The camper van is one of the most accessible motorhomes on the planet. A van drives easily, fits into normal parking spaces, and sometimes even fits in a garage. RVers are rediscovering the magic of the camper van, and the market is full of them. Some of the coolest vans out there have a fiberglass body that allows for greater interior room with a similar footprint. An early example of the so-called “Class B+” is this, the Balboa Motorhome. For just a few years, this classic Dodge offered big motorhome amenities in a small package. This old rig is so well-equipped it has more gear than some new campers.
The American RV market exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic. People who couldn’t go to resorts or on cruises found themselves rediscovering the great American road trip by buying an RV. That year, the industry moved 600,240 units, an all-time record. The RV industry has taken a battering since then. The industry moved 333,733 units in 2024, and that’s up from 2023’s numbers. Yet, there has been an interesting trend in the data, and it’s that buyers seem to adore towable trailers and camper vans.
Straddling the camper van and the larger Class C motorhome is the so-called Class B+. These motorhomes have the footprint of a camper van, but a Class C-like body. The Wingamm motorhomes that have gone viral multiple times in the past few years are in that weird in-between class, as are the iconic Chinook motorhomes (pictured below).
RV historians often mark the 1971 Chinook 18 Plus as a turning point in RV history. The Chinook was a pioneer of the Class B+ category, offering buyers big motorhome space and features in a small footprint. What made the Chinook different was that, behind a cutaway Dodge van cab, was an all-fiberglass motorhome body. The Chinook wasn’t just big on space, either, but it also had massive windows and oozed style.
Yet, while Chinook gets all of the glory for such a genius idea, it wasn’t the first. A California boat builder beat Chinook to the idea by three years with the Balboa Motorhome. Yet, unlike the Chinook, the Balboa wouldn’t be successful for more than a few years, or nearly as well remembered.
From Boats To RVs
Accessible history on Balboa Motorhomes is hard to find, but I have been able to piece together most of the story. Balboa Motorhomes was the creation of the Jensen Marine Corporation. The latter company was founded in 1957 by Jack Jensen in Costa Mesa, California. Jack founded his business in an era when countless boat builders were experimenting with fiberglass. His company would become only one in a sea of around four dozen companies that pumped out tens of thousands of boats out of Costa Mesa.
What made Jensen Marine different was its design. Jensen’s boats, which were branded as Cal yachts, were designed by Michigan transplant and naval architect C. William Lapworth. An excerpt from the book The Great American Yacht Designers by Bill Robinson explains why William was a big deal:
In February, 1964, in the comparative infancy of stock fiberglass boats as ocean racers, a short-ended sloop of moderately light displacement came out of California to take the Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC) in the waters off of Florida. Named Conquistador, she was #2 of a stock line known as the Cal-40. Starting with that highly prizes and well-publicized title, an unprecedented string of victories in major ocean-racing events was chalked up by this design. The effect on the whole sport was profound, giving impetus to a “revolution” that is still going on. It also propelled the designer, C. William Lapworth, into front-rank prominence among the naval architects in yachting.
Not that Bill Lapworth, a forty-four year old transplanted native of Michigan was unknown at the time. Especially in Southern California, he had achieved local stature as an advocate of light displacement. The L-36 Class (built of wood, as were all of the “L” boats) had become the biggest class of one-design ocean racers up to that time with over seventy boats. His unusual-looking Nalu II, with its reverse-sheer transom, had placed 2nd in the ’57 TransPac, and won the ’59 TransPac. The L-50 Ichiban placed 2nd in the ’61 TransPac. The Cal-24, the first boat from his board for the new firm of Jensen Marine, had won her division in Yachting’s One-of-a-Kind Regatta, followed by the Cal-20, also a new Jensen model, for a Lapworth sweep.
These successes had gained him growing attention among those who keep an eye on likely prospects, but it was the Cal-40, which Jensen brought out in the fall of 1963, that sent his name across the yachting firmament like a skyrocket. Conquistador lit the fuse, and the design took off from there with TransPac victories in ’65 (Don Salisbury, Psyche), ’67 (Skip & Scott Allan, Holiday Too, , and ’69 (Jon Andron, Argonaut), as well as the ’66 SORC and ’66 Bermuda race. In that Bermuda race, the Cal-40s had taken 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th,and 6th, as well as 4 of the first nine overall. Meanwhile, in Southern California, Cal-40s were dominating the Whitney Series and Ahmanson Series.
The Balboa Motorhome
William’s story is important because Jensen Marine wouldn’t just use his design skills to craft fiberglass boats. In 1968, Jack sold Jensen Marine to the Bangor Punta Corporation. That same year, Jensen Marine launched a new product, the Balboa Motorhome. The idea behind the Balboa Motorhome was to take the same extremely durable fiberglass construction that made Jensen’s boats great and apply it to a motorhome. In doing so, Balboa advertised that its motorhomes would be high quality and require less maintenance than typical designs.
It’s unclear exactly why this boat company made such a pivot, but William is credited with the design of these coaches. According to the trade name records that I could find, Balboa Motorhomes were marketed as both “Balboa Motorhomes” and “Balboa Motor Homes.”
Balboa said it created its motorhomes with single-piece molded fiberglass construction. According to some surviving documentation that I’ve found, the bodies were formed out of a layer of fiberglass and a layer of Thompson Co. White Gelcoat resin. The company said that this construction meant no squeaks, no rattles, no rust, and no leaks.
According to Balboa, it filled its vans with appliances from national brands that could easily be repaired or replaced if they broke. The camping units were designed to be somewhat modular. Early Balboa units were built out of Ford Econoline vans, while later models would be built on GM G-Series vans and Dodge Sportsman/Tradesman vans. The cutaway van – a van with a cab, an open back, and a bare chassis – would rise to popularity in the early 1970s, making conversions like the Balboa easier.
The Balboa was marketed as being a sort of jack of all trades. Advertising said it was a luxury car, a motel room, a beach cottage, a cabin in the woods, a station wagon, and a mobile office all in one. Balboa even got ambitious, calling its vans great money-saving propositions because you could sleep in one while on a road trip instead of getting hotel rooms. The marketing even said that the van was “more tastefully decorated than any hotel room” and that it drove so nicely that you’ll have it as your only car. Oh, and one of the ads said to act now because you weren’t getting any younger.
Big claims – but were they accurate?
California Camping
That brings us to the rare Balboa Motorhome that’s for sale today. Balboas were sold with model numbers including 100, 110, and 110-2. Sadly, I have not been able to decipher which one this rig is, but the seller, camper van builder FreedomVessel LLC, says it’s 18 feet long.
This coach is based on a 1972 Dodge Sportsman and rocks a 360 cubic inch V8, which features a two-barrel carburetor and is paired with an A230 three-speed automatic. This mill was good for 175 HP and 285 lb-ft of torque when new. Standard gear for a Sportsman back then included ashtrays, a heater, and power brakes, while the options list was long and included air-conditioning, power steering, AM-FM radio, insulation, better heating, and more.
FreedomVessel has provided a detailed page explaining the coach, but the page doesn’t talk about what features the cab has aside from a modern Bluetooth stereo.
The exterior of the Balboa appears to be in great shape for its age. The van’s paint still looks clean, and the fiberglass body of the camper portion appears to be intact. Perhaps most important in something this old is the fact that the windows look great and, amazingly, it also has an intact vintage awning.
The motorhome isn’t entirely original, as FreedomVessel says that they rejuvenated the vehicle. By this, FreedomVessel means that they freshened up the exterior and interior without completely gutting and changing the camper.
The interior, which has 6.25 feet of headroom, is what impressed me the most. This van might be old, but the interior looks so clean!
The listing says that the van has new interior paint, a new butcher block, a new plumbing system, a new Bosch water heater, a new freshwater tank (it shipped with a 42-gallon tank when new), a new Suburban propane heater, new upholstery, and new curtains. What I love about the new equipment is that it looks like it could have been original to the van. Other noted goodies include 100 watts of solar and LED lighting.
The rest of what you see is original, including the stove, the wet bath, and cabinetry. Something else that’s pretty neat here is a real toilet that drains into a black tank.
FreedomVessel says that the van still runs and drives great at 119,000 miles, and that its only two notable issues are a leak at the blank tank valve (eww) and a non-functional oil pressure gauge. You can get all of it for $23,000 out of Encinitas, California.
A Rare Piece Of History
It’s believed that Balboa Motorhomes fizzled out in about 1974 in the aftermath of the Oil Crisis. The gas crunch took out countless smaller RV firms as fewer people were interested in buying gas-guzzling RVs, if they could even afford them. Balboa owners believe that, in that short span of 1968 to 1974, Balboa built perhaps 1,100 or so units total, but there’s no real confirmation of production numbers.
Either way, these motorhomes were rare when they were new, and they’re almost extinct now. It seems that the asking price will be reasonable enough for the right kind of buyer. Obviously, this isn’t going to be for the person who wants to go off-road, and it certainly won’t be for the person wanting modern automotive conveniences and fuel economy. But if you love vintage rides, this one seems to be a decent enough pick.
This van is also just an awesome piece of history. There are all sorts of camper vans out there today that sport fiberglass bodies. Small motorhomes are a trend today, too. It’s so neat to see what this concept looked like a half-century ago. Who knows how many RV designers might have been inspired by this company that is largely forgotten? History like this should stick around, and I have no doubt someone will take on the challenge.
Top graphic image: Freedom Vessel
I wonder how feasible it would be to stuff a turbo (or even non-turbo) Cummins in there, or would having the engine compartment under the passenger compartment preclude doing that?
The motor’s the only downside to this thing, IMHO.
The seller clearly doesn’t know transmissions: the A230 was a manual 3 speed – which would be cool, of course – but I only see 2 pedals. Almost certainly the venerable 727 automatic, which is fine.
The black tank valve is an easy and cheap fix. I’ve replaced these on my trailer, and maybe $25 in parts, an hour of time if you haven’t worked with PVC before.
That is a pretty slick rig, and, in that condition, arguably worth the cost.
This looks really good. Orange as the primary interior color would not have been my first choice though YMMV of course.
In 1975 I was building custom vans in Costa Mesa, Ca. Our shop had a couple these come in for other work or upgrades like driving lights, wheels, tires, roof vents and custom interior modifications as well.
I recall these as being really nice vehicles for 1975.
Based on how rare these are 23K is probably a nice price.
Let me be clear, I’m not bagging on RVers. If that’s your jam enjoy the heck out of it. I’ll also note that despite having no interest whatsoever in owning an RV Mercedes’ writing on the subject is always so engaging and fascinating that I read the articles anyway.
On to my point. I always have a great laugh at the “saving money on hotels” argument, as if the RV itself isn’t a huge sunk cost along with maintenance and possible storage costs, the eye-watering fuel expenses at 4-10 miles per gallon, and the ever-increasing price of campgrounds and RV parks.
It really depends. I’ve had my trailer for 12+ years, and we have spent almost 500 nights in it. Most of those have been boondocking in state and federal campgrounds, so not the expense of an RV Park. Sure, 10 MPG sucks, but the difference between that and the 22 MPG for my previous minivan was still less than the cost of a couple of hotel rooms. (I have 5 kids, mostly adults now.) The real savings were in meals. Cooking for 6 or 7 is a lot less than restaurants: it’s not even close.
But definitely, the up front cost matters, particularly if you only camp a few times a year. My cost is down to about $40 a night, even if I scrap the trailer now, but definitely paying 50K and using it 10 times is a terrible deal…
Personally I think RV camping is a very different way of holiday lifestyle than sleeping in a hotel, so for me the ‘saving money on hotels’ isn’t an argument to begin with. The more I am surrounded by nature, the more holiday feel I get. In the US and Canada we always tried to camp as close to or in a national park, most of the times closer than any hotel. Another argument that is important to me is the nice people you meet on campsites. Never ever have I connected with any hotel room neighbor, yet half of my group of long time friends I have met during camping. And if you can combine your hobby of classic cars with camping, than that is even better. I would call this a win-win-win in my book 😉
Timothy, Bram, I appreciate the thoughtful replies. My own personal tendency is to choose whether I’m “glamming” it or “roughing” it.
When I want to be close to nature I backpack and tent camp rather than RVing, and as was accurately noted, you meet some of the coolest people that way. I’ve spent a good number of nights on BLM and state/national forest wilderness land to save campground fees. I can be as cheap or extravagant on food as I care to be; Mountain Houses aren’t the cheapest thing in history but it’s still cheap relative to restaurants and if I’m with a group we do a group buy and budget about $5 per meal per person.
If I’m “glamming” it’s pretty rare that I’ll exclusively be in hotels. I’ll often try to find a way to be in an area for enough nights to make a short-term rental worth it. For instance, on a trip to France this year we got a very nice three bedroom place for three people for the princely sum of about $1200 for the week. We ate out when we felt like it since we were having a good time, but we also did breakfast at the house and ate in a few nights. Between traditional BnBs / AirBnB / Vrbo type things you can often find interesting and sometimes very affordable places to stay that greatly enhance the experience over some bland chain hotel.
Love it!
RV historians….that would imply there are multiple such individuals? What’s your thesis going to be on? The Battle of Hastings. How about you? B class Motorhomes.
Dig those captain’s chairs. Groovy man.
I’m too young to know, but I assume that hanging air freshener is period-correct? At least, it fits with my headcanon.
That is amazingly clean. It’s definitely been stored indoors the whole time.
No headrests but you can work in the motor from the passenger seat easily.
I wonder how this compares to uncle Rico’s Tradesman.
Ha, this keeps popping up in my searches for car stuff for sale around SoCal. I dig it.
I had one of these! Mine was a truly odd layout, though…There was a bench behind the cabin, like a second row seat. Behind the bench was the kitchen counter which was L-shaped. You lifted the back bit of the bench up to turn it into a bed by putting your legs under the kitchen counter. Here’s a pic from the cab back. This is the best I could find for any other information about it.
I never slept in it. We sold it before I was able to get it mountain-ready. I later saw it for sale, as the ‘cabinetmaker’ I sold it to gutted it and then decided it was too big of a project for him.
Its very 70s sailboat including the wet head. I’m surprised it doesn’t have vberth over the cab. Considering what the GMC RVs go for its probably an ok deal if you are into that kind of thing.
At $23k refurbished and nicely equipped, that’s a screaming deal compared to purchasing a similar but more anonymous modern RV.
The 1970s decor is not too eyeball-searing either. Let me put on my bell bottoms and I think I could make the mental adjustment. I would need to install a CB radio, though.
And the requisite “If This Man’s A Rockin'” bumperstickers