Shower?

[pickerdd]

We have a '71 Safari and the bathroom shower confuses me a little...

Sorry for the stupid question but what I'm wondering is should we use a shower curtain in the bathroom or should I expect water to get all over the place? The '71 Safari is one of the models with the rear 3/4 bathroom and shower pan in the center of the rear bathroom. I'm not sure that the walls are water proof or if they aren't should I cover them with some kind of sealant?

Thanks for your help.

[Ganglin]

Some pics. that may give you a few ideas. (courtesy Vintage Airstream) One with a curtain and one with what looks like the original door.

1971 Safari 2

1971Safari6

[pickerdd]

Ganglin,

Thanks for the links to the photos. My bathroom is arranged like the in the photos. I like the shower curtain in the bathroom side of the folding door going into the bedroom. That's a good idea.

What about the other surfaces in the bathroom? I'm sure the walls should be waterproof otherwise water will leak into the bedroom and the closets next to the bathroom. Is the tambour in the bathroom cabinet supposed to be waterproof? Any idea if the wallpaper was coated with some type of waterproof coating when it was new at the factory?

Thanks again for your assist.

[Jim Foster]

Our Caravel has about the same layout. We use a curtain to keep the water in the shower pan. Covers the front of the toilet and comes around the open side to the counter top. It sits inside the lip of the shower pan. Saves lots of "mop-up" after showering.

[pickerdd]

Thanks Jim. That certainly makes sense.

[Air Cruiser]

This is a little late, but we are going through the same thing -- just bought our first Airstream, a 1971 Safari with a "wet bath". Boy, did they name it correctly!

I am wondering if we can redo the bath; take out the existing and put in a shower pan, some sort of wall system, and very tiny oval sink in tiny cabinet. Have you explored something like this, or know of someone who has done it?

Thanks.

D. Hall

[pickerdd]

Originally Posted by D. Hall

This is a little late, but we are going through the same thing -- just bought our first Airstream, a 1971 Safari with a "wet bath". Boy, did they name it correctly!

I am wondering if we can redo the bath; take out the existing and put in a shower pan, some sort of wall system, and very tiny oval sink in tiny cabinet. Have you explored something like this, or know of someone who has done it?

Thanks.

D. Hall

I'm going to install a shower track something like Mellow Mike's in this thread next weekend: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f446...2-a-17356.html

At some point in the future we plan to gut our AS and build it with a floor plan more suitable to our needs, but until then we're fine tuning the existing layout and replace and upgrade components as needed. I'm going to paint the bathroom sink and shower pan surfaces with a 2-part epoxy paint then a gel top coat. That should help the look of the bathroom.

Good luck!

[Air Cruiser]

Hi David.

I had thought about trying to rig up a shower curtain surround as a temporary fix too. I just can't rap my brain around showering and all the soapy water going all over the sink, walls, toilet, etc. Wow, that has to lead to a lot of time afterwards for scrubbing and cleanup!

We had been telling ourselves that we were going to buy an AS that had the floor plan we liked, welllllll.............we love the floor plan of this one, except the bathroom, and of course it has the one we liked least -- a wet bath. Oh well, I guess we need to take the bad with the good, right!?

I think we are going to do some major upgrades to ours this winter, if the weather cooperates.

First we have to buy new tires and check out our existing rims to see how good they are, and replace the wheel bearings. Then we are on to adding an air conditioner (our son has seizures, so we need to keep it cool for him). I've been reading a lot about tire and AC units, but after reading so much, it's a little confusing.

Good luck with your Safari and any modifications you decide to make. I'd appreciate getting a heads up if you come across anything you'd like to share.

D. Hall

[loudruff]

When you use the shower you will be trying to conserve your water...usually. Otherwise you run out of water, or fill up your gray tank. That means that most of us figure out how to shower with way less water. "Military" style is the usual for us. Wet down, shut off water, soap and scrub, start the water and rinse. So it doesn't get too messy. And in our shower we have a hand held shower on the long hose. Very handy and water saving and maybe less splashing around.
In our Minuet we sit on a 5 gal. bucket to shower since the shower is short and in the back corner curve. We are both tall and wide. Makes for a tight fit otherwise. We had to remake a new shower curtain which snaps to the sides and keeps the water from splashing out too.
In the Excella we are lucky to have a hard plastic shower door to keep the bathroom dry. The walls are vinyl wallpaper. We wipe those down after showering, and use the bathroom fan to get rid of extra moisture.
Lou

[Air Cruiser]

Loudruff,

That all makes perfect sense. After we patch the hole in the floor, I may give it a try.

Thanks.

D. Hall