The workers at Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol, Maine, are used to building and restoring boats, but school buses have never been their forte, until now.
General Manager Mike Tatro and his crew at the South Bristol business have been working to convert a school bus into an RV for two years. Jeff Osborne of Fresno, California asked Tatro to “make it look hobbit-ish.”
This story, with photos and video, originally appeared on News Center Maine.
The welding and fabrication work were business as usual at Gamage, but a lot of the work was uncharted territory.
The inside has a queen size murphy bed, copper sink and faucet, nine cameras controlled by two iPads, and retractable solar panels on the roof. The RV has cost around $1 million to build so far.
“He knew what he wanted from a creative aspect and wasn’t afraid to go after it,” said Tatro about the owner.
Osborne will be driving around Maine to make sure there are no kinks that need to be worked out before driving the RV back to California.
