Forum Discussion

dsbunton646's avatar
dsbunton646
Explorer
Apr 17, 2014

Replacement Tub

Greetings everyone. New here and had a question about the tub in my travel trailer. I had a crack in the old one and searched around, ultimately purchasing a new fiberglass tub (lyons brand). The new tub is very thin and not very sturdy (neither was the original). I am a bigger guy and was just wondering if there is a better quality tub that will fit in a 24x36 spot. The floor support is in tact and I even added some support to bottom side of the raised floor to be sure it doesn't flex.

My second thought would be to possible add additional fiberglass layers to the outer edge and down around the curved bottom on the underside of the old tub (after repairing the crack). This is where the old tub cracked, right where the curve starts on the side and floor.

Anyone ever done this? I don't care about the additional weight of the tub. A few added pounds won't make a big difference in the overall weight of the trailer.
Thanks.
  • My nephew had a boat fiberglass shop reinforce the bottom of his tub. Heavier yes, but doesn't have that flimsy "I'm gonna fall thru feel." Well worth checking into. When mine cracks, that's my plan.
  • You can certainly add some glass mat and resin to the most critical areas and it wouldn't add a lot of weight. Another tactic might be to "bed" the shower pan into a material that forms around the tub. When I install larger tubs for residential customers, we use a cementitious material but for an RV, foam may be a better choice.
  • The bottom of my tub also flexes when stepped on - even by my 5 year old. I chaulk it up to shoddy manufacturing practices like a dozen other issues. You think the entire tub bottom would be in contact with a solid surface.
  • You also might try to foam the bottom.2 cans of foam might do it.Just let the foam cure for a few days before trimming to fit. The denser the foam the longer the cure time.