By Greg Williams
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When CW arrived at Scenic Caravans in Dandenong South, Vic, to have a Captain Cook (slang for a look) at this Captain’s Deck caravan, it wasn’t there. “Just out for a test drive,” We were told, “won’t be long.” Well, it was quite a long test drive, so the driver must have been happy.
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Scenic director Mark McGuffie said the happy customer signed up as soon as he came back with the van, but he won’t be getting the one he tested. Like a lot of people, he’ll order one exactly the way he wants it, with personal touches added.
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That’s the thing with Scenic’s new Vega series – they’re all custom-made, and what you see in the yard is really just there for display purposes, to show you what’s available. You’d be lucky to find two exactly the same.
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“The models here are used as a guide,” Mark said, “a bit like display homes, I suppose.”
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The Captain’s Deck is the biggie in Scenic’s Vega ‘centre door’ series, available in sizes over 21ft (6.4m).
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The other vans in the series are the Spinnakers, which start at 17ft 6in (5.2m) and go up to 22ft (6.7m). They have three major elements in common – they all have a centre door, an ensuite at the back and a pair of leather Captain’s chair recliners.
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At the front of the Vega is the island bed, which lifts up on struts to reveal a storage area (an ideal place for the matching leather footstools when not in use). In the centre is the kitchen and dining/lounge area, which has a detachable table.
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The custom-made swivelling leather chairs can be used for both dining and reclining in front of the TV afterwards.
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&nbsp;They can even be detached and taken outside, as they are not permanently fixed to the floor – and, no, they don’t need to be secured when you’re on the road, thanks to a non-slip base.
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Below deck
The caravan reviewed by CW is a 22ft 5in (6.8m) Captain’s Deck with a larger than usual rear ensuite to accommodate a 5kg LG washing machine.
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The toilet is located next to the washing machine and a large window at the rear lets in plenty of natural light and adds a feeling of space.
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In the corner vanity unit, a basin rests next to the full-size shower and has flick mixer taps, which also feature in the shower and kitchen.
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This van doesn’t have wall-to-wall mirrors in the ensuite – there is no need to use mirrors to create a feeling of space here. There is, however, one on the cabinet above the vanity unit and basin.
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The ensuite/laundry can be closed off from the kitchen/living area thanks to a sliding door, in the same rich two-tone timber as the rest of the interior, and with the same gold-coloured fittings – even the slimline powerpoints and light fittings follow this golden theme.
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At 190L the two-door compressor fridge is a big unit. The freezer sits on top and the doors again have the same timber as the rest of the interior panelling.
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Above the fridge is the Technika stainless steel microwave and to the left is a brilliant full-height slide-out pantry with stainless steel racks.
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What makes it even more useful is that it’s located right in the middle of the kitchen, so you don’t have to rummage through shelves and drawers while cooking on the Smev stove.
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Did I mention that this van was like a display home on wheels? This kitchen certainly wouldn’t be out of place in a display home with its Smev four-burner stove with oven and grill, 12V Swift rangehood that perfectly matches the stove, and a Sovereign stainless steel sink with a large draining area and mixer tap.
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Considering the size of everything else, bench space seems short in this Captain’s Deck caravan. However, the recessed stove has a lift-up cover, the sink can be covered and the return bench is accessible from three sides, so it’s unlikely you’ll run out of working space.
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It could be that the bench space seems small in proportion to everything else.
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The 17in LCD monitor is positioned on a swivelling bracket to the left of the sink and above the kitchen bench, and can be viewed from the dining/lounge area, or swivelled to watch from the bedroom.
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The stereo/DVD player sits under the glass-door cocktail cabinet on the wall opposite the fridge, between the recliners and next to the table, which can be detached for when you’re in lounge mode.
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The bed, as with all vans in the Vega series, is at the front. This particular van had a queen size bed with pillow-top mattress, and the bedroom has a divider to separate it from the rest of the van when you want more privacy.
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Once again, the rich interior colours follow through into this area but when it comes to colours and aesthetics, there are many choices – Mark says there are literally thousands of colour combinations available in the series.
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For a start, you can choose from over 200 Laminex colours for the benchtops, and the fabrics and fittings (such as the colour of the fridge) are also available in a huge variety of colours.
There are three colours to choose from for the recliners – black, tan or ivory.
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With a name like Captain’s Deck, Scenic is aiming for a nautical feel, and that’s carried through with the gold clock on the overhead cupboards above the kitchen sink.
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Apart from that clever slide-out pantry, the Captain’s Deck is well catered for with cupboards, drawers and lockers. In the bedroom there are mirrored wardrobes on either side of the bed, along with drawers, reading lights and powerpoints.
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The bathroom doesn’t have a huge amount of storage but there is enough for toiletries, and it is possible to overdo the storage space in a caravan made for two people. 
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There are overhead lockers on both sides of the kitchen/dining area as well as above the bed, and there is a low timber bench that runs along the side and under the table. 
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Interior lighting – apart from the LED entry lights – is 12V fluorescent, and there are halogen reading lights and downlights in the kitchen. CW’s review van has a 100A battery, accessible through a hatch from outside. It also has an Everpure water filter. 
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Up on deck
A nice touch to this van is the fold-down picnic table on the side, and picnics in the Captain’s Deck are sure to be luxury affairs, especially since those leather recliners can be taken outside.
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CW’s review van didn’t have an awning because it had just left the factory and it hadn’t been fitted yet. However, you can expect to find a burgundy-coloured 19ft (5.8m) roll-out awning on this model, which will cover most of the van, including the picnic table.
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The windows are all tinted and come with handy blinds, there are two skylights above the living area and a Dometic air-conditioner in the roof above the bed. A 12V Winegard antenna is also added.
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Exterior storage is provided with a tunnel boot at the front which, Mark points out, won’t leak. It also gives quick and handy access for long items from either side of the van.
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The galvanised chassis has a 6in drawbar and the Vega series can come on a variety of chassis configurations; from single axle for some of the smaller Spinnakers to twin axles for the larger ones, and have custom-fitted offroad suspensions as well.
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The tyres are fitted to 15in alloy wheels and there is sturdy checkerplate protection at the front and a colour-matched two-tone bumper at the back, which the spare wheel mounts onto. 
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Another smart move is using LED lights on the tail and side of the van.

The bottom line
The Vega series, and the Captain’s Deck in particular, is more of a lifestyle concept than a specific design.
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What goes into it depends on what is required and, as Scenic director Mark McGuffie indicated, no two vans are the same. The central design features of the series are the centre door, the rear ensuite, the front island bed and the recliners.
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“It’s been a development of putting together a full range of 17ft to 24ft vans, featuring the reclining chairs – giving customers that extra bit of comfort,” Mark said. “They are all custom-made and the chairs can be taken outside.
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“They’ve become a fairly exclusive line and are filling a niche in the market. The vans aren’t pulled apart and your requirements fitted – we start from the ground up with the customer’s design.”
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There are loads of extras, and they are limited only by your imagination – you can add a dishwasher, solar panels, any cupboard layout you want – even the ball weight can be adjusted to suit your individual requirements.&nbsp; 
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This caravan can be built for any voyage.
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For a van this size, the Captain’s Deck rides well with very little body roll, and having a gross weight of around 2500kg means it can be towed by large sedans and 4WDs.
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Prices start from under $30,000 for the Spinnaker to about $70,000 for the larger Captain’s Deck. The van CW reviewed came in at $64,500.
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For more information contact Scenic Caravans, 177 Frankston-Dandenong Road, Dandenong South, Vic 3175, (03) 9792 3718 or visit www.sceniccaravans.com.au
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We liked:
• Quality kitchen setup
• Laundry – nothing against laundries in caravan parks but this is impressive
•The added home comforts
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We would have liked:
• More fabric in the interior to give it a softer feel
• Air-conditioner in the centre rather than above the bed
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Scenic Caravans Captain’s Deck

External length: 22ft 5in (6.8m)

External width 7ft 11in (2.4m) 

Overall length: 28 ft (8.5) 

Overall height : 8ft 11in (2.7)

Tare weight: 2100kg

Ball weight: 125kg

Fridge: 190L two-door compressor

Microwave: Technika stainless steel 

Stove: Smev four-burner oven/grill

Washing machine: 5kg LG

Price: $64,500 as tested 
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Scenic Caravans Captain's Deck

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