Latest news with #recreationalvehicles
Washington Post
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
San Francisco tries new tack to battle homelessness: RV parking limits
Lawmakers in San Francisco voted Tuesday to bar recreational vehicles from parking on city streets for longer than two hours without a special permit — a move aimed at reducing the number of city residents living in vehicles. Proponents heralded the move as a win for safe and clean streets, while critics decried it as criminalizing a low-cost housing option amid the city's long-standing affordability crisis. A city count in May found 437 RVs being used as housing.
Car and Driver
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
Maybe You Don't Need 325 Horsepower to Have Fun on the Water
Anyone who bought a powersports toy circa 2020 to 2022 can tell you it was a seller's market. Supply chain meltdowns, combined with low interest rates and unprecedented demand, meant that pretty much any boat, ATV, side-by-side, RV, or personal watercraft practically sold itself, often at full price or more. Those days are over. Now the situation is inverted, because a lot of people who bought recreational machines during the pandemic used their new toys a few times and then realized they'd overestimated their appetite for adrenaline. And, as a habitual Marketplace browser, I notice that the lowest usage tends to correlate to the highest horsepower. More than a few would-be speed junkies bring home a machine like Sea-Doo's 325-hp supercharged RXP-X only to find that hitting 60 mph in 3.4 seconds is not necessarily a feat you want to repeat all day long. Car and Driver The 170-hp GTI SE does about 55 mph, which is often faster than the traffic is moving out on Route 1 in the Keys. Sea-Doo, for its part, has concentrated on revamping the more accessible machines in its lineup over the past few years. The second-generation Spark—Sea-Doo's affordable rec lite personal watercraft—debuted for 2024. The bigger GTI models were redesigned for 2021, the same year that Sea-Doo's wild pontoon boat, the Switch, hit the market. It's been a while since I rode a Sea-Doo, and I've never tried a Switch, so I headed down to Florida to see what's new. These kinds of drive events are common, both for cars and powersports machines, but the twist here is that my wife and kids came along, too. Because it turns out that 14-year-olds can ride personal watercraft in Florida, a revelation that was greeted with a hearty "Let's goooo!" by my 14-year-old son, Rhys. There would be no RXP-X on the agenda, because I'm not sure even my frontal lobe is fully formed enough for that. Car and Driver I wasn't too worried about putting Rhys on a Sea-Doo, even though the 170-hp GTI SE can hit about 55 mph. He got his boater's license in North Carolina (we all passed the test for the temporary Florida-specific one) and he's well versed in ATVs and the like. But I still peppered him with PWC-specific dad advice long before we arrived at our ride spot on Florida Bay, a little north of Islamorada: Don't hammer the throttle away from the dock, don't even touch the throttle if anyone's in the water behind you, always check behind you before turning, and stay away from whoever else is riding. Other than that? Go rip it. Car and Driver Here's where dry-sump oiling becomes important. We began with a family tour to Toilet Seat Cut, which, as you'd expect, is a channel bordered by lavishly decorated toilet seats mounted on poles sunk in the shallows. Besides exuding high-level Florida Keys eccentricity, the forest of toilet seats does a great job delineating the narrow channel—if you don't know where you're going, it's easy to miss a cut on the bay side of the Keys. Fortunately, if an errant dad leads everyone far astray from the deep water, backtracking is quick on a Sea-Doo. The Spark, with 90 horsepower, can hit about 45 mph, which feels plenty fast until you ride the GTI SE and find there's more to be had. I can honestly say that never did I wish for more horsepower. Sea-Doo | Car and Driver That is how you mark a channel, Florida Keys style. At least, not on the personal watercraft—the Switch might be a different story. The 21-foot Switch was powered by a 230-hp supercharged 1.6-liter three-cylinder, and it was pretty quick for what is essentially a floating living room. I saw 40 mph on the speedometer, but another 95 horses wouldn't hurt it. The Switch is unique among pontoon boats in that it uses Sea-Doo running gear, complete with a jet drive and handlebars. The handlebars make it crazy maneuverable around the dock (you can spin the boat on its axis by bumping between forward and reverse with the bars fully cranked), but at speed, the pontoon hull would rather track straight ahead than dig into turns. Nonetheless, I was able to get the kids whipping outside the wake during a tubing session, launching them duly skyward when we came back around to the chop. Pontoons are generally thought of as lake boats, but the Switch had no problem with the wind-whipped bay when we took a 12-mile trip to Gilbert's in Key Largo. Sea-Doo | Car and Driver Sea-Doo | Car and Driver What, you kids think this tube is flip-proof? Sea-Doo | Car and Driver The Switch's 230 hp proves enough for an enervating ride. We also spent a lot of time going nowhere in particular. The Spark is perfect for that, particularly the Trixx version ($9199 for the single-seater), which can angle its thrust nozzle extra far up and down. Why would you want to do that? Two words: water wheelies. And also reverse donuts. The Trixx has what looks like a sprinter's starter blocks at the rear of the hull, and you wonder what they're for until you goose it in Trixx mode with the trim set all the way toward bow high. Most PWCs climb a little bit out of the water before the impeller sucks air, self-regulating a relatively flat running attitude. Not the Trixxx—you can stand on those blocks and ride it till it's almost vertical, at which point it gets challenging to balance. Toppling over sideways, you can pin the throttle and ride out of it, but going over backwards (a distinct possibility) occasions a respawn after you inevitably yank the lanyard and kill the engine. It's stupid fun, as is ripping reverse donuts, which causes water to spray out from under the bow in a geyser. I wondered how the Rotax engine survives these antics, and the answer is that the Spark (and all Sea-Doos) uses a dry-sump oiling system to keep everything properly lubed even when it's being tossed vertical or upside down. Race-car stuff—nice. Car and Driver When we had an actual destination in mind, like heading down to Islamorada to buy bait, the GTI SEs were the ride of choice. The hulls are longer and heavier, and the GTI is more refined than the rambunctious Spark. The newer GTIs don't look radically different than their pre-2021 predecessors, but there were changes aplenty. The Rotax's output rose from 155 to 170 horsepower, dropping the claimed 0-to-50-mph time from 6.6 seconds to 5.2 seconds. There's way more onboard storage, including a waterproof phone compartment. And Sea-Doo worked to lower the center of gravity, mounting the engine deeper in the hull and lowering the seat height. Car and Driver As with a car, lowering the CG produces better handling, and the GTI feels like you could ride it to Cuba and be ready for a night out in Havana when you get there. Rhys, for his part, took to cruising aimlessly around the bay and listening to music on the onboard audio system. When I asked him what he thought, he said, "I can't get enough of these things." I get it. This was his first taste of motorized freedom, two years before he'll be able to drive a car. Car and Driver Unlike many a pandemic purchaser, I know that if I owned a Sea-Doo or two, they'd get plenty of use, especially with Kid 2 about to age into the 14-year-old rider demographic (I've been informed by both lads that 14 is also the legal PWC operator age in North Carolina, where we live). Fortunately for my bank account, I have nowhere to dock a Sea-Doo, and having to visit a boat ramp every time diminishes spontaneous rides, which are the best kind. But if I ever do get one, I might need to drag it down to the Keys. Because we completed one more project on our final ride, and someday I want to go see how the clearcoat is holding up on the Dyer family addition to Toilet Seat Cut. Ezra Dyer Senior Editor Ezra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He's now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
1 Industrials Stock to Own for Decades and 2 to Avoid
Industrials businesses quietly power the physical things we depend on, from cars and homes to e-commerce infrastructure. But they are at the whim of volatile macroeconomic factors that influence capital spending (like interest rates), and the industry has underperformed the market over the past six months as its 2.6% return lagged the S&P 500 by 1.9 percentage points. The elite companies can churn out earnings growth under any circumstance, however, and our mission at StockStory is to help you find them. On that note, here is one resilient industrials stock at the top of our wish list and two that may face trouble. Market Cap: $4.77 billion Created through the acquisition and merger of various RV manufacturers, THOR Industries manufactures and sells a range of recreational vehicles, including motorhomes and travel trailers, catering to consumers seeking the freedom and comfort of the RV lifestyle. Why Should You Sell THO? Sales tumbled by 11.4% annually over the last two years, showing market trends are working against its favor during this cycle Earnings per share have contracted by 36.7% annually over the last two years, a headwind for returns as stock prices often echo long-term EPS performance Shrinking returns on capital suggest that increasing competition is eating into the company's profitability THOR Industries is trading at $89.69 per share, or 18.4x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with THO, check out our full research report (it's free). Market Cap: $2.90 billion Established in 2009 in California, Tri Pointe Homes (NYSE:TPH) is a United States homebuilder recognized for its innovative and sustainable approach to creating premium, life-enhancing homes. Why Are We Out on TPH? Sales pipeline suggests its future revenue growth won't meet our standards as its backlog averaged 6.9% declines over the past two years Earnings per share decreased by more than its revenue over the last two years, showing each sale was less profitable Capital intensity has ramped up over the last five years as its free cash flow margin decreased by 8.8 percentage points Tri Pointe Homes's stock price of $31.96 implies a valuation ratio of 10.3x forward P/E. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including TPH in your portfolio, it's free. Market Cap: $1.36 billion With around a century of experience, Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) is a manufacturer of school buses and complementary parts. Why Is BLBD a Good Business? Annual revenue growth of 16.5% over the past two years was outstanding, reflecting market share gains this cycle Additional sales over the last two years increased its profitability as the 156% annual growth in its earnings per share outpaced its revenue Rising returns on capital show management is finding more attractive investment opportunities At $43.12 per share, Blue Bird trades at 10.1x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it's free. The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump's presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025. While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we're homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver's seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 6 Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
News.com.au
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Caravan maker Jayco sued over off-road claims
Caravan maker Jayco is being sued by the consumer watchdog over claims its recreational vehicles can go off-road. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) filed the legal suit in the Federal Court on Thursday. The ACCC alleges certain Jayco ads depict recreational vehicles being used off-road and on 4WD-only tracks when the caravans are not designed for such rough and tumble conditions. Jayco's warranties for the particular caravans also expressly exclude using the recreational vehicles on 4WD-only tracks. 'We allege Jayco misled consumers by advertising the RVs (recreational vehicles) in terrain in which they were not designed to be used and were not covered by its warranty,' ACCC deputy chair Mick Keogh said in a statement. 'When a product is depicted in advertisements in a particular setting, or claims are made about it, consumers have a right to expect such images and words reflect the intended use of the product.' NewsWire has contacted Jayco for comment. Jayco is Australia's largest RV manufacturer, founded in Victoria in 1975. The ACCC is seeking a full suite of penalties, injunctions, publication orders, legal costs and a declaration of wrongdoing from Jayco. The caravan models the ACCC is concerned with are in Jayco's Outback and Adventure ranges, with models ranging in price from $19,000 to $113,000. Advertisements for the Crosstrak model show the caravan being towed by a 4WD through water that is halfway up the caravan tyres and lapping at the bottom of the 4WD's passenger doors. Other ads for the Crosstrak show the caravan being towed through Queensland's Kinkuna National Park, which is restricted to only 4WDs. The ACCC says since January 2020, Jayco has promoted RVs with phrases such as 'purpose-built off-road hybrid RV', 'built with off-road travel at the forefront', 'all terrain', and 'designed specifically for off-road adventures'. But the RV warranties from Jayco did not cover damage from water crossings, damage from use on corrugated and uneven surfaces or any damage from use on 4WD-only tracks, the ACCC filing said. Mr Keogh said RVs were expensive purchases and buyers were misled. 'We are concerned that consumers were deprived of the ability to make informed purchasing decisions which might have led them to buy a different RV that was more suitable for their needs,' Mr Keogh said. 'RVs are a significant purchase for consumers, and as a result of Jayco's ads, consumers may have paid a premium over and above the cost of other standard model RVs based on the alleged misrepresentation that they could be used 'off road'.' Following a similar 2017 case, Jayco was ordered to pay a $75,000 fine in May 2021.
%3Amax_bytes(150000)%3Astrip_icc()%2Ftal-amazon-one-off-golf-cart-tout-4e1703d5a75a4385b875bd19c2127ed5.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Travel + Leisure
05-06-2025
- Automotive
- Travel + Leisure
Yes, You Can Buy a Golf Cart at Amazon—and We Found an Electric, 4-seat Option for $8K
What says summer more than cruising around a beach town in a golf cart? If you frequent some of Florida's communities or islands like Amelia, Anna Maria, and Captiva, where open-air low-speed vehicles (LSVs) seem to outnumber actual cars, you know this freeing feeling. Golf carts are not just legal to drive in parts of the Sunshine State, but they're actually encouraged. The state's Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles says as long as they stay off the highways, golf carts provide a 'great way to enjoy local communities and natural spaces.' Some other locales across the U.S. are adopting this laid-back mindset and welcoming these 'vehicles' on the streets: Highland, Utah; Monroe, Michigan; and Shelbyville, Indiana, are just a few places where golf carts are newly street-legal as of 2025. This summer, in addition to perfecting your beach packing list, why not get your own set of wheels? Cruise the neighborhood, take it to the campground, or bring it on your beach vacation (check the LSV laws, obviously)—we'll save you a trip to the dealership with this golf cart we found at Amazon. Adding to the list of strange and unexpected things you can buy at Amazon (including entire homes), this electric-powered golf cart comes from Dallas-headquartered off-road recreational vehicle seller Kandi America and is just over $8,000. That's on the lower end of the pricing spectrum, as new models can cost, on average, as much as $15,000 to $20,000. The cart seats four, thanks to the inclusion of a rear bench, and the hard-shell roof extends over the back to keep all passengers dry and shaded. It comes equipped with electric power steering and a backup camera that connects to the seven-inch LCD screen to make it easy to maneuver—you don't want to end up on one of those 'golf cart fail' compilations. The cart reaches a full charge in 6.5 hours, and it doesn't need any special plug-ins—it's compatible with a 120-volt outlet, which is the standard outlet in the U.S. Fully charged, the 5,000-watt motor should be good for about 28 miles. If you were to drive only at its top speed—20 mph—you'd be able to go for almost an hour and a half without needing to charge. Reviewers love how much quieter the electric motor is than gas-powered carts, which is an especially important feature in campgrounds. They're impressed with the suspension and that it sits higher off the ground than other models, claiming it 'rides like a Jeep' out on the trails. 'It's loaded up with incredible features, and the design is fantastic,' one wrote, deeming it a 'head-turner.' There's an even more jazzed-up version with a 28-inch soundbar and LED lighting system for an extra fee. In case you're wondering how your regular Amazon delivery driver will get this 1,500-pound package off the truck, the brand assures the cart will come to you via freight, and you can choose your own delivery time. In terms of brand reputation (because buying any vehicle on the internet raises questions), Kandi American is a well-known manufacturer you can find at Lowe's and other big-name dealers. Though it's one of the more affordable golf carts we've found at Amazon, it's surprisingly not the only option. We discovered alternatives ranging from a Kandi six-seater to a $14,000 solar-charging cart on sale for $11,000. Shop around for a fresh, new summer ride, below. For families and bigger groups, this six-seater version of the Kandi America golf cart might be more practical. It has most of the same features as the four-seater, but with an extra row of seats and a bit more range (37 miles on a single charge, the brand says). Despite the larger size, it still plugs into a normal electrical outlet. $14,000 $11,000 at Amazon Going for 56 miles on a charge, this is the cart with the highest range that we found at Amazon. The luxe cruiser has a slightly higher-powered 51.2-volt lithium battery and a 400-watt solar panel on the roof, which alone can charge the battery from zero percent to full in 48 hours. High-tech amenities include the 10-inch LCD screen, Bluetooth, and Apple AirPlay. At the time of publishing, the price started at $8,099. Love a great deal? Sign up for our T+L Recommends newsletter and we'll send you our favorite travel products each week.
