Soykar Trailer

[Andrew Gibbens]

This turned up on the Teardrop forum and I thought some people might like to see these molded fiberglass* trailers from Turkey - Soykar Caravans.





They do look mighty strange, but maybe they're just an acquired taste.... They say that they are one-piece molded bodies and I think they are, despite what looks like a joint along the top edge.

Andrew

* In view of the regional US pronunciation thread, do I get extra marks for not writing 'moulded glassfibre' as it is spelt in British English?

[Benita]

I love the hardwood floors, curved cabinets and bath.

[Donna D.]

The interior is absolutely exquisite...but that exterior

[Frederick L. Simson]

I like it! If you thought a Scamp was an attention-getter, this would really draw the lookie-loos.

[Charlie C]

T@B on steroids????

[Bill MacDermod]

conversions, conversions, conversions. I tried some quick conversions and the 450 comes out about 17'3" in length, the width looks like 7'4" and the interior height about 7'4" weighs in about 2700 lbs using the average of the 2 numbers given.

The 570 looks to be about 20' 6" in length, about the same width and about 4,080 lbs, the aisles look to be about 17" inside.

Come on you Canadians give us a hand, do those figures look to be ballpark???

[Charlie C]

Item..........450..........570
Length.......17'7".........20'8"
Body.........15'5".........18'9"
Width..........7'2"..........7'2"
Int Ht..........7'..............7'
Dry Wt.......2225........3540
Grs Wt.......2888........4210
Ext Ht.........8'10"........9'1"
Wtr Tank.....31.5g......31.5g
BathRm......49x29......52x33

I cheated & used a calculator, I still use real units of measure

[BOBSMITH]

It does look strange from the outside, but the interior is just amazing!

[Joe MacDonald]

it would appear to be an odd combination of moulded panels, if I read this FAQ from their site correctly:
" 72. How do you make the massive body?
We can have massive body because all parts of the caravan have moulds. All surfaces are manufactured like one piece panels not likepartial panels. The fiberglass side profile is mounted on both walls in order to close the open gaps on the sides after all surfaces are mounted. In order to unite the surfaces, we do not use screwing method. We stick polyester and fiber to each other which is the raw material of fiberglass. The massive body is preferred in order to lower the number of connection parts. The reason of that is screwed connection parts may open in time because of shock. "
However, I wouldn't turn one down with that extravagant interior, as long as I got a new Tug to go with it. Check the towing requirements:

"14. What must be the hp of the car that will pull the caravan?
A 1300 cc motor and upper, 90 hp and upper is advised for the Soykar 310.
310 Unequipped Weight kg 680 (1720 lbs)
Total Weight Capacity kg 790/940
Passenger Extra Load kg 110/260
Bedding Capacity 3

A 1600 cc motor and upper, 100 hp and upper is advised for the Soykar 450.
450 Unequipped Weight kg 1010 (2565 lbs)
Total Weight Capacity kg 1160/1310
Passenger Extra Load kg 150/300
Bedding Capacity 4

A 1800 cc motor and upper, 120 hp and upper is advised for the Soykar 570. "
570 Unequipped Weight kg 1560 (3962 lbs)
Total Weight Capacity kg 1760/1910
Passanger Extra Load kg 200/350
Bedding Capacity 4

way different from the tow specs we use as minimums.

[jack maloney]

Interesting cultural detail: click on the photo of the toilet. Notice the little spigot at the back of the bowl just below seat level. This is characteristic of Turkish toilets, which usually have a built-in 'bidet' feature for cleansing one's bottom. Actually more sanitary than conventional Western methods!

[Lee Hillsgrove]

way different from the tow specs we use as minimums.

The Europeans treat towing far differently than we do in N. America. It's not unusual to see very small cars pulling "caravans" sized far in excess of what we would consider acceptable here. If you look at Euro towing capacities of models common to both continents, the Euro numbers are almost always bigger. The litigious nature of America dictates lower limits to accommodate the lower levels of common sense and propensity to sue in case of an accident, it would seem.

[Brian B-P]

It does look a little like a T@B, because (like a T@B ) it has the classic "canned ham" body shape (imagine an actual canned ham, on its side...) composed of flat sides and bent-panel front/top/back, but with a squared-off tail. I think this makes a lot more sense than the full teardrop treatment. It looks best to me in the little 310 model. Of course, the panels of the T@B are assembled to each other and the framing with fasteners and trim, not bonded together like this one.

As usual for European designs, the axle is very nearly centred in the body (rather than significantly behind the centre like our Bolers et al) to produce their preferred low tongue weight.

In case anyone didn't notice, there is a link at the top of the page labelled "Click for watching the advertorial" which provides a 12-minute streaming video movie which shows off the construction details of this model series quite well (then also shows their larger trailers and portable/modular structures), although I'm still not sure exactly what the suspension is.

As Joe noted, the construction is interesting: the trailer has a welded metal (presumably aluminum) structure and the body panels are bonded to each other with more glass and resin, as described. Is this really "moulded"? The end result is painted (or gelcoated by spraying, not in a mould). The other detail I noticed in the video is a slick table folding mechanism.

I'm sure Charlie's conversion calculations are right - they certainly look reasonable. I use real units of measure (the ones used for most serious work - metric), but often to convert to pounds and inches for this forum, because that's what people seem to be expecting. I have taken the liberty of copying his table here and adding the 310 model:
Item..........310..........450..........570
Length.......12'10".....17'7".........20'8"
Body.........10'2".......15'5".........18'9"
Width..........6'5" ........7'2"..........7'2"
Int Ht..........6'11".......7'..............7'
Dry Wt........1496.......2225........3540 (lb)
Grs Wt....... 2068.......2888........4210
Ext Ht.........8'8"..........8'10"........9'1"
Wtr Tank.....23.6........31.5........31.5 (USgal)
BathRm......49"x29"....49x29......52x33

The 310 has sort of a reverse-direction version of the classic Trillium or Boler 1300 layout, but still squeezes in the bathroom without giving up either seating/sleeping area (they use a fixed bed and two-person dinette) - that's one packed unit!

If this one is considered strange looking, then Airstreams latest oddity (the Basecamp) must be as well.

[Gina D.]

ah yes, the Basecamp...

Just the basics: keeping the weight and price tag down, the BaseCamp is minimally outfitted. On the market in the Fall of 2005, MSRP is expected to remain under $20,000.

All the expense and weight of an Airstream, but none of the amenities, and all the hassle of a tent trailer! What a deal!

This thing is over 2k lbs, according to the brochure, and is bare bones.

[Roger H]

Ahh... Gina... but it's built by Thor and says "Airstream" on it. It's unusual looking and many, many folks who have more money than common sense will jump at the chance to be separated from it!

Roger

Far more than I would have expected in a Turkey Egg.

[Rand]

Darn, shucks and heck!

When I looked at the Basecamp I immediately thought 'Horse Trailer'! I sure wish I had a picture of it to post! Our daughter had one just like it about ten years ago when we had to suffer through owning a horse! It was green though...cost about 800 used (dollars not thousands).

The Soykar kind of grows on your eyes after a while...kinda cute.

Randy in the SC pineywoods

[Donna D.]

Far more than I would have expected in a Turkey Egg.