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Topic: Used Hobby advice please.
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07/5/2010 at 11:45am
Location: Germany (again) Outfit: Hobby DeLuxe 495 UK
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As with ANY used caravan, check for damp! Do not think it is above such things, just because it is a German caravan and in some users' opinion probably somewhat better designed as some British builds. Look for mould/ damp patches at the bottom corners, inside chests, around windows.
If it has the all-plastic front, look out for small cracks. I vaguely remember, this was an issue (not necessarily with Hobby), when plastic-fronts were introduced some time ago.
If there are any folding tables, have a look at the legs. In mine they are below the overall standard of the van, to put it mildly (but this can be fixed)... Cupboards and drawers: do they close reliably? They are normally only held by springs, not by push-locks and might have become somewhat tired.
Otherwise they are quite reliable. Never had any serious trouble with mine.
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07/5/2010 at 8:06pm
Location: Outfit:
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Hobby's are at best very misunderstood by people that have never owned one, which has created a huge range of myths about them.
Contrary to seemingly popular belief at the moment Hobbys come in a range of sizes, many over 2.3 metres wide, some under 2.3 metres wide and a few over 7 metres long. It is now no longer illegal to tow a trailer over 2.3 metres wide as the UK has now come into line with the EU directives on trailers.
There are of course many layouts available throughout the range and so one is likely to suit you. You will find that much of the furniture utilizes solid wood doors. There is one thing to be aware of and that is the "dry" van, many Hobbys are described as dry vans and this simply means that there is no water within the van, that is: no sink, no toilet, no basin and no shower. However there are Hobbys with all of these facilities included.
Damp myth:
Damp can be caused in a number of ways - top of the list in the hidden section is lack of ventilation, close up your ventilation holes in a Hobby and you will generate damp over time. Water ingress: Hobbys are very well sealed on joins; awning rails have rubber seals as well as a mastic bedding so water rarely gets in fueling the myth that Hobbys don't suffer from damp, this is quite true until the rail gets damaged or has been damaged in the past and gets left without inspection or repair. Another place where water will get in is around accessories like the EHU socket or the fridge vents or even a locker box.
Perhaps because people think Hobbys don't get damp they never think to check for it.
Theft myth:
Many people will tell you that Hobbys are stolen more often than a UK van and then finding their way into traveler's camps - I personally have never seen one in a traveler's camp, mostly UK vans - never a Hobby - that is of course not to say that Hobbys are never to be found in said places (also must be said that a van of any type in a traveler's camp is not necessarily stolen). Like all caravans if you have insurance and security you should have nothing to worry about.
A Hobby, being solidly built with solid wood doors is going to be heavy, so you will need a bigger car to tow it with. However a Hobby is argumentatively more stable to tow as it has a longer draw bar than a UK caravan thus allowing the tow vehicle to have a greater damping effect when the side of the caravan is buffeted by air streams.
On occasion you may find sites bearing cardboard signs bearing the words NO HOBBYS crudely painted on them. The standard of the sign shows the standard of the site, so it won't be one you would be likely to stay on anyway (would be interesting if Hobby ever changed their name to BLACK )
Incidentally although I've referred to Hobbys the above would also apply to other German caravans as well - Burstner, Caravelair, Dethleffs, Fendt, Knaus, Lord, LMC, Munsterland, Tabbert, TEC, Weippert, Wilk, - and of course the UK's Roma
------------- Caravanning is a way of getting a cheap holiday out of an expensive hobby
rune@tabbytha.com
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07/5/2010 at 11:07pm
Location: Milton Keynes Outfit: Bailey Alliance 66-2 Motorhome
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Quote: Originally posted by Sheltie on 07/5/2010
Thank you all, very interesting,
Last night I read a couple of items suggesting that some site's were not too happy to see these vans turn up and might even exclude them, not so sure now as when we are on the UK mainland we travel huge distance, it would be a disappointment to find a problem when arriving after a long pull.
You won't have any problems on sites belonging to either of the main Clubs
David
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