My wife Lori, and I are retired and have been planning a conversion van for touring the continent with our dog Moose. As we will be traveling with Moose the build had to allow for bulletproof climate control. Our initial builder was going to be George Mauro of Humble Road fame. We had signed a contract and deposited 10 grand to get on the build list for June 2024. Well George is a busy builder and he will be the first to tell you that your builds WILL be late. Unfortunately the build date got pushed back so far that we could not wait that long just to have him start the build so by mutual agreement we dissolved the contract and all money was returned. I mention this to let you know up front the level of excellence we were willing to invest in. George is a master builder, very innovative and we liked the 8020 builds he does. The timing just did not work for us.
Fast forward to March 2025 and we are dropping our brand new 2024 maxed out full loaded Transit 350 HD AWD off to Ed Trayner at Interstate Custom Vans in Tyngsborough Massachusetts. Interstate Vans | Custom Van Builder Ed is an amazing young man who does super high quality custom builds. We wanted something very special and Ed was willing to work with us to build what I had been designing in my head for the past few years. Just as important he was willing to guarantee he would be finished in a reasonable amount of time, in our case by the end of September 2025.
We had a very specific build requirements that had to be met;
Van can not look like a "Camper". Needs to look like an Airport Limo with full glass, opening windows down both sides. No through the body fittings (except roof)
Climate control had to be bulletproof and able to maintain a reasonable temperature inside the van without being connected to shore power for at least 12 hours.
Lithionics 48 volt batteries
Cruise N Comfort 48 Volt Air Conditioner, no roof mount units
Van Life Tech "Roman Holiday" Two Stage Hydronic Heating & Hot Water System.
Walkable Maxeon Sunpower Solar Cells (600 Watts)
Full shower box and Laveo Toilet
All materials had to be first class and all screws, fasteners and other hardware had to be stainless steel
The interior needs to look as close as possible to a classic 1962 Riva "Aquarama", that is the theme.
This will be African Sapele Mahogany for all cabinetry. Ceiling would be Mahogany and Marine Vinyl in colors to match the Riva "Aquarama".
Ed amazingly was very happy to take this on even though he was warned upfront I would drive him nuts with my ideas for the build. Ed to his credit takes all (almost all) my wild ideas and turns them into reality.
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
Fast forward to March 2025 and we are dropping our brand new 2024 maxed out full loaded Transit 350 HD AWD off to Ed Trayner at Interstate Custom Vans in Tyngsborough Massachusetts. Interstate Vans | Custom Van Builder Ed is an amazing young man who does super high quality custom builds. We wanted something very special and Ed was willing to work with us to build what I had been designing in my head for the past few years. Just as important he was willing to guarantee he would be finished in a reasonable amount of time, in our case by the end of September 2025.
We had a very specific build requirements that had to be met;
Van can not look like a "Camper". Needs to look like an Airport Limo with full glass, opening windows down both sides. No through the body fittings (except roof)
Climate control had to be bulletproof and able to maintain a reasonable temperature inside the van without being connected to shore power for at least 12 hours.
Lithionics 48 volt batteries
Cruise N Comfort 48 Volt Air Conditioner, no roof mount units
Van Life Tech "Roman Holiday" Two Stage Hydronic Heating & Hot Water System.
Walkable Maxeon Sunpower Solar Cells (600 Watts)
Full shower box and Laveo Toilet
All materials had to be first class and all screws, fasteners and other hardware had to be stainless steel
The interior needs to look as close as possible to a classic 1962 Riva "Aquarama", that is the theme.
This will be African Sapele Mahogany for all cabinetry. Ceiling would be Mahogany and Marine Vinyl in colors to match the Riva "Aquarama".
Ed amazingly was very happy to take this on even though he was warned upfront I would drive him nuts with my ideas for the build. Ed to his credit takes all (almost all) my wild ideas and turns them into reality.
