park model trailer owners?

[Bass Tard]

Hey guys and gals, spring's sprung and my wife and I are trying to figure out how we can get up to a lake more often than not this year! We've been in discussions with her family about going in 4 ways on a cottage for a while now, but we can't all see eye to eyes on where it should be, how much to spend, and what's important and what's not.

 

So, its come to our attention that older park model trailers can be had quite cheaply from $10-20,000 and they seem like they'd fit the bill, without us having to get anyone else to agree on it with us. I used to go to a trailer park near our home when I was a kid, but I was just small and other than having lots of people to hang out with, I don't know much about it otherwise. We both think it would be swell to be able to be on the water every day, have a nice fire every night, and bbq almost every meal. We both like the kawarthas very much, its got everything we need and like, and we avoid that drive on the 400 all summer.

 

With the little bit of research I've done, it seems like they all have various rules. Some, not so good with dogs, some are very dog friendly. What's typically policies on having guests for the weekend? It would be nice to be able to have people up for a few nights.

 

Anyway, I'm looking for some maintenance stories, what to look for, ownership stories, and story stories. (as long as they pertain to park model trailers)

 

Thanks!

[AKRISONER]

lot and docking fees can be expensive, dont forget to consider them as well.

[Bass Tard]

Yeah, thanks! The price range on that seems big, 2000-4000, and around $400 for the boat..

 

I'm most concerned about costs that I'm not seeing, and depreciation and such.

[Fisherman]

Some have a caveat on the age of the trailers allowed, some lots are so small you have to fart in the laneway. And then you get to hear and smell what everyone else is having for supper, then the odd domestic. You really have to do your homework

[Cookslav]

Its all about the park, the ownership and the neighbors.

Some parks you will find have a bit of an "old boys club" going...

A bit cliquey and if your not in the club, you won't last lol...

 

I am in a park in Bruce county currently but prior to that was in Durham, Goderich/Kincadine area, and on Belwood lake as well.

I've been around and seen a few...

 

Some parks are more or less retirement homes lol...

No kids anywhere and super strict on noise, fires out at 11pm kinda deal...

If that's your thing ,more power to you.

Also I think those are pretty easy to find...

Some are just plain ridiculously expensive and just keep increasing/changing the rules....

The park I left 3 years ago (won't name names) was $2600 when I started + $80 for a seasonal launching fee and I was on a waiting list for a dock that would have cost me $120 more, and dogs were allowed.

When I left that park after 4 years they wanted $4200 + $150 launching fee and $600 for a dock and dogs were only allowed on your site. We left on good terms but so did 25% of the park.

Anyway,

My challenge was finding a park that allowed dogs, had lots of kids for my children to play with, and i needed to find a park that had a "GOOD" sense of community with active ownership that understood and hung out with their neighbors.

I was looking for owners and park residents who have a good sense of fun and humor whom understand its not only their park...its "ours"....so to speak. (Luckily there are still a few good ones out there)

 

My suggestion is take some time and look around...not all parks are created equal, and what I like...you may not etc...

 

 

I highly suggest you visit a few parks and stay for weekend or two to see what the place is like.

Trailers can always be moved but its a pain, so do your research.

 

I found a park adjacent to many fishing opportunities, docking available, sandy beaches, swimming pool, but more importantly...neighbors and owners I like and whom like me

Good easy going ownership is not easy to find but it makes a big difference in how comfortable a place can be.

Community is SOOO important...horseshoe tourneys, pot luck BBQ's, Fishing tournaments, and activities for the kids really breeds a sense of community and great neighbors.

 

Nuff said

[Bass Tard]

Thanks cookslav, very good insight! I don't think we'd fit in to any "old boys club", haha, we're both in our early 30's, and are kinda do what we want(ish).

 

How would you go about staying at a park for a weekend or two to get a sense of it? Do some allow for a rent out for a weekend?

 

How did you find selling your trailers to be? Did they sell fast, or was it kind of hard? Do they depreciate a lot, or are they kind of like a boat, if maintained well, they hold their value?

[captpierre]

Just a reminder that trailers decrease in value.

Cottages generally go up over time.

To share one amongst 4 families would be tricky.

[Fishwilly]

Do yourself a favour and buy used. Trust me on this. We bought brand new trailer for 32k and had a hard time selling it. Managed to get 22k for it after only 2 years of use. It was in immaculate condition. Lots of good deals on 3-5 yrs units.

[frodobuggins]

Friends of ours bought one just north of the city. One thing to keep in mind is the fees your guests will have to pay just to visit you (unless you don't want any in which case this IS the way to go)

[sofabed]

I have owned one for a few years and just sold it this year in the Kawarthas. Make sure you get a good feel on the ownership of the park. Good reasonable owners usually means a well run park. Most rules are the same park to park. One expense you need to consider is taxes on a park model. I would spend around $5000/year to cover all costs including insurance on the unit. Most parks do not have power available at the docks. If you like to fish and have an electric motor it can be very difficult to charge batteries

[Viking]

We are in a park in the Kawartha's. Been there about 8 years.

As previously stated different parks different rules different atmosphere.

All in we pay about $3000 or a little better per season. That's site, 2 boat slips, seasonal guest pass, seasonal fire wood pass, one winter boat storage plus metered hydro.

I think all parks are extra extra extra.

We like it. Friendly park. Not cliquish ( unless I'm in the clique and don't know it. But I don't strike me as that kind of person). Good mixture of lots of kids and older couples. Pets welcome just not on the beach. Probably 120 trailers.

Owners are young couple with 2 young kids of their own.

Absolutely engaged in the park. Seem to do one major improvement every year.

 

But in my opinion the trailer is not an investment. They depreciate. We bought new and moved it in. At this point I'd be happy if I got half of what I paid if I were to sell.

Also when it gets old enough it may be worth nothing. Lots of parks have age restrictions when it comes to selling a trailer and keeping it in the park.

As already said shop around. Stay a weekend or two see how it feels.

Park we are in has rentals by the week or night.

 

All in all it was one of the best things we ever did.

Edited June 1, 2016 by Viking

[pics]

A trailer is kind of like a car, you buy it for your needs and enjoyment... not as an investment. I've thought of buying one myself but I really don't like people nearby when I camp...lol ..having to deal with the sometimes silly rules and restrictions at a park REALLY turned me off of one.. If you are an extrovert I guess its an ok proposition.. I'd rather have a cabin with no one else close...

[Bass Tard]

Thanks guys! I was kinda figuring 3-5000 a year in fees, so that's right in line with what I was guessing.

 

Splitting 4 ways on a cottage is still in discussion, and its not 4 families, it's my wife's parents, her, and her two brothers.

 

I'm also aware of the depreciating value of a trailer, which is what's kind of making me hesitant. I don't mind losing some money, but between fees and depreciation, if were looking at close to $10,000 a year, we may just be better off renting like we do now. I spend 4 weeks a year up north in rental cottages, and sprinkle in a few long weekends here and there, and we're still probably in the $5000 or less range..

 

I'm going to look into some parks. Viking, where are you? Can I be in your gang?

[woodenboater]

If you can come with equitable time sharing on the cottage, I'd go that route as the investment will be worth it imo. If it's large enough, perhaps look into adding another cottage or bunkie. Like trailer parks, see who's around you as that could be a deal breaker if you don't have good neighbours.

 

Sounds like Viking's in a pretty sweet park

[bigbuck]

Improvements are a huge thing in parks. How long have the owners been there?? How big is the park?? The clique thing exists but if you are nice and friendly to everyone, soon enough you'll join the gang. What is included in the price?? AC allowed or not?? Do you pay your own hydro? There are a lot of factors. DO NOT for your first trailer buy brand new, the depreciation will absolutely murder you. Buy something older but in good shape to try outthe lifestyle. If the park does not work out, you don't get slaughtered. Dip your feet in first.

[tb4me]

Were in a nice park in Campbellford. on the trent river..we pay 2600 a year that includes taxes and our docking. we have a private dock that we maintain ourselves. As for the hydro we have our own separate meter and pay the bill monthly.. its less then $20 a month so its no big deal..As for guests. most parks have a guest pass that you can pay for. Ours is an extra $150 a year.. that allows up to 4 people in the park as guests at any given time, that are not immediate family written on the lease agreement..Any more then 4 you have to have them register and pay at the store. our park doesnt allow any trailers older then 20 years old unless your already in the park before the rule was set in stone. Another way around the the "guests" thing is when drawing up your lease agreement make sure you add most frequent guests as family on your lease agreement. You should look down that way.. rice lake trent river there are a few great parks from Havelock to Hastings and into Campbellford

Edited June 1, 2016 by tb4me

[Viking]

We are at Blairton Park on Crowe Lake.

You could rent a trailer or they a couple of cabins for a weekend to check it out.

Not on the Trent but a decent lake imo

[Rattletrap2]

We were at Layzee Acres on Lake Dalrymple for 26 years. It was a great experience and so glad we did it when our girls were very young. We went up almost every week-end and spent our vacation weeks there as well. I started with a 23 foot trailer that we bought used off the bank. It had been re-possessed and was only a couple of years old. We outgrew that one and purchased a new 36 footer from the park. After a few years, we sold that one and bought an older 36 footer in great shape that had a full slide out. This made it almost 12 feet wide and suited our needs. They did bring in the rule about no trailers over 20 or 25 years could be sold in the park, but mainly this was because the new owners were heavy into trailer sales. We really like the present owners and they treated us very fair.

We moved out to the country in 2007 and gradually started getting less and less use out of the trailer. We held on for a few years, but finally decided to give it up in 2012. The kids were grown-up and I had more than enough chores to do around the yard at home. We also had everything we wanted here at home and enjoyed our week-ends at home. When we talked to the owners about packing it in, we thought we would have to just walk away from our old trailer. I was okay with that because we had so many good years use out of it and didn't feel it owed us anything. They surprised us by offering us a trade-in allowance against a small travel trailer! This was fantastic and we traded it for a 2006 18 foot travel trailer.

This worked out great and we have taken it on two major trips so far. I don't regret giving up our site, but do miss the fishing. Life changes, but it's all good. I would definitely recommend trailer park camping to anyone, especially if you had young children.

Good luck and do your homework. Go around and visit the parks and try to get a feel for them. When we chose ours back in 1986, we drew a circle on the map and said we wanted to stay within that radius. I think we looked at about 6 to 8 parks. We lived in Brampton at the time and could not bare the thought of crossing the 401 every week-end...even back then! The Orillia area allowed us to take lots of backroads and stay off the busy highways.

[Big Cliff]

Check out Riverwood RV park in Lindsay. They have a fantastic reputation, lots of kids and tons of things for them to do. Friends of ours stayed there last weekend and already booked for next year. Pet friendly, kid friendly, on the Scugog river.

[Sinker]

We are at Blairton Park on Crowe Lake.

You could rent a trailer or they a couple of cabins for a weekend to check it out.

Not on the Trent but a decent lake imo

Had lots of good times there many years ago. I guess its changed hands because the old owners kinda put a stop to the good times. Great place though. Used to be a good musky lake back then.

 

S.

[Mister G]

I will only say that spitting four ways is nothing but trouble waiting among all of you......

 

But if you insist on this expenditure (not a investment) then invest ONLY the amount you are comfortable of walking away from and letting the 3 other families fighting over........ the internal fights will happen.

 

 

GOOD LUCK you are going to need it.

Edited June 2, 2016 by Mister G

[Bass Tard]

Its all the same family?!