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samitch · 12-21-2011, 10:15 AM

Thinking of buying 2012 25' Flying cloud to replace our 2010 23' FC, but that single round galley sink and its difficult-to-store lid pose real impediments to the purchase. I'd miss the double sink. Anyone been able to overcome the inconvenience in a creative way? I'd love to hear about options before we trade.

AWCHIEF · 12-21-2011, 11:04 AM

Would it be posible to with a little creative cutting to install a double sink?

Ridgerunner3 · 12-21-2011, 11:27 AM

My wife really dislikes the single round sink in the newer models. If we every upgrade to a newer model I will need to be prepared to perform a sink modification for a double sink in the galley. It would have been nice it they would have left a double sink as a option in the Flying Cloud.

karenjude · 12-21-2011, 11:48 AM

I like the round sink. It's bigger so I can fit more in there to soak etc - larger pans too. I took the cover off immediately - there is enough counter space so we just didn't need it. I think it's in our garage.

I put a dishtowel to the left of the sink when air drying dishes but I usually don't leave it there for long.

Lily&Me · 12-21-2011, 11:57 AM

We have a single round sink and have done just fine with it.

In our tiny kitchen with a single sink, I have cooked full meals for up to 7 people, cleaned up after and lived to tell the tale.

We have two round dishpans which nest, one for dishes and one for cleaning purposes. We bought them both at WalMart, from the section with outdoor summer tableware.

We use a dish wand most of the time, to conserve water, but the sink is big enough to wash something large independent of the dishpans when needed.

We bought one of those dish-draining mats this past year, which works great and dries quickly.

Maggie

xo1rider · 12-21-2011, 12:17 PM

I've only had one A/S and it's got the single round sink. Storing the cover is a non-issue for us, it's on the counter covered with a little absorbant cloth pad and on top of that a disk drainer. Never thought of it as being in the way.

Bluto · 12-21-2011, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samitch

Thinking of buying 2012 25' Flying cloud to replace our 2010 23' FC, but that single round galley sink and its difficult-to-store lid pose real impediments to the purchase. I'd miss the double sink. Anyone been able to overcome the inconvenience in a creative way? I'd love to hear about options before we trade.

Unless you have your heart set on the FC, you might want to consider that the Classic Limited models have retained the double sinks. But the smallest Classic is the 27' new, or you could buy used and get a 25' that is a few years old. The last year they made the Classic 25 was in 2009.

MrUKToad · 12-21-2011, 03:01 PM

With the deft use of a large potato chip serving bowl, we have no need of a second sink in our 2011 28' International. Ever resourceful.

Ag&Au · 12-21-2011, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluto

Unless you have your heart set on the FC, you might want to consider that the Classic Limited models have retained the double sinks. But the smallest Classic is the 27' new, or you could buy used and get a 25' that is a few years old. The last year they made the Classic 25 was in 2009.

The sink was the the first thing that caused us to look at the classics. My wife absolutely was not going to accept what she called "that silly round sink". Once we looked at a classic, we realized that it was much more to our taste in many ways.

Ken

dkottum · 12-21-2011, 07:40 PM

My wife was concerned about going from our Airstream double sink to the the new single, but with some simple adjustment to dishwashing (lots of ways to do it), the big sink is terrific. Big and deep, it is much more useful than the little doubles in the other one.

It's like many things about the Airstream that are different from the house. You simply accept what it is, be a little creative and open-minded, and you are surprised how well it all works as designed.

Something interesting about these late designs is the cabinets, baths, closets, seating do not line up in a row the way a house does. They cleverly protrude into the floor space, then recede in a way that gives a feeling of much more spaciousness and interest than a boring straight alignment would give. That with the mirror effect of the aluminum walls and very generous windows make these little gems feel much larger and therefore more comfortable than they actually are.

doug k

triplenet · 12-21-2011, 11:12 PM

We had a 1/2 round sink with straight sides, about 8" deep, designed into a stainless steel counter top. It seemed to allow the most usable counter space. We looked into round sinks, but the surface of the counter they took up and the curved bottom seemed to not be such an efficient use of space.
Bob

Fly at Night · 12-21-2011, 11:33 PM

I love the single round deep sink because it doubles as a laundry tub. It's also big enough to wash my hair in. Sometimes you just want to wash the hair w/o taking a shower.

It's easy to wash dishes w/o a rinse sink. I just fill the sink half-way with water and dishes, wash, then rinse under tap. You can do a lot of rinsing before the sink gets full.

I love the Flying Cloud features - especially the reflective walls.

Don't let a sink "sink" the upgrade to a 25' FC.

Foiled Again · 12-21-2011, 11:43 PM

I have an earlier Safari 25 FB with doubles. I'd prefer the round sink. Being deeper there's less splashing when you wash up pots and pans and using a drain cloth or dish cloth to hold rinsed dishes is just fine. Add a dishpan if that makes your wife more comfortable, but if she tries the big round one for a month, she'll never want to go back.

An unexpected bonus of the round sink is that there is more storage space under the sink because there is less plumbing - max space saving when the sprayer is built into the faucet. And when you get into serious cleaning mode, there's only one sink to scrub out with Barkeeper's Friend!

I must admit that not having a big kitchen, I finally just bit the bullet and started drying my dishes, silver and pots & pans. In a small space the kitchen can look messy with just a few items sitting in a draining rack. In reality, drying things and putting them away immediately doesn't take any more time than putting them away before you can cook the next meal. And your silverware doesn't get spotty or dull.

Paula

Steve & Susan · 12-22-2011, 07:50 AM

We like our round sink - it is one of the features of our TT that made us decide on it.

bike_addict · 12-22-2011, 08:26 AM

I agree with most of the above. I like our round sink. And as for the cover we slide it between the back cushions on the lounge for travel and when we want it out of the way. We use it some but haven't decided yet if we use it enough to bring or just leave it at home.

JBinKC · 12-22-2011, 08:43 AM

I thought we’d be Brad and Angelina in an International, Flying Cloud or Safari. Instead we’re Fred and Ethel in a Classic, all because of the round sink.

dkottum · 12-22-2011, 08:44 AM

Left the round cover at home in favor of this cutting board with a folding strainer from Target. Can cut and use the faucet to strain and wash while it's over the sink. Just fits and the rubber corners grip the sink edge to hold it.

Grande Epicure Sink Board with Strainer

rt08 · 12-22-2011, 08:49 AM

We have a 2010 27FB and love the round sink. We store the cover by the stove and use it when extra counter space is necessary during food prep. I was a little apprehensive, but after living with it, prefer it to the double sinks in our other travel trailers, actually!

Don't knock it 'til you try it!

Fly at Night · 12-22-2011, 11:08 AM

I don't get the issue with the sink cover. I leave it on all the time. When mobile, the cover stays put. When parked, it doubles as counter space and cutting board. That's what I thought it was for.

I can also put a lot of dirty dishes in the deep round sink; the cover hides them until they are washed. I like that!

Frankly, I think some are making a big deal out of nuttin'. If I had a partner who would turn a sink into a song-and dance, I'd leave them standing in the driveway.

I thought Airstreaming was about the spirit of the open road, metaphorically and literally.

Frank&Mike · 12-22-2011, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fly at Night

I don't get the issue with the sink cover. I leave it on all the time. When mobile, the cover stays put. When parked, it doubles as counter space and cutting board. That's what I thought it was for.

We went from a double sink (in the prior Airstream, a 1988 Excella) to the single round sink (in the current Airstream - 2007 International). We like the round sink better. But we all have different preferences so it's all a matter of what works best for each of us, right? But a word of caution ... for what it's worth ... we previously would leave the sink cover in its place (on the sink) when traveling down the road. But we learned a lesson the hard way ... when traveling along a crappy Oklahoma highway this past summer, the sink cover bounced off of the sink and cut a 3 inch slice in the lenoleum. We were able to repair it with one of those kits from Home Depot ... but we no longer travel with the sink cover in it's place ... it now gets stowed in the closet when traveling down the highway.