Well!!! We did it. Last September there was a 1988 33' tag axle Regal SE on E-Bay. My S/O and I drove up to Plant City, Florida to
look it over. I really wanted *twin beds and
rear bath* and maybe a little shorter coach
(Dave wouldn't sell me his). We came home,
placed a bid on E-Bay, but decided to let it
pass. Last week my S/O, Mary, mentioned the
new "Pargo" style wood flooring in the 33'er
and remembering the coach didn't sell (Mary is new to RVing), I thought I better take
advantage of the situation. So I contacted the owner, made a deal, and picked up "THE TOY" today. Spent some time with the P/O, going through the equipment, and guess what?
Boy-O-Boy, do we have *MOOD* lighting, five switches worth. Unfortunately, at our ages
we can't remember what *MOOD* is for. Plus
we have a screen door. It looks as though I have every Manual printed for the coach including the Blue Prints. I may have a speedometer problem. Driving the 150 miles (all Interstate Highway), I thought I was doing a conservative 55 to 60 MPH, but the
"chase car" told me I waas at 70+ MPH. I'm sure I will be needing some help and advice in the future, so I'll be asking all of you folks for your expertise. Hoping to see ya'll at the RALLY in June.....carl

Wowie! That sounds great. Do you see the words Royale anywhere? I bet you got one, with the mood lights and all.

Send us some pictures, we can't wait.

------------------
Opportunity always knocks at the least opportune moment.

1985 28 foot Regal
Dave and Deb Bowers

I haven't found "ROYALE" stamped or posted anywhere....Is there a particular location to check?...carl

Hi Carl
On our Royale it is on the exterior in several places - and no Barth logo except on the steering wheel. We got the manuals etc., with wiring and all kinds of schematics and how to's with ours also - and there are lights everywhere in it - I must be past it too as I didn't even clue in to the 'mood' aspect of it!
Linda
1989 Barth Royale 33'

Linda..Looks as though you have the only Royale on the road. My Blueprints have "Regal" printed in several places. But I have Mood lights and a screen door.

Linda, now we are sure yours is a Royale, could you post a picture of it?

There is an earlier reference to a "radius" that I didn't understand: "the radius on the top edge of the coach was a 12 inch radius rather than a 6 inch like on the Regal. They only made 5 of the Royales because they were too heavy."

Is yours too heavy? Have you had yours weighed?

I wonder what makes them heavier.

Can't address the Royale part, but my speedo reads only 5-MPH low on the little roadside checks and on my surplus police radar gun.

We just got the Royale back from the mechanic -we sent it in to get all the belts, gears, bearings, brakes etc. etc. checked before we head south in January. I will try to get some 'great' photos of it - just have to try to hold the camera steady and they should turn out.

The radius on the roof is a bit different from the others. It is a bit higher and rounder than the Regal.

As for the weight, it seems to handle like a dream. Not sure how heavy it is - will check and see if I can find anything to indicate gvw etc.

We got the tow bar (which we found in Manitoba for a decent price) attached and the baseplate on the Sunfire also and gave it a short pull around the yard today (we live on some acreage outside town) and it seems fine. We are just waiting for the safety cables to arrive. We will get a braking device of some sort when we get to USA as they are a wild price in Ontario.

The RV mechanic who worked on our Royale said that when he took it for a test drive, it was the nicest riding motor home he had ever driven! He had never seen or heard of a Barth before and is very impressed with the coach in general and ours specifically. He noted that it is very well made and said ours is in excellent condition, both mechanically and physically. Needless to say, we were pleased to get the praise, but not surprised!

Dave - when I get some good photos of the Royale, do you want me to email them to you?

Linda
89 Royale 33' Gas

Linda, I am so happy for you. We want "great" pictures of your coach but also we want to hear about your travels in the "Journeys" forum. And, I am being nice to you even though when you head south you will be leaving me in the dust, I mean ice.

------------------
Opportunity always knocks at the least opportune moment.

1985 28 foot Regal
Dave and Deb Bowers

I will email some photos hopefully tomorrow - as for the journey, I am getting ready for that by getting batteries for our old camcorder, cameras and I hope to input a journal in the laptop as we go along. My sons want to have something to see when we get back so I am trying to be organized about getting ready and not forget anything. It will be the journey of our life as I am not sure that we will do one like this again, but we are very excited about going to so many new places and I am sure the Barth will be a bonus. We sold our 1997 'cardboard' fifth wheel when we bought the Barth. We did really like it and didn't know any better - until we saw the Barth....then there was no comparison and the difference between the two made the fifth wheel much less than desireable to us. We feel we were very fortunate to have found such a motor home while the fifth wheel was still saleable. I am not sure that it would have held any value if we had kept it much longer. It is gratifying to see the vintage Barthmobiles that are owned by the other members of this forum. It gives us much peace of mind and we know that our trust in this new vehicle is not misplaced. I am almost tempted to live in it in our yard until the actual start of our journey! I wish Christmas was in July so we could leave now and not have to return til July to spend the holiday season with our family! I think this coach has brought out the 'kid' that is within us - we just want to head into the sunset and keep going!