Land yacht

By Malcolm Street

Motorhome conversions on Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans are very common. But there are a few motorhome conversion companies around that are run by people who have been involved in the marine industry, and the similarities lie in the effective and efficient use of space.

The Land Yacht, built by Custom Woodwork, looks more yacht-like – at least inside – than motorhome-like.

Custom Woodwork owners Dave and Annabelle Hunt have built yachts for years, and live on one of their own!

Outside

Based on the Mercedes Sprinter 313 CDI van, the Land Yacht looks no different from most Sprinter vans externally, with the exception of the colour – British Racing Green. The external light looks more like a ship’s porthole with a globe inside, rather than the more conventional fitting found on most motorhomes.

Three custom-moulded, flush-mounted exterior lockers are painted to match the bodywork. They are locked by a large Daimler Chrysler item that fits all lockers.

A peek inside the gas compartment reveals three nice and light 3kg cylinders held in place by a specially designed wooden ‘collar’.

More conventional items are the Fiamma F45 awning, multi-directional TV antenna and Electrolux roof-mounted air-conditioner.

Inside

Inside the Land Yacht things start to look very different. The layout is fairly standard: rear seats that convert to a double hammock, the ‘galley’ is amidships on both sides and the head (that’s yachtie talk for the shower/toilet) is behind the driver’s seat.

The shower/toilet door is large, and when fully opened closes off the driver’s cab so the air-conditioning only has to cool the cab area.

For those who like rearward vision, there are a couple of well positioned portholes.

The Land Yacht’s timber work is exquisite: mahogany galley and overhead lockers, hand-laid Burmese teak and silver ash-varnished cabin floor and curved cabinet beside the entry door. Even the window frames are solid polished mahogany.

The benchtops are carbon fibre-laminated, as are the bulkheads (walls and ceiling), and finished with solid mahogany edges. All seating is luxuriously upholstered in a full leather trim.

The galley is divided with stove on the nearside and the fridge and sink opposite. The ‘marine’ stove is a 316-grade stainless steel Broadwater two-burner hob with grill, oven and metal framework to keep pots stable in rough seas! The fridge is a stainless steel Waeco 110 litre 240/12V unit. Unsurprisingly, the sink and drainer are also stainless steel.

There are plenty of solid timber cupboards and the drawers are fitted with stainless steel piano hinges.

A neat little feature is the pop-up powerpoint at the end of the kitchen bench, but I would have liked a window behind the kitchen.

At the front end of the galley a beautiful half-circle storage compartment with two deep-lipped shelves can store easily accessible drink bottles and glasses.

Six people can relax comfortably in the lounge/dining area but the table is really just for two. When not required, the table sits behind the driver’s seat. There’s also under-seat storage, solid timber drawers and spacious overhead lockers. To set up the double bed, pull the red and green knobs at the front and slide the seats across.

The large, solid fibreglass shower/toilet unit has a cream gel finish, Thetford cassette toilet, separate sink and flexible hose shower. There are three drains for the shower water, thus ensuring a reasonably dry floor. The toilet roll holder even retracts the roll into a waterproof cover!

Apart from the easily-opened doors and windows, ventilation is supplied by a large Gebo marine hatch above the galley and the roof-mounted air-conditioner. There are few powerpoints and I’d like to see one towards the rear of the motorhome. Lighting is all 12V with marine-style fittings in the galley, halogen downlights in the ceiling and halogen reading lights at the rear. Hiding under a hatch in the teak floor is the deep-cycle battery bank.

Water is 12V pumped and the hot stuff for the shower and Flick Mixer tap in the galley comes from a Truma 240V unit.

Summing up

The Land Yacht is a different sort of motorhome and may not be to everyone’s tastes, but I am sure that Custom Woodwork will find its niche. This is not an ordinary Sprinter conversion and the internal timberwork is painstakingly beautiful.

It’s pricey, but a closer inspection reveals meticulous construction, attention to detail, pride and quality labour. For anyone who wants to do their yachting on land – this is it!

Contact Custom Woodwork: Factory 1, 4 Kelly Court, Maroochydore, Qld 4558, (07) 5451 0900.

We liked

Well finished cabinetry work

Easy operating bed

Neatly fitted-out galley

Leather upholstery

Plate and cup rack

We would have liked:

Window behind kitchen

Powerpoint in rear of motorhome

Swivelling passenger seat

Microwave oven