Lack of Counter Space – 19ft. Bambi

[Air88]

I’m looking at a 19’ Bambi (Flying Cloud) and am struck by how little counter space there is. The only prep area is the cutting board that goes over the sink. I’m wondering if this has been an issue with Bambi owners and if so how have they worked around it. Has anyone added a fold down/out counter?
I really like the layout of the 19’, but when I compare it to the 20’, the differences are enormous in the kitchen area as the 20’ has a double sink and two counter areas.

Thanks for your advice.

[Wayne&Sam]

I think the 20' has the most generous counter space- even compared to some models longer than 20'. It was one of the major deciding factors for us.

[DEITZ645]

Air88,
From one south east Pennsylvanian to another, welcome to the forums.

I am not sure in the price difference, but to me the 20' Flying Cloud looks like a much nicer floor plan.

I do not know what your budget is, but DJ RV Center in Danville, PA has a leftover 2007 25' International SS (Sleep Six) in Ocean Breeze interior. The 25' is a really nice floor plan and I love the Ocean Breeze interior.

We had a really good purchasing experience with DJ's when we bought our '06. They have since stopped selling Airstream, as they could not compete with Colonial Airstream in New Jersey. But they still service Airstreams.

Good luck with your search and let us know how you make out and ask lots of questions.

[Caryl]

We have the 19' International OB, but the configuration is the same as the Flying Cloud. We found a small piece of counter top covered in the same material as our Bambi countertops only slightly different color. We put it on the back of the dinette cushions which are quite sturdy. It works nicely for extended space, so my husband used a jigsaw to custom fit it. It stays secure and it can be used for many things--toaster, dish drainer, etc. This has helped a lot. I have made many meals just fine using this set up. The sink is small and dishwashing has its challenges, but, again, I have made it work well using the extension for the drainer.

We like the size of the Bambi and have made it work just fine for two adults and a dog. I agree that the 20' has better work space and if I had a do-over and a heavier tow vehicle than I have now, I might go with that one.

Cheers and good luck

Caryl

[Antique Pedaler]

Ours did not have the dinette so we mounted a flip up counter extension to the right of the sink. For us the 19 was better suited than the 20 for boondocking because of battery capacity etc.

[uluwene]

Originally Posted by Wayne&Sam

I think the 20' has the most generous counter space- even compared to some models longer than 20'. It was one of the major deciding factors for us.

Ditto Wayne&Sam:

We looked at the 19' but we wound up with a 20' Safari and the counter space along with the front bed were the deciding factors for us.

[RangerJay]

We like traditional meals so do a fair bit of food preparation in the Bambi "kitchen".

To deal with the counter space issue we thought about an "add-on" of some type but instead I took our solution from the school of: "give a hard job to a lazy man and he'll find an easy way to do it".

So.

My lazymans way of dealing with the issues was to purchase a meatboard roughly the size of the stove top cover and added 4 non-slip furniture discs to its bottom. The discs are thick enough and positioned so they will permit the meatboard to cover the sink area without interference from the sink lip - in other words the meatboard will sit solidly over the sink. This gives a much larger preparation surface (you have to recognize that "large" in a Bambi is a relative term ...), and, when it is on the stove-cover it is also a good platform for the drain rack.

This seemed to us to be a reasonable, inexpensive (even good) solution.

We no longer see counter space as an issue -the working space is still tight - but quite doable. The meatboard looks fine - in fact better than the insert.

We still carry the the sink insert but it is stowed - it will get used occasionally, in tandem with the meatboard, but this would be a pretty rare event.


Jay

[Colonial Airstream]

More photos and Details

Counter Space in 20' Safari SE/ Flying Cloud

[94Tri]

Originally Posted by NeatAirstream

More photos and Details

Counter Space in 20' Safari SE/ Flying Cloud

Wow!! That's beautiful. That has a really neat layout.

[sarahhaynes]

can you post pics please?

[AWCHIEF]

Originally Posted by sarahhaynes

can you post pics please?

This thread has been dead and buried for almost 6 years.

[Tim A.]

A year after we bought our 2002 19' Bambi, we made changes that added to the effective counter space. Here is a picture just after we finished the work. We have used this setup since then and have found it very convenient. The stove-top cover is permanently mounted to the regular metal cover and lifts up and leans back against the trailer wall when using the stove. The metal provides heat shielding. The sink we used is, apparently, no longer made, but similar ones are surely to be found.

Tim

[TBRich]

I agree that counter space is lacking in the 19' but it hasn't stopped us from making great meals. For food prep, we sometimes use a cutting board on top of the range cover ... which creates a pretty good work space. But most of the time we use the dinette table for food prep...

An Aside: Those small plastic cutting boards are great...they are light-weight, easy to store, and inexpensive to replace when they get too worn. We also have a few harder cutting boards that we sit on top of the dinette bolster cushions to create a harder surface where a portable paper towel holder and toaster can reside.

When washing dishes, we put the stove cover down, place a piece of plastic cabinet/drawer liner (the kind with ridges on it) that covers most of the range cover and drapes over the edge of the sink ... then use a rubber dish pan that sits on the range top for washing dishes...the plastic drawer liner with the ridges parallel to the counter edge creates a "water-catcher" (similar to how a drain board works) that directs any splashed/slopped water into the sink. (We just roll the drawer liner up and stash it under the sink when not in use.) ... and we use the small sink & sprayer for rinsing. Clean, rinsed dishes go to a kitchen towel on the dinette table ... One of us washes dishes and the other dries sitting at the dinette. Works out well.

[jim1949]

Our 2013 Serenity 23D came with a white circular cover for the sink. We never found a way to use this that matched our food prep style. So we just slipped the cover under the mattress and left it there. Recently, we were visiting a woodworking friend and asked him to use his bandsaw and cut a section out of the cover. We now have a very practical cover that allows us to run the water and chop veggies (etc) with the cover in place, effectively doubling our counter space. Food scraps can be easily passed down into a bowl in the sink with the cover in place. Our friend, not wanting to waste anything, shaped the residual piece into a mini cutting board.

Jim