Community Forums

castlemusic · 03-30-2020, 04:22 AM

Thanks for all the nice comments. It's been a fun project to work on!

I like the idea of a small bookcase in the bunks for the kids!

To answer the questions about seatbelts, I ordered them from here:
https://www.seatbeltsplus.com/product/1201-90.html
I used lag bolts to screw them down into the plywood floor.

I've been working on staining the dinette - so time consuming!

I have some more mods to post - will do so soon!

denverh · 03-30-2020, 07:28 AM

My fw storm 32bh will sleep 9. God help the bathroom though. It’s a gas f53 which we now have 60,000 mi and have been cross country Nj to Ca and return twice and for several snowbird seasons to fl. Drop down queen over driver area, dinette(full), jackknife(maybe 2 little ones), 2 bunks, Queen in back. Not a dolly but pulled the Rockies great. Tow a car when we go south without a problem. Only mh I’d replace it with is a tiffin allegro 35qba which I really like. Bwt beautiful work. Great to see such creative, talented folks sharing their mods.

Busskipper · 03-30-2020, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by denverh

My fw storm 32bh will sleep 9. God help the bathroom though. It’s a gas f53 which we now have 60,000 mi and have been cross country Nj to Ca and return twice and for several snowbird seasons to fl. Drop down queen over driver area, dinette(full), jackknife(maybe 2 little ones), 2 bunks, Queen in back. Not a dolly but pulled the Rockies great. Tow a car when we go south without a problem. Only mh I’d replace it with is a tiffin allegro 35qba which I really like. Bwt beautiful work. Great to see such creative, talented folks sharing their mods.

Now that will Stack them In -

- I think a Port-a-Pot as the toad would be Good, ....Nice to share the Family Coach Options.

Thanks,

hkhadra · 03-30-2020, 07:57 AM

Great job!

Roadfrog · 04-16-2020, 11:44 AM

Like the OP, we too wanted more sleeping spaces for family. In our 40' Beaver,. we added a sofa bed, and swapped out the dining room table and chairs for a dinette that converts to a bed.

Jzack · 04-17-2020, 08:44 AM

Love the OP's idea of converting older coach's hallway closets into bunkbeds. Wish I would have thought of that! For those looking for family friendly bunkhouse floor plans in an affordable used DP, I've done a little research trying to find the earliest years. Seems they first started to appear in MY 2008. Here are some examples-

2008 Damon 3776 Pros- Well appointed in Pacific Edition trim, Good ratings. Cons- Somewhat rare, Damon swallowed up by Thor.

2008 Mandalay Presidio 38D Pros- Larger Cummins for 10,000lbs towing. Cons- Very rare, fair to poor ratings, Mandalay no longer in business.

2008 Forest River Berkshire 390 BH Pros- FR still in business, Good dealer network. Cons- Only fair ratings.

2010 Tiffin Allegro Red 38 QBA Pros- Tiffin quality, customer service, Excellent ratings. Cons- Entry level model with only basic appointments.

Dark Sky · 04-18-2020, 07:59 AM

Our 2011 Coachmen Cross Country is a bunkhouse model. The inside appointments are low end so you might find one within your price range. It has been a very good unit for us. We've slept 6 large and 1 small person in it but cheated with an air mattress.
Just another company to consider. Looking for bunkhouse Class A's on RVtrader shows plenty of gas units, and a fair number of DP's under 100k (set the search to nationwide though....)

NXR · 04-18-2020, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agreen88

Really nice work! Wish I was that handy.

Agreed. REALLY nice work! And seven kids. We had two and kind of wish we had more now that we're older.

Ray

Jzack · 04-18-2020, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Sky

Our 2011 Coachmen Cross Country is a bunkhouse model. The inside appointments are low end so you might find one within your price range. It has been a very good unit for us. We've slept 6 large and 1 small person in it but cheated with an air mattress.
Just another company to consider. Looking for bunkhouse Class A's on RVtrader shows plenty of gas units, and a fair number of DP's under 100k (set the search to nationwide though....)

Thank you. Good to hear the Coachmen has been a good unit for you. Looks like a great coach for families. I especially like the private entrance to the bath from the master. I do prefer the midship TV location in the other floorplans however. Question- are the bunks accessible with the slide closed?

2011 Coachmen Cross Country 385DS

Dark Sky · 04-19-2020, 06:50 AM

That's our Coachmen bunkhouse layout you've captured there. In response to your question, we do not have access to the bunks when the driver's slide is closed. It definitely loses out to the OP's excellent modification in this regard.
When we aren't carrying extra people we use the bunks as a pantry to keep things handy, but have to remember that whatever goes there can't be easily grabbed at a rest stop without opening the slide.
A mid-ship tv location was on our shopping list but along came this unit at a good price, newer tires, the engine I wanted, residential fridge conversion done, you know how it goes. We were even lucky enough to find it within 20 miles of our house (helps when you live close to PPL in Houston). We were in the middle of planning a trip to Florida to look at one or two units. Finding a bunkhouse makes everything a bit tougher, so once again hats off to the OPs and their modifications.