Aquavan

The Aquavan is a floating caravan made by Dual Edge Pty Ltd of Bayswater, near Melbourne, Australia. It is not self-propelled on land: it travels on a galvanised tandem trailer behind a four-wheel-drive tow vehicle, and launching is simply a matter of reversing the trailer down a ramp until the van floats free. Retrieval is the same process in reverse. Once afloat, it is driven by a 20 hp Honda High Thrust outboard.

Design

The living body sits on twin foam-filled pontoons joined by a cavity floor, which give the craft its buoyancy. Small open decks at either end are big enough for a couple of chairs, and security doors lead from them into a caravan-style interior. According to the July 2006 brochure the van is 7 m long (8.2 m on its trailer), 2.42 m wide externally, draws about 500 mm with the engine down and weighs roughly 1,700 kg, or about 2,200 kg with the trailer.

Two fold-out double beds sleep four adults and double as sofas by day. Standard equipment included a gas stove and grill, a 140-litre 12-volt fridge, a cassette toilet and shower, gas hot water, 120-litre fresh and grey water tanks, an opening skylight and a side awning. Almost everything runs on 12 volts, with deep-cycle batteries charged by an 85-watt roof solar panel, by mains power when connected, and by the outboard while it is running. Air conditioning, an oven, a 27 MHz radio and a rear bimini were among the options.

History

In December 2003 an Australian owner sent the archive photographs of his newly acquired Aquavan, describing it as one of the first examples made in Melbourne. The water pictures were taken on the Yarra River at Southbank in Melbourne, and he hoped to take the van to Perth to cruise the Swan River.