hiall.am thinking of buying a single axle 6 berth fixed bed hobby.has anyone had any experience of them?
thinking of buying a hobby
- Thread starter steve_374370239
- Start date
If you are planning to tow it, make sure the size is legal to tow in UK with a regular car/4 x 4. The bigger Hobbys need a heavier tow vehicle here.
Models up to 540 (I think, or it may be 560) are ok. Max width is 2.3 metres unless you have a heavier tow vehicle.
Insurance can also be a problem on the wider ones.
Models up to 540 (I think, or it may be 560) are ok. Max width is 2.3 metres unless you have a heavier tow vehicle.
Insurance can also be a problem on the wider ones.
thanks for the advise people.a 540 is the one im after.have been told they,re a well built van but can be heavy.tow car is a citroen c8 2lt hdi.
sorry its a 500kmfe i,m after.2.3 wide so will be ok.has anyone got or had one.look a well built van.going for german ,cos i,ve heard they are quality and well insulated as we wish to get away all year round.any knowledge or experience would be gratfully received.
sorry its a 500kmfe i,m after.2.3 wide so will be ok.has anyone got or had one.look a well built van.going for german ,cos i,ve heard they are quality and well insulated as we wish to get away all year round.any knowledge or experience would be gratfully received.
_______
Yep, I can give you chapter & verse on the Hobby 500 - I owned one (and virtually rebuilt it internally, into the bargain)
Firstly - the layout doesn't work - it does in the bigger version, but not in 500. It's a (supposedly) 6 birth, with a fixed front double, two fixed rear bunks, and a further double that can be made out of the central dinette (which is arranged fore & aft, motorcaravan style.
Firstly, the only seating is on that central dinette (which is not actually wide enough to seat four adults comfortably) so you've got 6 nominal sleeping places, but only 4 seats.
That might not be too much of a problem if you have 4 kids, but there are other issues with the 500 kmfe.
For a start, the Germans don't have much to do with on-board showers. They don't use them, preferring to stay at fully equipped sites. In the case of the Hobby 500 this translated (in our case) to a shower tray that had no sealing of any description.
Worse, the shower tray was badly installed and required removal and refitting on a bed of silicone. This entailed removing the complete toilet/shower compartment - plastic ceiling panel first (disconnect all the lights). then the rear moulded panel, then the Thetford 'bench' WC and, finally, the shower tray.
Quite a lot of dismantling - and some elementary woodwork to rectify some of the shabbier bits of the Hobby construction.
I also took the opportunity to change the notorious Hobby water pipe 'crimps' - these leak regularly - and run under the tray, so they are not accessible unless you're already involved in some major DIY work on it.
You will also see vast quantities of electrical cable - I think Hobby use a one-size loom, and simply stash away the yards of excess cable on their smaller caravans
The WC/Shower wall is adjacent to the front bed - and the compartment wall was loose because Hobby had failed to screw it to the bed frame for support.
The fixed front double was a killer! - two separate 'sprung' mattresses which were ridiculously soft (the mind boggles at the thought of two stout Germans using it!)
On the plus side - bunks are very sturdy and the bottom one folds up to make a 'child's play area' Two small wardrobes/shelving units at the rear, one average wardrobe in the centre of the van - so quite a lot of storage space.
Masses of space under the fixed front double bed (watch the nose weight) which can also be accessed via an external locker door.
Nicely illuminated when on 240volts - but very dingy on 12 volts due to a lack of 12 volt lights (the Germans aren't big on 12 volt) You'll need to ad extra lights if rallying.
No gas/electric Truma water heater as standard - they supply a Truma Therme unit that is supposed to heat water via the hot air system !
Good exterior sealing, strong roof, attached ladder and an attempt at a roof rack.
Interior quality a bit flimsy - main problem is with that '6 berth' design in such a small caravan
anything else you want to know, ask away.
_______
Yep, I can give you chapter & verse on the Hobby 500 - I owned one (and virtually rebuilt it internally, into the bargain)
Firstly - the layout doesn't work - it does in the bigger version, but not in 500. It's a (supposedly) 6 birth, with a fixed front double, two fixed rear bunks, and a further double that can be made out of the central dinette (which is arranged fore & aft, motorcaravan style.
Firstly, the only seating is on that central dinette (which is not actually wide enough to seat four adults comfortably) so you've got 6 nominal sleeping places, but only 4 seats.
That might not be too much of a problem if you have 4 kids, but there are other issues with the 500 kmfe.
For a start, the Germans don't have much to do with on-board showers. They don't use them, preferring to stay at fully equipped sites. In the case of the Hobby 500 this translated (in our case) to a shower tray that had no sealing of any description.
Worse, the shower tray was badly installed and required removal and refitting on a bed of silicone. This entailed removing the complete toilet/shower compartment - plastic ceiling panel first (disconnect all the lights). then the rear moulded panel, then the Thetford 'bench' WC and, finally, the shower tray.
Quite a lot of dismantling - and some elementary woodwork to rectify some of the shabbier bits of the Hobby construction.
I also took the opportunity to change the notorious Hobby water pipe 'crimps' - these leak regularly - and run under the tray, so they are not accessible unless you're already involved in some major DIY work on it.
You will also see vast quantities of electrical cable - I think Hobby use a one-size loom, and simply stash away the yards of excess cable on their smaller caravans
The WC/Shower wall is adjacent to the front bed - and the compartment wall was loose because Hobby had failed to screw it to the bed frame for support.
The fixed front double was a killer! - two separate 'sprung' mattresses which were ridiculously soft (the mind boggles at the thought of two stout Germans using it!)
On the plus side - bunks are very sturdy and the bottom one folds up to make a 'child's play area' Two small wardrobes/shelving units at the rear, one average wardrobe in the centre of the van - so quite a lot of storage space.
Masses of space under the fixed front double bed (watch the nose weight) which can also be accessed via an external locker door.
Nicely illuminated when on 240volts - but very dingy on 12 volts due to a lack of 12 volt lights (the Germans aren't big on 12 volt) You'll need to ad extra lights if rallying.
No gas/electric Truma water heater as standard - they supply a Truma Therme unit that is supposed to heat water via the hot air system !
Good exterior sealing, strong roof, attached ladder and an attempt at a roof rack.
Interior quality a bit flimsy - main problem is with that '6 berth' design in such a small caravan
anything else you want to know, ask away.
thanks for sharing your experience of a 500.if buying a hobby its probably better to go for a dry box then.bathroom not really important to us as we always stay on well appointed sites.i guess a tabbert needs investigating.sorry its a 500kmfe i,m after.2.3 wide so will be ok.has anyone got or had one.look a well built van.going for german ,cos i,ve heard they are quality and well insulated as we wish to get away all year round.any knowledge or experience would be gratfully received.
_______
Yep, I can give you chapter & verse on the Hobby 500 - I owned one (and virtually rebuilt it internally, into the bargain)
Firstly - the layout doesn't work - it does in the bigger version, but not in 500. It's a (supposedly) 6 birth, with a fixed front double, two fixed rear bunks, and a further double that can be made out of the central dinette (which is arranged fore & aft, motorcaravan style.
Firstly, the only seating is on that central dinette (which is not actually wide enough to seat four adults comfortably) so you've got 6 nominal sleeping places, but only 4 seats.
That might not be too much of a problem if you have 4 kids, but there are other issues with the 500 kmfe.
For a start, the Germans don't have much to do with on-board showers. They don't use them, preferring to stay at fully equipped sites. In the case of the Hobby 500 this translated (in our case) to a shower tray that had no sealing of any description.
Worse, the shower tray was badly installed and required removal and refitting on a bed of silicone. This entailed removing the complete toilet/shower compartment - plastic ceiling panel first (disconnect all the lights). then the rear moulded panel, then the Thetford 'bench' WC and, finally, the shower tray.
Quite a lot of dismantling - and some elementary woodwork to rectify some of the shabbier bits of the Hobby construction.
I also took the opportunity to change the notorious Hobby water pipe 'crimps' - these leak regularly - and run under the tray, so they are not accessible unless you're already involved in some major DIY work on it.
You will also see vast quantities of electrical cable - I think Hobby use a one-size loom, and simply stash away the yards of excess cable on their smaller caravans
The WC/Shower wall is adjacent to the front bed - and the compartment wall was loose because Hobby had failed to screw it to the bed frame for support.
The fixed front double was a killer! - two separate 'sprung' mattresses which were ridiculously soft (the mind boggles at the thought of two stout Germans using it!)
On the plus side - bunks are very sturdy and the bottom one folds up to make a 'child's play area' Two small wardrobes/shelving units at the rear, one average wardrobe in the centre of the van - so quite a lot of storage space.
Masses of space under the fixed front double bed (watch the nose weight) which can also be accessed via an external locker door.
Nicely illuminated when on 240volts - but very dingy on 12 volts due to a lack of 12 volt lights (the Germans aren't big on 12 volt) You'll need to ad extra lights if rallying.
No gas/electric Truma water heater as standard - they supply a Truma Therme unit that is supposed to heat water via the hot air system !
Good exterior sealing, strong roof, attached ladder and an attempt at a roof rack.
Interior quality a bit flimsy - main problem is with that '6 berth' design in such a small caravan
anything else you want to know, ask away.
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