRE MASK 07/31/2019 13:12:00
0430 BEP040 STRIPE 08/01/2019 06:54:00
0435 BEP050 QUEUE 08/01/2019 08:57:00
0440 BEP060 STRIPE REPAIR 08/01/2019 10:29:00
0445 BEP070 PREP FOR CLEAR 08/01/2019 13:12:00
0450 BEP080 CLEAR/BAKE 08/02/2019 06:13:00
0495 BEPSC70 TEAR DOWN 08/02/2019 08:16:00
0510 BEF010 BELMONT FINAL FINISH 08/02/2019 08:53:30
0515 BEF020 BELMONT TILE REPAIR 08/02/2019 12:27:30
0525 BEF040 QUEUE 08/05/2019 12:27:30
0530 BEF050 REPAIR LINE 08/05/2019 13:49:30
0532 BEF070 QUEUE 08/06/2019 11:06:30
0533 BEF080 SEALING 08/06/2019 12:27:30
0534 BEF090 BUBBLE CHECK 08/06/2019 13:08:30
0535 BEF100 RAIN BOOTH 08/06/2019 13:49:30
0536 QUEUE RED BAY CLEAN UP QUEUE 08/07/2019 06:09:30
0537 MPF1000 RED BAY FINAL FINISH 08/07/2019 10:05:00
0538 MPF1000 FINAL INSPECTION 08/08/2019 06:10:00
0539 MPF1010 FINAL REWORK 08/12/2019 06:10:00
0540 BEF200 SCHEDULE DISPATCH 08/16/2019 06:10:00

It's amazing to me that they not only schedule this kind of precision in their build process but that, barring an unforeseen issue that needs to be addressed, they actually keep to the schedule. As you go down the list, you'll see where the main action is – MAIN PLANT STA 01 LINE 4. Line 4 is the line that builds all Open Road models, whether gas or diesel. That's because the fit and finish options are so similar between the two; just a difference in the chassis and engine. At STA 01, the units are already largely wired up and plumbed, and have been to the WELD SHOP to have the framework welded to the basic Ford F-53 chassis and have the tow hitch installed. STA 01 is where the floor is installed. Once the floor is in, certain cabinets are positioned inside the future motorhome for installation later in the build. Walls are added, and the one-piece fiberglass roof is dropped down and secured. The rear cap is installed for stability and slides are added, already containing much of the interior décor and some cabinets. All the internal pieces of the 36LA are installed and secured. Finally, the front cap and windshield is added, and the basement doors (7 on each side!) are installed along the length of the 36LA. All in 3 working days!

After assembly, it's off for about a week at the Belmont paint facility and back to the main plant for a Bubble Test to see if there are any areas which might let in water, then a trip to the Rain Booth to further insure that water will not enter the coach, then Final Finish where the awning and other exterior pieces are installed. August 8th and 9th are dedicated to Quality Control, where Barbara and I will have the opportunity to be in the coach all day long, running every system and checking out paint finish, woodwork, electrical and hydraulic systems, and anything else we think needs to be looked at before Tiffin pronounces our new home complete. Anything we (and they) find will be addressed onsite, and corrected before they ship it to our dealer for their inspection and prep. Hopefully, this is also where we get owner Bob Tiffin to sign one of our cabinet doors - a Tiffin tradition!

If all goes well, we'll be in our new home on wheels around August 20th, ready to finish out our last 9 or so days of gainful employment, hitting the road officially sometime in mid-September after taking a couple of weeks to organize, balance, weigh the coach and install some third-party add-ons to make life on the road a whole lot easier.

This is VERY exciting!