Cheers to the Mobilvetta

The Mobilvetta K-Yacht 80 offers much in terms of innovation, luxury and technology, but it’s what you can fit inside its garage that really appealed to this owner.

When it comes to listing the benefits of their motorhome, it’s not unusual for an owner to be impressed that their home-away-from-home can easily accommodate a six-pack of beer or a case of wine for happy hour, but it’s not often you hear about an on-board garage being just the right size for six kegs of beer.

But that’s one of the many things that makes NZMCA member Stewart Gebbie (#78593) a very proud owner of a Mobilvetta K-Yacht 80. To be fair, the beer is not for personal consumption. Stewart is a part owner of Te Aro Brewing and the motorhome doubles as a mobile office and transport to craft beer events around the country. 

The Mobilvetta has proven to be perfect for frequent trips from Tauranga, where Stewart lives, to Wellington, where the brewery is based. 

However, mobile business premises weren’t what Stewart and his wife Carolyn were thinking about when they started searching for a motorhome a couple of years ago. With a teenage daughter growing up quickly, they realised their days of family holidays were coming to an end and decided a long motorhome trip would be good for the memory books. 

“We thought we’d trap her in a small space with her parents where she couldn’t get away!” jokes Stewart. “At first we thought about renting a motorhome for that holiday, but when we looked at rental prices they seemed a bit steep for what you got.” 

The next plan was to buy a second-hand van and sell it once the trip ended. But as many motorhomers will agree, once they started looking, they discovered a whole new world. 

“There was a bit of scope creep,” says Stewart. 

Over several visits to Country RV in Mount Maunganui they discovered just how many options exist out there, with an ever-changing selection of motorhomes and caravans on show from New Zealand and Europe.

They found the ideal layout in the Mobilvetta K-Yacht 80 which features two living areas and two double drop down beds. There’s an L-shaped lounge at the rear, with a table that can be adjusted to dining or coffee table height, and a dining area at the front with captain seats and bench seating.

As its name suggests, there’s a bit of a nautical theme to the stylish interior, and plenty of storage, along with a roomy bathroom and separate shower.

It wasn’t exactly a case of justifying their decision, but as the possibility of buying new became more likely, Stewart and Carolyn started thinking about all the different ways they could use the motorhome. It would certainly be useful for ski holidays, with the underfloor heating and double glazing combatting mountain temperatures, but it was when they started thinking about using it for Stewart’s work that it really started to make sense as a multi-purpose buy. 

“The idea of pulling up to a beer festival in whichever city it’s at, parking the campervan, then going to work and having a few drinks afterwards without having to worry about going back to your accommodation, really appealed,” says Stewart. 

Being in charge of doing the books means Stewart can work remotely from home, but he heads down to the Upper Hutt-based brewery about once a month to check in on developments: “I don’t have to worry about finding desk space, I’m all set up in the campervan, I plug it in and I’ve got everything I need in there. It’s fantastic,” he says. 

The two seating areas means he has plenty of space to work, and the main bed can be lowered at the push of a button for a comfortable night’s sleep – particularly welcome after he’s been working on a stand at a beer festival. 

Stewart agrees it’s unlikely the European designers at Mobilvetta had his specific needs in mind when they worked out the motorhome’s dimensions, but it’s uncanny how well it’s worked out: “The garage at the back seems to be perfectly designed to take six beer kegs. It’s unbelievable how well they fit.”