Post by franni on Aug 27, 2014 11:08:22 GMT
hello all
Boo and i just fell in love with Shirley and although we'd never heard of Safari caravans until 3 weeks ago we are now totally committed to a long relationship with her. she looked great on gumtree where we first saw her, even better a few hours later and just perfect in our own lovely garden a week later.
"oops, is that a little damp by the window?" closer inspection and a bit of poking and prodding led to tearing back some of her lining, then more as we discovered the extent of the rot and even borers in the parts that weren't damp. so guess what? we are now learning the art of restoration thanks to the generously shared information by members of this forum. she is now totally minus her front and we are rebuilding her from the frame. might take us a while.
shirley was manufactured in 1968 a pearman briggs 13/2 serial number 68624, she was bought by a retired Army officer and toured europe, the silk road through the khyber pass, pakistan, india and sri lanka where she and colonel x came by boat to Australia. bit of a gap in her history then but she was discovered by her previous owner in early 1980s who fortunately was a carpenter and bus builder. he restored her and they had over 30 years travelling australia. time takes its toll not only on caravans but also their owners, hence the add on gumtree and journey to our place. she was a bit pricey. i had been saving for my own funeral but have had to postpone that for some considerable time.
now for the hard work which is tempered by the delight in working on such a beautifully built caravan. we are in constant admiration of the superb craftmanship that is evident in her every aspect
not internet savvy so haven't figured out the photos yet. might email a couple to Brian if that's ok.
cheers
Franni and Boo
Boo and i just fell in love with Shirley and although we'd never heard of Safari caravans until 3 weeks ago we are now totally committed to a long relationship with her. she looked great on gumtree where we first saw her, even better a few hours later and just perfect in our own lovely garden a week later.
"oops, is that a little damp by the window?" closer inspection and a bit of poking and prodding led to tearing back some of her lining, then more as we discovered the extent of the rot and even borers in the parts that weren't damp. so guess what? we are now learning the art of restoration thanks to the generously shared information by members of this forum. she is now totally minus her front and we are rebuilding her from the frame. might take us a while.
shirley was manufactured in 1968 a pearman briggs 13/2 serial number 68624, she was bought by a retired Army officer and toured europe, the silk road through the khyber pass, pakistan, india and sri lanka where she and colonel x came by boat to Australia. bit of a gap in her history then but she was discovered by her previous owner in early 1980s who fortunately was a carpenter and bus builder. he restored her and they had over 30 years travelling australia. time takes its toll not only on caravans but also their owners, hence the add on gumtree and journey to our place. she was a bit pricey. i had been saving for my own funeral but have had to postpone that for some considerable time.
now for the hard work which is tempered by the delight in working on such a beautifully built caravan. we are in constant admiration of the superb craftmanship that is evident in her every aspect
not internet savvy so haven't figured out the photos yet. might email a couple to Brian if that's ok.
cheers
Franni and Boo