Jim
Ringleader
By CHRIS GARDNER - Waikato Times New Zealand | Tuesday, 7 August 2007
Just days after the second compact vehicle rolled off the production line, Hamilton motorhome-building company owner Richard Booth says the company has the potential to more than double in size.
Mr Booth, owner of Boothys Vehicles and Motorhomes, said his eight staff could more than double to 20 within a year to keep up with demand.
"We can't build them fast enough," Mr Booth said.
He spent a year and $200,000 researching and developing a more compact motorhome than the average six-metre-long variety, for those heading into retirement or who were already retired.
"We do have a national company seriously looking at us building 30 for them, but we don't want to get overstretched and fall over," he said.
"What we are building no one else is building - no one builds small motor homes."
The family business' second motorhome, which took the staff of eight about three months to build, rolled off the production line last week. A further three motorhomes were on the production line.
The 3.4-tonne vehicle, constructed on the chassis of either a second-hand Mitsubishi Canter flat bed truck imported from Japan or a new Mitsubishi Fuso sourced in New Zealand, is 5.1 metres long and sells for either $100,000 or $120,000.
Instead of using fibreglass for the cabin, Boothys use an aluminium-based composite imported from Germany, wrapped around a wooden frame, which Mr Booth said helped keep the cabin cool in summer and warm in winter.
"The average motorhome wall is 25mm and this is 38mm," Mr Booth said.
He has aimed his product at older motorhome owners who were downsizing, or bach owners who could no longer afford to maintain their holiday homes.
The vehicles, which could be driven on a car licence, cost about $16 per hour on the road - including the road user tax for diesel vehicles.
Just days after the second compact vehicle rolled off the production line, Hamilton motorhome-building company owner Richard Booth says the company has the potential to more than double in size.
Mr Booth, owner of Boothys Vehicles and Motorhomes, said his eight staff could more than double to 20 within a year to keep up with demand.
"We can't build them fast enough," Mr Booth said.
He spent a year and $200,000 researching and developing a more compact motorhome than the average six-metre-long variety, for those heading into retirement or who were already retired.
"We do have a national company seriously looking at us building 30 for them, but we don't want to get overstretched and fall over," he said.
"What we are building no one else is building - no one builds small motor homes."
The family business' second motorhome, which took the staff of eight about three months to build, rolled off the production line last week. A further three motorhomes were on the production line.
The 3.4-tonne vehicle, constructed on the chassis of either a second-hand Mitsubishi Canter flat bed truck imported from Japan or a new Mitsubishi Fuso sourced in New Zealand, is 5.1 metres long and sells for either $100,000 or $120,000.
Instead of using fibreglass for the cabin, Boothys use an aluminium-based composite imported from Germany, wrapped around a wooden frame, which Mr Booth said helped keep the cabin cool in summer and warm in winter.
"The average motorhome wall is 25mm and this is 38mm," Mr Booth said.
He has aimed his product at older motorhome owners who were downsizing, or bach owners who could no longer afford to maintain their holiday homes.
The vehicles, which could be driven on a car licence, cost about $16 per hour on the road - including the road user tax for diesel vehicles.
