The 15th International Portafold & Ansfold Gathering) (i.e. 2024)

Our annual gathering will be returning to the Newbury Retrofestival.

So put the dates 9th, 10th & 11th of August 2024 in your diary now and get those dates booked off work early.

Show Address: Newbury Showground, Priors Court, Hermitage, Thatcham, West Berkshire, RG18 9QZ

Don't book direct with the show organisers it will cost you more money, just contact me (07771544419) to get your pitch saved.

For Sale, NEW Portafold GRP Roofs. £625

Things you've sourced that are suitable for Portafolds or Ansfolds.
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Hang10man
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat, 11 Aug 2012, 4:19 pm
Location: Bude, Cornwall

For Sale, NEW Portafold GRP Roofs. £625

Post by Hang10man » Fri, 07 Jun 2013, 6:58 pm

For Sale, NEW Portafold GRP Roofs. £625

It is unfortunate, but necessary, that I must now take steps to source a new Portafold roof, as my old original roof is beyond reasonable repair. But where do I get one!? I can't source one anywhere, but I do, however, have a friend in the GRP moulding and production business who is willing to undertake the task of producing an accurate, good quality replacement.

Colin is a highly skilled & accomplished fabricator, responsible for the Toniq CB Sportscar, which you can see here www.toniqltd.co.uk

After reviewing my roof he recognised that the original roofs were flimsy and prone to distortion across their surfaces, of which subsequently, I see, a few members here have also discovered. This not only effects the shape, but eventually causes the roofs to crack. Colin feels that if he was to put his name, and reputation to the production of these items, they would need to be of better quality, stiffer and stronger, all the while without compromising in weight.

Construction:

A double lay-up of glass cloth will be used for the construction, within which, re-enforcement strips will run the length of the roof. This means that these mouldings will be stronger, hold their shape & be less prone to warping & sagging as their original counterparts are, all without infringing on the weight, or the original classic design. They will be finished in a White Gel Coat as standard.

The skill & workmanship of Colin's products are second to none, www.toniqltd.co.uk ,so you can be confident that these mouldings will be of an exceptionally high standard.

The price is for the GRP shell only. These roofs will not include catches, handles etc., but are made for you to transfer these items across from your existing roof. They will be of identical shape & dimensions, but superior in construction & durability.

I hope this proves of interest to anyone else out there that finds themselves in a similar predicament as myself. If you're interested, wish to learn more, or place an order, please reply to this post, or call 07762147148

Thanks, & happy camping.

Vaughan

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Admin
Posts: 860
Joined: Sun, 05 Nov 2006, 8:53 pm
Location: Christchurch, Dorset

Re: For Sale, NEW Portafold GRP Roofs. £625

Post by Admin » Sat, 08 Jun 2013, 3:52 pm

Vaughan,

Is it going to cost more than £500 to repair your roof? That seems quite a lot to me. I had loads of top quality repairs done to mine for the pricely sum of £150.

With regard to new roofs I've already got replacements priced up but mine were a tad more expensive due to having the original mold made. Once the mold was made the actual roofs weren't that expensive:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=346

Unfortunately though uptake was a little slow... to be exact, zero interest... ;)

I've found people aren't willing to shell out that much cash for one when they buy a whole replacement caravan for around the same price. I never say never though! Good luck.
Matthew
portafold.co.uk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wanted: Any original Portafold, Ansfold or Mini-Motel brochures, adverts or magazine articles.
Also, any chassis numbers for the above caravans!

Hang10man
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat, 11 Aug 2012, 4:19 pm
Location: Bude, Cornwall

Re: For Sale, NEW Portafold GRP Roofs. £625

Post by Hang10man » Tue, 11 Jun 2013, 8:05 pm

Matthew,

Yes indeed, that would be quite an expensive repair. Truth be known, when evaluating the roof, & considering the bowing, and the associated cracks that were appearing, we got to considering the notion of strengthening the roof as a whole

Then, with all the other touch ups on the edges & the like that were needed to bring it back to top condition, we thought, as indeed I see you have, of taking the opportunity to replicate the old with a Superior New. Maximising on all that time & effort to make good such an old, tired, & unfortunately damaged roof.

But, as you point out, the cost of producing a worth while mould is the crux. A substandard mould will give substandard results, but the cost of a quality mould has to be replicated somewhat in the final product. I was hoping that by offering them at a relatively fare price for the time, materials & risk involved, that maybe they would prove of interest, but I guess I am just less fortunate in the condition of my roof compared to others.

The other option Colin has suggested is to make a less robust mould. The quality of the cast & final product would still be the same, but the mould’s production life would be greatly sacrificed. It would only cater for 5 or so roofs max, so nearly not worth doing. But if there is an interest out there for a small number of replacement roofs, at a cost that’s relatively competitive (to a complete trailer as a whole), then maybe it’s still worth doing, & maybe we can revitalise the lives of a few Portafolds in the process!

What are anyone else’s thoughts on this?

Cheers,

Vaughan

1071kev
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu, 08 Oct 2015, 6:48 pm
Location: North East Scotland

Re: For Sale, NEW Portafold GRP Roofs. £625

Post by 1071kev » Mon, 15 Feb 2016, 6:14 pm

Hi Vaughan,

I've just bought a Portafold with a damaged roof and wondered if there had been any progress on your plans to make replacements?

Kev

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Admin
Posts: 860
Joined: Sun, 05 Nov 2006, 8:53 pm
Location: Christchurch, Dorset

Re: For Sale, NEW Portafold GRP Roofs. £625

Post by Admin » Wed, 17 Feb 2016, 12:26 am

Kev,

A boat repairer who is used to working with GRP could do all your repairs for a price much less than a new roof. Ask around you'll be surprised at how little the repairs can cost.
Matthew
portafold.co.uk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wanted: Any original Portafold, Ansfold or Mini-Motel brochures, adverts or magazine articles.
Also, any chassis numbers for the above caravans!

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