I had plans to enhance and improve the dinette section in our 2250 Sunseeker. The cushion bottoms were getting mushy & we could feel the plywood through the foam. Generally, these factory seats stand up a bit longer, but it was becoming painfully obvious we needed to do something, particularly when we have 3 or 4 or 5 people in the unit for several miles.
My plans included rebuilding the seats so the back and seat would be at an angle, and the seat backs would (at least) be high enough for our shoulder blades.
To that end, I ordered new medium density 17 year foam for the cushions from FoamByMail.com, but it was really no better than the existing cushions. I probably should have ordered the firm foam instead. I was going to take the current bottoms & make them the backs, but all of that is now moot....
After discussing it with my wife, we decided to do something radically different. She's a dialysis patient, and there are times she simply needs to stretch out & rest. The 2250 floor plan with the dinette just doesn't give us that option, even with the swivel seat that I installed earlier this year (post on Forest River Forums):Swivel seats in Chevy 4500-redux. The swivel seat allows one to set in the passenger seat facing into the coach, but it doesn't recline much, nor does it get the feet up.
Thus, we went from this:
to this:
The process - Remove the old:
(More pics starting with these are on my photo hosting site: 2016 Sunseeker Mods PhotoAlbum on PBase. Click Next or click on the image to go back to the album. These images are toward the bottom of the set.)
While there are a lot of options, we were looking for a local supplier where we could go examine the product, set on it, snooze, measure, etc... After some research, we purchased this set off the floor from: Countryside RV Interiors - Junction City, Oregon
Whenever someone considers installing recliners/theater seats/etc in their unit, they are concerned about how to get that big thing through the door... Well, it all comes in fairly easy to handle sections:
The center section could easily be another recliner, or two/three/four/etc recliners can be attached. The configurations are numerous with this setup.
The advantages:
o Very comfortable seats with good back rests
o Comfortable seating angles
o Recline, feet down or up
o More room to work in the kitchen (unless someone's feet get in the way), as these are about 4" narrower than the dinette
o Gained one more seat belt position - had two, now have three:
Disadvantages:
o Lost the storage under the benches - though I'm working on storage boxes behind and below
o Lost the nice Corian table that I just finished. To replace the table, I'm working on a pair of swing away tables using sections of that top, and looking at other options
o Lost one seating position - had 4, now have 3. (Though the center doesn't recline, it's pretty cushy)
As mentioned, I'm currently working on a pair of swing-away tables for the two recliners, and will post that project as I complete it.
My plans included rebuilding the seats so the back and seat would be at an angle, and the seat backs would (at least) be high enough for our shoulder blades.
To that end, I ordered new medium density 17 year foam for the cushions from FoamByMail.com, but it was really no better than the existing cushions. I probably should have ordered the firm foam instead. I was going to take the current bottoms & make them the backs, but all of that is now moot....
After discussing it with my wife, we decided to do something radically different. She's a dialysis patient, and there are times she simply needs to stretch out & rest. The 2250 floor plan with the dinette just doesn't give us that option, even with the swivel seat that I installed earlier this year (post on Forest River Forums):Swivel seats in Chevy 4500-redux. The swivel seat allows one to set in the passenger seat facing into the coach, but it doesn't recline much, nor does it get the feet up.
Thus, we went from this:
to this:
The process - Remove the old:
(More pics starting with these are on my photo hosting site: 2016 Sunseeker Mods PhotoAlbum on PBase. Click Next or click on the image to go back to the album. These images are toward the bottom of the set.)
While there are a lot of options, we were looking for a local supplier where we could go examine the product, set on it, snooze, measure, etc... After some research, we purchased this set off the floor from: Countryside RV Interiors - Junction City, Oregon
Whenever someone considers installing recliners/theater seats/etc in their unit, they are concerned about how to get that big thing through the door... Well, it all comes in fairly easy to handle sections:
The center section could easily be another recliner, or two/three/four/etc recliners can be attached. The configurations are numerous with this setup.
The advantages:
o Very comfortable seats with good back rests
o Comfortable seating angles
o Recline, feet down or up
o More room to work in the kitchen (unless someone's feet get in the way), as these are about 4" narrower than the dinette
o Gained one more seat belt position - had two, now have three:
Disadvantages:
o Lost the storage under the benches - though I'm working on storage boxes behind and below
o Lost the nice Corian table that I just finished. To replace the table, I'm working on a pair of swing away tables using sections of that top, and looking at other options
o Lost one seating position - had 4, now have 3. (Though the center doesn't recline, it's pretty cushy)
As mentioned, I'm currently working on a pair of swing-away tables for the two recliners, and will post that project as I complete it.
Continuing the updates: We purchased a pair of swivel table kits for the alter-abled as source material for this project:
When the kits arrived, they were missing some parts. As I was planning to cut them up, I had what I needed, but it was a bit frustrating to receive incomplete product. And the feedback mechanism left a lot to be desired - it was rejected, and once rejected, additional feedback could not be provided. Boo.
Using pieces of the kit and bed rail angle iron, I built new brackets for swivel tables, and modified the table tops, as follows:
Left and right brackets welded up & painted with hammered finish:
Assembly completed & painted:
Assembly complete, ready to bolt into place:
Fitted:
Bracket positioning - Note it hits the top of the arm rests. I drill new holes in the movable tube and re-positioned the height adjustment snap button so it would set just a tad above the arm rest.
Aft side:
I modded the backets on the tops so they would set lower on the brackets by removing the existing stud and welding in a nut.
Previously, they set about an inch above the square wall tubing.
I purchased two thumbscrews with 5/16 x 2" bolts to attach the tops to the square wall, then opened up the hole nearest the end to accommodate the increased bolt size:
Final Result: A set of tables that can be removed for storage, yet quickly and easily installed when needed:
We tested these on our summer trip/family reunion. We hauled our oldest daughter and her 4 & 6 year old kids, our grandchildren. They worked very well.
I plan to either cut up the solid surface (corian) tabletop I made for the dinette, or obtain more corian & custom make the tops. Corian is a bit heavier, but in the grand scheme of things, is much more durable than the bamboo. We might find the original bamboo tables are quite sufficient - time will tell.
-----
To finish the seats, they needed permanent cup/phone/etc holders. The design was also intended to further stabilize the swivel table upright tubes, as they were a bit thinner than I would have liked.
Two openings are square, the center opening is a bit smaller in one direction. I used a variety of cup holders to size these boxes, and maximized the available space:
Initial fitting:
Initial fitting - I determined I needed a support panel/base for the right side, as the upright tube just didn't have the strength for decent stability:
Cupholder/support base finished and installed:
Left size install finished and installed. I used a screw clamp to hold the outer end to the upright and screwed the inner end to the pantry cabinet:
Once installed, I cut some of the "waffle" non-skid foam shelf liner material to fit the bottoms. These absorb some noise and keeps things from rattling around.
Project complete.
Next: Storage boxes behind, beneath the seats. (This project is complete, but I've yet to post the details)
As always, tons of photos of these projects are located at my photo hosting site:
https://pbase.com/brucemac/2015octsunseeker
When the kits arrived, they were missing some parts. As I was planning to cut them up, I had what I needed, but it was a bit frustrating to receive incomplete product. And the feedback mechanism left a lot to be desired - it was rejected, and once rejected, additional feedback could not be provided. Boo.
Using pieces of the kit and bed rail angle iron, I built new brackets for swivel tables, and modified the table tops, as follows:
Left and right brackets welded up & painted with hammered finish:
Assembly completed & painted:
Assembly complete, ready to bolt into place:
Fitted:
Bracket positioning - Note it hits the top of the arm rests. I drill new holes in the movable tube and re-positioned the height adjustment snap button so it would set just a tad above the arm rest.
Aft side:
I modded the backets on the tops so they would set lower on the brackets by removing the existing stud and welding in a nut.
Previously, they set about an inch above the square wall tubing.
I purchased two thumbscrews with 5/16 x 2" bolts to attach the tops to the square wall, then opened up the hole nearest the end to accommodate the increased bolt size:
Final Result: A set of tables that can be removed for storage, yet quickly and easily installed when needed:
We tested these on our summer trip/family reunion. We hauled our oldest daughter and her 4 & 6 year old kids, our grandchildren. They worked very well.
I plan to either cut up the solid surface (corian) tabletop I made for the dinette, or obtain more corian & custom make the tops. Corian is a bit heavier, but in the grand scheme of things, is much more durable than the bamboo. We might find the original bamboo tables are quite sufficient - time will tell.
-----
To finish the seats, they needed permanent cup/phone/etc holders. The design was also intended to further stabilize the swivel table upright tubes, as they were a bit thinner than I would have liked.
Two openings are square, the center opening is a bit smaller in one direction. I used a variety of cup holders to size these boxes, and maximized the available space:
Initial fitting:
Initial fitting - I determined I needed a support panel/base for the right side, as the upright tube just didn't have the strength for decent stability:
Cupholder/support base finished and installed:
Left size install finished and installed. I used a screw clamp to hold the outer end to the upright and screwed the inner end to the pantry cabinet:
Once installed, I cut some of the "waffle" non-skid foam shelf liner material to fit the bottoms. These absorb some noise and keeps things from rattling around.
Project complete.
Next: Storage boxes behind, beneath the seats. (This project is complete, but I've yet to post the details)
As always, tons of photos of these projects are located at my photo hosting site:
https://pbase.com/brucemac/2015octsunseeker
