Should FMCA Allow Towable RVs-- Vote NOW

[aztec7fan]

22 hours ago, jimnorman said:

Exactly the same for us. We bought a MH first and never looked back. Now approaching official Senior Citizenship age and still going. What FMCA needs is to arrange its rallys so that people with jobs and families with school age kids can attend. If we do that we fix the problem.

 

Not only arranging the rallies so families with kids can attend, but also make the activities more appealing to kids.

Less poker nights, and wine tastings, and more visits to amusement parks, rafting trips, physical activities like basketball, volleyball, putt-putt golf, movie nights, ziplining.

Chris G.

F3508s

[manholt]

Never been to FMCA Rally that had Wine tasting and Poker nights....must have missed that !   Sounds like fun!  I think that on your next rally, you should take your kids and do some of the things your suggesting..

[hermanmullins]

FYI , FMCA holds two Family Reunions (aka Rallies) each year. One in March and one in July. The one in July, always has events for kids. David and Loretia Marlow chair the events. The last time we were in Gillette Wyoming (we will be back there July 2018) they had trips to Mount Rushmore and Devil's Tower.

FMCA does everything they can to include families with children and still work.

Herman 

[jimnorm]

At the last Rally in Indianapolis FMCA Energized set up an area for kids. There was free Wi-Fi as well as some games. Also there were a number of trips out. So there is movement. We need more. The Kid One needs to b more central, not off in a corner. Too quite a while to find it. And this is the tough part, there needs to be a realization that not all kids are under 12. There are more than a few people that travel with older teens and even the occasional 20. They are also somewhat forgotten. A bit more to the point there needs to be things for active people. OK, There was a bike ride or two, excellent, not everyone is up for 15-20 miles biking in the heat. But likewise we are all not out there with personal transporters. A few more hands on things would be nice, not necessarily 'crafty stuff' but maybe:

4 hours ago, aztec7fan said:

more visits to amusement parks, rafting trips, physical activities like basketball, volleyball, putt-putt golf, movie nights, ziplining.

What he said!

[isaaac1]

Manholt, I look forward to seeing you in Texarkana, I have signed up to volunteer, seems like a good way to meet people, it looks like I will be assigned to vendor setup, but that is not for sure yet.

[manholt]

Great.  That's the best way to meet other members!  Like all organizations,  you have the doers and the ones who don't.  If more members would get involved, we would not have half the gripes about FMCA is not doing enough for young people....we need more volunteers!  The "kids" get to the rallies, via the parents or grandparents and FMCA is not a kid sitting service so that the grown ups can go have fun...we are Family oriented as a whole!   

jimnorman.  By law, your grownup at 18....you can do anything you want except drink a beer.  You can even write the "blank check" to the Military!  So, where does the statement about 20 year olds come in? 

[jimnorm]

17 hours ago, manholt said:

jimnorman.  By law, your grownup at 18....you can do anything you want except drink a beer.  You can even write the "blank check" to the Military!  So, where does the statement about 20 year olds come in? 

I agree you are 'grown up' at 18, by law. I also know a few that haven't made that leap at 60! That said, my comment was that we really have next to nothing for the group that is too big to be a kid, but really except in extremely rare cases is not going to be thrilled with a sip & paint or making a pop top lanyard or painting a tile. We need activities that are for active people. Hard to get a bunch of 30yos to sit around and make sock puppets. A rafting/tubing trip, zoos and museums, River boats, there are a lot of potential things. Also keep in mind not all 60+ people are 'old' many are still very very active and can run some 'youngsters into the ground.

The thing is, allowing or recruiting towables is not likelu to change our membership demographic. We attract an older crowd the way we are and we'll just attract the same people, but with trailers as opposed to MHs and e'll lose our unique raison d'être

 

[manholt]

As has been said over and over again...towables is not going to change any thing!  I would love to hear from the EB and the past executives who started all of this, "What where/are you thinking"? 

Do we really have all those things your talking about?  sip & paint, pop top lanyard, paint a tile, sock puppets?  If not, then what funny farm do you work at? 

[Pacific5]

If towable RVs are allowed full membership in Family Motor Coach Association, we will not renew our membership.

We selected FMCA because it was motor home specific and was in line with our interest. There is no shortage of generic RV associations/clubs that offer similar or better benefits and discounts than FMCA, so membership is a result of a common interest in motor homes, not necesarily benefits/discounts. It seems highly unlikely that current leadership does not understand the core appeal of FMCA (since it's inception), so the real motivation for supporting this change remains unkown to members.

If approved, within a few years, membership majority would shift to less expensive towable RVs, and focus (articles, reviews, events, advertisers) would reflect this majority, disregarding core membership prior to the change. Perhaps current leadership and governing board members that support this change should consider exploring opportunities at one of the generic, non-specific RV associations.

[jimnorm]

11 hours ago, manholt said:

As has been said over and over again...towables is not going to change any thing!  I would love to hear from the EB and the past executives who started all of this, "What where/are you thinking"? 
I agree with you here 100%

Do we really have all those things your talking about?  sip & paint, pop top lanyard, paint a tile, sock puppets?  If not, then what funny farm do you work at? 
Yes we do. Well sock puppets is a stretch, but the rest are real.

 

[manholt]

jimnorman.

Pacific5.  Welcome to the Forum!   Not much to add, your right..

[rpelatt]

So is this vote like a regular election in that the decision is based on the majority of the vote, or is it based on the total number registered members?

[rossboyer]

It is a majority of the ballots cast. 

[rpelatt]

On 9/23/2017 at 5:45 AM, rossboyer said:

It is a majority of the ballots cast. 

Thanks, I know that is how it should work, but sure thought that I read earlier that it would be based on percentage of total membership.

[manholt]

The original voting on whether or not we should even considerate the change to begin with...was determined by less than 1% of the 70,000+/- members who bothered to send a ballot in!  Of the 680 votes returned the majority Won....and here we are!

Too bad, that something as important as this is, only a small percentage will mail in their votes and that small %, will determine the future of FMCA!

[jimnorm]

I will be honest and tell you I don't even remember that vote. I think it may have been couched in a manor that belied this initiative. Then again I could be wrong.

 

[isaaac1]

As I have said before I think this just goes to show how few people read the magazine, or at least how few read it in a timely manner

[manholt]

Yep, fall of 2016.

Jim.  Go back to around page 2-4 of this post and you can read it by Dons2347.

[rpelatt]

18 hours ago, jimnorman said:

I will be honest and tell you I don't even remember that vote. I think it may have been couched in a manor that belied this initiative. Then again I could be wrong.

 

X2...I always read the feature travel story, the newest RV review, the rest...hit or miss.

[Pacific5]

manholt, thank you for the welcome.

 

Even though we have been members for about 20 years, we have not logged in to the site before this proposal.

[crystalrowan]

My husband and I are fairly new to FMCA (just joined in early 2017) and I recently became a bit confused.  We own a 2015 43' fifth wheel and when I entered all of our relevant information (not realizing this club was exclusive to motor coach owners, rather thinking it had more motor coach-centric content) our membership was accepted without any issues.  I thought it would be a good membership to try out since our fifth-wheel is so long/large (with the back patio extended, it needs about 54') that we look for campgrounds that tend to support the larger motor coaches and information on routes, gatherings, etc. that are friendly for larger rigs seemed like something valuable for us to explore.

I am 40, my husband is 38 and I have to say that I have not seen a very welcoming community for anyone other than motor coach owners and the overwhelming tone seems to be that anyone who doesn't own a motor coach is beneath the members here and that allowing towables into the community will somehow "dirty" the ranks.  I have seen some valid arguments that it will be "just like any other club" but there are many ways to differentiate yourselves without washing your hands of a huge RVing community who happen to have chosen a different type of RV.  We currently belong to THREE clubs because each has it's own advantages.  And the communities are all varying.  Xscapers is great for us younger RVers who love traveling and RVing and who sometimes need to work from the road.  Good Sam has lots of great discounts (especially at some of our favorite destinations) and we were excited in finding out what FMCA's members are all about and what great RVing information we might uncover.  Despite having "only" a towable, we are thinking about the future and love looking at motor coaches when we visit the RV shows, to think about what our next RV may be and what is best for us and our RVing preferences.  In fact, a local RV show is where I heard about FMCA.

I only recently realized with the forum talk lately (which I just discovered) and after receiving our FMCA magazine today and seeing the vote (which drove me to this thread because I realized what it meant), that apparently we aren't supposed to be allowed to have a membership.  Yup, I probably didn't read all of the fine print when I signed up online.  And I realize I'll probably get booted after posting this.  But don't worry, I will honor what FMCA is, now that I know, and not submit a vote since we somehow slipped in and I now know it's a motor coach owners only club.

But I honestly don't think we would be renewing our membership after this year anyway because of what I'm seeing here in the forums and what it says about the community of FMCA.  I just don't understand the disdain this club has for towables.  Is it because they aren't all "nice" enough for you?  Do you think that riff-raff own towables?  Does having an RV with an engine mean someone is somehow more worthy of meeting?  I have seen arguments about how people who have towables don't seem to know how to handle them and create risk at events.  That isn't what I've experienced at any of the campgrounds we visit, not at all.  And we go to some very nice campgrounds here in our home state of Florida.  In fact, we favor those that tend to be more populated with motor coaches because we don't have children and we tend to like a quieter camping experience, when it can be had.  And as noted above, we have a very large fifth wheel and while my husband tows around semi trailers all day for his job and has no issues maneuvering that beast in ANY campground, I like to look for the campgrounds with larger sites that can accommodate the larger motor coaches. (By the way, if you are looking for a recommendation of some great Florida campgrounds, Beverly Beach Camptown and Bluewater Key are two of our favorites, though I'm sure you all already know about both of these great locations).

Even if I belonged to a club that exclusively catered it's content, features, gatherings and deals for towable owners, I would be happy to see that community contain a great mix of RVers.  We've made some truly lovely friends in our camping experiences with both motor coach owners, van owners, Super C owners, towable owners and yes, even the apparently dreaded tent campers (I am honestly not surprised someone hasn't referred to them as dirty hippies at this point)!

Anyway, I've just been very disappointed to read so many of the comments here.  Not all were dismissive and condescending, of course.  But there are enough that I would feel a bit ashamed of the community at large, at least the way it's being represented here.  And I apologize for somehow slipping through the cracks and sullying the ranks with our fifth wheel.  Moderators, please feel free to report me for having an apparently illicit membership.  I do feel like we've found some great articles and seen some great features in the magazine and on the site, so I don't regret my membership fee, even if I don't get the full year out of it.

Good luck everyone.  No matter which way the vote goes, I would recommend maybe not advertising the forum to new members.  It definitely isn't the side of the FMCA that you want your new members to see.  

[BillAdams]

I think you completely miss the point but I can understand how you might take it with the slant you have put on it.

This has nothing at all to do with the class of owners or their associated vehicle.  This is all about keeping the magazine and rallies and forum focused on motorhomes and has nothing what-so-ever to do with the folks who own RV's in general.  Good Sam and Escapees already cater to all RVers but this was a group focused on the products and manufacturers of motor homes.  I have nothing bad to say about anyone who owns a trailer or 5th wheel but I also have no interest in them, will never own one and cannot relate to the product or the majority of the issues that trailer and 5th wheel owners have to deal with.

It's really no different than being a member of the Prevost Prouds group or a Mobile Suites owners group.  Why would anyone who owned something other than a Prevost or a Mobile Suites want to join and if they paid the fees to join they should expect information that could be of use to them to be provided.

I really am sorry that you see it the way that you do as I don't believe that it is anyone's intent here to make non-motorhome owners uncomfortable but FMCA is a Motor Coach Assn. looking to change their stripes and become a run of the mill "Any 'Ole RV Assn" just like the other organizations that already do this.

[jleamont]

Crystalrowan; welcome to the forum!

I'm curious, what was intriguing for you and your husband to join with a trailer?

 We travel with friends with trailers on occasion so I can relate to some of your posts above.

 

[isaaac1]

I agree completely with Bill here, it is not about elitism, there is a very good chance that your 5th wheel is worth more than my 16 year old motorhome.  It is about keeping the focus on issues that are specific to motorhome ownership.  Things like towbar selection for towing 4 down, or is it better to pull a car around on a dolly or trailer vs 4 down.  How about motorhome specific insurance selection, or Gas vs Diesel which costs more to maintain.  If towables are allowed in we will likely start seeing magazine article and convention seminars on topics that take away from this focus, like weight distributing hitch selections, or  which 5th wheel adapter is best or all sorts of other stuff that does not relate to motorhome specific issues.

For general campground and rv travel topics we already have Good Sam, etc.  There is no reason to turn the FMCA into a Good Sam lookalike

[jleamont]

So I was born on a Friday but it wasn't today! The post above is one of the most disgusting, pathetic things I have ever read, what a scam and I am not happy about it! Towable is a word that was created as an illusion on to confuse, not utilized by anyone owning a trailer and yet it was mentioned many many times.

How do you join FMCA and not realize its a Motorhome organization? "MOTORHOME INFORMATION" is a field you must fill out.

You read the magazine and saw the vote, that somehow prompted you to the forum, how, the form is not mentioned on the voting page, why this month and not last month when the only vote that was supposed to be available was advertised all over this topic?

I got some ocean front property in Arizona for sale, any one interested ?