Club joker high top

[Ch1pbutty]

This is one option for mounting racks on the Club Joker High roof:

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I decided to DIY and installed some airline rails with Sika Flex. I'm very pleased with this as it works well and looks much cleaner. I use this for Surfboards and SUP's in summer and Snowboards in the winter with some Thule racks. In addition I hang an Ecoflow 220 watt solar panel on the side of the van when I need a little more power in addition to my roof panels:

View attachment 113083

Perfect! Did you use a pilot screw for positioning the rails whilst the silkaflex cured?

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

Perfect! Did you use a pilot screw for positioning the rails whilst the silkaflex cured?

I don’t believe so, but I had Matthias at TravelTech in Lucerne install them for me and do that part. I then sourced and mounted all the different mounts for my use cases.

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[The Merle]

Perfect! Did you use a pilot screw for positioning the rails whilst the silkaflex cured?

The joker is a great van, but comes down to how many people it’s for.
One or two is great, I think if you have kids it’s a little problematic.
As the lower bed is really for kids but that means you lose the living area when they go to bed.
If the kids have the roof bed then two adults will struggle on the lower.
It’s not as good of size bed as a cali or the nugget plus (hightop).

 

[BeeBee]

We saw two German reg vans leaving the Onich site as we arrived. Wish I could have seen more of them or even captured a pic.
VW’s and looked only slightly bigger than a Joker but the upper section was more integrated into the shape of the van, no slight overhang. Looked braw, anyone an idea what they could have been.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

We saw two German reg vans leaving the Onich site as we arrived. Wish I could have seen more of them or even captured a pic.
VW’s and looked only slightly bigger than a Joker but the upper section was more integrated into the shape of the van, no slight overhang. Looked braw, anyone an idea what they could have been.

Probably a Knaus Boxdrive XL, the van is a VW crafter (badged as Man). 6m long. See below link:

*AVAILABLE NOW* NEW MODEL 2023 Knaus Boxdrive 600 XL High Top Motorhome, Indium Grey - 3500kg, Automatic MAN TGE Chassis, 5x Berth & 4x Travelling Seats. Front High-Roof Bed, Rear Transverse Bed REF: 5727 - Harbour Creek Motorhomes - Your South Coast

www.harbourcreek.co.uk

 

[Ch1pbutty]

The joker is a great van, but comes down to how many people it’s for.
One or two is great, I think if you have kids it’s a little problematic.
As the lower bed is really for kids but that means you lose the living area when they go to bed.
If the kids have the roof bed then two adults will struggle on the lower.
It’s not as good of size bed as a cali or the nugget plus (hightop).

2 + 1 teenager….but for a longer stays in the Beach he now prefers to sleep on his own in an awning / tent. We tend to go to bed at the same time, so provided the Joker seat bed is ok for one it would work.

Hence the Boxdrive is appealing as gives him his own space without needing an awning, but might be a bit too long / wide for day to day use, and price wise it’s good value compared against some other vans!

I haven’t seen the LWB nugget high tops in UK (Rhd). So not sure they have released here.

 

[bgg1b]

Follow on curiosity question - The club joker high top now only seems to be available as 150hp variant (optional 4motion) - is this enough ooomph?

 

[larrylamb]

2 + 1 teenager….but for a longer stays in the Beach he now prefers to sleep on his own in an awning / tent. We tend to go to bed at the same time, so provided the Joker seat bed is ok for one it would work.

We used our Joker with our teenager and he didn't like the downstairs bed at all compared to the Cali.

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

Follow on curiosity question - The club joker high top now only seems to be available as 150hp variant (optional 4motion) - is this enough ooomph?

Mine is a 150 but tuned with Pendle Performance and 4motion. No issues for me and I am almost always fully loaded and go off grid and off-road.


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[Ch1pbutty]

Our 140bhp Beach had a Revo remap by Bognor motors, to about 170bhp.We now enjoy better fuel economy and a more mid range torque.

So can imagine would get similar results with the Joker. You can also get the auto box remapped.

 

[The Merle]

Found my t6 joker 150 fine, the t6.1 joker 150 did feel a bit under powered compared to t6
Had done 7000miles before I sold it so would have thought it had time to loosen up.

My kombi t6 204 was stupidly fast and powered up Glenshee/lecht!

Nope the nugget isn’t here which is strange, one of them is a lot cheaper and bigger than joker.

If your teenager is short then they will be fine with topper on lower bed. I’m 6.2 and lower bed was a big no!
Roof bed is amazing (massive), but it is just a bit awkward getting in and out when there’s two of you up there.
I would say it’s more awkward than the Cali roof bed too, as the Cali has more height by entrance.

Uk dealer aren’t the best when you turn up with a German VW T either.
Breeze in Southampton was great with my old t6 silver one.

 

[larrylamb]

Uk dealer aren’t the best when you turn up with a German VW T either.

Yeah, i thought mine had the 3 year warranty but it was only 2 as it was a German supplied van. Strange when they all come from same factory.

 

[The Merle]

2 + 1 teenager….but for a longer stays in the Beach he now prefers to sleep on his own in an awning / tent. We tend to go to bed at the same time, so provided the Joker seat bed is ok for one it would work.

Hence the Boxdrive is appealing as gives him his own space without needing an awning, but might be a bit too long / wide for day to day use, and price wise it’s good value compared against some other vans!

I haven’t seen the LWB nugget high tops in UK (Rhd). So not sure they have released here.

The knaus is supposed to be the most complained about manufacture, don’t know if it’s think I heard it on mmm YouTube so I would do a lot of research

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Bit of a thread resurrection but….

Mrs Chipbutty has decided that she wants an onboard toilet, so thinking of switching the Beach for a 4 berth Hymer elevating roof, or, Joker fixed high top. EV means that camper is now only used for camping / surfing and my local spots do not have restrictive height bars.

Does the Joker have fixing points on the side of the roof for a surfboard rack, photos of the roof seem to show a couple of blank lugs which must be for mounting something?

Seen a few vans in France on the motorway with boards mounted on the side, so wondered if these were DIY or factory fit? The vans have all looked fairly new so couldn’t imagine the owners drilling into their shiney new vans!

This Hymer pop top on a pitch near me is a beauty.

 

[66tim99]

This Hymer pop top on a pitch near me is a beauty.

View attachment 113093

A peach, but I wish they'd do a sub-2m one

 

[Corradobrit]

The knaus is supposed to be the most complained about manufacture, don’t know if it’s think I heard it on mmm YouTube so I would do a lot of research

Nope not MMM. It's Alan Heath who has an issue with Knaus.

 

[The Merle]

I think all camper/Motorhome manufacturers have their off days.
My old t6.1 joker was definitely westfalia off day!
A posh new van doesn’t mean it will be better than a second hand one I learnt that

 

[soulstyledevon]

This Hymer pop top on a pitch near me is a beauty.

View attachment 113093

I’ve not seen a Hard-top yet which would suit a family. The beds always look too small for anything other than toddlers.

Our Hymer roof is really good, much bigger than a California and the fact it’s manual to raise and lower is better too. Plus you can store blankets and stuff up there when it’s closed.

If you’re a family of 3/4. A Poptop on a big van is a game changer…

 

[Julie and Archie]

Hi

After lots of researching and reflection, I’ve just swapped to a Kepler one. (Would change on account but can’t work out how to do). Having a fixed loo is fabulous. Shower great too as well as hot water. Really like the lounge area too and ability to ‘walk around’. Downstairs bed is really comfy - better than Cali, but a lot more work than flipping a rock and roll bed. Acclimatising to not having the enormous boot area in the Cali. Its horses for courses really. I find the Kepler a more comfortable experience than the Cali but still sized so can be my only transport. Missing the ‘van’ part of the Cali though, it’s sturdiness and it’s surprising how much I used it for transporting stuff. Slightly worried about having a rare German camper conversion though.

 

[ArunAlec]

Hi

After lots of researching and reflection, I’ve just swapped to a Kepler one. (Would change on account but can’t work out how to do). Having a fixed loo is fabulous. Shower great too as well as hot water. Really like the lounge area too and ability to ‘walk around’. Downstairs bed is really comfy - better than Cali, but a lot more work than flipping a rock and roll bed. Acclimatising to not having the enormous boot area in the Cali. Its horses for courses really. I find the Kepler a more comfortable experience than the Cali but still sized so can be my only transport. Missing the ‘van’ part of the Cali though, it’s sturdiness and it’s surprising how much I used it for transporting stuff. Slightly worried about having a rare German camper conversion though.

You should be able to update your vehicle details…….
click on your name at the top of the page, then click on your name on the pop up. Your details should appear and if you click on “about” you should be able to change the vehicle details.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Hi

After lots of researching and reflection, I’ve just swapped to a Kepler one. (Would change on account but can’t work out how to do). Having a fixed loo is fabulous. Shower great too as well as hot water. Really like the lounge area too and ability to ‘walk around’. Downstairs bed is really comfy - better than Cali, but a lot more work than flipping a rock and roll bed. Acclimatising to not having the enormous boot area in the Cali. Its horses for courses really. I find the Kepler a more comfortable experience than the Cali but still sized so can be my only transport. Missing the ‘van’ part of the Cali though, it’s sturdiness and it’s surprising how much I used it for transporting stuff. Slightly worried about having a rare German camper conversion though.

Let’s see some pics when it arrives
I love the Joker, but not sure how it would work for us, loosing the boot.

 

[Wondering Star]

Been really happy with Hymer/ Mercedes quality.
Only downside is servicing costs, service plans no longer available through Mercedes UK on European vans.(All Hymer vans are supplied from Mercedes eu) thankfully 3 yrs warranty still valid, not sure if that's the case on new vehicles being purchased now.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Been really happy with Hymer/ Mercedes quality.
Only downside is servicing costs, service plans no longer available through Mercedes UK on European vans.(All Hymer vans are supplied from Mercedes eu) thankfully 3 yrs warranty still valid, not sure if that's the case on new vehicles being purchased now.
View attachment 113137

Mega…

 

[Corradobrit]

Been really happy with Hymer/ Mercedes quality.
Only downside is servicing costs, service plans no longer available through Mercedes UK on European vans.(All Hymer vans are supplied from Mercedes eu) thankfully 3 yrs warranty still valid, not sure if that's the case on new vehicles being purchased now.
View attachment 113137

Saw one of these last weekend. Nice bit of kit.

 

[soulstyledevon]

@Wondering Star was that you heading south on the M1 this evening…?