Cheap Jayco van heads upmarket

Jayco’s cut-price Starcraft range is now available with the same, slick composite walls as featured on the manufacturer’s range-topping Silverline caravans.

Only available until recently with more traditional aluminium sheet cladding and aluminium frame, Jayco is offering the fibreglass wall option on its entry-level caravan and pop-top range to meet demand mainly from families looking for an affordable family bunk van with the latest gloss finish.

Whereas the more family-focussed Starcraft models start below $30,000, the glossy, range-topping Silverline caravans kick off above $60,000 and are mainly aimed at couples.

Available as a $2000-2500 option on the Starcraft, Jayco’s ‘Tough Frame’ body panels are manufactured in-house and comprise a five-layer, vacuum-bonded ‘sandwich’, incorporating an aluminium frame, polystyrene insulation, internal and external plywood, and high-gloss fibreglass external finish.

However, to keep prices down the Starcraft van retains its insulated timber frame roof with one-piece fibreglass skin (as opposed to the Tough Frame roof on the Silverline), and ABS and pressed panels for the front and back rather than fibreglass moulds.

Re-introduced in 2009 as a cheaper option to Jayco’s more expensive fibreglass models, the Starcraft is now one of Jayco’s biggest-selling models, accounting for as many as one in every seven aluminium-sided caravans sold in Australia.

Jayco originally considered offering smooth-sided aluminium panels on the Starcraft, but rejected the idea after concerns about durability.

With as many as 10,000 RVs built every year at its Dandenong, Victoria super-factory, many with fibreglass panels, the move also further streamlines Jayco’s production process, as there is less manual labour involved producing and fitting the fibreglass walls compared to the old 'stick and tin' method.

The fibreglass walled option was revealed to the public at last month’s Sydney Supershow in the form of a three berth Starcraft 19.61-2 Outback caravan (pictured). Packed with extra features the display model had a drive-away, show special price of $58,343.