Time to Roam Magazine Issue 4 - August/September 2013 | Page 17

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features classic collections

(Top left) “Daisy” the backyard wonder – story page 19 (Above) John Hogan’s
Plonk (Below) 1930s raw but sophisticated camper.

2

Is it a Caravan?
Is it a boat? No,
it’s Plonk!

John Hogan fell in love with his compact 1994
Regal caravan four years ago, took it on two laps
around Australia, then started making plans to
build the ultimate “off road” vehicle.
The idea actually came to him on his travels,
whenever he and his travelling companion Polly
camped close to water.
“Being in the caravan gave us a similar feeling to
a small yacht due to its limited space and the rear
door. We would usually park each night facing the
weather, which is just what a boat does at anchor.
We started looking at rivers and dams with the idea
of taking to the water.”
Returning to Sydney to catch up with family,
John was soon in touch with a company making
boats for oyster farmers.
“A visit to their workshop and an hour or so of
discussion convinced me that I would have them
build an aluminium punt to a very tight tolerance to
allow me to insert my caravan inside the hull.
“I then began the task of cutting it off its rather
rusty steel chassis and making a number of
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Issue 04 Aug/Sept 2013

17