![\"The](\"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/20-IMG_4063.jpg?w=1024\" "\\"|\\"")
He started off in his driveway before renting a shop, and in his busiest year, he did four full custom refits. This year, he\u2019s done two full custom refits and between 10 to 15 smaller jobs. Often customers will do some work themselves but come to de Boer to fit power and solar, and other parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About 18 months ago, he stopped being a one-man shop and hired an employee who takes care of a lot of the technical drawings and Computer Numerical Control machining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As every van is different, and customers have different wants and needs, each and every project he\u2019s done has been unique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe variety is challenging at times,\u201d he says. \u201cMaybe it’s the same van, but it’s not the same build\u2026 so you\u2019ve got to able to troubleshoot and problem solve a lot of different stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most customers also have a pretty strong idea of what they want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey’ve spent hours and hours on YouTube, figuring out the layouts, figuring out power, figuring out all of that,\u201d he said. \u201cYou kind of have to walk it back a bit and say, \u2018OK, we can’t necessarily fit all of that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, stepping into a his latest project, a Sprinter van, there is a lot fitted inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The windows have been replaced so they can open. There’s a two-ring propane burner, a double bed, a fridge, air conditioning and a 40-gallon water tank. There’s a hot water on demand shower, and solar panels on the roof. The electrical system runs from a lithium-ion battery, and a person could spend two weeks off-grid without an issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step out back, and a five-foot-long gear tray pulls out from under the bed, where there’s storage, a second fridge and a barbecue. A curtain pulls around for the hot water on demand shower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While there are numerous RV companies on the market, most are producing vehicles far bigger than de Boer\u2019s customers want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPeople\u2026 look at an RV and they go, \u2018OK, it’s got all of this stuff that I don’t need,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cAnd they’re always designed to be plugged in or on a generator.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 97 Customs customers want the ability to be off-grid for decent amounts of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n de Boer\u2019s mainly works on cargo vans, with Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit and Dodge ProMaster being the most popular, but he\u2019s also worked on Dodge Caravans and a Honda CRV. He\u2019s also seen an increase in overland trucks and has worked on Jeeps and Toyota Tacomas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe’ll pretty much work on almost anything, depending on what you want done,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd, and I just try to be as straightforward as I can with expectations and go from there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The popularity of the camper van has changed the stereotype about who buys them and de Boer\u2019s customers are a far cry from any stereotypical image of a van dweller. <\/p>\n\n\n\n His customers are normally 50-plus, soon to retire and looking to travel. They\u2019re also people who don\u2019t want off-the-shelf products and take the time to focus on design details and functionality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n de Boer said a full custom build will take hundreds of hours of labour and a fully completed van costs around $100,000. The customer also has to buy the van first, which costs anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not every build costs six figures, though, and de Boer has worked on an array of different designs, big and small, some with far more modest pricing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Customers come from all over the province, and while there are others doing similar things on the coast and in Calgary, 97 Customs sits in a unique position, being the only custom builder in the Interior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So why the name 97 Customs? It\u2019s BC\u2019s longest highway, stretching from the Yukon border down to the US border, and then continuing to Oregon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n de Boer never did get to go travelling, but he did recently finish driving all of Highway 97 heading down to Oregon, although not in a custom camper van.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy preferred method of travel is motorcycles,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016_Mercedes_sprinter_campervan_van_conversion-28-rotated.jpg?w=1024\" "\\"|\\"")
![\"|\"](\"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_8950.jpg?w=1024\" "\\"|\\"")
![\"|\"](\"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_6935.jpeg?w=768\" "\\"|\\"")
![\"|\"](\"https:\/\/staging.infonews.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_8947.jpg?w=1024\" "\\"|\\"")