Altering PVC

[navarac]

My wife and I are motor home novices (but we did fulltime on a small boat in France and Spain for 4 years so we are used to confined living spaces and briefly owned a Bailey Senator caravan).

 

(This is my first post on this Forum so if I have got anything wrong please bear with me)

 

We are looking at PVCs at the moment and Autosleeper's Warwick Duo appears to tick a lot of boxes.

 

When we talked to one of the salesmen at our local dealership yesterday we asked if the plywood frame settee beds could be altered to metal framed beds at the factory. He informed us that it was not possible to do this but there were firms who would do this retrospectively.

 

I am 6'1" and the beds are the same length when used as singles but when converted to a transverse double the lengthe increases to 6'2". I would like to increase the length of my single bed by creating what is known as a 'trotter box' i.e. a cubby hole for my feet to go in in the rearmost offside storage unit.

 

Has anyone on here had experience of the Warwick Duo?

 

And:

 

Has anyone had experience of modifying a factory made PVC in the ways I have described?

[Randonneur]

Although we have never had a PVC, from what I have read on this Forum it may be to your advantage to go to a Specialist Converter and probably less expensive in the long run.

[JamesFrance]

Hi navarac, welcome to the forum.

 

We have been liveabords too and now have a boat in Sant Carles marina.

 

The problem with having alterations to motorhomes is that it costs a lot extra and you no longer have a standard model which could upset the used value when you want to sell again.

 

There are so many models available now that you should be able to find something to fit you. For example the Adria Twin SL has one of the single beds 6ft 8in long, if a single is what you prefer. The downside to that is a van over 6 metres long if that would be a problem.

 

I have a French magazine listing 300 different models of Fourgons, which is their term for Panel Vans.

[colin]

Not knowing the model in detail it's hard to say if suitable, I guess you've looked and it is!

Modifing a van is no big deal, if you look in MMM you will see several convertors listed some of whom will do the job, BUT, if you are set on this particular model and are convinced it could be converted, I would buy it, use it and see if it suits, then get it converted. This way if you find the van doesn't suit you it's retail value is 'unharmed'. OR, if I was convinced it was my ideal van I would find a dealer willing to modify it as part of a purchase deal.

BTW, we had a couple of little mods made to our Globecar as part of purchase deal, We have now decided it is a difinate keeper, and having identfied several areas which would suit us better if modded this I will do. Resale value? we purchased a van for our own enjoyment, by the time we sell it I dought anyone will remember the original spec, and may well apriciate the mods.