Hello All,
FWIW, we bought an Australian made SC-FF6 for our family last year, after seeing it at the Bris Caravan and Camping show. We fell in love with it based on a few things (ease of setup - I can flip it open without the painful winches, hard floor which is off then ground, heaps of room, welded construction etc etc.
We mainly travel in land and rarely do beach work at all. We have sold it within the 8 months we have had it for the following reasons:
Poor design: My brother in law says it was designed by blokes - built strong but without thought eg, the trailer cannot be accessed closed up as the struts cut across the door, so you have to open it up to access anything inside while in transit - you soon learn to become a smart packer. The drawers in the front storage cabinets slide out and clip the internal seal of the door and eventually cut through it after one or two trips - suggest a simple door latch to prevent it swinging back on itself would be a useful asset.
There are only 2 sets of lights in the van interior, both controlled only by a rocker switch on the control panel - so you have to hop out of bed to turn the lights on/off - a simple in line switch in proximity to the lights and your bed end (ie for reading) would go a long way. Oh, your main water tank is in front of the axle and the smaller in the rear this just adds to the heavy front loading which could have been offset if they were reversed. After a few months on the road we also noticed that the exterior front storage cabinets started coming away from the main body of the van - something was bending somewhere? Being steel makes them strong and did I mention heavy (see below), but as soon as you get a stone chip (even though we got the stone guard) it will still get them and it will rust - eventually you will start to get a great Ocre coloured streaks along your paintwork - something the alloy imports don't have to worry about.
Extremely heavy: The down weight on the tow ball is IMO extraordinary even when unpacked, god help you when you fully packed up you will need a heavy duty tow ball. We ended up putting another jockey wheel on as the one on it was too short and too flimsy - the new jockey wheel was a long reach one as we found most campsites had you at such an angle that you didn't have enough reach with the std one, not only that it started to flay outwards due to the excessive weight on the front draw bar. While they do tow well, they are heavy and so expect to be dropping into your power band when on any hills. The lead for lights and brakes is way too short and so an extension is needed. Oh I hope you don't have to take your batteries out while you own it - you have about a 1/3 turning space with a open/ring spanner (cant get a socket in there) and so will take you some time to get them out.
The redundant Features: The sink doesn't rely on a simple pressure switch to turn the water on and off when plugged in. You have to connect another lead so that the pump works - redundant feature IMO something the Black series doesn't have to do. When I ask the sales people why they said it was so that your water won't come on while travelling and inside your van - however your water is not connected while travelling - go figure!. Also your main pump switch is on the opposite side of the van to your kitchen.
The heater unit that was supposed to come with the camper was at that time experiencing problems so we were provided with a Cube hot water system - great in summer (when it worked) , no good in winter (when it worked) as it would only heat the water to 30C above ambient, so at 5C winter camping a 35c shower is not pleasant. To be fair to SCC, this is not their unit so they can't be blamed for the poor performance of the Cube
The Canvas Issues:
The canvas skirt on the pull out bed is way too short and barely grabs the first row of velcro on the underside of the pullout frame. In a good storm rain it comes in.
Speaking of water coming in I shall elaborate. The following is the main issue as to why we sold the van. After buying the van we did all the normal canvas prep stuff, ie set it up in the yard for two weeks, wet it 2-3 times a day and let it dry. Off for our first camp just north or Brisbane for a Fri/Sat night. Sat it rained and you guessed it the canvassed leaked - mainly at the stitching - fair enough it was still new and maybe needed further seasoning.
So at home - further seasoning and some seam sealer. It appears all good now. Off to the great Ocean Road. Storms at Merimbula on the second night - the seams leaked even more then before - all personnel at the ready to catch drips and mop up for 2-3 hrs.
Next day even more seam sealer and we should be right - wrong - still leaking. The remainder of our 3 week trip was spent each night shrouding the camper in a massive tarp - anyone seeking an experience of sleeping in a shopping bag in a windstorm should do this type of camping
Ok we are home again now and so get the camper professionally treated with the best water proofing agent (two coats just for peace of mind please) you can buy (still can't find my right leg after cutting it off to pay for the treatment).
Ok back in the saddle and out to Murphys Creek (near Toowoomba) for a quick camp. You guessed it it drizzled for the two days and well now all the canvass leaked as well as the seams - it was akin to being in a cave with dripping ceiling.
While back as the shop getting some spare parts I spoke to the salesman about the leaking (still under warranty right!) and he said to speak to the boys in the repair shop because they had experienced a bad batch of canvas and so worth getting it checked out. Three weeks later after dropping it off to the repair shop for a replacement kitchen - no luck with the warranty as they said they were not going to cover it. I suspect this is why they have now developed the next model with a built in tent fly set up that pops up with the canvas.
Look over all they are what they are (but for the price you would expect more) and I am sure that they have improved their design. But I would seriously look all campers with the above in mind and like someone has said earlier - if you can hire or rent one to try then do so before you buy.
Good luck with your search.
