# Facilities abroad. Will an electric heater and no shower do?



## 92961 (May 1, 2005)

I'm busy equipping a 3.5 ton combined horsebox/motorhome (it looks more like a motorhome!) but due to difficulties installing gas pipes and flues, etc., because of the vehicles construction (glassfibre inner and outer walls with an aluminium frame and insulation between), my wife seems to think we can manage with a mains electric heater from a hook-up, no gas water heater and no shower in the vehicle, using site facilities instead. I'm putting a loo in, though! This would make equipping it far easier! We have toured by caravan before, mainly in the UK and once in France and mainly used CC sites in the UK and I think we only ever used the 'van shower when on a couple of CL's and used the electric option on the heater with a hook-up. We feel that if we can find similar sites abroad then there will be no difficulty. I thought I'd ask more experienced members their opinions on foreign touring. We'd be mainly in France, Switzerland Italy and Austria and occasionally early in the season. Would hook-ups in general provide enough wattage, say, 1Kw? Thanks in advance for any advice.


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## Boff (May 10, 2005)

Hi Eddie,

as long as you only go on official camp sites the services provided regarding showers, loos and facilities to do dishwashing should be OK. However you have to avoid most of the dedicated motorhome sites (called "Stellplatz" in Germany, "Aire" in France and so on). 

A problem will be the heating, though: You will find sites where the electric hookup is limited to 4 Amps corresponding to about 900 watts. Or even lower! And, if it gets really below freezing point outside a 1 kW heater will be insufficient for your van. So you should at least fit a heating system which can run independent of mains power. So either propane or diesel based.

Something different: I know that some site owners are quite critical about pets. I have no idea what they will say if you show up with a horse... :wink: 

Best Regards,
Gerhard


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## 92961 (May 1, 2005)

*Horsing Around*

Hi Gerhard, 
Thanks for that, about what I expected, back to Plan A with a gas heater - maybe! The vehicle isn't used as a horsebox at the same time!
We saw a dedicated motorhome site (a car park in the middle of a town in the Alsace) last August. Can't remember the name, but there were storks on the rooftops!
The only outward difference to a motorhome is that on the left side is a ramp with a hatch above it and it's a little higher than normal. To use as a motorhome, we will remove the horsey floor and wall mats and partitions, which were designed from the outset to be fully removable and clean the vehicle, which doesn't get too bad because we use thick rubber mats with a very absorbent granular bedding material. We also have thin rubber compound wall mats secured with strong Velcro. Then the floor and walls are washed (made of smooth glassfibre so it's very easy) and then we will carry in the furniture - seat/bed unit and cupboards. The toilet compartment and kitchen will be permanent fixtures. We only carry one horse when it's used as a horsebox and he stands just inside the ramp and can't reach any of the fixtures. He's a very good boy anyway and very well behaved. If anyone is interested in this concept then contact me and I'll send photos. The vehicle was made near Norwich in England and the company is the leading maker of small fibreglass vehicle bodies in the UK. Also might be a useful contact for anyone who wants to build their own customised vehicle, maybe to carry a motorcycle, invalid scooter, etc. The company doesn't equip motorhomes so that would be DIY, as in my case. We had double glazed motorhome windows fitted to the base vehicle recently by the body maker and I'm just starting to equip it. Most people can't afford a motorhome and a horsebox, so this seemed a good idea.. EF


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## Anonymous (Nov 10, 2000)

Hi EddieF,

Any chance of posting photos of your motorhome/horsebox on this site? I'm intrigued!


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## 92961 (May 1, 2005)

*Still Horsing About*

Hi Dickle,
I've uploaded three photos to the Photo Gallery under 'Members and their Motorhomes' and 'EddieF'. I don't yet know how to upload a photo to a forum message. 
The base vehicle is a 3 year old low mileage Vauxhall Movano (aka Renault Master) lwb with an 'Aero' body, which is/was an option from Vauxhall. The body maker added side skirts, personal door, glassfibre sheet lining and insulation to sides and roof and replaced the rear roller door with a blank panel, all of which they offered as options on new bodies. The ramp, hatch and windows were all new to them, as was making a horsebox, but they have since gone into production of 3.5 and 4.3 ton horseboxes! Loo/shower (maybe) is going in back offside corner, kitchen 'L' shaped along back and shower cubicle side. Loo cassette accessed through rear tack locker hatch. The floor has been lowered in the horse area (2m x 2.2m) and is the original height at the rear. Body is 4m long by 2.2m wide. Any questions, just send a PM (is that possible here...?) or post.
Eddie


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Hi Eddie,

Just had a look at your photos and it looks great, a true multipurpose vehicle. I particularly like your 'personalised' Number Plate!

Was the aire you saw at Kayserberg in the alsace by any chance?

I also think there are a few Caravan Club CL's that accept horses (don't larf) so it would be possible to combine your interests.

Looking forward to stories of the build,

pete.


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## 92961 (May 1, 2005)

*Horsing about in the Alsace*

Hi Peejay,
Yes, it was at Kayserberg, now you mention it. I remember taking some video footage of the storks but my memory is poor when it comes to names. What a surprise to see 20+ motorhomes all parking up for the evening near a town centre, they obviously have a different regard to motorhoming there. There are plenty of them, that's for sure.
We went to Germany in August to collect a new Hobby caravan which we'd been waiting for since the previous November. I'd had a couple of angry altercations with the dealer over delivery times as they told me March when they took my deposit, so I wasn't too happy with them. When we got there they had ordered a standard model, not the one with the extras I'd ordered and paid for, so we stuck it to them and left with a refunded deposit. The horsebox was due to be collected on the way home, so the caravan was no great loss. As Alsace was close, we nipped over the border for a few days B&B. What a lovely area. We'd been before in '97 and this time stayed in St. Hippolyte and discovered that we were in the home of the current Miss France, but she wasn't at home - pity! I'd have enjoyed a guided tour...
I've fitted out a horsebox before, a 7.5 tonner with shower, kitchen and bed so this won't be too arduous as I have more room to play with. I just wish the bits weren't so overpriced.. EBay here I come - again! 
(We couldn't possibly take a horse with us anywhere and still use anything but the kitchen & loo, the vehicle just isn't big enough with His Nibs aboard! And it would be a bit whiffy...). 
For anyone following this thread who is interested in horses, the vehicle is equipped to carry two horses but would be over the weight limit with two on board - we only carry one. The maker has developed another 3.5 tonner that will be just under the weight limit but he is also to produce a new Transit based 4.3 tonner which would be better, IMHO. People who passed their driving test after 1997 can only drive up to 3500Kg on their present car license, so for some its critical. I believe there's talk of a demountable in the future, which I think is a great idea. One chassis cab, as many bodies as you want, motorhome, box van, flatbed, you name it..
EF


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