The Dolphin RV, built in the 1970's until early 1990's, cornered the market on small, affordable, and practical recreational vehicles. As a young couple who loves the outdoors, we knew this fit our needs perfectly. After looking for a few months on classified ads all over Southern California, we finally found one less than 20 miles away! Our new 1990 Dolphin was in very good shape, but was still very much a remnant of the past. We made the decision to renovate and it ended up being a much larger project than we had imagined. It started with a complete removal and replacement of the crusty old carpet. After the painstaking removal of an endless number of staples, we managed to rip all of it out. Our next dilemma was painting the interior. It was the midst of summer, we live in the high desert, and the RV had old wallpaper that came off in pieces so small that The Sistine Chapel would have taken less time to complete. Thankfully, we found some oil-based paint from the hardware store that, when applied in two coats, completely sealed and filled any memory of the ugly wallpaper. We also repainted the cabinets to finish the white-on-white clean look.
Next, we replaced the upholstery, non-functioning refrigerator, drab toilet, rotten kitchen countertop, and dreary swivel chair. We completed upgrades to the interior lights to LED, cushions, cabinet handles and hinges, and modernized the look by changing from the old curtains to clean white roll shades. We had to have it completely re-plumbed with new PEX lines, from the old Polybutylene of the past. With the help of a friend, we repainted the Toyota truck front-end. We worked day and night to make it our own (total DIY)! This Toyota Dolphin Motorhome has gone from 80's style to modern in 3 months of renovations. A good project is never finished, but for now, our little RV takes us (including our little, adventurous furry pooch) on trips while we relax in custom luxury with the satisfaction that can only come with a dream finally realized.
Aside from enjoying our Dolphin RV adventures around the US, we love exploring globally as well, as we are avid travelers around the world. You can follow along on our adventures on Instagram @bb_traveltherapy
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Fall 2016 Issue:
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