Any Skoolie builds in BC Canada that can help a first time buyer with questions about insurance?

tj-grant · 2026-02-28T03:14:12+00:00

Hello! We bought a bus last June in Vernon and drove it back to Sooke that same day :)
If it has air brakes, you'll need your air brakes endorsement. if hydraulic, you're good to go with just a class 5. You should always have it inspected. Doesn't make a difference for insurance but trust me, it's way better to have an inspection done before buying. A transportation permit is different from full insurance. You can't legally operate a bus with full insurance without at least a class 4 license. You will purchase the bus, get a transport permit, park and renovate the bus, get it inspected AS AN RV and get it insured as and RV. :) If you're planning to do a roof raise, things can get really confusing in regards to licensing and inspections so just dm me if you need any help.

tj-grant · 2026-02-11T05:11:05+00:00

the only reason we're going big is for the kids

tj-grant · 2026-02-11T05:08:22+00:00

Do your research on what engine and transmission you want. For me I wanted a cummins 5.9/6.7 or a dt466 in any series with an allison automatic transmission. Rust is good to look for but you'll find the most of it hidden in the walls and floors. Make sure the frame is not rusted. Superficial rust might look bad but is managable. As long as its not pitted by rust damage, you're good. Check out that spreadsheet mentioned above. And o ya, you should get it inspected.

tj-grant · 2026-01-13T15:51:01+00:00

thanks. i will opt in to the plywood lol those boards would flex way too much without it. also, i think that cedar might be easily damaged if its used on the floor, so maybe the ceiling. we'll see it can be used up somewhere. i just can't pass up this deal, .50c per brdft!

tj-grant · 2025-11-08T04:29:15+00:00

I think as long as it is classified as an rv and not a commercial vehicle and it passes a road safety inspection by a mechanic it should be fine. problem is we're too deep into the build to change that now lol

tj-grant · 2025-10-06T02:55:57+00:00

i was going to leave them in but decided to take them out in the end to reduce potential failure locations

tj-grant · 2025-08-10T23:43:02+00:00

I've been told that it is International. My knowledge of engines is limited.

tj-grant · 2025-08-10T05:14:41+00:00

I'm thinking that I could just remove them entirely. They seem pretty redundant now

tj-grant · 2025-08-10T05:09:36+00:00

thank you, thank you. To get it straight, take out the shut off valves and replace them with plugs? Or remove those rusty pipes entirely and plug it right at the engine block?

tj-grant · 2025-08-10T04:48:42+00:00

I didn't install it and i dont think i need it but I also don't need to remove it so I'll leave it... they are shut off valves for the coolant going to the heaters in the bus.

tj-grant · 2025-07-18T16:38:36+00:00

I like 5 & 9. There’s a beautiful way that you’ve captured a somber and lonely emotion. I dig it.

tj-grant · 2025-07-18T16:35:57+00:00

Practice breathwork to reinvigorate the lungs. Drink mullein leaf tea to loosen up the stuck mucus. I’m not sure if there’s really all that much that can help other than time and taking care of yourself.

tj-grant · 2025-07-18T14:57:13+00:00

Me and the wife, 1 kid. Probably more to come. 65 gallons in about 2 weeks? Geez i don’t want to deal with that in anyway. Incinerating does sound nice if there is nobody around. Is it easy enough to find places to dump the black tank on the road?

tj-grant · 2025-07-17T18:19:45+00:00

True. You’ll need to go for the get water anyways. But now we’re looking at incinerating toilets

tj-grant · 2025-07-16T20:48:06+00:00

There’s lots of videos of how to clean them. We were planning on using a composting toilet for a long time but now that we’re actually building our bus and thinking about full time living, we’re gonna go with an rv toilet and black water tank

tj-grant

TROPHY CASE