I have been looking at the possibility of buying a new caravan from the continent. I do not want a basic van but all the UK specification! All I want extra is a decent sized bed. Even with continental vans I had decided I would have to forego an end washroom (there are very few), so I was surprised to see I can now "Buy British"!
The Swift/Sterling Sport 514 has a fixed double bed 198x133cm and all the mod cons, including a solar panel. Does this mean other manufacturers will follow suit? Does anybody know of any new caravans that realise the need for length?
Just traded in a 2012 Eccles Sport 514 (Cruach Benmore Dealer special).
The van itself towed well, was well built and offered a good spec at a reasonable weight .... downsides of the 514 layout is the small washroom and difficulty making the bed up due to its location in the corner next to the washroom. Otherwise I would recommend it ... more so in dealer special spec.
We did 150 nights in ours over many thousands of miles without anything falling off, breaking or any issues with water ingress.
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We are considering a Sterling Eccles Sport 514 - 2014 model. I took a video with my iphone of one a couple of months ago.See here http://youtu.be/jVh9-1Av2Nk
I am 6ft 2 tall and like the idea of a 1.98 6ft 6" bed. We currently have a Sterling Europa but the fixed bed is no longer than 6ft 3" so it's a bit of a squeeze.
All though of course one reason to buy continetal could be that without the large front window area so beloved by UK caravanners, the more rigid structure of continental caravans may help them stay watertight for longer & avoid stress cracked panels.
Quote: Originally posted by Jack+Jon on 23/12/2013
All though of course one reason to buy continetal could be that without the large front window area so beloved by UK caravanners, the more rigid structure of continental caravans may help them stay watertight for longer & avoid stress cracked panels.
It was your choice to buy it & you had the choice big or small which UK brands tend not give. Tbf, Hobbys are not the most leak free of German caravans but for less chance of leaks you could have gone for a small front window &/or with no rear window or even no front window on some other German makes. The less windows & smaller they are the less likely the caravan is to leak as the body will be more rigid & less prone to stress cracks. Current Swifts are even worse, the front 'glass' area is even larger.
If customer requirement is for large frontal window area for the ambience it creates then long term intergrity of body will suffer.
The window on mine is about the same size as uk vans, if the reference about "your choice" was meant for me I have no regrets at all, makes the van weaker, I dont think so, we get lots of people admiring the van and asking to look inside, oh my god its beutifull, and its so well made, I believe Hobby had a problem with models leaking in 2007 and that was drainage channels blocking with leaves and other rubbish, nothing to do with windows.
Quote: Originally posted by sunshinetours on 24/12/2013
What German vans have you owned J&J?
I've had an '88 Eriba & an '89 Burstner, both old when I got them & both were solid with no leaks, Burstner was conventional construction with small windows but its the Eriba that tends to prove the point, steel frame, so totally rigid construction & really the only caravans still around from the 70s-80s in any numbers are Eribas.
The construction method would not be suitable for larger caravans but it proves that the more rigid the structure the less likely the seals are to fail. If a caravan leaks after a year its probably a manufacturing fault but plenty of UK built caravans leak after 5yrs & front/rear panels crack which is still outrageous, most likely caused by excess body flex & the way you prevent that while still keeping structure reasonably light is to have less window area.
Not really the usual German vs UK caravan argument though, just a suggestion that a caravan with a smaller window area, particularly on the front might be less prone to leaks. As the op points out, a caravan with a German sized fixed bed is now available in the UK & in fact several UK supplied caravans do have smaller front windows so the choice is there to UK buyers.
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Topic: No need to buy continental
