Q:
How
long will it take to build my Foldavan?
Much
will depend on your skills and workspace but expect about 50 hours to
build. What takes the most time is the varnishing or
painting, the actual structure is pretty quick to build.
Q:
How
much will a Foldavan cost to build?
It is impossible to say. There
are so many variables but it could be possible to build a Foldavan for
almost nothing if you use reclaimed timber and found parts or you can
spend a fortune and buy everything in.
Q:
Do you
sell a Foldavan kit?
Sorry no,
the Foldavan is only available in plan form. But don't let this stop you! All
you need is a jigsaw, a plane and a few other tools and you can
soon build one. It's great fun.
Q:
Isn't the skin easily damaged?
Woodenwidget
recommend a reinforced PVC cloth for the Foldavan as it is waterproof,
non stretchy and very tough. Looked after PVC has a very long life span.
It is very unlikely that during normal use you would damage it. And even
if you did it is easily repaired.
Of course if you are worried about the skin being damaged you can use a
heavier cloth but naturally this will make the Foldavan heavier. The
design allows for the use of almost any non sretchy fabric.
Q:
What is
the Foldavan's carrying capacity?
The
Foldavan can obviously serve as a covered trailer and has been tested by
carrying 75 kilos in addition to the weight of the Foldavan.
Q:
How
long does it take to assemble?
There are three modes and it takes a few minutes to pass from mode to
mode. So if you were in 'Road' mode and arrived at the camp site it
would take you less than 5 minutes to set up and that includes fitting the
headlining and mattresses etc.
Q:
What happens if it's
windy when I am towing?
You
have two options. You can unzip the side panels so the wind blows right
through or you can extend the Foldavan to Camping mode which will make
it much more stable but the added wind resistance will make towing it
harder.
Q:
How
much does the Foldavan weigh?
The
Foldavan weighs from just 30 kilos including wheels and tow arm.
In order to achieve this low weight it uses some special parts like
carbon fibre tubes and quick release alloy wheels. The use of other
materials may increase the weight.
Q:
I don't
have any experience, can I still build a Foldavan?
You do
not need to have any special experience, you only need very basic
woodworking skills, and a few tools such as a jigsaw and a plane to
build the wooden structure but you may need help making the wheel and
tow arm attachment. All this is covered in the plans and many
alternatives are suggested
Q:
Where
can I get the materials?
Q:
What
are the Foldavan's dimensions in 'Stow' mode?
The Foldavan is a simple design
that uses few materials in its construction. Most of the materials
should be easy to find wherever you are and in varying quality to suit
your budget. The plans include many links to help you find what you
need.
Q:
What
are the Foldavan's dimensions in 'Camping' mode?
Q:
What
are the Foldavan's dimensions in 'Road' mode?
2400 mm (7'10") long. 1500 mm (4'11") high 1150 mm (3' 9") wide (wheels on)
2400 mm (7'10") long. 1500 mm (4'11") high 750 mm (2' 5") wide (wheels on)
2400 mm (7'10") long. 1250 mm (4'1") high 210 mm (8 1/4") wide (wheels off)
Q:
Tell me more about the plans
The metric plans have about 100 pages and photos and even
bonus sections full of useful information. The plans come as a PDF file
and are about 8 mb in size. The Plans can be downloaded immediately from
this site via PayPal. You do not need to have a PayPal account, and you
can pay with your credit card. Upon completion of your payment you will
be given an option to either save or open the plans. Save the plans to
your hard drive. You will receive an email confirmation.
If you prefer the more traditional method of purchase, please visit
Duckworksbbs.com. It
may take a bit longer and it costs a little more but they are really
nice people to do business with.
Remember that we will plant 5 trees for every set of plans sold.
Click here to learn more
