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hi,

we just bought this caravan and are new to caravaning.

does anyone have any tips about this van or a handbook for it?.

cheers rob.

hi

just anything really :)

as much info i can get would be great.

im told its a 1989/90 model

thanks rob.

what cushions are used for the bunk ?

i think mine are missing :(

We have a Swift Alouette 1993, so I don't think our handbook will be of much use to you.

As for the cushions for the bunk bed, ours are missing too.  We tried all ways to make the other cushions fit, but nothing did the trick so we assumed that there should be separate cushions for the bunk which have gone astray.

Hope you enjoy the van.  We love ours and even though she's 15 years old now, she is still going strong.  We have had to have some repairs done (resealing awning rails mainly) but you have to expect that I think when the van is getting on in years. 

If there are any specific queries you have, we would be happy to help if we can.   Just post them on here.

The bunk has a very thin mattress (about 2 inches thick and made of foam with a cloth cover) which folds into 3. It would be very easy to replace with something similar. We bought ours so we could keep the back dinette as a permanent bed for us. Got fed up with making/unmaking the front up every day. We bought a piece of  6" thick foam cut to size. The bed is a bit narrow but it works fine for us.

Have you thought of joining the Swift Owners Club? Its a really friendly bunch of people and there are loads of rallies. The members are all keen caravanners who are only too happy to help newcomers. We joined 3 years ago and have had a lot of fun. If you think it might appeal to you, just type swift owners club into your browser. Theres loads of helpfull info on there

thanks for the replies guys :)

i will look into joining the swift owners club soon.

wife had a good idea earlier to use the kids futon matrass (tried it and it fits perfect :) ).

im still in the process of checking everything out.

found so far .....

its had damp :(

few panels are very damaged (couple of the roof panels mainly (were the light is))

and a little bit under side window.

the rail that run across front top near roof needs resealing (dont think it will be too hard to do as iv read all of wizards site lol )

the floor is very bouncy in places wife walked up and down while i was looking underneath and it bowed so not too sure if thats delamination or in need of a new floor.

the electric fuse box with the switch for changing from car to van and off as the writing all worn off :( i can only just make out car, off, van

the rest i have no idea what they say.

tested the fridge and thats working ok so thats a good point lol

not checked awning yet

we got with the van :

awning

2 water carriers with handles

1 waste carrier

1 wheel clamp

1 stabliser (never used)

2 electric hookups

1 electric hookup to house

2 gas bottles 1 full 1 part full

1 battery

pans/plates/kettle/toaster/sleeping bags/cd player/tv aerial/windbreak/vacum cleaner.

I wrote to Swift and they supplied a photocopied manual for our 1989 Swift Corvette.

how do u tell what year it is?

we was told its aprox 1990.

will email swift to see if i can get a copy of the handbook cheers

just got to buy the mastic to reseal the front trim yet then see what i can do with the rest. (wife wants me to leave the inside for now.)

I think there should be a metal plate near the bottom of the door which gives you the year of manufacture and towing weights etc.  If I'm wrong about this, someone will be along in a minute to put me right!!  You will need to know the right year to get the relevant handbook from Swift.

If you're quite the handy type and good at DIY, with the Wizard's instructions, you can save yourself a lot of money in getting shut of the dreaded damp.   Just as an example, to have all 4 sections of awning rail resealed (i.e. removed, cleaned up, new seal and awning rail refixed) will cost the best part of £500, in this neck of the woods, if you took it to a caravan repairer.  The materials for the job cost about £20, so it's labour you are paying for.  However, if you have found damp, it is better to fix it sooner rather than later - it spreads very quickly if you leave it.

Sounds like you got a lot of kit included in the price - well done.

will look near door for plate cheers

i'll be doing all the work myself :)

just need to find the best/cheapest place to get the mastic from.

all caravan shops round me want nearly £10 for 5m rolls and £7 for 300ml tube of sikaflex 512.

which would be alot more than £20 to repair lol

worked out all rails to reseal would be 147 foot of mastic roll + tubes (not sure how many tubes to get).

then theres the windows to reseal after i get new wall and roof boards.

was thinking or resealing the rails and rooflights first then sorting the inside and windows last.

after reading alot on damp repair i'v come to the conclusion of waiting (need to save up but xmas is coming up fast so moneys abit tight atm)

theres quite a few wallboards and roof boards been put in over the top of the old damp ones :(

the first thing im going to do is fix the floor then save up to buy all new wall and roofboards i think.

once i have the boards i will then redo all them and reseal everything last (going to reseal the front rail for now tho as this leaks a little).

cant find any plate with any info on it :(

how does the top cupboards come out?

cant seem to see any screws to remove them.