As an industry, we spend a great deal of time exploring areas of possible synergy with the recreational vehicle market. I documented my experience as a “one and done” RV owner this time last year and thought it might be interesting to take the perspective a bit further with some help from a few of our members here at the American Boat & Yacht Council.

While a cursory look at both markets may see us as a close family, I prefer to view us as distant cousins. Here’s why. The first reason is manufacturing. As Eric Fetchko, president of Dometic Marine — an ABYC board member and longtime committee participant — recently told me, “When Dometic bought Seastar Solutions, I saw the crossover opportunities as almost endless. I was wrong. Being 60 miles offshore versus pulling over on the side of the interstate are very different situations.”

These “situations,” as he put it, require another approach to product development. Take, for example, a battery charger. The more affordable RV unit starts out life complying with the same Underwriters Laboratories Subject 1236 Standard for Battery Chargers for Charging Engine-Starter Batteries as its marine cousin. The testing and design constraints are all the same, until they are not. UL 1236 contains supplement SB Marine Battery Chargers, which submits design and testing to the marine environment.

“RVs have suspensions and do not have salt water,” Fetchko said. That simple statement translates into lines and paragraphs in a safety standard, as well as to thousands of dollars of compliance testing. The cost must be absorbed somewhere, thus the reluctance of the RV customer to embrace what marine customers have come to expect: extra money for marine translating directly to safety and reliability in a harsh environment.

This is the primary reason why the pricier marine products just won’t be accepted by the RV customer. There is no demonstrated need for supplement SB.

Once products are out in the world, designed and built for their intended use, how do they share the market? Kurt and Mark Forsman of manufacturers’ representative Derema, both longtime ABYC members, told me that when it comes to crossover, it’s the segment of consumables for the win. “Waxes, cleaners and so on work on both,” Kurt Forsman said. “Same product, for the most part, just packaged in a different way.”

Then the conversation turned to lighting. “Consider the RV porch and interior light,” he said. “A limited number of mounting options and one style across most of the industry. Contrast that to marine, and you are looking at limitless mounting options, styles and manufacturers. It’s a completely different market.” He offered evidence: “One of our customers carries both RV and marine. Of a total of 85,000 SKUs, 65,000 are marine.”

The dealer experience is different for the RV buyer, as well. “RV dealers are not dealing with engine- and chassis-related issues,” Forsman said. “That task goes to the chassis dealer: Ford, Chevy, Mercedes,” leaving the dealer to focus on a showroom and accessory market. By contrast, a marine dealer will troubleshoot and repair a modern outboard at the same time as adding a suite of electronics. Additionally, he said, “RV dealers must deal with state franchise laws that marine is not subjected to,” adding constraints and changing the way they can conduct business.

All of this may cast a dim view on any kind of true family gathering of RV and marine, but maybe not. Fetchko and I also discussed the Dometic air purifier Breath. “This is a product that, with no additional design modification, can be installed in both RV and marine,” he said, adding that Dometic does consider RV in marine applications and vice versa. Global product managers are asked to predict the crossover possibility when product innovations are being considered.

We also discussed the “control” of things; by this, I mean CAN bus. “Dometic has worked very hard to make sure we are well-versed in all of the available CAN, NMEA, RV-C and so on,” he told me. This is an area where the term “universality” may be correct. Control of lighting and other domestic, non-critical systems is available for both markets.

Finally, being a 22-year veteran of ABYC, I had to ask about standards and certification. The Forsmans are big believers in ABYC certification and have put their staff through our standards certification. Is it relevant to the RV world? “No,” Kurt Forsman said. “But that is not surprising. Look how far marine has to go to protect from a harsh environment that does not exist in the RV world.”

Also, on the standards front, Fetchko spoke about the ABYC and its value to Dometic’s business. “The participation of such a varied group of skilled individuals is invaluable,” he said. “The association with ABYC, the use of the standards and participating in the process benefits Dometic and our customers.” To mimic that experience with the ABYC, Dometic is getting involved in the RV standards process. Brunswick Corp. has done the same.

I am cautiously optimistic about the trends in marine and RV benefiting both industries in areas such as generator replacement technology. The desire is there, and clearly, our larger companies are paying attention and directing resources to explore and exploit a commonsense approach. By next year, maybe we’ll see relationships closer than distant cousins. 

John Adey is president of the American Boat & Yacht Council.