Yahoo Message Number: 23044 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/23044)
Hello We have a 03 CC Intrigue 42ft. and I really enjoy having some nice wines with us when we travel. I am considering buying a 24 bottle wine fridge which will fit nicely in my third bay with a plug right next to it. I am wondering what the possible problems I might incur. With electrical capacity and also any reccomendations from other who have a wine fridge in their coach. Aside from a bit of jarring in the bay from vibration I am planning on wrapping the bottles in newspaper or ?.
Also we are headed for the Canadian Maritimes and I know that 20 bottles is over our 2 bottle per person allotment. Also wondering any personal experiences on bringing in more for personal consuption. I have heard there are some duties for extra wine, I would appreciate any stories from others who have brought in extra wine and costs associated. Thanks Gerald Brawley
Yahoo Message Number: 23045 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/23045)
Here is my experience, from one wino to another.
Last year we put our coach on the ferry in Bellingham and got off in Skagway with quite a bit of wine onboard. As hard as we tried we still had about 5 bottles onboard when we left Skagway headed for Whitehorse. We had to pass through Canadian Customs. They asked the booze question. I told them we had 5 bottles of wine. They said OK and let us pass through. Twenty bottles might not pass through so easily, which reminds me of another incident.
We had just arrived in Victoria with our boat on which I had a couple of cases of wine. When I went to check in, I was asked the booze question. Again, being an honest guy I told them I had a couple of cases. Well, I think you could here a pin drop in the Customs Office. Next thing there were four Customs Agents escorting me back to my boat tied up in front of the Empress Hotel. They climbed aboard and carried off my "couple" of cases of wine. Oh, I forgot to tell them about the beer. They did leave two bottles of wine each for my wife, a friend, and me. I was then told that they would return the wine (and the beer) when we left. I asked if when we drank the wine on board if we could exchange the empties for a full one. No sense of humor there! It was quite a sight the agents carrying my wine across two other boats to their office. They actually returned the wine when we left.
As for the wine fridge ( I don't use one for my Two Buck Chuck), that receptacle is on the same breaker as all the receptacles on the right side of the coach. On my coach, that breaker serves a Datastorm, two satellite TV receivers, VCR, and computer. When I have plugged my air compressor into the bay receptacle, the circuit breaker trips, so I have a class of wine instead. Actually, you just need to determine the electrical load on that circuit beforehand.
Chuck Penque
03 Intrigue 11673
Yahoo Message Number: 23046 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/23046)
Thanks it is hard to get any specs off the fridges listed on the internet. But that is a good point about the load dont know how much is on that circuit on mine I will check. thanks Gerald
Yahoo Message Number: 23047 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/23047)
We went into Canada at North Portal with more than the alloted amount of alcohol, both wine and hard liquor. We spoke up and told them we had more than was allowed. The custom agents searched our coach completely, not only cabinets and bins but also our clothing drawers.
They counted partial bottles as full. We kept our wine and liquor and paid a $90 fine. Picking it up on the way back was not a possibilty for us as we were exiting via the West coast. My advice is to declare absolutely everything, they told us they could confiscate our coach if we were hiding licquor. I doubt if they actually do this, but it put the fear of God into us.
Lowell & Peggy
04 Intrigue 11725