Shock horror no full height rear panel

[otherclive]

I have been looking at various Knaus models and came across a Practical Caravan review of the Starclass 480. It got a good review albeit with some criticism that it did not have a full height rear panel. But I bet the rear arrangement wasn’t as susceptible to ABS panel cracking as are those vans with full height panels. Trust a German make to combine form and function.

 

[PTA]

They are very nice. You get what you pay for...which is quite a lot.

 

[JTQ]

Did they detail what the failings of not featuring a full height rear panel are?

Has not proved a failing with our dry twelve year old Hymer so far, what should I be getting worried about?

 

[otherclive]

Did they detail what the failings of not featuring a full height rear panel are?

Yes. Aesthetic. You would expect a full height panel on a caravan of that price was one of the comments. I would agree that it doesn’t look as glitzy as UK caravans but whose going to see it the most? The following traffic mainly.
When caravans had a roof seam lower down on front or back you didn’t read or hear of cracks. Admittedly they might leak but repairs if caught early were not expensive and a good DIYer could do it themselves, certainly no where near the money required to replace a full height cracked panel panel. And damp ingress policies wouldn’t exclude the “ old style “ seam joints, which given today’s bonding and sealing technology could be miles better than the ones of yesteryear.

 

[JTQ]

Thanks Clive, I personally would far rather the integrity aspect of the design was "right", than having what in some eyes might be thought a pretty rear end.

 

[otherclive]

Thanks Clive, I personally would far rather the integrity aspect of the design was "right", than having what in some eyes might be thought a pretty rear end.

There’s an obvious response to your comments, but I don’t want to get a smacked wrist.

 

[Buckman]

We had a good gander around a Starclass with an island bed about 3 years ago and admit it was built solidly. Sadly the blinds never covered the window and left a large gap at the bottom. Went to use the skylight blind and it came away from the runners. For the price they wanted it was a very basic caravan and just about everything was an extra making it a lot more expensive than an equivalent top of the range British caravan.

 

[Raywood]

Provided it is sealed correctly then I see no problem with the seam. It is a matter of opinion on the appearance, but I saw nothing wrong with it on the ones I checked out at shows.
They look very well built, but with that comes weight, but if you can afford something big enough to tow it, that is probably not a problem if the rest suits you.