The Big Ship Sets Sail to Tailgate in Margaritaville

Originally purchased from a neighbor in 1996 for $1,200, the “Big Ship” was converted into one helluva’ Jimmy Buffett tailgating camper. The camper was initially used for camping with the kids, which started in 1998, but the family outgrew the 21 footer about 8 years later. Realizing there was much more life left in the ol’ girl, Mick Roulet, the owner of this party machine decided to give her a fresh coat of paint every time he gave it a wash…once a year.

However, this isn’t your average paint job. In 2007, he began by painting the camper inside and out for the Buffett Bama Breeze Tour. The camper was painted up to depict a vintage aircraft with buffed aluminum skin complete with nose art. The carpet was replaced with tropical colored vinyl tile and vinyl base.

The main artwork for this tailgate machine is usually taken from one of the tee shirts of that year’s concert tour. The painting usually takes about 3 weekends and some late nights to complete, and is done using spray cans and an airbrush. Mick mentions that, “The tough thing is getting a picture of the current tours tee shirt. Usually the picture I get is so small, when I blow it up it becomes so grainy I can’t make out all the details. I then print out the design on a clear transparency and project it on the camper using a overhead projector and trace it.”

Mick was even been given front row tickets by a couple that wanted to buy his camper right before a concert. The Big Ship has even been featured on the concert screens the last 2 years when the Buffett crew videotapes the fans in the parking lot.

This year was a particular challenge due to mechanical problems, which included some issues with the black water tank and the auxiliary battery power cable. However, the Big Ship received a makeover with new carpet, a chrome and foam griped steering wheel, a chrome bare foot gas pedal, and dimmer switch pedal.

Some fun facts about the Big Ship:

• The camper gets painted as much as it gets washed. Once a year.
• The annual mileage is around 74 miles. Mick’s house to Nissan Pavilion and back with a trip to the camp ground to dump the black water tank.
• Gas mileage is approximately 10 miles to the gallon.
• With all costs considered, including maintenance, paint, taxes, tags, insurance, and fuel, the cost per mile comes to $8.85 per mile.