What is the absolute dream transport for carting your watersports kit? With the explosion of winging do you even need a van anymore? With wing boards and wings taking up less space and easier to transport, van life gives you a mobile home on wheels, where the adventures are endless and you can retreat after a session and have a cuppa made on your own stove.
For many watersports enthusiasts owning a van is the ultimate symbol that you are part of the community of wave chasing, wind hunting board sports enthusiasts, all with a common passion and loving van life!
Whether you are squeezing your kit into your estate car and a roof rack or neatly compartmentalising and organising your kit in neat rows in the back of a van, the love for being on the water is the commonality, how you get your kit to the waters edge is a very personal choice and even asking the question what is the ultimate vehicle courts controversy as everyone has a preference on brands, budget and spec.
I chat to The Official Test Centre Pro-Rider, Scotty Stallman and get behind the wheel with his thoughts, drive this way to find the ultimate watersports vehicle! Scotty has designed and converted his own vans to his bespoke specifications and I guess that is the thing with the ultimate vehicle, it will be very bespoke to each individual watersports thrill seeking board lover! So let's sprint to it and not dodge the question!
By Emma Nicholson.
What is the ultimate vehicle for watersports. Is it a van?
Scotty said: "An articulated lorry would be pretty useful haha, but not very practical! The van is definitely the ultimate vehicle. If you are fortunate enough to have the room and money for a long wheel base van then that’s the one to go for. Something around six metres in length will allow you to fit all of your kit in and allow room for a bed and kitchen."
With the explosion of winging do you still need a van or is it the luxury of having somewhere to get changed, sit, have a cuppa and sleep still a big draw for watersports enthusiasts?
Scotty said: "Winging has definitely opened up an avenue for using smaller estate cars as the kit packs down much smaller than windsurfing for example. However, that being said, nothing beats having a nice big van to go to after the session. Packing your kit into a designated garage space then an area to get changed, sit down and have cuppa - you can’t beat it!"
What make is the best van to go for? Is it a VW, Merc or a Fiat?
Scotty said: "Its definitely down to preference, as all vans have their positives and negatives. But for me, you can’t beat the look for the VW Crafter and MAN TGE, especially in the dark grey colour way. Ive been lucky enough to have driven one for the past couple of weeks and I’m totally in love with it. Its just over six metres long but when you are driving it feels as if you are in a VW Golf, I guess that’s VW quality for you!
What is the ultimate layout for a dream van?
Scotty said: "It’s pretty similar to what I have now. A garage in the back, accessible from the rear doors. A bed situated above the garage area, with enough head room that you can sit up. A shower, kitchen and seating area is a must - and don’t forget the swivel captain seats at the front!! Oh and before I forget, definitely go for a diesel heater!! 5. Is it cheaper to convert a van yourself or would you pay professional converters? It is definitely cheaper to convert a van yourself, however, there are a few caveats to that. The main caveat is time, I think it took me nearly three months to fully convert mine from a panel van to a fully liveable camper. Fitting it around a work schedule and a craving to get on the water all the time didn’t make it easy. Having said that, I would definitely do it again on my next van, the reason for this is it just gives you a little bit of extra freedom to make sure it is exactly how you want it. The professional converters are very good at their job though and would have it done in one to two weeks!!
What is the appeal of a van, is it the freedom of travelling to the best spots around the country and the world.
Scotty said: "100%, its the freedom it gives you, especially for watersport enthusiasts who like to travel around and find the best conditions."
There’s a nomadic feel when you have a van and a great community is that one of the appeals of van life?
Scotty said: "There is definitely a great community when it comes to traveling and van life. But I guess for most van users, the love for getting in the water seems to follow that too. It’s cool to look around other peoples vans to see if you can get some new ideas for your current layout or even ideas for the next van project!"
What costs are people looking at? For a van?
Scotty said: "It depends how much you want to spend really…, you can buy smaller vans and do a budget conversion which can cost you from £5,000.00 to £10,000.00 or at the higher end you can buy brand new, fully converted Crafter with a price tag of £100,000.00 +. Crazy right!
What do you love about vans?
Scotty said: "I think if you piece together all of my other answers that’ll sum it up pretty well. I think for me though, one thing that really stands out is the independence it gives you. The freedom to travel where ever you want and for how ever long you want, you just can’t beat it! Oh, and it also means I have all my toys in one place!"
Drive your watersports vehicle down to The Official Test Centre and get out on the water. If you don't have a vehicle big enough to transport your kit, you can hire kit from us at The OTC! Call the centre on 07817 717904.
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