Leisure Line milestone

LEISURE LINE 1000TH CARAVAN
PROFILE
caravan party in the ’tron
Hamilton caravan manufacturer Leisure Line celebrates a milestone moment with the Bates family, workers,
suppliers and supporters. Editor Robyn and Bruce join the party
01
01 LEISURELINE 1000TH CREW
W
e got the
word there
was a celebration coming up for
Hamilton manufacturer Leisure
Line caravans, timed for production of its 1000th caravan
on Friday May 17. After some
consideration, we decided to
make the seven-hour drive to
share the atmosphere, and a
milestone for the company that
is great in these manufacturing
conditions.
To be honest a little consideration is required when you
don’t have a motorhome or
caravan to travel in. Driving up
in a car is just hard work when
you have experienced the joy
of pulling over for a rest and
a cuppa, or leaving at 4am
knowing you can stop for a
We decided to make the seven-hour drive to share
the atmosphere, and a milestone for the company
that is great in these manufacturing conditions.
snooze at Taihape, Ohakune
or Taupo, depending on the
chosen route this trip. A cup of
tea, watching a little ‘Breakfast’
show on TV, with a view of
Tongariro through the window,
now that’s a lifestyle. But we
could also combine the trip with
family visits, and a quick drive
to Pukekohe, so we headed up
the country.
I can’t say the day was stunner
weather-wise, but everyone
was jazzed to be having a day ›
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REVIEW
LEISURE LINE 1000TH CARAVAN
off work, the bbq was fired up,
food was planned for the day,
awards would be handed out,
and visitors were coming from
near and far.
Pride of place at the front of the
factory was the 1000th caravan
to come off the assembly line,
the Leisure Line Elite 8m. I
have reviewed the vehicle in a
little more detail in the
following pages.
Leisure Line has dealers
throughout the country, but I
think it was fitting that Tony
Stuart, accompanied by his
parents Murray and June
Stuart, from Christchurch
RV Centre, was the dealer
destined to take delivery of this
special model. Leisure Line’s
founder has a long pedigree
in caravans, and so does the
Stuart family, which has sold
caravans since the ’70s. Murray and June Stuart were on a
shopping trip of sorts in 1989,
looking for caravans around
New Zealand they could sell
from their lot in Christchurch.
They called in to see Colin
Bates at his newly set up
03
Pride of place at the front of the factory was
the 1000th caravan to come off the assembly
line, the Leisure Line Elite 8m.
02
02 CHCH RV CENTRE 1000TH LEISURE LINE OWNER 03 TASTED AS GOOD AS IT LOOKS
04 LEISURE LINE WAYNE AND COLIN ENJOYING SOME LEISURETIME.
CONGRATULATIONS
Leisure Line on your 1000th caravan.
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04
LEISURE LINE 1000TH CARAVAN
PROFILE
05
05 DEALER OF THE YEAR 06 GRANT FROM OHAUPO CARAVANS RUNNER UP 07 KATHY SHARES WITH VISITORS THE STAFF PROFILES AND SUPPLIERS BOARD
06
Ohaupo Caravans business.
Colin had just completed plans
for his first caravan build, with
strict guidelines from Merilyn
as to what worked and what
didn’t. An initial order was
placed, and sold immediately,
followed by an order for 10,
and a relationship started that
exists today.
It’s a relationship that has been
pivotal to the Leisure Line
company, which formed back
in 2000 to encompass family
coming into the business, as
Christchurch RV Centre has
consistently sold over 50 per
cent of Leisure Line-manufactured caravans until now, and
is the exclusive Leisure Line
stockist for the South Island.
07
It was a nice occasion to see
the Stuart family receive the
Dealer of the Year award, for
the 13th year straight year, I
must add. Recently appointed
manager of Ohaupo Caravans,
son in-law Grant Gordon, received the runner up award in
the same category.
The Leisure Line business in
2013 is still very much a family
affair, with Colin and Merilyn
Bates at the helm, while their
son, Wayne, has had the
day-to-day operation of the
factory in his control since
2008, and daughter Liz is now
the office manager. The factory
has around 36 staff, producing six models in the Leisure
Line Elite caravan range from ›
It was a nice occasion to see the Stuart
family receive the Dealer of the Year award,
for the 13th straight year.
08
08 FACTORY LAYOUT BAYS, A STAFF MEMBER BEING TAKEN UNDER A WING - LITERALLY
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REVIEW
LEISURE LINE 1000TH CARAVAN
09
10
Colin’s original ethos of green manufacturing
continues today, and the Leisure Line range
still uses an aluminium exterior.
09 LEISURELINE CHASIS 10 THE FLOOR GOES DOWN ON THE CHASSIS AND INTERIOR FITTING
COMMENCES
4.2- to 8.9 metres in length, as
well as two batch cabins, a six
and eight-metre option. It also
manufacturers for the Southern
Star Caravans company, with
a range of caravans aimed at a
European-style finish.
Colin’s original ethos of green
manufacturing continues today,
and the Leisure Line range still
uses an aluminium exterior.
Colin didn’t like the chemicals
involved in fiberglass production, which meant his Elite
caravans retain a timeless
Leisure Line look.
He learned early lessons from
warranty claims in the ’80s and
the result was an innovative
one-piece roof, fabricated in
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20 | www.rvmagazine.co.nz
SHOWROOM HOURS
Monday to Friday
8.30am to 5.00pm
WEBSITE & EMAIL
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[email protected]
Selectlok NZ Ltd. 38 Paramount drive,
Henderson, Auckland, 09 836 0964
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LEISURE LINE 1000TH CARAVAN
PROFILE
11
12
11 TREATED TIMBER FRAME, 3MM PLY INTERIORS, ALUMINIUM SHEETING ON THE EXTERIOR 12 THE
ONE PIECE ROOF FROM ITALY ELIMINATES MULTIPLE ROOF JOINS FOR POSSIBLE WATER ENTRY
Proud to be associated with Leisure Line
Caravans and their success, we congratulate them
on achieving this, the first of many milestones.
The walls are powder-coated interlocking
aluminium sheeting, which is easily repaired
or replaced.
Italy from large rolls of prepainted aluminium. Designed to
handle NZ conditions, the roof
has no joins and is peaked, to
allow water run-off to disperse.
The walls are powder-coated
interlocking aluminium sheeting, which is easily repaired or
replaced.
Water getting in is always the
enemy for the motorhomes and
caravans; this one-piece method has seen great results over
time. Recycling and the use of
NZ-produced or manufactured
goods, as well as sustainable
resources, are very important
to everyone within the company. Even the radiata pine
framing is from a sustainable
source, and the organic solvent
treatment ensures longevity.
Colin tells me only 20 per cent
of the products used to manufacture a Leisure Line caravan
are imported, if it can be locally
sourced competitively he will
go NZ made, a great example
of small businesses supporting
each other in the challenging ›
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Phone for your nearest
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www.rvmagazine.co.nz | 21
REVIEW
LEISURE LINE 1000TH CARAVAN
13
Need a new mattress?
13 LEISURELINE PLATINUM 6.5 METRE 2013 SERIES CARAVAN, CURVED INTERIOR LINES
Talk
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building your
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Need a new mattress?
The true success to this business is the close-knit
Talk to us today about custom
relationship
of the
family,
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mattress
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requirements
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together
equalling
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Leisure Line produce
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that’s why they choose
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Come
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see us
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Talk to us Mon-Fri
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customRd,
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0393,
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SUPPLIERS OF TIMBER COMPONENTRY
AND TIMBER MACHINING
Congratulations
to Leisure Line on
producing their
1000th Caravan
• Moulding • CNC Router
• Re Sawing • Sanding
• Dressing
• Componentry
• Flooring
Ph: 07 850 9317 / Fax: 07 850 9318
745 Te Rapa Road,
Hamilton, PO Box 10464
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22 | www.rvmagazine.co.nz
PROUD SUPPLIER OF QUALITY TUBE
PRODUCTS TO LEISURE LINE CARAVANS
25 years of experience in
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Interest
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Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm Sat 9am-2pm
Riverlea Rd, Hamilton, Ph 07 856 0393, [email protected]
caravan holidays and car club
rallies, picnics and car runs,
and Colin’s second passion,
V8s and Mustangs, infected his
son. Eleven-year-old Wayne
coveted his dad’s 1970 Mustang, with its 302 cubic inch
Ph 07 839 3767
Fax 846 0583
Curtain Warehouse Limited 1 Keddell St, Hamilton 3204
www.curtainwarehouse.co.nz
Happy to be working
alongside Leisure Line
and congratulating
them on 1000 caravans
Phone: 07 847 5333
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SHADES TRUCKING LTD
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LEISURE LINE 1000TH CARAVAN
14
16
15
PROFILE
(4949cc) eight-cylinder engine,
and he bought it from him when
he was 18. Young Wayne is a
quietly driven, high-achieving
man, and very busy over the
years learning the caravan
manufacturing business from
the ground up, starting with
washing and grooming as a kid
for pocket money, then graduating through the manufacturing and sales process over the ›
17
14 ANOTHER CLASSIC DESIGN CUE IN RECENT YEARS, COCKTAIL CABINET-STYLE GLASS FRONTS TO DEFINE KITCHEN CUPBOARDS 15 ALL LEISURE LINE MODELS SPORT THE USER FRIENDLY PULL�OUT PANTRY
OPTION 16 FIXED BED MODELS ENJOY PRIVACY CURTAINS THAT ENCOMPASS THE TOILET 17 BIM AND LYN DEWES (RIGHT SIDE LYN IN YELLOW, BIM WITH BEARD), HAPPILY SHARE THEIR CUSTOM BUILT LEISURE
LINE, WITH EXTRA LARGE ENTERTAINMENT AREA AT A MARTINBOROUGH RALLY. THREE PEOPLE HAVE LEFT AT THIS POINT OF THE NIGHT
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REVIEW
LEISURE LINE 1000TH CARAVAN
18
19
Today Coastal Motorhomes Ltd distributes
the thl range of Motek, KEA and United vehicles
and UK-imported Elddis caravans.
18 WAYNE COVETED THIS MUSTANG FROM THE AGE OF 11 19 COLIN IS WITHDRAWING FROM THE
BUSINESS, BUT NOT TODAY
C
olin’s history with caravan manufacturing goes back further than
1989, in fact he started in 1973 as
a welder/fabricator apprentice working on
chassis components for Tek Jesson, the
industry pioneer of Liteweight caravans.
Learning at the master’s knee, one might
say, he took to the industry like a duck to
water, to the point of buying a sales court
from the Company. He worked through
24 | www.rvmagazine.co.nz
years. He has also been quietly
successful as a Northern Premier soccer league player, and
very successful as a hubby and
dad to three children aged six,
four and two, with number four
arriving any day now.
The last 12 months have seen
the expansion of the premises
to encompass a new service
and repair shop, as well as
Muldoon’s infamous 20 per cent sales tax
in the ’70s, and was appointed as sales
manager at a sales court in New Plymouth,
where it came to light that he was also a
super salesman. As the market changed
direction over the years Colin was exposed
to all the facets of growth and development
of caravans, from working in a factory of
over 100, to design changes with pop-tops
and expander folding caravans through to
a Camec accessories and
supplies shop. All these steps
are working to keep this NZ
caravan manufacturer in business, and continuing to grow
as the largest manufacturer of
caravans in the NZ market.
Good on you all, a great family,
business and product, and our
congratulations and well-done
wishes go to everyone.
Portacom-style buildings and cabins. Over
the years he was also exposed to the development of the new foam wall, sandwich construction today commonly used worldwide
by many RV manufacturers. He contributes 40 years of experience to the Leisure
Line team, and he reckons that the rest of
the family and his workers combined have
tallied 200 years of experience working
together on the shop floor.