Castaway paradise bank2/28/2023 ![]() That leaves space in the rear for an east-west bed with bedhead set into the offside slide-out and a large bank of wardrobes along the nearside wall. If you’re not familiar with Paradise layouts, here’s how they work: the kitchen bench runs along the mid-offside with the fridge and microwave oven on the opposite side. It's also nicely upholstered in automotive grade leather and the table can be easily lowered down to make a second bed. Up front, the club lounge is very inviting – club lounges are not really possible in most motorhome designs but the Castaway’s matches the Paradise style and welcomes anyone standing close by to sit down and relax. The Paradise team is obviously confident that they’re on to a good thing. The less surprising aspect is that, from the entry door back, the caravan looks just like a Paradise motorhome! The surprise is that the layout is not the common front bedroom, full-width rear bathroom set-up. Stepping into the Castaway reveals one surprise and something slightly less surprising straightaway. It's sort of a tunnel boot and is deceptively larger than it looks. There are also storage hatches on either side which give access to the front under-seat area. In terms of external storage, there's only a small front boot but that's mainly for the gas cylinders. Windows are tinted and double-glazed Seitz items, whilst the door has a separate security screen. In a nod to Paradise’s motorhome origins, the Castaway has a slide-out fitted into the rear offside wall and it runs very smoothly. I really liked the colour scheme – white above with a deep burgundy below – in this case matching perfectly with the tow vehicle supplied by Paradise! The van casts a striking profile with its aerodynamic front which extends the front wall over the drawbar, increasing the van’s body length without changing the overall length. “Our method for assembly is a patented interlocking system that ensures build accuracy and strength and we believe, results in a caravan that is strong, quiet and very well insulated,” Ben said. Paradise says the structural foam is environmentally friendly, fire resistant and has incredible tensile and compressive strength compared with other composite foams. Like the floor, the walls and roof are one-piece composite panels but are slightly less thick at 35mm. Look closer and you’ll notice the water tanks and spare wheel are securely mounted in position underneath the van. It's all one piece, fully water resistant and incredibly strong.” “A major part of the caravans overall strength comes from the high grade composite floor, 50mm thick structural foam that is fiberglass infused. “Production caravans will have a galvanised drawbar, powder-coated suspension framework and high strength alloy rear frame section. Paradise general manager Ben MacLean explained: “We’ve designed a modular chassis that utilises a continuous length 150mm steel draw bar that runs in one length all the way to the first suspension member. In producing this caravan, Paradise’s approach of careful precision engineering, and not necessarily following what everyone else was doing, certainly brought about a few challenges.įor a start, a look under the Castaway reveals familiar Vehicle Components’ Cruisemaster independent suspension but also reveals an unusual chassis. ![]() All the obvious ones were taken but, in the end, it was back to the future with the name Castaway – the first motorhome Paradise ever produced.īut the name was really a trivial matter. Not surprisingly, proprietor Colin MacLean was keen to have a name that was relevant but different. ![]() ‘Touchpad’ sound system and light switchesĭeciding on a name for its first caravan model wasn’t the easiest task for Queensland’s Paradise Motor Homes.
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