FAQ’s about the bowtop wagon

 

Q. What is the normal time frame of building a wagon, or do you also have stock?
A. A finished wagon is normally based on a 5 month turn around.

Q. Do you deliver the caravan?
A. Can be delivery within the UK – POA.

Q. Can the wagons be shipped to other countries?
A. An example: One shipped to California for £2450 including insurance and import duties in a 20 ft container taking 29 days at sea with 7 days frequency of sailing.

Q. Do you supply more than one model, eg do you do any shorter ones?
A. So far the wagons are built on 15ft trailers but it is something that could be considered.

Q. Can the wagons sleep a family of four?
A. The built in double bunk bed at the end sleeps two on top and two below.

Q. What mattress is recommended for the bed?
A. A small double futon mattress.

Q. Can you put in a bathroom?
A. I don’t include this as an option in the internal build, but owners of the caravans have in the past fitted a toilet.

Q. What type of battery is needed for the lighting?
A. A battery booster is recommended eg. the Ring Automotive 12 volt 300amp compact booster battery pack. The battery is not included in the basic structure price.

Q. How well would the wagons fair for full time living with regards to condensation?
A. There is enough ventilation in the wagon to compensate for condensation.

Q. How effective are the side windows at resisting the wet weather?
A. A secondary transparent waterproof membrane is used around the full bow, so that the windows are fully protected against the wet weather. Added to this the stitched windows are sealed with Seamgrip seam sealer – which works well.

Q. Do you test the wood burner once it’s installed and before it leaves your workshop?
A. Yes, we test the wood burners performance efficiently once in situ.

FAQ’s about the Trailer

Q. What are the advantages of a single axle trailer over a twin axle?
A. We use single axle Alko caravan chassis as we find them easier to manoeuvre than twin axles. Because the caravans are comparatively light, they are stable and well balance on a single axle trailer.

Q. What is the legislation of towing the bowtop caravan?
A. The wagons are tested and supplied on completion of the build for an ‘Individual Vehicle Assessment’ certificate, issued by the DVLA. This is the equivalent of a vehicle MOT test for caravans, which only needs to be issued once in the wagons lifetime.

Q. Is it feasible to tow the bowtop caravan easily and safely at motorway speeds and without any damage/loosening of the structure.
A. The caravan can be towed up to standard caravan speed (60 mph). The wooden structure and metal base sheet are securely bolted to the caravan chassis and solidly built to accommodate these speeds and the braked caravan chassis is very stable and easy to tow.

Q. Has the caravan got a breaking system?
A. Yes, it has a fully independent breaking system with a fully automatic handbrake.

Q. How waterproof is the base of the caravan when travelling?
A. Sheet steel lines the top of the chassis protects the base of the structure from water.

FAQ’s about the Canvas

Q. How easy is it to keep the canvas clean?
A. Cleaning the canvas is always a tricky one with several options. The canvas can be cleaned with a detergent free waterproof material cleaner such as Nikwax tech wash available from outdoor leisure suppliers. I’ve heard of people using jiff to good effect, although this would take off the green colour. The old gypsy method when the canvas gets pretty grubby is to repaint it. It’s important to remember that the nature of it being a canvas means it will gain a certain amount of dirt which can only add to it’s character!

Q. Doesn’t the canvas stretch with the constant wind when on the road?
A. When the canvas is first stretched, it is wetted to contract to it’s maximum holding point and therefore doesn’t slacken.

Q. Do you supply new cover/tarps for bowtop caravans?
A. I can recommend suppliers but I only offer a canvas fitting service.

FAQ’s about the Wagon Painting

Q. How much does the wagon painting cost?
A. Information about wagon painting is on the commissions page under the subheading of Wagon Painting where you can also download a pricelist.

Q. What sort of paint do you use on the outside?
A. It is painted with a good exterior undercoat and then several layers of good exterior gloss. The decorative work is painted using One Shot Professional sign writers enamel and finished off with several layers of protective varnish using Craftsmaster clear varnish which is 97% UV reflective.

Q. How soon are we likely to have to repaint it?
A. There’s no reason why a paint job shouldn’t last decades with replacement coats of varnish every few years.

Q. Would you need the caravan back at your workshop or would you come to us?
A. The caravan would have to come back to the workshop due to the time involved.

Q. How effective are the side windows at resisting the wet weather?
A. A secondary transparent waterproof membrane is used around the full bow, so that the windows are fully protected against the wet weather. Added to this the stitched windows are sealed with Seamgrip seam sealer – which works well.